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Showing papers on "Religious education published in 2011"


Journal Article
TL;DR: A brief background of the education system in Saudi Arabia and current special education services and programs for students with disabilities can be found in this article, where the authors present the findings of some studies that examined teachers' perspectives regarding the inclusion of students with disability.
Abstract: This paper provides a brief background of the education system in Saudi Arabia and current special education services and programs for students with disabilities. Additionally, this paper presents the findings of some studies that examined teachers' perspectives regarding the inclusion of students with disabilities. As Saudi Arabia continues its dramatic period of improvement, changes in special education services will occur rapidly. To improve special education services, educators, parents, policymakers, and other professionals should consider many suggestions regarding critical components of successful inclusive education. In addition, further research is needed on changing the attitudes of stakeholders toward inclusion so they can be supportive of these students in a general education setting. Overview of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) was established in the 1932, when Ibn Saud conquered the majority of the Arabian Peninsula after a bloody war that lasted three decades (World Factbook, 2010). It is located in the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula and is bordered on the north by Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait and on the east by Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Quatar, and the Arabian Gulf Sea. On the south are Oman and Yemen and on the west is the Red Sea. KSA dominates the Arabian Peninsula in terms of land area, having over two million square kilometers of land. Over 22 million people live in Saudi Arabia, according to a census conducted in 2004. The geography of Saudi Arabia ranges includes mountains, plains, and desert. The temperature varies from over one hundred degrees Fahrenheit in daytime to well below 30 degrees on a cold desert night. Saudi Arabia’s capital is Riyadh (Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, 2010). The KSA economy is driven by oil. The country has more oil than any other nation; some experts estimate that KSA has one fourth of the world’s total reserves. Most of its economy is based on the collection and refining of oil products like kerosene or gasoline. Despite its oil wealth, Saudi Arabia is beginning to look to other natural resources to boost its income, such as natural gas, minerals, and precious metals (Royal Embassy, 2010). The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a theocratic monarchy. It is ruled over by a royal family, which rules according to the Quran’s teachings of Sharia based on Islamic religious law. By far the dominant religion in KSA is Islam. Under Sharia law, certain rights are applied to all people, such as life, dignity, and education (World Factbook, 2010). The Saudi Education System According to the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia (2010), the education system of Saudi Arabia has evolved dramatically since its founding 78 years ago. In the beginning, education was the privilege only of children of elite, wealthy families. Currently there is a boom in education facility construction in Saudi Arabia, with over twenty-five thousand schools built and more constructed as time passes. Now education is given to all tiers of society, and all students have their schooling paid for by the government. The curricula are a mix of traditional Islamic religious education and lessons in many other fields, usually based on the curricula of schools in the United States of America or the United Kingdom. The schedule of these schools is usually modeled on the American system, with nine to 10 months of schooling broken by summer breaks and occasional time off for religious holidays (World Factbook, 2010). The Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia is responsible for providing a free and appropriate education for all students, including those with disabilities. It also is responsible for establishing new

104 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper found that education negatively affects exclusivist religious viewpoints and biblical literalism but not belief in God or the afterlife, but education positively affects religious participation, devotional activities, and emphasizing the importance of religion in daily life.
Abstract: I challenge the scholarly contention that increases in education uniformly lead to declines in religious participation, belief, and affiliation. I argue that education influences strategies of action, and these strategies of action are relevant to some religious beliefs and activities but not others. Analysis of survey data shows that (1) education negatively affects exclusivist religious viewpoints and biblical literalism but not belief in God or the afterlife; (2) education positively affects religious participation, devotional activities, and emphasizing the importance of religion in daily life; (3) education positively affects switching religious affiliations, particularly to a mainline Protestant denomination, but not disaffiliation; (4) education is positively associated with questioning the role of religion in secular society but not with support for curbing the public opinions of religious leaders; and (5) the effects of education on religious beliefs and participation vary across religious traditions. Education does influence Americans’ religious beliefs and activities, but the effects of education on religion are complex.

83 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors explored the reasons why secondary schools with a religious character have pupil intakes that are of a higher social background and ability than their secular counterparts and showed that this is especially true across all regions in England once the characteristics of the pupils living in the local neighbourhoods are taken into account.
Abstract: This paper explores reasons why secondary schools with a religious character have pupil intakes that are of a higher social background and ability than their secular counterparts. We show that this is especially true across all regions in England once the characteristics of the pupils living in the local neighbourhoods are taken into account. Data from the National Pupil Database and the Longitudinal Survey of Young People in England are combined to show that likely reasons for this are complex. Parents reporting a religious affiliation are more likely to be better educated, have a higher occupational class and a higher household income. We also show that higher-income religious families are more likely to have a child at a faith school than lower-income religious families. Policy implications regarding the state-funding of faith schools are discussed.

66 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
Stephen Parker1
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify the advantages of Fowler's (1981) faith development theory (FDT) model for clinical applications and demonstrate the rich, practical usefulness of FDT's work for counseling.
Abstract: Since the mid-1990s, the integration of spirituality and religion into clinical work has generated tremendous interest as an area of competence needed to address diversity in clients. Recent contributions to this dialogue include Burke, Chauvin, and Miranti (2003); Cashwell and Young (2005); Frame (2003); Josephson and Peteet (2004); Miller (2003); Pargament (2007); and Richards and Bergin (2005). Although most of these authors have mentioned James Fowler's (1981) stages of faith development as one of the models of spirituality that counselors might find useful, there is surprisingly little in the literature showing how one might practically apply Fowler's (1981) model to clinical cases (cf. Droege, 1984; Frame, 2003). This lack of clinical application may be due to a conviction that Fowler's (1981) model omits important dimensions of faith (cf. Ford-Grabowsky, 1986), or it could reflect a belief that the growth-oriented developmental theories on which it is based do not account well for regressive phenomena often seen in clinical work (el. Schneider, 1986). Perhaps, for others, the usefulness of Fowler's (1981) faith development theory (FDT) in clinical contexts is not as readily apparent as its application to other fields, such as religious education (cf. Streib, 2003). Whatever the reasons for the relative absence of clinical applications of FDT, this article seeks to demonstrate the rich, practical usefulness of Fowler's work for counseling. FDT is only one of several models of spiritual and religious development that counselors will find useful (cf. Faiver, Ingersoll, O'Brien, & McNally, 2001; Frame, 2003; Miller, 2005; Rizzuto, 2005; Tare & Parker, 2007) despite the limitations attendant to each. Cognitive-structural models like Fowler's (1981) or Oser's (1991) tend to neglect more psychosocial dimensions of spiritual life (McDargh, 2001; Parker, 2006), whereas other models (e.g., Genia, 1995; Washburn, 1988) can be too closely tied to single theoretical perspectives (Frame, 2003). Nevertheless, each model offers a window for fruitful engagement of spiritual and religious issues. This article seeks to identify the advantages of Fowler's (1981) model. Counselors should find Fowler's (1981) model attractive for several reasons. First, FDT provides a developmental model for understanding spiritual and religious changes. This model not only characterizes different stages of spiritual development but also identifies typical developmental crises and transitions between these stages. Second, because FDT describes universal structures that belong to all faiths, it provides a generic, nonsectarian map for diagnosing and assessing the nature and role of a person's faith apart from its specific contents. This permits a counselor to work with a client's faith structures without having to endorse or challenge specific religious beliefs. Finally, FDT offers a growth-oriented model of spiritual and religious development in contrast to the common clinical view of religion as pathological (e.g., Ellis, 1985; Freud, 1927/1961). By providing a theory of the adaptive qualities of faith, FDT increases the counselor's ability to work constructively with spiritual and religious issues. * FDT FDT is James Fowler's (1981) multileveled description of the changing patterns by which humans make sense of and commit to transcendent values and reality or to what he termed one's "ultimate environment" (p. 24). Fowler (1981) outlined seven stages of faith through which humans may pass as their ways of meaning making and relating become more complex and comprehensive. Fowler (1981) preferred to speak of faith, rather than spirituality or religion, to describe these phenomena. He described religion as cultural expressions of faith; thus, whereas faith and religion are reciprocal for Fowler (1981), faith is the more encompassing term for him. In this way, his definition of faith lies closer to the definition of spirituality that one finds in some current discussions of the relationship and differences between spirituality and religion (of. …

57 citations


Book
29 Mar 2011
TL;DR: In this article, Bein explores how competing visions of development influenced debates about reforms in religious education and the modernization of the medreses during the first half of the twentieth century.
Abstract: To better understand the diverse inheritance of Islamic movements in present-day Turkey, we must take a closer look at the religious establishment, the ulema, during the first half of the twentieth century. During the closing years of the Ottoman Empire and the early decades of the Republic of Turkey, the spread of secularist and anti-religious ideas had a major impact on the views and political leanings of the ulema. This book explores the intellectual debates and political movements of the religious establishment during this time. Bein reveals how competing visions of development influenced debates about reforms in religious education and the modernization of the medreses. He also explores the reactions and changing attitudes of Islamic intellectuals to the religious policies of the secular republic, and provides a better understanding of the changes in the relationship between religion and state. Exposing division within the religious establishment, this book illuminates the ulema's long-lasting legacies still in evidence in Turkey today.

55 citations


22 Mar 2011
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the role of non-formal and informal education in Islam education in Indonesia and present an educational tradition for Islam in the country, including the case of Jemaah Islamiyah.
Abstract: Preface. Introduction. 1. Struggling for Control: Indoctrination and Jihad 2. (De)constructing an Indoctrinatory Tradition 3. Indoctrination in Formal Education: The Case of Pondok Pesantren Islam Al Mukmin 4. Indoctrination in Non-formal and Informal Education: The Case of Jemaah Islamiyah 5. Weaving a Different Net: An Educative Tradition 6. Islamic Schools in Indonesia: Islam with a Smiling Face? 7. Whither Religious Pluralism, Strong Rationality, and Strong Autonomy? 8. Beyond Indoctrination: Towards Educative Muslim Traditions. Conclusion. Notes. Bibliography. Index.

54 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
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


Journal ArticleDOI
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


Journal ArticleDOI
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


Journal ArticleDOI
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


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used an understanding of Christian education developed from analytical work by Robert Benne to examine the number and nature of colleges and universities that retain and nurture a distinct Christian identity.
Abstract: Amid the many recent treatments of the global growth of both Christianity and higher education, little to no attention has been given to distinctly Christian higher edu- cation. The survey reported in this essay uses an understanding of Christian education developed from analytical work by Robert Benne to examine the number and nature of colleges and universities that retain and nurture a distinct Christian identity. The results indicate that Christian higher education continues to expand throughout the world, chal- lenging the assumed linear trend toward secularization. This paper focuses upon the results of our survey in countries beyond Canada and the United States where most of the recent growth is occurring. We found a total 579 institutions outside of these areas. When we analyzed the origins, denomination, size, funding, and areas of study of these institutions we found some unique patterns that shed light upon the group as a whole and how they relate to larger trends within higher education.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the effects of early socialization factors such as parental religiosity, church support, religious education, and youth group involvement on the decline in religious participation.
Abstract: The transition from adolescence into emerging adulthood is usually accompanied by a decline in religious participation. This article examines why such decline occurs at different rates across major Christian traditions and whether this variation can be explained by early socialization factors. Using data from waves 1 and 3 of the National Study of Youth and Religion (N = 1,879), I examine the effects of parental religiosity, church support, religious education, and youth group involvement on the decline in attendance five years later. Results show that these socialization processes adequately explain why attendance declines at different rates across religious traditions. However, these socialization factors do not have the same effect across traditions and often yield differential returns for attendance outcomes. These findings also suggest that comparisons across religious traditions can resolve the “channeling hypothesis” debate about whether parental influence on an offspring's future religiosity is primarily direct or indirect.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article argued that religious identity needs to be interpreted as an integral part of the concept of personal identity development, and that it should form a structural and necessary element of citizenship education in all schools.
Abstract: In the secular age religious education and citizenship education could and should be fruitfully combined. That is the present authors’ view on current developments in schools aiming at the strengthening and the flourishing of students’ personal religious identity. Presupposition is that religious identity needs to be interpreted as an integral part of the concept “personal identity development.” A full conception of citizenship education may imply that religious education and development is part and parcel of citizenship education, and that it should form a structural and necessary element of citizenship education in all schools. This is combinable with a plea for a maximal interpretation of citizenship education. That view is fully compatible with interreligious education, too, with the aim of enabling students to develop their own point of view on matters of religion/worldview in the context of plurality via encounter and dialogue. An example of a good practice of the co-operation of schools wi...


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The history of Quebec religious instruction from its roots in New France to the present day is presented in this article, highlighting the key elements of the evolution from a confessional religious program to an ethics and religious culture program that is now a requirement for all students.
Abstract: Quebec has had a unique history in North America regarding religious instruction in public schools. To understand Quebec's new Ethics and Religious Culture Program, it is important to have an appreciation of some of the major historical events and contexts that led to the program. This article presents the history of Quebec religious instruction from its roots in New France to the present day. It highlights the key elements of the evolution from a confessional religious program to an ethics and religious culture program that is now a requirement for all students.


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors consider the way in which Christian religious education (RE) teachers articulate the difficulties and challenges they experience both in school and with their peers as they navigate their way through their initial teacher education.
Abstract: This paper considers the way in which Christian Religious Education (RE) teachers articulate the difficulties and challenges they experience both in school and with their peers as they navigate their way through their Initial Teacher Education. The paper offers a unique exploration of the relationship between elements of the three discourses of faith identity, emerging professional identity and the requirements of a performative teacher training context. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 184 student RE teachers across three universities. It became clear that all students interpreted the Standards and policy guidelines ambiguously, as being value-laden or value-free. The idea of the ‘good teacher’ as someone who was, by very definition, neutral and objective immediately made the faith position of students problematic. This is a key point in relation to the notion of performativity and education and the disproportionate impact it made on Christian students. It appeared as though many ...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the activities of state-sponsored female preachers are inescapably intertwined with the contestation of religious domains and authority in the secular Republic of Turkey and demonstrate an intricate interplay between the politics of religion, gender, and secularism in contemporary Turkish society.
Abstract: Nearly one-third of Turkey's official preaching workforce are women. Their numbers have risen considerably over the past two decades, fueled by an unforeseen feminization of higher religious education as well as the Directorate of Religious Affairs’ attempts to redress its historical gender imbalances. Created in the early Turkish Republic, the Directorate is also historically embedded in (re)defining the appropriate domains and formations of religion, and the female preachers it now employs navigate people's potent fears rooted in memories of this fraught past. In the various neighborhoods of Istanbul, these preachers attempt to overcome conservative Muslims’ cautious ambivalence toward the interpretative and disciplinary powers of a secular state as well as assertive secularists’ discomfort and suspicion over increasingly visible manifestations of religiosity. Thus, the activities of state-sponsored female preachers are inescapably intertwined with the contestation of religious domains and authority in the secular Republic of Turkey and demonstrate an intricate interplay between the politics of religion, gender, and secularism in contemporary Turkish society.

Journal ArticleDOI
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.

Journal ArticleDOI
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

Book
26 Oct 2011
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the religious dimension in intercultural education and state that religion plays a key role in value conflicts and worldview differences in schools in pluralistic societies, and argue for the need of a contextual understanding to help teaching and learning address religious diversity in schools.
Abstract: This book explores the religious dimension in intercultural education and states that religion plays a key role in value conflicts and worldview differences in schools in pluralistic societies. Religion is considered having a double role, both as the reason for deep differences in mental mapping and worldviews and as a contributor to intercultural understanding and dialogue. The book discusses the role religion has in education both at an institutional level, in the whole school society, and in Religious Education as a specific school subject. Underlying Western worldviews in subject curricula and subject didactics need to be revealed and contested to increase the benefit of education for all students. It argues for the need of a contextual understanding to help teaching and learning address religious diversity in schools.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Rossiter, G.M. as mentioned in this paper proposed a reorientation of the religion curriculum to give more prominence to the critical interpretation and evaluation of cultural meanings, with the likelihood that this would also be relevant to Catholic schooling in other countries.
Abstract: In the light of the changed landscape of contemporary spirituality explored in the previous issue of this journal (Rossiter, G.M. 2010. International Studies in Catholic Education 2, no. 2, 129–47), this follow-up article considers implications for Catholic school religion curricula in Australia, with the likelihood that this would also be relevant to Catholic schooling in other countries. A reorientation of the religion curriculum is proposed, giving more prominence to the critical interpretation and evaluation of cultural meanings. If many of the pupils in Catholic schools will not become actively involved in parishes, then religious education needs to offer more than familiarising them with Catholic theology and religious practice; it also needs to skill them in addressing the spiritual and moral issues they will encounter in life. Attention is given to what this entails in both content and pedagogy.

Journal ArticleDOI
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...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors argues that changes in contemporary culture make catechetical models of religious education problematic and that Catholic schools in Canada would be well served by an approach that emphasizes the educational goals of the religious education.
Abstract: A key concept in contemporary Catholic educational discourse makes a distinction between religious education and catechesis. This distinction is based on the assumptions of faith commitment on the part of catechesis and the focus on cognitive outcomes on the part of religious education. Many official documents on Canadian Catholic school education, however, reflect an understanding that closely associated catechesis with religious education or fail to sufficiently distinguish between the two. The article argues that changes in contemporary culture make catechetical models of religious education problematic and that Catholic schools in Canada would be well served by an approach that emphasizes the educational goals of religious education. This is not to say that catechesis has no place in religious education but this is best achieved by making use of cognitive and effective outcomes in lesson planning and realizing that the school as a whole has many opportunities to foster catechesis.

Journal ArticleDOI
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.

Journal ArticleDOI
A. Casson1
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors apply the French sociologist Daniele Hervieu-Leger's theories concerning religious identity (the concept of religion as a chain of memory and religious bricolage) to data generated in interviews with a small sample of students in three English Catholic secondary schools.
Abstract: The present article highlights one of the challenges faced by the Catholic Church in maintaining the Catholicity of Catholic schools in England, that is to say, the students’ construction of a fragmented Catholic identity from elements of the Catholic faith tradition. The article explores Catholic students’ perceptions of their Catholic identity. The author applies the French sociologist Daniele Hervieu-Leger’s theories concerning religious identity – the concept of religion as a chain of memory and religious bricolage – to data generated in interviews with a small sample of students in three English Catholic secondary schools. This article will outline Hervieu-Leger’s understanding of religious identity; explore students’ perceptions of their Catholic identity; examine these through the lens of Hervieu-Leger’s theory; and conclude with possible implications for religious education, Catholic schools and future research.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The AHRC/ESRC project as discussed by the authors found that teachers were underconfident and unsure as to the aims and purposes of the subject, and that the curriculum identity of religious education suffers from too many competing expectations.
Abstract: The intention of this paper is to make a contribution to religious education (RE)’s constant search for a rigorous curriculum identity. The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)/Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) project ‘Does RE work?’ has recently reported its findings, in which it concludes that RE suffers from too many competing expectations. A major reason for this is that, according to the report, policymakers have ‘freighted it with too many competing imperatives’. Such imperatives range from religious literacy, through multicultural awareness, philosophical understanding, moral development and understanding heritage to sex and relationship education. In all, the project lists 13 such imperatives! It is little wonder then that the project echoes OfSTED’s recent finding that teachers were under-confident and unsure as to the aims and purposes of the subject. The AHRC/ESRC project’s findings also reflect a theoretical debate in RE that has been going on for some time. This debate might...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a set of oral history interviews with former students of a high fee-charging non-government school for boys in Australia were conducted to understand how it sought to shape a particularly classed, leadership-oriented masculinity, during a period of institutional change.
Abstract: High fee-charging non-government schools for boys comprise a small but significant sector of the Australian schooling market. In different ways in different historical periods these schools have represented themselves as being concerned with more than just an instrumental or utilitarian education, making both explicit and implicit claims about the kinds of values they work to instil in their students and the kinds of men they aim to produce. This article looks closely at one such school in order to gain an understanding of how it sought to shape a particularly classed, leadership-oriented masculinity, during a period of institutional change. The historical context for the study is the final decade of the twentieth century, a period that saw the approximate beginning of a ‘boys’ crisis’ in Australian education, which for schools like the one in this study meant a degree of reconceptualisation of practices and ideologies of masculinity. The article draws on a set of oral history interviews with former stude...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors explored interreligious education from the perspective of John Dewey's educational philosophy, and applied three interconnected themes from the educational philosophy to inter-religious education: the method, subject matter, and participants of inter-faith education.
Abstract: This article explores interreligious education from the perspective of John Dewey's educational philosophy. Keenly aware that twentieth-century individuals and societies would have an expanding plurality of experiences, Dewey proposed a democratic educational philosophy able to account for life in a pluralistic world. Three interconnected themes from Dewey's educational philosophy are applied to interreligious education. The themes are the method, subject matter, and participants of interreligious education. Using Dewey's insights calls into question three aspects of the inter-faith movement: dialogue, doctrine, and sacerdotalism.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the ways in which Christian schools can be a site for the construction and maintenance of religious, ethnic and class identities of the ethnic Chinese in Indonesia.
Abstract: Schools are not “innocent” sites of cultural transmission. They play an active and significant role in transmitting values and inculcating culture. Schools also serve as a site for the maintenance of boundaries and for the construction of identities. Previous studies have recognized the relationship between education and identity. Building on existing literature, this study examines the ways in which Christian schools can be a site for the construction and maintenance of religious, ethnic and class identities of the ethnic Chinese in Indonesia. The study surveys four prestigious “Chinese” Christian schools in Jakarta. Through a brief but thorough profiling of the schools, the study explores the complexity of and identifies issues associated to religion, ethnicity and class, in relations to Chinese-Indonesians and the Indonesian society at large.