An Investigation into Some Affecting Factors on Students’ Participation in Congregational Prayer in Mazandaran University of Medical Science, Sari, Iran

Background and Research has shown that attending congregational prayer has constructive effects on spiritual guidance and mental relaxation of humans. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effective factors in the presence of university students attending congregational prayers of Masjid-Al-Nabi at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. Moreover, this study aimed to propose influential approaches to encourage participation in congregational prayer. This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on students studying at Payambar Aazam Complex of Mazandaran University of medical science, during 2016. A total number of 500 students were selected randomly out of 4000 students of this university. The data were collected using a questionnaire, which included demographic information and effecting factor on congregational prayer. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were confirmed and data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 20). The survey showed that there was a significant relationship between the investigated variables (including family factors, friendship tendency, participation of authorities and teachers, coincidence of prayer and class time, personal motivation and education level) and the presence of students in congregational prayer. According to the results of this study, supporting students, adjustment of class time, and attendance of the instructors at the mosque will encourage students to participate in congregational prayer. University authorities can appropriately prepare the ground for the presence of students in congregational prayer.