The Experience of Pilgrimage and Its Educational Impacts among Student Teachers at Farhangian University: A Phenomenological Study

Pilgrimage is one of the most important religious rituals across various religions. In Islam, and particularly within Shiʿa Islam, pilgrimage has always been emphasized and encouraged by religious and spiritual leaders, This study examines the pilgrimage experience among student teachers at Farhangian University. This study adopts a qualitative research design with a phenomenological approach. The participants consisted of student teachers from Farhangian University in Alborz Province, who were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, and thematic analysis was employed for data analysis. Based on the findings, the effects of pilgrimage on student teachers were categorized into two overarching themes: individual impacts and social impacts. The individual impacts of pilgrimage were further organized into three organizing themes: spiritual impacts, cognitive impacts, and psychological impacts. Social impacts were also classified into three organizing themes: strengthening social cohesion, increasing responsibility, and expanding social interactions. The results indicate that pilgrimage can have profound individual and social effects on student teachers. Accordingly, pilgrimage journeys to sacred and holy sites can be designed and implemented as one of the cultural components within the curricular and extracurricular programs of student teachers at Farhangian University.