Primary Religious Education Research Articles

Alternative forms and systems for religious education in primary schools in Sweden

Religious education is an effective tool for organizing primary school children's spiritual and moral development. Primary religious education aims to teach interaction and achieve constructive dialogues with others. Teachers have a responsibility to make classes appealing and learning accessible by taking the age range and cognitive skills of primary school children into account in the planning. Introducing a mixture of alternative forms and systems for teaching may be the best way to achieve this. Approaches from several alternative education systems could be used to expand religious education teaching practices in primary schools. The systems that are to be discussed further here are homeschooling, unschooling, world schooling, outdoor education, online learning, Montessori, Frobel, Amonashvili, and Waldorf.

A critical reflection on the Commission on Religious Education\u2019s proposed National Entitlement to Religion and Worldviews in England and Wales

This paper responds to the Commission on Religious Education’s proposed National Entitlement to Religion and Worldviews in England and Wales. Qualitative data were collected from nine English primary Religious Education (RE) teachers to establish their responses to the proposed National Entitlement from their perspectives as RE practitioners. Findings show that teachers were supportive of the high ambitions the National Entitlement has for RE, that they saw opportunities for pupils’ social and personal development as well as advancement in substantive knowledge, but that they were concerned about content-heavy curricula and structural barriers to implementing the National Entitlement. In response, the paper examines ‘cumulatively sufficient’ curricular design and ‘pedagogical reduction’ as strategies to activate the National Entitlement, and raises questions about ‘instrumental purposes’ in the conceptualisation of Religion and Worldviews. The paper recommends sharper account of the originality of Religions and Worldviews in order to advance the cause of the National Entitlement.

A practitioner action research approach to learning outside the classroom in religious education: developing a dialogical model through reflection by teachers and faith field visitors

ABSTRACT This paper reports the co-creation of knowledge through a Practitioner Action Research Community of Practice of teachers and mid-level policy enactors which sought to engage the question of how to enhance Religious Education in primary schools serving socially disadvantaged children. Co-authors’ professional values and assumptions are explored, and questions developed to carry out a needs assessment of primary teachers in contexts of social disadvantage; highlighting the advantages of effective school-community partnership, leading to a recognition of the importance of learning outside the classroom for enhancing children’s experience of Religious Education. A model of successful learning outside the classroom was developed, centring on the importance of spaces for encountering the lived experience of religion, asking challenging questions, and sharing learning objectives. The benefits of this approach for children from disadvantaged backgrounds are explored. Feedback from teachers, children, places of worship and SACREs was fed into the reflective process to arrive at a series of opportunities, weaknesses and training needs for effective field visits and visiting speakers. The paper concludes by setting out a model for an online portal to enable schools and education officers from places of worship to connect effectively with one another to enhance primary Religious Education.

Адольф Дистервег как христианский педагог: теория и методика начального религиозного образования в пособии для учителей «Der Unterricht in der Klein-Kinder-Schule»

Адольф Дистервег как христианский педагог: теория и методика начального религиозного образования в пособии для учителей «Der Unterricht in der Klein-Kinder-Schule»

Humanist Education

This study aims to determine the models and constraints of humanistic education carried out by educators for the child scavengers in the garbage dumps in Palopo City. This research is qualitative research for disclosing facts—Miles and Huberman's analysis using data collection, data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion. The results showed that: Education of scavenger children at TPA Mancani, Palopo City is more directed to public and religious educational institutions outside the garbage dumps area, educational guidance on Sundays at church for those who are Christian while those who are Muslim get an education at the Al-Qur'an Education Park (TPQ); humanist education is developing in Sunday schools with the concept of primary religious education, regular discussions, counseling, the formation of work and study groups with materials consisting of: beliefs, politeness/ethics, and memorizing verses. The methods used include: exemplary and discipline, habituation, advice and guidance, deliberation and discussion, stories or stories, as well as balancing the giving of praise and punishment; The obstacles faced in implementing humanist education for child scavengers at TPA Mancani Palopo City include; the recruitment as fostered children in Sunday School, the lack of support from parents, child scavengers feel that their freedom is losing after entering school, and not guarantee their worthiness of life. Another obstacle is the limited number of assistants of child scavengers, limited facilities, infrastructure, funds, and the character traits of scavenger children that are difficult to change.

Formation and Development of the System of Primary Religious Education of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Period From 1990 to 2015

Formation and Development of the System of Primary Religious Education of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Period From 1990 to 2015

Considering religious education in context: politics, reform and debates among Turkish Cypriots

This article exemplifies the politicisation of religious education that has polarised the Turkish Cypriot community and explores a possible approach to religious education for primary schools in north Cyprus. In the light of the long-standing debate, this study has a particular focus on the mandatory religious instruction in public primary schools and evaluates the textbooks and teachers' perceptions. Unlike lower and upper secondary schools, divinity classes have constantly been offered to primary school pupils since the 1960s. Religious education at the primary school level is a contentious issue on which the educational experts have been unable to reach a consensus, and continue to discuss on different perspectives. To this end, a comprehensive review of the content analysis of the primary school religious education textbooks and semistructured interviews with teachers and education specialists has been undertaken. Although this study is set in the north Cyprus context, it is also relevant for other conflict-affected societies as it describes the challenges of religious education, secularism and pluralism.

Училищні з’їзди в Київській єпархії як засіб вирішення питань фінансування початкової духовної освіти

Училищні з’їзди в Київській єпархії як засіб вирішення питань фінансування початкової духовної освіти

From storybooks to bullet points: books and the Bible in primary and secondary religious education

This article uses research carried out in a variety of English schools to suggest a discontinuity in the handling of the Bible between primary and secondary religious education (RE) classes, the former providing a more positive climate for the development of skills of scriptural reading and interpretation than the latter where students (and teachers) often expressed negativity towards books and the Bible in their RE learning. It employs Ricoeur’s manifestation and proclamation distinction to argue that engagement with religious scriptures in RE is necessary for students to develop a comprehensive understanding of religion and religious meaning, and it uses his model of the interpretive act of reading to analyse the practice and attitudes revealed by the research. The article argues that while the subjectivities of reader and text currently obstruct Biblical learning in the secondary classes, this is less the case in the primary schools. Here, the greater scope given to narrative, and its power to provoke new understanding, provides a foundation on which secondary RE teachers could usefully build if their students are to come to appreciate and rise to the challenges of close engagement with religious scriptures.

Inside a religious education research project: the influence of theological and educational considerations on the treatment of religious content within a prescribed pedagogic framework

This article describes the underlying theological and educational issues which were addressed when incorporating an item of religious content within the ‘Gift Approach’ to Primary Religious Education. It suggests that the significance of laying bare this process is in demonstrating how theological concerns (whatever the religion) will always be a contributing influence in determining how religious content is treated and incorporated within learning experiences in RE.

The identification of four characteristics of children’s spirituality in Australian Catholic primary schools

In taking its theoretical impetus from hermeneutic phenomenology, the qualitative research reported in this paper aimed to identify characteristics of children’s spirituality in Australian Catholic primary schools. The videotaped life expressions of two groups of six children in each of three Australian Catholic primary schools formed the texts of this study. A reflection upon the texts, guided by van Manen’s lifeworld existentials, resulted in the identification of four characteristics of these children’s spirituality – the felt sense, integrating awareness, weaving the threads of meaning, and spiritual questing. In the light of these findings, some pedagogical implications for nurturing spirituality through the primary religious education curriculum in Catholic schools are proposed.

‘You can’t buy love’: trivializing and the challenge for religious education

While there has been an increase in empirical research which explores the spirituality of children, few studies have explicitly named and described factors which may inhibit children’s expression of their spirituality. This paper, emanating from the author’s own research into children’s spirituality in Australian Catholic primary schools, presents and describes one such factor, which has been termed trivializing. An example of hermeneutic phenomenological writing—the text—in which trivializing was revealed is presented, followed by a reflection upon the text guided by van Manen’s lifeworld existentials (lived body, lived time, lived space, lived human relations). In the light of this reflection some initial implications for nurturing the spirituality of children within the primary religious education classroom are presented.

Including pupils' faith background in primary religious education

In this article, Julia Ipgrave takes the idea of inclusion beyond the field of special educational needs to incorporate the needs of children with different faith backgrounds in the religious education (RE) class. She recommends that teachers respect the integrity of their pupils' faith backgrounds by making room for the children's own experiences and perspectives on the traditions to which they belong. Suggestions are made as to how to give equal value to the different faith and non‐faith backgrounds of children in Religious Education lessons. As well as feeling valued, pupils also need to feel safe. The article argues that the children's interests are best served, not by avoiding sensitive and controversial areas of religion, but by establishing a framework of openness and respect within which children can express their views with confidence, differences can meet and pupils and teachers listen to and learn from each other.

Rethinking Primary Religious Education

After a brief consideration of the history of religious education in England and Wales, this paper analyses developments under three main headings: pupils, religions and methods, and suggests that changes can be seen in the light if variations revolving around these three areas. The paper then describes the design of a new RE syllabus for Anglican primary schools in Wales using a life-of-founder approach and recommends the advantages of this approach for wider use.

The Effectiveness of Primary Religious Education In‐service Training

This article describes the findings of a small‐scale study into primary teachers’ perceptions of the long term effectiveness of Grants for Education Support and Training (GEST) in‐service courses in religious education (RE). Within the context of the low funding and weaknesses in RE provision in primary schools, the study aimed to identify factors which contribute to or act as barriers to change. The context of in‐service education is briefly explored in relation to ‘effectiveness’, with the need for outcomes to be linked to pupil achievement and contribute to whole‐school improvement. The study found a diminishing, cascade effect of ‘change’ in relation to respondents and the whole staff. Changes, though small, were most evident in respect of respondents’ knowledge and understanding of religions, increased confidence, and their understanding of the role of co‐ordinator. The study found little direct evidence of the effects of courses on pupil achievement. It concludes that the introduction of a new Agreed Syllabus and Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) inspections had positive, short‐term, effects on initiating change in RE. Dissemination and longer‐term, whole‐school developments in RE were affected by management decisions and differing levels of institutional support. The findings are discussed in relation to previous research about the effectiveness of in‐service training.