Religious Education Program Research Articles

Religious education programme of the Catholic Church in Hong Kong: Challenges and responses since 1997

The Catholic Church, the largest school-sponsoring body in Hong Kong, is a major provider of religious schools and educational programmes. In 2006, the Catholic Diocese released its first centralised and comprehensive curricular document concerning religious and moral education (RME) in Catholic schools. Taking this programme as a reflection of the Church’s response to the challenges of a changing social milieu, severed church–state relations and shortcomings in Catholic education in post-1997 Hong Kong, this article reviews the framework and principles of the new curriculum. While retaining strong religious elements in its curriculum, the Catholic Church has widened and re-oriented its programme, and re-designed the contents and pedagogical methods. The new programme is characterised by adjustment and differentiation, upholding Christian faith, and selective absorption of Chinese culture. This article also discusses problems in the implementation of the new programme, including organisational compartmentalisation and an underdeveloped political dimension in the content.

Malay, English and religion: language maintenance in multilingual Singapore

The ideologies underlying Singapore’s language-in-education policy drive home the message that students should feel some form of emotional connection to their mother tongue. At the same time, English is privileged leading many to index it with education, upward mobility, modernity and prestige. Singapore parents are cognisant of these ideologies and play an important role in mediating their children’s affiliation to the respective languages and influencing their language use patterns. This study seeks to obtain a sense of how parents of 8-year old children struggle with competing ideologies when enrolling their children in one of two Islamic religious education programmes: English-medium Kids aL.I.V.E. and Malay-medium mosque madrasah. Parents of 35 children from the two programmes reported on their use of Malay and English, and their children’s proficiency in, and use of, the two languages. Their reports suggest that the children were equally proficient in both languages but English was their dominant language. Parents were highly supportive of the language medium of the respective programmes, but irrespective of which language they supported, many were strongly affiliated to Malay citing reasons that mirror the state ideology that calls on its citizens to stay rooted in their ethnic heritage through their mother tongue.

To Educate, Equip, and Empower: Black Church Sponsorship of Tutoring or Literary Programs

The Black Church has a long history of sponsoring youth educational programs. Yet Black students continue to lag behind their White counterparts in academic outcomes. This research note examines; (1) sponsorship of tutoring or literacy programs based on a national sample of 1,863 Black churches across seven denominations and (2) the forms of congregational cultural capital that influence such efforts. Results show denominational differences. Moreover, larger churches as well as those with formally educated leaders and members are more likely to sponsor tutorial or literacy programs. Churches that provide religious and religious-education programs, include gospel rap music during worship, and strive to increase members’ awareness of racial, social, and political issues are also more likely to sponsor these programs. Lastly, although the influence of spiritual dictates varies, churches that more frequently expose members to sermons about personal spiritual growth are also more apt to offer these youth educational programs. Best practices are provided to identify and harness the various forms of church capital found in Black congregations to improve educational outcomes for Black students.

O Ensino Religioso em Escolas Públicas de Dois Estados Brasileiros: Desafios, Convergências e Divergências

This article aimed to conduct a critical analysis of the proposals offer religious teaching in public schools, in two Brazilian States, Goias and Parana, comparing the divergent and convergent points of proposals in those States. The results showed a considerable conceptual plurality, inserted into a network of interests and ideological domination. Showed, too, that although Religious Education programmes analysed seek to safeguard a series of constitutional and governmental principles, teachers must be well prepared and having critical domain of the area. That the Religious Education, in some cases, is regarded as time passes, serves to occupy window of teachers, or to meet certain religions or beliefs has been noted. In relation to teachers of discipline, it was found that need to be better prepared to deal with the theme of religious diversity, to build the religious phenomenon as an area of knowledge and research area, which could be done through initial and continuous training.

Problems, survival and transformation: religious education in Scotland – a historical review, 1962–1992

This paper is an examination of the history of Scottish religious education (RE). Focusing on 1962–1992, it distinguishes the temporal processes that unfolded during this period to identify the circumstances that led to a serious case of neglect of the subject, especially in the non-denominational sector. Next, it highlights the less emphasised but important issue of how RE ‘survived’ in public education, going on to explicate the antecedents of a paradigm shift in the subject. Finally, curriculum reforms undertaken in the subject from the 1980s onwards are described, showing how these reforms helped to transform Scottish RE into an ‘academic’ subject well aligned with the curricular principles of ‘5–14’, the country’s first (1992) ‘educational’ RE programme.

Ethical Awareness and Issues Among Secondary Schools in Maguindanao Division Philippines

The study tried to investigate the ethical awareness and issues among secondary school educators and students in Maguindanao Division of the Department of Education in the Philippines. Findings revealed low agreement of respondents to moral issues such as sexual immorality, environmental destruction, war and violence, human rights violations, materialism/consumerism, drug addiction/alcoholism, vandalism and gambling. However, graft and corruption is a serious moral problem in the Philippines according to them. Educators strongly agreed to more items than the students indicating a higher level of awareness on ethical issues. The solution to moral problems indicated by the educators as their top three priorities are: spiritual renewal led by church or Ulama, moral recovery program of the government, and making people realize their rights and duties through education. For the students, the top three solutions should be: education, moral recovery program of the government and school programs. Preventive measure for moral problems according to the educators are: religious education program, program against drug addiction/alcoholism, sports/recreation program, environmental care, advocacy against graft and corruption, and values education. For the students, the preventive measures includes: program on drug addiction and alcoholism, religious education, values education, environmental care, and peace education.

Re-Envisioning Religious Education in Light of Persons with “Disabilities”

The lived experience of persons with disabilities necessarily challenges our understandings of religious education. In this article, the author reviews how the marginalized lives of persons with disabilities might lead us to re-envision how religious education is defined and embodied in Western Christian communities. Based on this, suggestions are made as to how we might begin to alter our religious education programs more broadly and inclusively. Literature shows that, for persons with “disabilities,” our programs should be more empowering, interdependent, affirming, and intentional with the religious symbols that they use. Religious educators are therefore invited to embody such expressions.

Public School Bible Courses in Historical Perspective: North Carolina as a Case Study

This examination of public school Bible courses in their larger historical context uses North Carolina as a case study to illuminate national trends. It considers the relation of Bible courses to the older practice of Bible reading; their own creation as a part of early 20th-century religious education programs; the impact of the 1963 U.S. Supreme Court decision Abington Township School District v. Schempp and subsequent related lower court rulings; efforts to define the characteristics of constitutionally permissible courses; and basic contours of the present situation.

Speaking Punjabi(s): Heritage Language Socialization and Language Ideologies in a Sikh Education Program

This ethnographic study of a Punjabi Sikh religious education program in the United States examines how different linguistic codes that constitute Punjabi heritage languages are tied to Sikh notions of moral personhood and ethno-religious community. This article analyzes two distinct activities: Gurbani (prayer recitation) and Sikh youth discussion classes. In Gurbani classes, children and youth are taught to perform verses from Sikh scriptures, which are written in an archaic form of Punjabi. Students are also socialized into prosodic and embodied features of prayer recitation that display respect and devotion to the scripture. While Gurbani classesorient students to the use of archaic Punjabi through spiritual practice, teachers in Sikh youth discussion classes discursively construct the everyday use of modern Punjabi as a moral imperative for the preservation and transmission of Sikh religion and culture in the future. Students articulate diverse perspectives on the importance of speaking Punjabi, and the question of who is responsible for language maintenance is debated. Together the analyses of the prayer classes and discussion classes reveal a view of heritage language as moral action that represents and socializes transnational and generational continuity and ethno-religious identification.

The Intersection of Religious Charter Schools and Urban Catholic Education: A Literature Review

This paper analyzes how an emerging form of schooling—“religious” charter schools—may influence the future of urban Catholic elementary education in America. Specifically, it synthesizes the literature related to religious charter schools and Catholic education. The paper investigates if a common understanding of religious charter schools is salient in the literature. In addition, it analyzes the benefits and challenges to this type of school within the context of Catholic education. The synthesis of the literature on the interplay between religious charter schools and urban Catholic elementary schools is the first of its kind. The conclusions of this paper indicate that while the religious charter school terminology is problematic when used in discussions about the future of urban Catholic elementary schools, the concept of such schools merit further reflection and research. These amorphous schools may provide new opportunities and benefits to the Catholic community and others invested in urban education, but they are challenging to implement in practice.The most likely beneficial scenario that emerged in the literature is the leasing of former Catholic school facilities to charter schools and subsequently developing before- or after-school religious education programs when there is no alternative to closing a parochial school. In addition, developing positive relationships with charter schools may result in additional income for struggling urban parishes as well as opening new doors for religious education programming and outreach to the urban poor. Challenges to religious charter schools within the context of Catholic education include church and state complications related to public funding, religious identity issues, legal concerns, increased competition for Catholic schools, and the fact that they are not Catholic schools. Lastly, there is no clear legal consensus on the viability of public charter schools that accommodate religion. This invites the need for scholarly research, advocacy, and public policy work by those interested in the future of urban education in America.

The Way, the Truth and the Life in Catholic religious education: the story of an educational innovation

This is not intended to be a formal academic report, but an account telling a story of an initiative arising out of the perceived needs and heartfelt concern of teachers who wanted to be able to deliver a religious education programme which was distinctly Catholic and based on sound educational principles and practices. The whole series is the fruit of authentic spiritual discernment particularly when unexpected challenges arose. This journal encourages reports of teacher initiated educational innovation. This is one such report.

Approaches to Religious Education in the Catholic tradition

This paper proposes approaches to Religious Education in the Catholic Tradition in the context of a religious education program to be delivered to a Year 7 class in a Catholic boys’ college. The paper first briefly sets out the context, in a little more detail, before explaining the Religious Developmental Stages and considering the aim of and the most efficacious means of teaching Religious Education in such a context. It then considers recommended approaches to the teaching of the Sacraments and Liturgy, the Scriptures and the Doctrines of the Church.

Students’ Attitudes on the Teaching of Christian Religious Education in Secondary Schools in Kenya

This paper attempts to find out the impact of teachers and studentsГўВҖВҷ attitudes on the teaching of Christian religious education in Machakos secondary schools. The purpose of the investigation is to explain the attitudes of teachers and students with a view to drawing conclusions, which would be recommended for improving the status of Christian religious education (CRE) in secondary schools. This paper is based On study undertaken in Machakos secondary schools in Kenya. Sampling procedure in order to allow a regional representation of implementers and consumers of CRE in Machakos secondary schools. The study employed open and closed questionnaire administered to all the participants; an interview done in nine secondary schools among nine teachers and twelve students and an observation of CRE documents affected in eight schools. The attitude scores derived from the closed questionnaire were analyzed using factor analysis, descriptive statistics, chi-square tests and one and two analyses of variance. The open responses were subjected to content analysis and some chi-square tests for the categorized data. The attitude scale as the chief instrument in data collection had a high cronbach alpha of 0.9 a mean of 72 and standard deviation of 15.Based on the analysis, this paper contends that there are no significant differences among respondents of different backgrounds in their attitudes towards CRE. The respondentsГўВҖВҷ conception of the nature of CRE falls in two groups: a positive oriented group which contends that CRE has utilitarian value and the other group that view CRE as non-functional. In conclusion it is argued that any recommendations for improving CRE have to be directed towards clarifying CRE objectives. Thus, the key recommendation points for a need to have CRE as part of an integrated Religious Education (RE) programme whose main aim should be to lead students towards being religiously educated.

Religious education in a post-secular and post-Christian context

In 1999, a new curriculum for Roman-Catholic religious education was introduced in Flemish primary and secondary schools, taking into account both the growing de-Christianisation and religious pluralisation of pupils in the classroom. Recently, this new curriculum has been subjected to diverging criticisms: first it is considered still too Christian, and therefore not able to appropriately deal with religious plurality, and, second, quite contrary to the first criticism, because it deals too much with religious plurality the curriculum is criticised for being no longer sufficiently Christian. In view of this double criticism, in this contribution I first shed some light on the analysis of the current post-Christian and post-secular religious situation, upon which the Religious Education (RE) curriculum is based – i.e. an analysis in terms of detraditionalisation and pluralisation (rather than secularisation). Afterwards I evaluate whether the fundamental goals, which were set 10 years ago, are still adequate to this analysis. In order to do so, I enquire how these goals relate to the double critique: on the one hand, that Roman Catholic RE is no longer an adequate way to prepare pupils for the post-Christian and post-secular society, because they are still too Christian, and, on the other, that they are not Christian enough. In doing so I will accentuate the integral nature of these goals, taking the present religious plurality as a dynamic given which opens up new opportunities for a more reflexive identity construction, while at the same time providing new space to bear witness to the Christian offer of meaning. I conclude with a short reference to the preconditions which need to be fulfilled in order to facilitate the implementation of such RE programme.

Sustaining the Heart: Attracting Latino Families to Inner-City Catholic Schools

More than ever, the challenges facing Catholic schools and Catholic school leaders require a “readiness to renew and adapt” (Vatican Council II, 1965). The skills and dispositions developed through applied action research—inquiry that is systematic, practitioner driven, and change oriented—are integral to the formation of teachers and leaders who will meet these challenges head on and strengthen Catholic schools for generations to come. The following action research project was conducted by a Catholic school leader who is a recent graduate of the Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program at the University of Notre Dame. The article you will read is one product of the comprehensive, four-course action research sequence that is a hallmark of the Remick Leadership Program, and is discussed in greater detail in the focus section overview. As you read on, you will notice that action research is highly contextualized—responsive to the specific needs in a particular school community—but also reflective of the broader educational research literature, and the rich traditions and teachings of our Catholic faith. We hope this action research inquiry informs your own practice, and inspires you to pursue mission driven and data informed leadership practices to bring about positive change in your own school or community.Like many urban Catholic schools, St. Mary of Carmel Catholic School in Dallas, Texas, is faced with many challenges: filling empty seats; supporting increased costs; and, possible closure. The small parish is primarily Latino, but few parish families are enrolled in the school. This action research project used in-depth interviews to examine parishioner-parent perspectives on the importance of Catholic education in the Latino community. Understanding the perspectives of parishioner-parents is a key step toward the ultimate goal of developing a marketing plan that attracts and engages Latino families. Participant interviews show that Latino parents believe Catholic schools are better than area Dallas Independent School District (DISD) schools in academics and preparing students for high school, and better than other religious education programs in teaching the Catholic faith. Ultimately, the study showed that these Latino parents strongly desire to send their children to Catholic schools.

Children's rights and religious education in state-funded schools: an international human rights perspective

The issue of whether and how religion should be taught in state-funded schools in secular, liberal, democratic, pluralistic and post modern societies remains crucially important. Given the sustained, dominant presence of religion in the public sphere, the need for children to possess in-depth knowledge and critical understanding of the role of religion in today's world cannot be overemphasised. In the same manner, the need to safeguard children from being subjected to indoctrination through religious education (RE) programmes offered in schools cannot be underestimated. Using international human rights frameworks and the relevant case law in assessing the different pedagogical approaches to RE, this article maintains that non-confessional multifaith RE – given its focus on conveying the body of knowledge to children in an objective, critical and pluralistic manner, without indoctrination – is the pedagogical model which best conforms to the principles of international human rights law. It is, therefore, the pedagogical approach to RE which international human rights frameworks, the European Court of Human Rights (the ECtHR), and the United Nations Human Rights Committee (the UNHRC) unreservedly endorse for deployment in state-funded schools.

The Grammar of Congregational Schooling: Looking Beyond the Synagogue at an Institutional Template

This article focuses on one aspect of a case study of three congregations (Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant): the structure of the religious education programs. The three institutions were structured in much the same way, and the way they were structured looked like public school. If we have more in common with our neighborhood churches and public schools than we may have thought, the implication for scholarship and policy work in Jewish education is that we would benefit from more comparative work as we seek to produce more comprehensive scholarship, better informed policies, and more satisfying experiences in synagogue-based education.

Parents’ Perspectives on the Participation of Their Children with Autism in Sunday School

Children with autism are increasingly being identified in society today. With the increased incidence, churches will be called upon to develop programs that will allow for participation of these individuals. This article presents findings from a descriptive study addressing the participation of children with autism spectrum disorder within religious education activities. Mothers attending four churches shared their perspectives on the involvement of their seven children with autism in Sunday school programs. This article discusses common themes regarding church participation, with recommendations for improving the religious and social integration of children with disabilities within religious education programs.

An exploration of the status of spiritual health among nursing students in Taiwan

Few studies have investigated the spiritual health of nursing students. The purpose of this study was to examine spiritual health in a group of senior nursing students in Taiwan, and to explore the factors that influenced the spiritual health of the group. This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 1276 senior nursing students were selected using a probability-proportional-to-size (PPS) procedure, and were asked to complete a self-administrated questionnaire that included a spiritual health scale (SHS) and a demographic profile. All study participants were female with an average age of 20.1 years, and most reported a religious affiliation and participation in religious activities. Their spiritual health was moderate; and generally the study metric "connection to others" was the highest factor, and the metric "religion attachment" was the lowest. Certain demographic characteristics, including age, education level, aboriginal characteristic, level of religious devotion, and family atmosphere were predictors of spiritual health. Nursing educators should be aware of the impact of spiritual health on nursing students, and should consider developing spiritual and religious education programs to enhance students' spiritual health and to nurture their ability to supply spiritual nursing care for patients.

Religious education in Syria: unity and difference

This article discusses the almost identical syllabuses of the Christian and Muslim religious education programmes of the Syrian Arab Republic. Content analysis of the students’ textbooks and teachers’ guides (in Arabic) reveals common themes of citizenship education and national unity. Classroom observations in Damascus also highlight how Christian and Muslim teachers have similar ways of teaching religion. Finally, the article describes how each programme aims to unite, in its own way, all the Christians of Syria as well as the Muslims. It becomes evident that the Syrian religious education programmes strike a balance between the religious autonomy of the faith communities and the need for national unity.