Showing papers in "British Journal of Religious Education in 2011"
TL;DR: In this article, the author's interpretive approach to religious education was used as a theoretical and pedagogical stimulus and an empirical research tool by researchers in the European Commission Framework 6 REDCo (religion, education, dialogue, conflict) project.
Abstract: This contribution shows how the author's interpretive approach to religious education was used as a theoretical and pedagogical stimulus and an empirical research tool by researchers in the European Commission Framework 6 REDCo (religion, education, dialogue, conflict) project. The origins and development of the interpretive approach, from its roots in the ethnographic study of children from religious backgrounds, are summarised, and an account is given about how its key concepts were used to frame a checklist of questions for REDCo researchers dealing with both empirical research methodology and pedagogy. Examples and case studies are presented illustrating how the approach was used by REDCo researchers as a methodological tool for empirical research, a pedagogical tool or stimulus to pedagogical clarification and a tool for meta‐analysis and theory development.
64 citations
TL;DR: This paper explored the experiences of secondary school students from religious backgrounds in religious education (RE) and found that religious intolerance and prejudice were common among students in secondary education, which led to some students being reluctant to reveal or discuss their religious identity in lessons, and that at times they were expected to be or felt the need to be spokespeople or representatives of their religion.
Abstract: This paper explores the experiences of secondary school students from religious backgrounds in Religious Education (RE). A total of 16 loosely structured, group, pair and individual interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 34 school-age members of four religious communities: one Jewish and three Christian. The findings make a useful contribution to ongoing debates concerning pedagogy and practice in secondary RE. Members of the religious communities consulted often found their tradition stereotyped and simplified in RE lessons. Respondents also found that at times they were expected to be, or felt the need to be, spokespeople or representatives of their religion. However, experiences of religious intolerance and prejudice, or the fear of it, were common. This led to some students being reluctant to reveal or discuss their religious identity in lessons.
53 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a study of teachers' perceptions of and responses to the diversity within their classes, in relation to their professional role and their personal and professional biographies, is presented.
Abstract: This paper focuses on teachers of secondary level religious education in England, Estonia, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Norway. It presents a study of the teachers' perceptions of and responses to the diversity within their classes, in relation to their professional role and their personal and professional biographies. The study employed biographical research methods and 36 teachers were interviewed. Key findings were that, in every country, there was a clear relationship between individual teachers' personal biographies and how they responded to religious and/or cultural diversity and common cross‐national strategies for dealing with these aspects of diversity. However, socio‐cultural factors within each country (including dominant views of the relationship between religion and education) affected the ways in which the teachers perceived the diversity within their classes and there were national differences in how teachers prioritised aspects of diversity. The study concludes that if teachers of ...
40 citations
TL;DR: The authors examines some Australian approaches to interfaith education in light of Freire's challenge and questions the persistence of an Abrahamic skew and calls for a more critical approach to differences of belief.
Abstract: Interfaith education has been boosted recently by the imprimatur of current and previous political world leaders. However, a critical analysis of what makes good interfaith education is yet to emerge. Indeed the attention may distract from the effort needed to ensure positive outcomes. This paper questions whether the uncritical nature of some interfaith education initiatives encourages the continuation of cultural and theological bias. Critical social theorist Paulo Freire viewed education as an opportunity for social evolution. His pedagogy of freedom relied on the idea that no knowledge is out of bounds and that such freedom nurtured the security to greet difference with humility. This paper examines some Australian approaches to interfaith education in light of Freire’s challenge. It questions the persistence of an Abrahamic skew and calls for a more critical approach to differences of belief.
40 citations
TL;DR: In the 70 year history of Islamic schools in North America, there is yet to be an accredited teacher education programme to train and professionally equip Islamic school teachers with an understanding of an Islamic pedagogy.
Abstract: In the 70 year history of Islamic schools in North America, there is yet to be an accredited teacher education programme to train and professionally equip Islamic school teachers with an understanding of an Islamic pedagogy. Arguably, there has been an imbalance of energy placed on curriculum development projects over the considerations of teacher training. From my experience working as a teacher trainer/education consultant for Islamic schools for the past 10 years, it is evident that the underlying assumption for many school administrators is that a State/Ministry certified teacher who is Muslim will know how to teach ‘Islamically’. The aims of this paper are to first establish some semblance of what it means to teach Islamically or, more accurately, to teach through an Islamic pedagogy. From this framework, the crux of the paper is to present findings from a series of focus groups with Islamic school educators about their teacher training needs. The findings of this study establish the need for a forma...
39 citations
TL;DR: The REDCo project as mentioned in this paper addressed the question of how study of religions and values in schools could contribute to either dialogue or tension in Europe, focusing on the 14- to 16-year age group.
Abstract: The REDCo project addressed the question of how study of religions and values in schools could contribute to either dialogue or tension in Europe. Researchers in the humanities and social sciences co‐operated in order to gain better insight into how European citizens of different religious, cultural and political backgrounds could enter into dialogue which respected freedom of religion or belief. Empirical studies, targeting students in the 14‐ to 16‐year age group, included a dual perspective of, on the one hand, the subjects’ own perspectives and, on the other hand, analyses of examples of observed teaching. The project was funded by the European Commission for the period from March 2006 to March 2009 and was co‐ordinated by the University of Hamburg. Eight European countries (Estonia, Russia, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, France, England and Spain) participated. This contribution, by the project co‐ordinator, provides an overview of the project and presents a personal evaluation.
39 citations
TL;DR: In the years following the events of 9/11, 2001 in the USA, religion has become a major topic of public debate globally as mentioned in this paper, and there has been a growth in writing about...
Abstract: Especially in the years following the events of 9/11, 2001 in the USA, religion has become a major topic of public debate globally. In academic literature, there has been a growth in writing about ...
32 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe the way in which religious education has been organized in Flanders and Belgium, and give attention to the problems and challenges that arise these days, and argue that the Schoolpact of 1958 which implies separate RE in different religions in public schools needs a revision.
Abstract: This article describes the way in which religious education (RE) has been organised in Flanders and Belgium, and gives attention to the problems and challenges that arise these days. We argue that the Schoolpact of 1958 which implies separate RE in different religions in public schools needs a revision. Therefore, we propose an alternative system, within the boundaries of the Belgian constitution that makes room for integrative RE as a new compulsory school subject in all schools.
31 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focused on their experiences and perceptions of religious education and religious nurture in the community and highlighted the complementarity between school and home in young people's religious learning and drew out implications for RE.
Abstract: On the basis of a recent ethnographic study at the University of Warwick of the religious identity formation of young people in ‘mixed‐faith’ families, this article focuses on their (and their parents’) experiences and perceptions of religious education (RE) and of religious nurture in the community The young people’s experience of RE differed between primary and secondary school and only a few were engaged in supplementary classes We highlight the complementarity between school and home in young people’s religious learning and draw out implications for RE
30 citations
TL;DR: This article conducted a qualitative study of European teenagers' perspectives on religion and religious education (RE), part of the REDCo project, using data collected from 27 pupils, aged 15-16, from a school in a multicultural northern town in England and compared those findings with data gathered from 10 teachers in the humanities faculty of the same school.
Abstract: This paper builds on and develops the English findings of the qualitative study of European teenagers’ perspectives on religion and religious education (RE), part of ‘Religion in Education: a Contribution to Dialogue or a Factor of Conflict in Transforming Societies of European Countries?’ (REDCo) project. It uses data gathered from 27 pupils, aged 15–16, from a school in a multicultural northern town in England and compares those findings with data gathered from 10 teachers in the humanities faculty of the same school, collected during research for the Warwick REDCo Community of Practice. Comparisons are drawn between the teachers’ and their pupils’ attitudes and values using the same structure as the European study: personal views and experiences of religion, the social dimension of religion, and RE in school. The discussion offers an analysis of the similarities and differences in worldviews and beliefs which emerged. These include religious commitment/observance differences between the mainly Muslim‐h...
26 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focused on how young people talk about Islam and Muslims in a multicultural society, focusing on how students speak about Islam, and the relationship between the students' speech and dominant discourses in Norwegian society represented in the media and public debates.
Abstract: This paper focuses on how young people talk about religion and diversity in a multicultural society. More specifically, it focuses on how students speak about Islam and Muslims. In analysing interviews with students, a main interest has been to examine the relationship between the students’ speech and dominant discourses in Norwegian society represented in the media and public debates. This paper has the following structure. First, the theoretical basis of the research is explained and how Gerd Baumann’s terms ‘dominant’ and ‘demotic’ discourse are understood and employed in this study. Then, the project is contextualised within the Norwegian debate about plurality. Further, methods and analysed data are presented. In the main analysis, there is a focus on some of the students’ statements and the discourses they seem to activate. In conclusion, the consequences that the analysis has for school and the subject of religion in general, and for religious education teachers in particular, are discussed briefly.
TL;DR: This article conducted ethnographic fieldwork that took place in a boys' hifz class which met in a north-east London mosque and found that the students' perceptions of what they were doing; the sacrifice of becoming a hafiz; and the rest of students' lives.
Abstract: This article draws on ethnographic fieldwork that took place in 2004 in a boys’ hifz class which met in a north‐east London mosque. Drawing on the results of semi‐participant observations and semi‐structured interviews, the research findings are collated under five themes: the routines and rhythms of the hifz class; routes into the hifz class; the students’ perceptions of what they were doing; the ‘sacrifice’ of becoming a hafiz; and hifz class and the rest of students’ lives. Though the analysis is largely of the subjective responses of hifz class members and cannot therefore give definitive answers to research questions, the author points to some of the implications of this work and offers pointers for further research work in this field.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present aspects of a research project, undertaken in Greece, looking into whether a cultural product can foster intercultural communication and influence young people's perceptions of and attitudes to cultural and religious diversity.
Abstract: Contemporary thinking seems to be particularly interested in the investigation of the role of culture in socio‐political life. This article presents aspects of a research project, undertaken in Greece, looking into whether a cultural product can foster intercultural communication and influence young people’s perceptions of and attitudes to cultural and religious diversity. Such cultural products are the Theatre in Education (TiE) programmes, which focus on the use of the art of theatre as a means of educational intervention. For the purposes of our research a specially designed TiE programme was used as a means of intervention and as a research tool. Our research examines secondary education students’ perceptions of and attitudes to cultural and religious diversity prior to and following the intervention in Thessaloniki and in Thrace, Greece. This cultural intervention, which incorporates art and religion, offers new insights into the possibility of the use of TiE for the religious education of young people.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the reasons why studying the impact of religious diversity in education is so complicated and why it is difficult to answer the question about the question of whether or not religious diversity is beneficial for education.
Abstract: Both in academic and public discussions, there is an ongoing debate about the pros and cons of religious diversity in education. Until recently, many arguments used in this debate have not had a strong theoretical basis and often lack empirical underpinning as well. In this paper I go further into the reasons why researching the impact of religious diversity in education is so complicated. Reflections on the findings with regard to religious diversity in education from a European research project on religion, education, dialogue and conflict are taken as a starting point to explore further, both from a conceptual and an empirical perspective, why it is so difficult to answer the question about the impact of religious diversity in education. Among the aspects discussed are the fact that a single definition of ‘religious diversity’ cannot be given. This problematises empirical studies on the impact of religious diversity, since the less clear research concepts are, the higher the risk is of making misinterp...
TL;DR: In a preliminary study, twenty "migrant" Buddhist parents and children from England participated in semi-structured interviews to compare their home nurture with classroom presentation of Buddhism as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: In a preliminary study, twenty ‘migrant’ Buddhist parents and children from England
participated in semi-structured interviews to compare their home nurture with classroom
presentation of Buddhism. In the home Buddhism received more time allocation and was
presented mainly by the mother and monks – the content being that of ‘perpetuating
structures’, often in an ethnic mother tongue and with ethos permeating all aspects of life.
In school, by contrast, Buddhism was allocated little or no time, was presented mostly by
the teacher – the content being meditation, Precepts and the more material aspects of the
tradition – in English and with little in terms of amenable ethos. Dissonance apparent
between home and school presentation of Buddhism is compared to similar findings for the
Hindu and Sikh communities in Britain and the need is highlighted for more attention to
avoidance of assumptions in content, better use of allocated time and increased
involvement of the ‘migrant’ Buddhist faith community. To this end recommendations are
made for further research.
TL;DR: The authors focused on pupils' attitudes towards religion in school, having specific regard to four key issues of the religious pedagogical debate: the role of religion in education, the content of learning, teachers' religiosity and learning models.
Abstract: This publication focuses on pupils' attitudes towards religion in school, having specific regard to four key issues of the religious pedagogical debate: the role of religion in school, the content of learning, teachers' religiosity and learning models. It draws on the results of the qualitative study within the international research project REDCo: ‘Religion in Education. A Contribution to Dialogue or a Factor of Conflict in Transforming Societies of European Countries?’ carried out in eight European countries. Based on a European comparison, in terms of the four issues identified above, we aim to interpret the findings by introducing a ‘contextual setting approach’. The assumption is that the similarities and differences among the pupils who contributed to a qualitative study (over 1000) are highly influenced by the particular contextual setting of religious education – that is the way in which religion/religious education is shaped according to national/regional traditions, structures, etc. – and that t...
TL;DR: A close examination of his many journal articles and books reveal some anomalies in his approach to religious education when compared with the Montessori Method, in particular his focus on play as opposed to work, as well as creativity and the creative process as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: For more than 30 years, the thinking and writing of Jerome W. Berryman has made a significant and unique contribution to the religious education of children and adults in faith-based contexts. Claiming to be influenced primarily by the work of Maria Montessori, his writings reveal the purpose of religious education to be teaching children the art of using the Christian language system to play at the edges of knowing and being so as to creatively discern meaning and purpose in life. However, a close examination of his many journal articles and books reveal some anomalies in his approach to religious education when compared with the Montessori Method, in particular his focus on play as opposed to work, as well as creativity and the creative process, as opposed to Montessori’s grounding of the imagination in reality. These anomalies, explored in this paper, raise questions about the extent to which Berryman is, in fact, a true Montessorian.
TL;DR: In this paper, the REDCo (Religion in Education: a Contribution to Dialogue or a Factor of Conflict in Transforming Societies of European Countries) research sets out how French pupils conceive of laicite, both generally and in school.
Abstract: Focusing on the results of the REDCo (Religion in Education: a Contribution to Dialogue or a Factor of Conflict in Transforming Societies of European Countries) research, this publication sets out how French pupils conceive of laicite, both generally and in school. It also explores pupils’ perceptions of the 2004 law banning the wearing of ostentatious religious symbols in state schools and their perceptions of the current arrangements for dealing with pupils’ religiously motivated requests (e.g. absence for religious reasons, religious dietary requirements in school canteens). Finally, questions concerning if and how pupils have interiorised the principle of laicite are considered. Does it still have a militant tone, with a kernel of anticlericalism and often anti‐religious views? To conclude, it is shown that secondary pupils share a ‘laicite of proximity’ which is neither how the state interprets laicite, nor how it is used in ideological debates.
TL;DR: The authors found that the religious and spiritual beliefs and practices of young people were positively associated with their level of community involvement, indicating an association between young religious believers and those who are constructively engaged in both their communities as well as being politically minded.
Abstract: This article reports on some of the research findings of a major, multi-site case study of character formation in young people in England. Religion was not the focus of this research, but emerged as significant in each case study. In particular, the religious and spiritual beliefs and practices of young people were positively connected with their level of community involvement. The research provides evidence that indicates an association between young religious believers and those who are constructively engaged in both their communities as well as being politically minded. The main methods of data collection for this article included semi-structured discussions/interviews together with semi-structured individual and questionnaire surveys.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the current dynamics of pluralisation of confessional RE at school, which is currently being implemented in several pilot primary schools in districts with high percentages of Muslim (particularly Maghrebien) as well as Protestant (increasingly Latin American) immigrants, meets strong resistance.
Abstract: Religious education (RE) is a persistently ‘hot topic’ in contemporary Spain. Although nominally Catholic, majority Spanish society tends to be sharply divided with regard to the issue of religion in education: more conservative and Church‐attending parents approve of the still overwhelming presence of Catholic teachers, trained and chosen by the Catholic Church, who teach (confessional Catholic) religion in both public and confessional primary and secondary schools. More liberal or progressive parents reject this ‘intrusion’ of the Church as reminiscent of ‘national Catholicism’ and favour a strict state–Church separation similar to the French laicite model. This bipolar conflict has become more complex recently. The current dynamics of pluralisation of confessional RE at school, which is currently being implemented in several pilot primary schools in districts with high percentages of Muslim (particularly Maghrebien) as well as Protestant (increasingly Latin American) immigrants, meets strong resistance...
TL;DR: A central task of religious education is to show how the puzzlements to human intelligence and the experiences associated with spirituality, are compelling in relation to our development as human beings as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: A central task of religious education is to show how the puzzlements to human intelligence and the experiences that are associated with spirituality, are compelling in relation to our development as human beings. There are always more theories than objects or events to be explained, and while the spiritual ‘data’ that gives rise to our puzzlements and experience is elusive and meagre, the supply of literature, teaching, ritual and other forms of articulation is torrential. To understand the nature of religious education we need firstly to ask about the nature of spiritual experience itself at its broadest level and then to identify and co-ordinate the kinds of material that will sensitise pupils to this experience and help them to articulate it. This should provide a basis for evaluation of the material against the context of their own life experiences. In this respect religious education is no different in structure to other areas of the curriculum.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors look at differences in students' attitude structures between England and Estonia, and find that attitude differences between the religiously committed and the uncommitted are significantly higher in the UK than in Estonia.
Abstract: Structural modelling offers an overall pattern of relationships; this paper looks at differences in students' attitude structures between England and Estonia. Where different coherent sets of beliefs exist in a national sample, factor analysis, which focuses on sets of responses which differ between groups, should be able to separate them out. England and Estonia differ both in the composition of the factors, indicating differences in the patterns of viewpoints between the students in the two countries, and in the interrelation between the factors and influences. In England, the first factor indicates attitude differences between the religiously committed and the uncommitted, but in Estonia this is only the second factor, despite the importance of religion to the ‘Russians’. In Estonia the first, integrative, factor relates to religious education, which evokes much more divergence of opinion than in the English data. In the structural model, the most striking differences relate to the stronger differences...
TL;DR: In this article, the weaknesses of current theory, policy and practice in religious education (RE) have been identified, and a review of the weaknesses can be found in Section 5.1.
Abstract: London, Routledge, 2010, xiii + 231 pp., £22.99 (paperback), ISBN 978‐0‐415‐47874‐8 What are the weaknesses of current theory, policy and practice in religious education (RE)? How might we set abou...
TL;DR: In this article, a volume aimed at teachers, researchers and policy makers, is presented, which is called "Religious Diversity and Education in Europe, Vol. 18, No. 4, No 2, 2009, Munster, Waxmann et al., 2009, 160 pp., €19.90 (paperback), ISBN 978•3•8309•2282•7
Abstract: (Religious Diversity and Education in Europe, Vol. 18), Munster, Waxmann, 2009, 160 pp., €19.90 (paperback), ISBN 978‐3‐8309‐2282‐7 This volume, aimed at teachers, researchers and policy makers, is...
TL;DR: This paper found that exposure of the teacher's personal commitments and beliefs stimulates students to participate in dialogue and support hermeneutical approaches to the empirical studies in education showing that quantitative methods are to be used in a wider framework where there is a revisiting given data in the light of the new data.
Abstract: REDCo findings question the ideal of neutrality of the teacher on ethical, epistemological and didactical grounds showing in particular that the exposure of the teacher's personal commitments and beliefs stimulates students to participate in dialogue. The findings support hermeneutical approaches to the empirical studies in education showing that quantitative methods are to be used in a wider framework where there is a hermeneutical process of revisiting given data in the light of the new data. Qualitative methods and international and interdisciplinary cooperation are of high value in this process.
TL;DR: Johnson, T M & Ross, K R (Eds), 2010 Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, £150, Hardback 384pp, 400 colour illustrations + CD, ISBN 978-0-7486-3267-1 as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: by Johnson, T M & Ross, K R (Eds.), 2010 Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, £150, Hardback 384pp, 400 colour illustrations + CD, ISBN 978-0-7486-3267-1. In 1910 a working conference gathered at...
TL;DR: Grimmitt et al. as discussed by the authors evaluated the impact of the Hampshire Agreed Syllabus on teaching and learning in religious education and found that it had a negative effect on the performance of religious education.
Abstract: References Grimmitt, M., ed. 2000. Pedagogies of religious education: Case studies in the research and practice of good pedagogic practice in RE. Great Wakering: McCrimmon. Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). 2004. Religious education. The non-statutory national framework. London: QCA, Department for Education and Skills. Wedell, K. 2010. Evaluating the impact of the Hampshire Agreed Syllabus: ‘Living difference’ on teaching and learning in religious education. British Journal of Religious Education 32, no. 2: 147–61.