The geography of catechism : understanding the determinants of parental choices in Malta

Abstract

This study explores the spatial factors influencing the choice of catechism centres in three localities in Malta, Naxxar, Ħaż-Żabbar and Marsascala. The analysis investigates how proximity, accessibility, available facilities, transport and urban form affect parental choices when selecting a catechism centre for their children. A quantitative methodology is applied which combines self-reported questionnaire survey data collected from parents of children preparing for First Holy Communion, use of Fisher's Exact Tests, GIS and urban morphology measurements. Urban compactness was measured using the composite indicator framework developed by Kakar and Prasad (2020). This classified Naxxar as sprawled, Żabbar as marginally compact, and Marsascala as clearly compact. The findings show that the determinants of centre selection are specific to the localities rather than universal. Perceived accessibility and well-equipped classrooms were significant in sprawled Naxxar, outdoor facilities mattered most in compact Żabbar, and transport mode was decisive in Marsascala, where a single dominant centre attracts respondents from across the locality. Proximity establishes the locality-level catchment and influences choice at smaller, close-neighbourhood anchored centres, but is overridden at larger centres, a pattern interpreted through Christaller's (1933) central place theory. In Naxxar, the most geographically accessible centre received the poorest perceived accessibility ratings, indicating that the experience of reaching a centre matters as much as the distance itself. Facility preferences emerge as significant only when urban morphology creates the conditions for comparison, with outdoor facilities decisive in Żabbar's overlapping catchments and well-equipped classrooms decisive in Naxxar's longer travel distances. Transport mode becomes important in Marsascala, where a single dominant centre forces car use despite locality-level compactness, while cognitive dissonance reinforces the existing travel modes of both drivers and walkers. A gap emerges between parents' stated reasons and their revealed behaviour, with spatial conditions quietly shaping decisions that parents attribute to social and personal factors. The study extends established geographical frameworks into a previously unexamined catechetical context.