Global terms: Other Evidence Informed Practice & Research

Research Summary: The First Years of Teaching RE

In general, most early career RE teachers are positive about the subject and their professional role. Most are content with the type of RE taught in their school. NATRE (National Association of Teachers of Religious Education) and social media network groups are their most widely used sources of professional support. Unease over pay, workload, curriculum or initial teacher education are the most cited reasons for leaving, and there is some strong negativity about the school system. Most respondents identify understanding of others’ beliefs and practices as RE’s purpose. At the same time, more specialist RE subject input is needed into early career RE teachers’ experience.

Researchers

Mark Plater

Research Institution

Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln

What is this about?

The research explores the experience of a cohort of early career RE teachers in England, as they enter the profession. Key questions include: How do they feel about the profession and their role? Are they content with the type of RE being taught? What are the reasons why some leave the profession? What are their sources of support, how do they feel about their initial teacher education, and what do they consider to be the main aims of RE?

What was done?

An online survey was completed by 31 early career RE teachers, at the end of their two-year induction programme. The data were analysed and a detailed report produced (the link to the full report is given below).

Main findings and outputs

There are detailed, varied main findings:

A higher percentage of RE trainees (87%) secured teaching jobs in schools compared with trainees from many other school subjects (average=73%).
Nearly half of this cohort (41%) had changed schools (or was planning to do so=16%) during, or at the end of their early career teacher induction period.
Most early career (EC) RE teachers (78%) are positive about their role and about the profession, although some (22%) have mixed feelings; only one of those presently in teaching jobs planned to leave teaching in the near future.
Most respondents (82%) have jobs in the type of school that they had hoped to teach in.
Those leaving the profession cite pay (75%), workload (75%) and the constraints of curriculum (50%) or a poor ITE experience (50%) as reasons for their decision.
Most EC RE teachers (85%) are content with the type of RE being taught in their school.
Most EC RE teachers (85%) claim to devote eight or more hours to schoolwork per day, with some working 10-12 hours (15%) and even 13+ hours (7%).
NATRE (National Association of Teachers of Religious Education) and social media RE support networks (e.g. Facebook, Twitter) continue to be the most used support structures (67% and 79% respectively) for these EC RE teachers.
41% EC RE teachers were content with their salary. A similar number (52%) would like a better work-life balance.
64% consider their initial teacher education course to be an excellent preparation (19%) or containing lots of useful preparation (45%) for their job as teachers. A further 10% consider it to be not much help, or a complete waste of time (3%), although it should be noted that these were all trainees who subsequently chose not to enter the profession.
In terms of the academic study element of their initial teacher education, 22% of respondents report this as very helpful, 52% as quite helpful, and 22% as unhelpful or even “wasted time and energy”. Again, most negative responses were provided by respondents who subsequently chose not to enter the profession.
Most respondents (82%) report being adequately supported in their early career induction period, although this drops to 74% who state satisfaction with the induction and training provided by their particular employing institution.
Although generally content with the overall support provided by their EC induction programme, 52% indicate that this was not tailored to their individual needs, and only 26% had received any subject specific training.
Only 12% indicate presently continuing studies for an M level qualification, although 35% plan to complete an M level qualification in the next five years.
Asked to identify what they considered to be the main aims of RE, the largest number (78%) identify “To enable pupils to appreciate other people’s beliefs and practices”.
33% report that their view on what RE is for, and what they hope to achieve through the subject, has changed since beginning teaching, with a further one third (33%) unsure if views have changed.

Relevance to RE

Four issues are highlighted for further reflection, some with direct relevance to RE:

Those leaving the profession express very strong condemnation of the school system and of their experience of it. How should the RE subject community stand in relation to this?
Early career induction is generally appreciated by new entrants to the profession, but they indicate that it lacks personalisation and subject-focus. How can more specialist RE input be ensured?
Initial teacher education is generally appreciated as a preparation for entering the profession. However, what more can we learn from the feedback provided by the respondents?
RE teaching attracts a wide range of people of different types and backgrounds. What can we learn from this data to attract the right kind of teachers for the future?

Generalisability and potential limitations

The survey was completed by 31 respondents. As the researcher states in the report, this means only a snap-shot of the experience of a select group; but the findings are of interest and might provide stimulus for further research.

Find out more

The full report is titled: The First Years of Teaching: Final Report on a study of Early Career secondary Religious Education teachers, 2020-2023. It can be accessed at: https://bgro.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/1063/

Research Summary: Teachers using Facebook groups: a study and a suggested code of use

Social media are now an important aspect of the professional lives of school teachers. This research explores the growing use of mass ‘teacher groups’ and ‘teacher communities’ on social media platforms such as Facebook. While these online communities are often welcomed as a means of professional learning and support, Facebook groups may also expose teachers to some of the less beneficial aspects of social media, such as various forms of ‘digital labour’, commercialisation and reputation‐driven behaviour. Drawing on a detailed examination of a Swedish teacher Facebook group of over 13,000 members, the research addresses aspects that could be seen as professionally valuable: information exchange and communication. Yet while perceived by participants as an uncontroversial aspect of their working lives, the research also points to characteristics of the Facebook group that could be viewed as disadvantageous.

Researchers

Annika Bergviken Rensfeldt, Thomas Hillman & Neil Selwyn

Research Institution

Monash University, Australia

What is this about?

This research is about teachers’ use of Facebook, specifically, Facebook teacher groups, with reference to one particular Swedish example, a 13, 000 plus member group dedicated to flipped learning. It explores whether membership of the group is straightforwardly beneficial – making contacts, sharing ideas, developing practice – or whether less desirable elements intrude, such as unpaid labour, use of private or personal time for work, unequal power relations or a lack of professional dialogue or debate.

What was done?

All interactions (posts, likes, comments, etc.) in the group over a three-year period (2012-15) were requested, obtained and analysed: over 3,000 postings, over 13,000 comments and nearly 700,000 likes. An additional survey was posted to the group inviting teachers to answer. This survey received 44 respondents who answered both demographic items and items that addressed such topics as why they had joined the group and their view of the group theme. From this group was then formed a focus group of 10 for further interviews and, finally, a series of longer interviews was also conducted with the group moderator.

Main findings and outputs

The Flip‐it Facebook group was set up by a Swedish middle‐school teacher who continued to act as the group moderator throughout the period of research.
As with all Facebook groups, the main content was a series of posts and comments. Members wrote short messages, included links to websites, images, videos and other resources, and occasionally notifications of events. Anyone accessing the page would on occasion see about 20% of their screen featuring targeted advertisements chosen algorithmically by the platform.
Over the 3 years there were 2,970 original posts with an average of 36 words per post.
13,193 comments were posted in reply with an average of 25 words per comment.
Nearly half the members made no active contribution.
Many of the threads involved some form of redistribution and ‘sharing’ of content.
The moderator and the 20 most prolific contributors accounted for well over a third of all posts and comments.
The page brought users into various forms of advertising and was often used for self-promotion or reputation-building.
Often, members’ responses were emotional rather than academic or professional.
Only 32% of responses were made in normal working hours; 11.5% were made in summer holidays.
The group appeared valued as a community, but the researchers make some suggestions –
teachers might be encouraged to reflect upon and develop professional modes of collegial, constructive social media engagement, e.g.;
not necessarily replicating standard social media traits and norms (continuous ‘liking’, superficial posting, non‐critical engagement);
expected values might include openness, mutuality, constructive criticism and debate;
there could also be expectations of the group only being active for certain periods of designated ‘work’ time.
Teachers’ work is changing and teachers ought to keep a critical eye on the changes; digitalisation is inevitable, but the problems as well as the advantages should be explored.

Relevance to RE

The research should be of interest to members of groups such as Save RE (over 7,000 members at the time of writing). Would the researchers’ ideas about professional norms and values on teacher Facebook groups be useful in improving the service provided by RE Facebook groups, or members’ ways of engaging with them?

Generalisability and potential limitations

This is a study of one Facebook group, but the group is a large one and the methodology very detailed and thorough. Whether the group resembles others is for members of others to reflect on and consider, but in that case the researchers have already succeeded in their aim of getting teachers to be more critical about their use of Facebook. The structure of the Facebook group studied mirrors the structure of any Facebook group.

Find out more

The full article is: Annika Bergviken Rensfeldt, Thomas Hillman and Neil Selwyn, Teachers ‘liking’ their work? Exploring the realities of teacher Facebook groups, British Educational Research Journal (2018) 44:2, 230-250.

https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/berj.3325

Research Summary: The representation of religions in the media

Jackson asks: how can teachers help students to analyse critically media portraits of religions in newspaper reports and television programmes which are sometimes inaccurate or emotive or both? He then draws on various Council of Europe discussions and various research projects to illustrate the importance of high quality teaching resources, also arguing that teachers must help students to use their own experiences when analysing media coverage and that attention must also be paid to visual images.

Researcher

Robert Jackson

Research Institution

University of Warwick, UK

What is this about?

The Council of Europe’s 2008 recommendation on the dimension of religions and non-religious convictions within intercultural education insists on combating prejudice and stereotypes. In subsequent Council of Europe discussions, concern was expressed about media inaccuracy and how to help teachers deal with it. This chapter addresses that concern, presenting research findings on the discussion of media representation of religions in the classroom and how to help young people to interpret media representation of religions. Jackson acknowledges that further work is needed on these areas, but hopes that the examples given will provide useful information for policy makers, schools and teacher trainers.

What was done?

The methodology of the chapter is to bring together findings from various Council of Europe discussions and various research projects, rather than offering a primary report of original research. Summaries are given of what respondents said at two Council of Europe Exchanges that brought together representatives of religion and belief organisations, representatives of the media industry, Council of Europe institutions and civil society organisations. Findings are presented from REDCo research on media discourse, UK government-sponsored research on resources used to teach about religions and Council of Europe research on intercultural encounters through visual media.

Main findings and outputs

The Council of Europe Exchanges identified challenges regarding the representation of religions in the media, some for journalists – e.g. committing to fairness – but some for schools, e.g. offering media literacy programmes, teaching students about traditional and new media, supporting teachers to deal with inaccurate media reports and analysing the portrayal of religions in textbooks and internet sites.

The REDCo research carried out in Norway by Marie von der Lippe found that young people engage in two types of discourse regarding cultural and religious plurality: ‘dominant’ discourse is media-influenced whilst ‘personal’ discourse relates to family, friends and school; these two discourses tend to be opposed and ‘personal’ discourse more positive.

The UK government-sponsored research carried out at the University of Warwick pointed out many textbook errors in the coverage of religions. It was also found that electronic resources depending on teacher knowledge and commitment are increasingly popular. It was recommended that publishers and web designers should work with academics and faith members to ensure accuracy, schools develop community partnerships with religions. and books and websites feature examples of social involvement and action between different faith communities, promoting a culture of ‘living together’. First-hand experience is desirable for understanding religions.

The Council of Europe Autobiography of Intercultural Encounters through Visual Media research showed how media images can influence people’s thoughts, often without them being aware of this. However, if learners evaluate their responses to images (including reasons for these responses), they can learn about their own assumptions.

Relevance to RE

This chapter is highly relevant to RE and there are a number of ways in which teachers, teacher trainers and policy makers might make good use of it. On policy, it seems clear that the forms of media literacy advocated in the chapter should be aligned with aims for RE, that is, that the aims of RE should include equipping learners to deal with media representations of religions. The same point applies to curriculum, in that units of study dealing with the issue of media representation of religions should be included in RE courses. On pedagogy the chapter is particularly good, suggesting that teachers might motivate students and promote student insight by setting up contrasts and comparisons between ‘dominant’ and ‘personal’ discourses of diversity. It also reminds teachers to be critical of learning resources, to encourage learners to do so, to build community links and to help students to analyse visual imagery carefully, bearing in mind that their responses to images might reveal as much about themselves as they do about the images. The potential for teacher development seems clear, as these are skilled and sensitive pedagogical strategies that would need to be thoroughly planned and repeatedly practised.

Generalisability and potential limitations

This chapter has very high credibility. It was written by an established expert and leader in the field. Its findings and recommendations were developed through the range of policy exchanges and research projects it describes and they are clear and consistent. They are generalisable across various national settings and contexts, the chapter having been written on behalf of the Council of Europe. As for limitations, the writer acknowledges that further work is needed on the discussion of media representation of religions in the classroom and how to help young people to interpret media representation of religions. Teachers will have to explore these issues in their own classrooms, but there is no doubt that the chapter provides very useful and constructive points of departure.

Find out more

This is chapter 6 of Signposts – Policy and practice for teaching about religions and non-religious worldviews in intercultural education, Strasbourg (Council of Europe Publishing) 2014, pages 59-66. Free download at:

http://www.theewc.org/Content/What-we-do/Other-ongoing-projects/Signposts

Research Summary: The religious population of the world, 2060

The numbers of religious believers in the world will grow over the next half-century, according to demographic analyses and predictions. Absolute growth in their numbers might be less surprising than relative growth (i.e. they will be in an increased majority over non-religious people). Different parts of the world will be differently affected.

Researchers

Conrad Hackett & Marcin Stonawski

Research Institution

Pew Research Center, Washington DC

What is this about?

The research is about how numbers of people belonging to different religions, or not affiliated to a religion, are predicted to grow or otherwise from 2015 to 2060; and how the religious or worldview population composition of different parts of the world will be affected.

What was done?

The methodology is to begin with 2015 populations and then to consider the median ages and fertility rates of different religious or non-affiliated groups. These are the bases of predictions for future increases or decreases. For example, because the median age of Muslims is low (24) and the fertility rate high (average 2.9 children per woman), the Muslim population is predicted to increase. Factors such as conversion (‘switching rates’) are also built in to the predictions.

Main findings and outputs

The report is large and comprehensive, and readers are encouraged to continue to it (link below). However, here are selected headlines:

2015 world population= 7,284,640,000 2060 world population= 9,615,760,000
2015 Christian population= 2, 276,250,000 (31.2%) 2060 Christian population= 3,054,460,000 (31.8%)
2015 Muslim population= 1,752, 620,000 (24.1%) 2060 Muslim population= 2,987,390,000 (31.1%)
2015 unaffiliated population= 1,165,020,000 (16%) 2060 unaffiliated population= 1,202,300 (12.5%)
2015 Hindu population= 1,099,110,000 (15.1%) 2060 Hindu population= 1,392,900 000 (14.5%)
2015 Buddhist population= 499,380,000 (6.9%) 2060 Buddhist population= 461,980, 000 (4.8%)
2015 Jewish population= 14,270, 000 (0.2%) 2060 Jewish population= 16, 370,000 (0.2%)

Regional trends
The religiously unaffiliated population is heavily concentrated in places with ageing populations and relatively low fertility, such as China, Japan, Europe and North America. By contrast, religions with many adherents in developing countries – where birth rates are high and infant mortality rates generally have been falling – are likely to grow quickly. Much of the worldwide growth of Islam and Christianity is expected to take place in sub-Saharan Africa.

Relevance to RE

RE teachers should find useful background and teaching material here. The prediction, based on evidence, that religion’s presence in the world will increase over the next half-century underlines the need for good RE. The research should be useful in advocacy for the subject at various levels including individual school and national policy.

Generalisability and potential limitations

The research is partly predictive, but done scientifically by an internationally respected body. The findings are already generalisations and do not cover diversity within religions or the ‘non-affiliated’.

Find out more

The report The Changing Global Religious Landscape was first published online in April 2017. It can be freely accessed at http://www.pewforum.org/2017/04/05/the-changing-global-religious-landscape/

Research Summary: The teaching of religious attitudes towards same-sex relationships in the Religious Studies classroom: An exploration of pupil reflections.

Helena Moore

This document is a summary of a distinction-level Master’s dissertation at the University of Birmingham. The researcher plans to further this research through a Doctoral Research programme at the University of Birmingham, that will enable more exploration of the impact of this area of study on the promotion of British Values, the Equality Act 2010 and the mental wellbeing of pupils within the classroom.

Please note that within the document, the acronym “LGBTQIA+” will be used throughout to demonstrate inclusivity of diverse sexual and gender identities. In addition to this, the phrase “same-sex relationships” will be used throughout rather than the term “homosexuality”. This is to avoid the history of medicalisation/pejorative language towards LGBTQIA+ individuals.

Introduction

Since the decriminalisation of same-sex relationships in England in 1967 (Sexual offences Act, 1967), a series of legal changes have led to same-sex relationships being a mandatory part of the RSE curriculum for secondary schools (DfE, 2019). In addition to this, religious attitudes towards same-sex relationships, including views that condemn these relationships, is a common topic in GCSE RS specifications (AQA, 2017; Edexcel, 2016a; Edexcel, 2016b; Eduqas, 2020; OCR, 2021). Although there is little formal rationale for the inclusion of this topic at GCSE, it can be implied due to the emphasis on diversity of opinion within the indicative content (AQA, 2017; Edexcel, 2016a; Edexcel, 2016b; Eduqas, 2020; OCR, 2021) that the inclusion of this study area could be designed to allow pupils to engage with a variety of perspectives on the issue, challenging stereotypes of religions as hostile to same-sex couples, and potentially fostering positive attitudes towards LGBTQIA+ individuals in line with the Equality Act (2010) and British Values (HM Government, 2011).

However, personal experience teaching these lessons within a diverse Birmingham school led to questions surrounding the effectiveness of these lessons in the proposed aims, and the potential detrimental impact on pupil welfare due to homophobic views that can arise in class. There is a significant amount of research into the phenomena known as “internalised homophobia” (Herek, 1990) and Minority Stress Theory (Barnes and Meyer, 2021), outlining the potential danger of continued exposure to homophobic views on both LGBTQIA+ and heterosexual/cisgender individuals, leading to increased mental health challenges and suicide risk in the former (McDermott, Hughes and Rawlings, 2018; King et al, 2008; WHO, 2004) and increased polarisation and desensitisation to homophobia in the latter (Bail et al, 2018; Soral, Biliewicz and Winiewski, 2018). While useful, this research has so far been limited to the wider topic, working predominantly with adults, and has not yet been expanded to consider the impact on pupils within the RS classroom. Consequently, the MA dissertation aimed to investigate this very important gap in the current research.

Research approach

This research applied a mixed-methods approach, utilising an initial questionnaire distributed amongst three year 9 classes, followed by interviews to allow for greater expansion on ideas. The decision to distribute the questionnaire to whole classes rather than specifically pupils who identified as LGBTQIA+ was based on ethical issues of identification of participants alongside the practical issues of severely limiting the sample size if only a minority of pupils could participate. In addition to this, the research into the impact of homophobic views on individuals outside the LGBTQIA+ community meant that these participants could still provide useful data on the research question. Meanwhile the decision to focus on the year 9 cohort was a purely practical one, based on the fact that these pupils had more recently undertaken a series of lessons on this topic, and so they were considered to be the most likely to provide reliable data for this research.

The lessons were taught with a focus on determining if religions on the whole condemned or supported same-sex relationships as opposed to inviting students to debate their own views on same-sex relationships, with the aim of keeping the lessons as academic as possible, and reducing the conflict with British Values, the Equality Act and the school “No Outsiders” policy. Extensive time was given for discussion around the different scriptural verses in an attempt to seek any “true meaning” there might be from the text, alongside opportunities to hear from LGBTQIA+ individuals of faith in the form of online video resources. When choosing religions to study, focus was given to Christian and Muslim views due to the priority of these in exam specifications, therefore preparing pupils for GCSE study. Please see the detail below for a summary of the scheme of work.

Lesson 1. History of marriage

Examine different forms of marriage throughout history
Challenge the assumption that the heterosexual marriage between one man and woman is the way it has always been; that it is “normal”
Introduce the difficult dilemma of balancing religious and LGBTQIA+ freedoms.

Lesson 2. Christian views on same-sex relationships

Key teachings rejecting same-sex relationships (Leviticus, Genesis – “be fruitful and multiply”, Natural Law Theory)
Challenges to these arguments through reinterpretation of Leviticus and the Apocalypse hypothesis/global population. Introduction to testimonies of LGBTQIA+ Christians.

Lesson 3. Muslim views on same-sex relationships

Key teachings rejecting same-sex relationships from the Qur’an.
Challenges to these through the nature of Allah as merciful and beneficent, and teachings around judgement e.g. the Hadith of the prostitute and the dog.

Lesson 4. Evaluation of religious views

Students produced an exam-style evaluation on the topic of whether religions condemn same-sex relationships or not. Pupils had to provide two arguments and decide which was the most convincing/accurate.

Within the questionnaire, students were asked a combination of open, closed and likert-scale style questions where students were asked to rank their opinion along a scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree. These questions ranged from ones asking for basic data on gender, sexual orientation and religious affiliation to questions asking for students to summarise their main learning points from the series of lesson, to indicate the learning that stood out to them the most. The majority of the questionnaire however formed a likert scale with the following questions:

These lessons added to my understanding of religious views on same-sex relationships.
These lessons allowed me to learn views on same-sex relationships from variety of religions.
These lessons allowed me to learn how there are disagreements within the religions on the issue of same-sex relationships.
In these lessons, views that I would consider homophobic were raised.
My religious views were respected in these lessons.
My gender/sexual identity was respected in these lessons.
I felt safe and comfortable in these lessons.

Overall, 51 pupils from a sample size of 75 agreed to complete the questionnaire. Of the remaining 24, some pupils were absent, while others opted out. Of these 51, 2 pupils then volunteered to take part in follow-up interviews where students were given the opportunity to expand personally on their answers in the questionnaires with the following questions:

What were your reasons for volunteering for this interview?
There were only two volunteers. What do you think might have held people back from volunteering?
These lessons are part of the GCSE content for most exam boards. Do you think it should be taught at GCSE? Why?
Do you think it should be taught before GCSE? Why?
Do you get to learn about the LGBTQIA+ community in any other lessons at school? How is this similar/different to RS?
In these lessons, we will cover views that some people may feel are homophobic. How do you feel about that?
If you could give advice to someone teaching this, what would you say? Why?
What is going well/what could be improved?

Findings

Overall, the majority of participants (questionnaire and interview) reported positive feelings towards the lessons, claiming that they felt they had gained information about the diversity of religious attitudes to same-sex relationships, challenging stereotypes of religions as homophobic, whilst also feeling that their identities (gender, religious and sexual) were respected in the lessons. This included a small minority of participants who identified as LGBTQIA+ on the questionnaires. Where participants claimed they did not feel that their identities had been respected, this commonly came from participants who identified religious affiliation, with some taking the opportunity to express a desire for more diverse coverage beyond Christianity and Islam, whilst others suggested the exposure to views that were different to their own was upsetting for them, leading to feelings of anger and frustration that lessons were attempting to “twist” what they perceived as the true meaning of their holy texts. While the former reason is a very simple problem to fix, the latter raises more serious concerns for teachers, perhaps demonstrating the need for more intensive diversity education in an attempt to reassure pupils that diversity of opinion is not necessarily a personal attack on faith.

The largest division in opinion however stemmed from the questions surrounding whether homophobic views had been raised in the class. In the case of participants who claimed to experience homophobic views, it was not possible to ascertain from the questionnaire whether they were thinking of the scriptural views or the views of their peers in their answer. This is a clear limitation of the questionnaire, and as the interviews were performed in close proximity to the questionnaires before full data analysis had occurred, it was not possible to delve further into this with the two interviewees. This is an area for improvement in the case of further study on this topic. Regardless of the source, contrasting this with responses mentioned above, it could be seen that the exposure to views perceived as homophobic did not detrimentally affect the pupil wellbeing in these classes as the majority of participants reported their identities were respected in the classroom.

However, it is important to balance this generally positive reception against the more extreme responses within the questionnaire, some of which were mentioned earlier. A small minority of participants (most commonly those who identified as male, heterosexual and Muslim) responded exceptionally negatively to the topic, expressing clear antipathy towards the LGBTQIA+ community, and anger at the inclusion of this topic on the Religious Studies curriculum. Of course it is unreasonable to expect any series of lessons to be successful in every case, and so it is not necessarily a sign of a failing curriculum that these views still exist within the classroom. However such sentiments still raise potential safeguarding concerns for schools, standing in stark contrast to both British Values and the Equality Act 2010. While the pupils within the individual school did not seem to be detrimentally impacted, further research would be needed to see how representative this is of other school settings.

Recommendations

Following on from the research, the main recommendations for teaching staff are thus:

Intensive work should be done with pupils surrounding British Values and the Equality Act 2010 to attempt to negate some of the most extreme views towards the LGBTQIA+ community.
Efforts should be taken by schools to give pupils a safe environment to discover LGBTQIA+-inclusive religious views, perhaps through structured inter-faith discussion groups or inviting speakers from different faiths with the aim of pupils perceiving the content as less of a threat, and therefore making them more receptive to the new information.
Teachers should plan lessons with the aim of avoiding emotional harm to pupils, making it clear where debate is and isn’t allowed, emphasising the importance of following the Equality Act and showing kindness to peers, whilst still learning about diverse opinions.
Teachers should consider the inclusion of Queer Theology to deepen pupil understanding of diversity of views and to support pupils of faith who may identify as LGBTQIA+, raising awareness of these views. Teachers should also work closely with pupils of faith to build their resilience and empathy when discovering new interpretations of their holy scriptures.
Teachers should attempt to cover a broad number of responses beyond the Abrahamic faiths, potentially taking a thematic approach as opposed to dividing lessons by religions to weave in more diverse opinions on the topic.

Regarding the research itself, it is clear that this area needs further study to see how widespread the findings are, and also to address some of the shortfalls of this initial project, namely the difficulty delving into the source of homophobia that a number of participants reported experiencing, and the potential impact on individuals. It would also be valuable to compare different teaching methods on this topic. Since the project’s conclusion, the curriculum has been altered in line with the teacher recommendations to develop more detailed Queer Theology and diverse religious approaches, alongside deep discussions about diversity within classes. Further study would make it possible to see the effect (if any) that this change in curriculum has had on pupil experiences of the lessons.

Reference list

AQA (2017) GCSE Religious Studies A. Available at: https://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/rs/specifications/AQA-8062-SP-2016.PDF (Accessed: 28th October 2021)

Bail, C. et al (2018) ‘Exposure to opposing views on social media can increase political polarization’, PNAS 115 (37), pp. 9216-9221. Available at: https://www.pnas.org/content/115/37/9216 (Accessed: 29th October 2021).

Barnes, D. & Meyer, I. (2012) ‘Religious Affiliation, Internalized Homophobia, and Mental Health in Lesbians, Gay Men, and Bisexuals’, American journal of orthopsychiatry, 82(4), pp. 505-515. doi: 10.1111/j.1939-0025.2012.01185.X

DfE (2019) Relationships, Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1019542/Relationships_Education__Relationships_and_Sex_Education__RSE__and_Health_Education.pdf (Accessed 26th October 2021)

Edexcel (2016a) GCSE (9-1) Religious Studies A: Faith and Practices in the 21st century. Available at: https://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/GCSE/Religious%20Studies/2016/Specification%20and%20sample%20assessments/Specification-GCSE-L1-L2-Religious-Studies-A-June-2016-Draft-4.pdf (Accessed: 28th October 2021).

Edexcel (2016b) GCSE (9-1) Religious Studies B: Beliefs in Action. Available at: https://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/GCSE/Religious%20Studies/2016/Specification%20and%20sample%20assessments/Specification-GCSE-L1-L2-Religious-Studies-B-June-2016-Draft-4.pdf (Accessed: 28th October 2021).

Eduqas (2020) WJEC Eduqas GCSE in Religious Studies. Available at: https://www.eduqas.co.uk/media/wpojjvm0/eduqas-gcse-rs-spec-full-from-2016-e-14-05-2020.pdf (Accessed: 28th October 2021).

Equality Act (2010) Part 2, Chapter 1. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/part/2/chapter/1 (Accessed: 29th October 2021).

Herek, G. (1990) ‘The context of anti-gay violence: notes on cultural and psychological heterosexism, Journal of Interpersonal violence, 5(3), pp.316-333. doi:10.1177/088626090005003006

HM Government (2011) Prevent Strategy. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/97976/prevent-strategy-review.pdf (Accessed 27th October 2021).

King, M., Semlyen, J. and Tai, S. et al (2008) ‘A systematic review of mental disorder, suicide, and deliberate self-harm in lesbian, gay and bisexual people’, BMC Psychiatry, 8(70), pp.1-17 DOI: 10.1186/1471-244X-8-70

McDermott, E., Hughes, E. and Rawlings, V. (2018) ‘The social determinants of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth suicidality in England: a mixed methods study’, Journal of Public Health, 40 (3), PP.244-251. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdx135

OCR (2021) GCSE (9-1) Specification: Religious Studies. Available at: https://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/240547-specification-accredited-gcse-religious-studies-j625.pdf (Accessed: 28th October 2021)

Sexual Offences Act (1967) Chapter 60. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1967/60/pdfs/ukpga_19670060_en.pdf (Accessed: 21st June 2022).

Soral, W., Bilewicz, M. & Winiewski, M. (2018) ‘Exposure to hate speech increases prejudice through desensitization’, Aggressive Behaviour, 44. pp. 136-146. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ab.21737?saml_referrer (Accessed: 29th October 2021).

Ventriglio, A. et al (2021) ‘Homophobia and mental health: A scourge of modern era’, Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences. 30(52), Available at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/epidemiology-and-psychiatric-sciences/article/homophobia-and-mental-health-a-scourge-of-modern-era/59ADC017A34AF0E721A09A4A2099B853?fbclid=IwAR2J4EtYwkVqQ-6c1n70ZDvlrwN0VJMLK-cxxQ2GR5nzq3xIp4czguWE78c (Accessed: 29th October 2021).

WHO (2014) Preventing suicide: a global imperative. Available at: http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/131056/9789241564779_eng.pdf;jsessionid=B733037890440E8CFBCB60322BA85179?sequence=1 (Accessed: 18th June 2022).

Research Summary: The Stickiness of non-religion

‘No religion’ is on the rise in many countries. But how is this taking place? Some studies show that changes during adulthood are less important than inter-generational non-religious transmission or failure of religious transmission. E.g. Woodhead (2017) reports that 45% of those children raised Christian become non-religious, but 95% of those raised non-religious stay so. So, how do various influences (family, school, peer, others) join in determining children’s non-religious identities? The research shows different processes at work. In families, there are both active non-religious upbringing and implicit expressions of non-religiousness. In school RE and assembly, children’s unremarked non-religiousness becomes marked. Yet the processes are not passive. Children exercise agency over them.

Researcher

Anna Strhan and Rachael Shillitoe

Research Institution

The Stickiness of non-religion

What is this about?

What are the different ways in which children are brought up as non-religious – or come to understand themselves to be non-religious?
How does family life shape this?
How do school experiences contribute?
What is the role of children’s own agency?

What was done?

Ethnographic studies were made in three English primary schools, lasting 6-7 weeks each and combining participant observation. paired interviews with children who had answered ‘no’ or ‘not sure’ to a worksheet question ‘do you believe in God?’, plus interviews with parents and teachers. The schools were in different kinds of location: inner city ‘high nones’, NW ‘Bible Belt’ and suburban.

Main findings and outputs

Religion is rarely mentioned at home or with friends; it comes up in school assembly or RE.
Many children don’t know whether their parents are religious and refer instead to grandparents.
Sometimes a lack of home religious practice becomes a marker of children’s non-religious identity. However, parents too are often unaware of their children’s religious or non-religious identity.
Lack of family discussion of religion is a factor in transmission of non-religion – it makes religion marginal in respondents’ culture – but this contrasts with school, where in RE and assemblies religion is discussed frequently.
In RE, teaching is modelled on a religious / non-religious binary, but children sometimes resist it. They express hybrid worldviews drawing on science and religion. But sometimes the binary is reinforced, when, for instance, they cannot write prayers.
Children say that as they get older, their ability to make these decisions increases, and that this individual choice is important to them.
Non-religion is dissimilar to any form of organised religion. It rejects its elements but also its type of element (authoritative scripture, person, or authority in general).

Relevance to RE

The research findings may relate to RE / R&W practice in different ways. First, by showing that the subject ought give more attention to processes of religious and non-religious transmission, in curriculum development. For example, Big Ideas 1 and 3 (Continuity, Change and Diversity and The Good Life) touch on without really developing it. Second, by illustrating how what’s studied in RE / R&W is not separate from who studies it: the RE lessons covered in the research themselves form part of the children’s non-religious socialisation. Third, the research shows that the 7-13 age range may be a long phase of identity-shaping for children, meaning that KS2 / KS3 curriculum and pedagogy should respond by offering plenty of space for reflection on meaning.

Generalisability and potential limitations

The study is of three schools and a fairly large number of children (30 to 40 per school); with parents of 15 children per school, and 4 teachers per school. Schools were carefully selected to reflect various populations. The findings are drawn carefully and the research set within a broader range of studies.

Find out more

Anna Strhan and Rachael Shillitoe, The Stickiness of Non-Religion? Intergenerational Transmission and the Formation of NonReligious Identities in Childhood. Sociology (2019) 53(6) 1094–1110. See also Linda Woodhead, The rise of ‘no religion’: Towards an explanation. Sociology of Religion (2017) 78(3) 247–262.

The article is online at https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038519855307

Research Summary: The Good Samaritan: what was his religion and does it still exist?

Everybody knows the Good Samaritan parable, but who were, and are, the Samaritans? This research tells you about the history of the group – an ancient minority whose religion is close to Judaism, but from which they differentiate themselves – as well as their culture, its relationship to tourism, and how Samaritanism has been internationalised, e.g. to Brazil. Samaritans are a good case of ‘religious transnationalisation’, of more interest than the tiny size of the group suggests.

Researcher

Fanny Urien-Lefranc

Research Institution

Institut interdisciplinaire d’anthropologie du contemporain, Paris (original article in English)

What is this about?

Who were and are the Samaritans, of ‘Good Samaritan parable’ fame?
What do we know about their history, religion and culture?
How do they understand themselves today, and how does this link to tourism?
Why are the Samaritans generating new members in Brazil – and what is ‘religious transnationalisation’?

What was done?

The research was done through a broad, mixed methods approach. Field visits were made and surveys and interviews carried out over the internet. The article also shows evidence of very detailed engagement with relevant published literature.

Main findings and outputs

The Samaritans of today are a community of about 810 people split between Mount Gerizim, their holy place near Nablus (West Bank) and Holon (Israel).
According to them, their name comes not from the province of Samaria from which they originate, but from the Hebrew word Shômrîm, which means “the keepers” and, by extension, “the keepers of the Law.”
There is dispute over their origins, but Samaritans are now considered Jews by the Israeli state.
Kyriat Luza, their village on Mount Gerizim, attracts more and more tourists each year, particularly on the Samaritan Passover, during which about fifty sheep are sacrificed. The ceremony brings together Palestinians, Israelis, and many foreign tourists curious to attend a ritual supposedly representing a centuries-old heritage.
‘Cultural entrepreneurs’ make full use of this: there is a market in ‘authentic’ Samaritan foods, amulets, texts, music, etc.
There are now about 300 Brazilian ‘entrants’ into Samaritanism (there is no concept or method of conversion). The movement began in 2015. Many have Jewish links and seek an authentic, pure, ancient form of Judaism. Religiously, Samaritanism accepts the Pentateuch and rejects later tradition. Migration is not a part of this spreading of Samaritanism out of its historical / geographical roots: it tends to be fuelled by the internet, e.g. a way of identification is to post a Facebook photo of yourself holding a laminated amulet containing a verse in Samaritan Hebrew.
Are these new modes of religiosity and new relationships between ethnicity and religion? More research is needed.

Relevance to RE

The research offers a welcome addition to ‘standard practice’. Teachers could use it to supplement teaching about the Good Samaritan parable by introducing contextual material on the Samaritans, including their place in the 21st century. Pupils could be helped to consider challenging questions such as the relationship between religion and tourism, and challenging concepts such as transnationalisation.

Generalisability and potential limitations

This is probably as detailed a study of contemporary Samaritanism as a teacher would use, though for those with special interests in the area, the article has a very full bibliography.

Find out more

The original article is Fanny Urien-Lefranc, From Religious to Cultural and Back Again: Tourism Development, Heritage Revitalization and Religious Transnationalizations among the Samaritans: Religions 2020, 11, 86

https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11020086

Research Summary: The Doughnut and the Hole: Spiritual Development in Primary schools

‘The Doughnut and the Hole’ (1997), aimed to try to find through talking with teachers, advisers, children, researchers and reading widely, some simple, appropriate ways to encourage Spiritual Development in Primary Schools. The resulting images from this research have been useful in further work by myself and others. Seeing ourselves as spiritual in the sense of being Holy Doughnuts: Holy Wholes with Holy Holes, and the need to allow time for openings: as Windows, of wondering about the Wows and Ows of life; as Mirrors (of reflecting on this;) and Doors (of opportunity to express and act on what is being learnt from this). This piece of research can be found via the link below and supports other work in which I am now involved.

Researchers

Liz Mills

Research Institution

Farmington Institute

What is this about?

‘The Doughnut and the Hole’ (1997), aimed to try to find some simple, appropriate ways to encourage Spiritual Development in Primary Schools.

What was done?

This was a piece of Action Research in schools involving interviewing and working with teachers, children, parents and governors as well as background networking with advisers and researchers around the country, together with wide reading.

Main findings and outputs

What is spiritual development? Here a simple definition image was offered: a Holy Doughnut. An image which might help us see ourselves as ‘spiritual’ in the sense of being like doughnuts with holes: Holy Wholes with Holy Holes. Secondly, how might spirituality be developed? Here an alternative understanding of the word ‘development’ was offered: development as a process of realisation, like developing a photo, rather than a continuous push for ‘progressive’ development.

Three images resulted from this research, to help schools to plan practically. Windows (of wondering about the Wows and Ows of life), Mirrors (of reflecting on this) and Doors, (of opportunity to express and act on what is being learnt from this).

Relevance to RE

Teachers might use the research to help develop appropriate, inclusive ways to understand the term spiritual development in primary schools; and to do practical, creative work with this in RE, SMSCD or throughout the curriculum.

Generalisability and potential limitations

Other teachers might like to make use of and build on the ideas contained in the research.

Find out more

http://www.farmington.ac.uk/index.php/ps12-the-doughnut-and-the-hole/

Research Summary: The advantages of using philosophy for children in RE

What view of educational content or knowledge does philosophy for children have, and what kind of thinking does it promote amongst pupils? E.g. does it lead them to firm, absolute conclusions, or does it take away authority and guidance? The research (based on analysing theory and field data) shows that philosophy for children avoids these extremes and enables pupils to be evaluative. This is argued to be positive for RE lessons, because it helps pupils find meaning in their lives and helps social cohesion. Thus, RE teachers ought to be aware of these findings and consider whether or not philosophy for children might be used in our classrooms.

Researchers

Nastasya van der Straten Waillet, Isabelle Roskam & Cécile Possoz

Research Institution

Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium

What is this about?

The context for the research is reforms to RE in French-speaking Belgium. In other places philosophy for children had been introduced, but there was concern that this approach took firm guidance away from pupils.
Philosophy for children is explained.
Absolutism and relativism are explained, and philosophy for children placed in between them.
Philosophy for children is shown to help pupils to evaluate religious material – and this is argued to help them to develop personally and to to help with cohesion in society.

What was done?

The research consists mostly of review and discussion of theories and types of pedagogy, though some field data fom other studies are also brought in.

Main findings and outputs

Philosophy for children: children should be enquirers, pursuing questions and developing critical thinking. In the pedagogical method of a community of inquiry, they consider a stimulus (e.g. text, picture), raise related questions, focus down jointly on one question and are guided by the teacher through a discussion designed to illuminate different points of view and decision-making.
It isn’t an absolutist process, inquiry and decision-making are ongoing and no fixed, objective truth can be known.
Neither is it a relativist process, critical thinking and argumentation are important and there is no assumption that all points of view are equally true.
Philosophy for children is between the two extremes, calling for ongoing exploration of different views and ideas and respecting pupils’ rights to correct themselves and change their minds.
Being evaluative makes philosophy for children highly suited to RE. It helps young people to make meaning for themselves. This is good for democracy and helps pupils as future citizens (people of different religious and non-religious persuasions should be prepared to listen to and discuss views with one another).
In the approach taken within the Hampshire Agreed RE syllabus, teachers create communities of inquiry on religious concepts, using a five-step method: pupils communicating understanding of the concept, applying this understanding to different contexts, inquiring about a question that emerged through the first two steps, contextualising the concept and related questions in various religious and secular contexts, and finally evaluating the concept from several viewpoints including their own.

Relevance to RE

The research is relevant to RE curriculum planning but especially to pedagogy. Teachers who already use philosophy for children within RE might use the research as a means to know and understand more about its purposes and processes. The research suggests that philosophy for children can help pupils to gain improved skills of evaluation, so teachers who are aiming to improve their pupils’ evaluative skills might be directed to the use of philosophy for children as a method of teaching.

Generalisability and potential limitations

The research appears to offer generalisable findings about the uses and possible benefits of philosophy for education, but like much research on pedagogy, depends on teachers to work with the methods in their own classrooms and reflect on their practice. Within that, it provides a useful criterion: did the teaching enable pupils to be more evaluative than before? How might it be developed so as to enable them to improve their evaluative skills further, in future?

Find out more

On the epistemological features promoted by ‘Philosophy for Children’ and their psychological advantages when incorporated into RE, British Journal of Religious Education 37.3 pages 273-292 (published online 30 July 2014), 10.1080/01416200.2014.937795

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01416200.2014.937795

Research Summary: The RE-searchers Approach: Critical, Dialogic and Inquiry-led RE for the Primary School

The ‘RE-searchers approach’ provides an innovative pedagogy for delivering RE in primary schools. It is inquiry-led and reflective, where the pupils are joint researchers (alongside their teacher) in the RE classroom and use a variety of methodologies and methods to investigate the subject matter understudy. This draws away from the teacher as the deliverer of factual information and instead introduces pupils to a variety of the approaches to the study of religion(s) and worldview(s) used throughout schools, university, and beyond. The RE-searchers approach offers multiple cartoon characters, each of whom use a different methodology and method (for example, the participator/experiencer: ‘Have-a-go Hugo’, and the interviewer/communicator: ‘Ask-it-all Ava’). Pupils engage with the characters and can adopt each character’s approach to research, thereby learning about not only ‘religion(s)’ but also ‘how to learn about religion(s)’. This is an interactive and inquiry-led approach to RE that highlights the role of interpretation, methodology and method in the study of religion(s) and worldview(s).

Researchers

Professor Rob Freathy, Giles Freathy, Dr Jonathan Doney, Dr Karen Walshe & Dr Geoff Teece

Research Institution

University of Exeter

What is this about?

How might primary RE teachers introduce an inquiry-led approach into the classroom?
How might pupils be introduced to the variety of interpretations, methodologies and methods that are used within the study of religion(s) and worldview(s) as a field of academic inquiry?
How does stepping in and out of RE-searcher character assist pupils to become aware of the multi-perspectival nature of research?
How has the RE-searchers approach been introduced, implemented and received in schools and by teachers?

What was done?

The RE-searchers approach has been co-created by Giles Freathy (ex-RE teacher, now primary teacher trainer) and Professor Rob Freathy (Graduate School of Education, University of Exeter). A manual and classroom resources have been developed for use in primary schools and trialled in various schools in the south west of England as well as further afield. Extensive theoretical research underpinned the development of the approach: this has been published alongside more practical classroom guides:

Download these resources

The RE-searchers: A new approach to RE in the Primary school

PDF — 4 MB

Quick start guide to the RE-searchers approach

PDF — 11 MB

Main findings and outputs

The trials and feedback from those who have used the approach report that pupil engagement and enjoyment of RE is raised as a result. Some of the benefits for pupils and for teaching and learning in RE are as follows:

Successful movement away from a focus on learning factual ‘content’ in RE towards a wider conception of ‘knowledge’ (know that, and know how);
Heightened engagement with multi-methodological and multi-perspectival approaches, stimulating reflective and reflexive learning;
Greater stimulation and enjoyment for the pupils, through engagement with the RE-searcher characters;
Appreciation by the pupils of their own learning preferences (which character’s approach they prefer) and the benefits/limitations of each approach.

The approach has been recognised as innovative and successful by teachers, teacher-trainers and inspectors. Giles Freathy received a TES award in 2014 for the full implementation of the approach at Sir Robert Geffery’s School in Cornwall. The approach has since been the subject of multiple workshops and presentations at CPD/ITT training events and RE conferences. The full manual and resource pack, as well as further details, can be found on the RE:Online website.

Relevance to RE

RE teachers can explore the approach in the manual and find sample resources in the publications on RE:Online. It is directly applicable to their teaching environments and has the potential to markedly improve their classroom practice and the critical engagement of the pupils:

RE-searchers Approach

Generalisability and potential limitations

The project is ongoing and thus remains under development. By no means do the RE-searchers characters cover every interpretation/methodology/method found in the study of religion(s) and worldview(s). They are indicative only. Teachers are encouraged to engage with and experiment with the approach in order to further its development. For brief, teacher-friendly introductions, see:

Freathy G, Freathy R (2014). The RE-searchers: promoting methodologically orientated RE in primary schools. REtoday, 31(3), 50-51.
Freathy R, Freathy G (2013). RE-searchers: a dialogic approach to RE in primary schools. REsource, 36(1), 4-7.

The approach is aimed at primary settings; however, it is recognised that a critical, dialogical, multi-perspectival, and multi-methodological approach is required in secondary schools too. The approach can be developed for that setting as well. Some of the underpinning theory can be found here:

Freathy R, Freathy G (2014). Initiating children into hermeneutical discourses in Religious Education: a response to Rachel Cope and Julian Stern. Journal for the Study of Spirituality, 3(2), 156-167.

Find out more

Freathy R, Doney J, Freathy G, Walshe K, Teece G (2017). Pedagogical bricoleurs and bricolage researchers: the case of Religious Education. British Journal of Educational Studies, 65(4), 425-443.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00071005.2017.1343454?journalCode=rbje20