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Research Summary

This research covers global issues relating to the decline of the popularity of institutional religions, the rise of numbers of non-religious persons, and new models of spirituality in ‘superdiverse’ societies. It shows the need to reconceptualise religious diversity as worldviews diversity, and to critically examine calls for the provision of worldviews education in schools. It gives an overview of scholarship on worldviews and worldviews education. It provides case studies of worldview/s education in Finland and Australia, drawing on data of recently completed qualitative and quantitative studies in the two countries. It compares the two contexts, and makes recommendations on worldviews education as a means of enhancing cross-cultural literacy, positive attitudes to religious diversity and social inclusion.

Researchers

Tuuli Lipiäinen, Anna Halafoff, Fethi Mansouri & Gary Bouma

Research Institution

University of Helsinki; Deakin University, Melbourne; Deakin University, Melbourne; Monash University, Melbourne

What is this about?

• How ‘old-style religion’ has declined.
• How in increasingly diverse, or ‘super-diverse’ societies, people’s worldview or spirituality can be a hybrid of influences, from religious traditions and beyond.
• What worldviews education means.
• Worldviews education developments in Finland and Australia.
• How worldviews education should reflect young people’s lived realities.

What was done?

A wide range of literature was reviewed, across worldviews, religion, education, state statistics and education policy documents. Two jurisdictions were considered in some detail, in relation to their worldviews education provision, and recommendations for future good practice were drawn.

Main findings and outputs

• ‘Old-style’ or ‘packaged’ religion is declining; less and less people follow one religion’s rules, beliefs or ways; instead, people’s worldviews often comprise different elements from inside, between and outside religions, and (especially those of young people) often change.
• Education about these processes and worldviews can play a part in pupils’ maturation, understanding of others and management of diversity.
• No two countries are identical, so standardised worldviews education strategies are not achievable – they must be context-specific.
• In Finland, where pupils study religion and worldviews in own-religion or worldview groups, pressure and innovation from scholars and some schools to adopt mixed groups has resulted in positive development of dialogue skills.
• In Australia, Victoria is the only state to include distinct educational content on learning about worldviews and religions. Scholars are pushing for more of this, to foster religious and worldview literacy and respect for diversity.
• Young people are more and more likely to encounter diverse worldviews and their education needs to reflect this. It also needs to examine the power relations that are part of diversity and associated with holding different worldviews.

Relevance to RE

This analysis presents major challenges to policy makers and curriculum developers, and, in time, to teachers. How can structures be established to replace the outdated ‘old-style religion’ RE model with one that reflects the ‘superdiverse’ R&W situation? Possibly this means more attention to personal worldviews, with organised religious and non-religious traditions studied as background resources.

Generalisability and potential limitations

As the authors say, their research focuses on two particular contexts, and cannot simply be transferred to others. But superdiversity and worldview or spiritual hybridity can be recognised in different places, and the research clearly connects with English discussions on the introduction of R&W.

Find out more

The original article is Tuuli Lipiäinen, Anna Halafoff, Fethi Mansouri & Gary Bouma (2020): Diverse worldviews education and social inclusion: a comparison between Finnish and Australian approaches to build intercultural and interreligious understanding, British Journal of Religious Education, DOI: 10.1080/01416200.2020.1737918

https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2020.1737918

Research Summary

The notion of worldview is prominent in recent discussions of RE, following the publication of the CORE report. This research reflects on this development. It gives a nuanced understanding of the notion of worldview. It explores the pedagogical implications of the shift to worldview, drawing on the work of Robert Jackson, Michael Grimmitt and Anthony Thiselton.

Researchers

Professor Trevor Cooling

Research Institution

Canterbury Christ Church University

What is this about?

• Current discussions of RE, specifically, the shift to a focus on worldview, following the publication of the CORE report.
• The meaning of the concept of worldview.
• What a move to worldview means for teachers of RE / R&W, in practice.

What was done?

The researcher considered the impact of the concept of worldview on his own work, in an autobiographical manner. He then analysed the treatment of worldview in the CORE report and subsequent discussions, including points made by critics of CORE or of the worldview concept. He then identified the pedagogical implications of CORE, arguing that R&W teaching will need to take a hermeneutical approach (explained further below) if the proposed changes are to take effect.

Main findings and outputs

• R&W is not simply a matter of adding extra content to RE – when religions are viewed as fluid, complex, diverse worldviews, the subject changes.
• A key focus is on the lived experience of people and communities identifying with a particular institutional worldview: CORE, here, draws heavily on Robert Jackson’s interpretive approach to RE.
• A second key focus is on personal worldview – a concern to pick up positive elements of Michael Grimmitt’s ‘learning from religion’; pupils should understand the varied influences on them as they form their own worldviews.
• Anthony Thiselton’s ‘responsible hermeneutics’ provides the disciplinary knowledge needed in R&W. It gives teachers three responsibilities:

1. Promote rigorous knowledge of what is being taught.
2. Ensure rigorous reflection on the contemporary context and how it may influence both teacher’s and pupils’ perspectives.
3. Ensure rigorous reflection on the potential interaction between 1 and 2, so that teacher and pupils benefit in their own self-understanding.

Relevance to RE

The research is of high relevance to teachers who are concerned to understand the meaning of the CORE report and the shift to worldviews as far as their own professional practice is concerned. As the researcher concludes, it is not yet a workable curriculum or resources. This needs to come next, but the researcher has outlined a basis for it.

Generalisability and potential limitations

This research does not present a set of generalisable data from a survey or other instrument. Rather, it is a detailed, balanced discussion of the worldview concept, based on reading, analysis and reflection. It offers teachers and other professionals an account of what the CORE report and the move from RE to R&W mean in practice, though (as yet) without details of curriculum or resources.

Find out more

The original article is Trevor Cooling (2020) Worldview in religious education: autobiographical reflections on The Commission on Religious Education in England final report, British Journal of Religious Education, DOI: 10.1080/01416200.2020.1764497

The article is available open-access at 10.1080/01416200.2020.1764497

Research Summary

The open-access article begins by summarising the findings of 2018 report from the Commission on Religious Education (CoRE), which we use here as a case study to illustrate current issues in Religious Education more generally. The CoRE report suggested that the subject name be changed from ‘Religious Education’ (RE) to ‘Religion and Worldviews’ (RW), which leads us to explore the meaning(s) of the term ‘worldview’, outline the distinction between institutional/organised and personal worldviews, and give an overview of academic debates about the ‘worldviews’ issue. This is followed by a discussion of some of the challenges and implications of the proposed change from RE to RW, addressing concerns that have been raised about dilution of the subject and decreased academic rigour. The article then suggests ways of using a ‘Big Ideas’ approach to the study of religion(s) and worldview(s) to engage students in discussion of ‘worldview’ as a concept and worldviews as phenomena. It explains the ‘Big Ideas’ approach (Wiggins and McTighe 1998; Wintersgill 2017; Freathy and John 2019) before discussing how Big Ideas might be used to select curriculum content, also considering what the implications of this might be for teachers and teaching.

Researchers

Prof Rob Freathy & Dr Helen John

Research Institution

University of Exeter

What is this about?

The article focuses on the issue of worldviews in Religious Education, asking the following questions:

1. What does the 2018 report from the Commission on Religious Education (CoRE) suggest about worldviews in RE?
2. What is meant by the term ‘worldview’? Is a religion a worldview? Does everyone have a worldview?
3. What is the difference between an ‘institutional worldview’ and a ‘personal worldview’?
4. What are the benefits and challenges of incorporating worldviews into RE?
5. What are ‘Big Ideas about the study of religion(s) and worldview(s)’ (Freathy and John 2019)?
6. How might ‘Big Ideas about the study of religion(s) and worldview(s)’ help teachers to explore worldviews in the RE classroom? What are the implications for teachers’ professional development and for the classroom?

What was done?

This theoretical article is an academic response to the key findings of the final report of the Commission on Religion Education (CoRE 2018), which was sponsored by the Religious Education Council for England and Wales. It focuses particularly on the proposal to change the title of Religious Education (RE) to Religion and Worldviews (RW). It explores the meaning of the term ‘worldview’ how worldviews might be selected for inclusion in the curriculum. The article discusses the report’s recommendations for greater focus on multi-disciplinary, multi-methodological and reflexive, encounter-driven approaches. It suggests that teachers might use the ‘Big Ideas about the study of religion(s) and worldview(s)’ (Freathy and John 2019) to achieve closer alignment between RW in schools and the academic study of religion(s) and worldview(s) in universities.

Main findings and outputs

The authors argue that key to the successful delivery of ‘a new and richer version of the subject’ (CoRE, 3) is generating in school students a better understanding of the concept ‘worldview’. Although there is disagreement over precise definitions of the term (just as there is with the term ‘religion’), Freathy and John suggest that this imprecision is something to be embraced. Teachers should explore the complexity of the terms and concepts with their students – focusing explicitly on their contested and imprecise nature – in order to further the students’ understanding of the term and of worldviews themselves. They argue that the report’s distinction between institutional and personal worldviews is a helpful one, albeit with some limitations, and will assist students in appreciating the diverse sources upon which they draw in the ongoing development of their own dynamic ‘worldview web’. Investigation into the institutional/personal distinction could also help students to be sensitive to diversity within institutional worldviews, based on individual and contextual lived experience. A better understanding of the fluid concept of ‘worldview’ will enrich and add rigour to the curriculum, as the report suggests, not act to ‘dilute’ it or to decrease its rigour, as critics have suggested. Building upon earlier research (Freathy and John 2019), the authors suggest that focusing on features of the academic study of religion(s) and worldview(s) – studying how we study – will enable teachers to incorporate the new ‘worldviews’ approach into their teaching without diluting the curriculum. Using these ‘Big Ideas about’ would involve encouraging students to consider explicitly:

Relevance to RE

This article would make excellent background reading for teachers who (a) need a brief summary of the final report from the Commission on Religious Education; (b) would like to know more about the ‘worldview’ concept; (c) want to know more about the Big Ideas framework; and/or (d) wonder how they might incorporate into their classroom practice a greater focus on ‘worldviews’.
The open-access article is entitled ‘Worldviews and Big Ideas: A Way Forward for Religious Education?’ and appears in Nordidactica 2019, Volume 4.

It builds on a previous article by the same authors (search ‘Introducing ‘Big Ideas’ to UK Religious Education’ for equivalent RE:Online Research Report), in which they reflect on the application of the Big Ideas of Science Education project to the UK Religious Education curriculum: Rob Freathy and Helen C. John. 2019. ‘Religious Education, Big Ideas and the study of religion(s) and worldview(s).’ British Journal of Religious Education 41.1: 27-40. DOI: 10.1080/01416200.2018.1500351

Useful resources for a Big Ideas/Worldviews approach to RE/RW

A curriculum package for teachers to use to introduce ‘Big Ideas about the study of religion(s) and worldview(s)’ will follow in 2020.
A ‘Big Ideas about’ approach can be seen in the secondary textbook called ‘Who is Jesus’, which is available online at <https://socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/education/research/networks/religionandspirituality/publications/ and in the ‘RE-searchers’ approach (primary), which can be found at RE-searchers approach
You might also find the original ‘Big Ideas for RE’ (Wintersgill, ed, 2017) report helpful:
https://tinyurl.com/y7ra365d

Please contact R.J.K.Freathy@exeter.ac.uk for further information about the ideas found in the article and the additional resources, or to get involved with the trialling the RE-searchers (Primary) or ‘Big Ideas about’ (Secondary) approach.

Generalisability and potential limitations

The article is primarily aimed at teachers and RE researchers and considers theoretical perspectives. However, it also gives an insight into practical resources available for ‘worldviews’ teaching at primary and secondary level (see details below).

Find out more

The open-access article is entitled ‘Worldviews and Big Ideas: A Way Forward for Religious Education?’ and appears in Nordidactica 2019, Volume 4.

https://www.kau.se/nordidactica/las-nordidactica/nordidactica-20194-kjerneelementer-og-store-ideercore-elements-and

Research Summary

This post provides an overview of the Religious Education Teachers and Character: Personal Beliefs and Professional Approaches Research Report. The report details a study comprised of an initial phase of life-story interviews with 30 participants followed by a survey with 314 respondents.

Researchers

James Arthur, Daniel Moulin-Stozek, Jason Metcalfe & Francisco Moller

Research Institution

Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, School of Education, University of Birmingham

What is this about?

The research goals of this report and study are:

1. How do RE teachers’ personal beliefs and worldviews relate to their professional motivations?
2. How do RE teachers negotiate religious diversity?
3. What do RE teachers think about RE and pupils’ character development?
4. What differences in beliefs about pupils’ character development are there between RE teachers holding different worldviews?

What was done?

This study explored the lives of RE teachers using a mixed-method design, comprising an interview phase followed by a survey. This approach allowed for inductive inferences to be made from the interviews, which could be then substantiated through the deductive testing of preliminary hypotheses with the construction of the survey instrument. For each phase, a separate non-probabilistic sample of practising RE teachers who taught RE as their main specialism was recruited through professional organisations and advertisements, including social media.

The first, qualitative phase of the study was inspired by the narrative identity paradigm (McAdams, 1996; 2013; McAdams and Guo, 2015). This uses semi-structured interviews to explore participants’ self-understandings of the development of the course of their lives. In addition to standard questions used in this paradigm, the interview schedule also included questions about teachers’ perspectives on RE and character development.

The second, quantitative phase, was designed drawing on initial analyses of the interviews and employed measures of religious practice and style, as well as individual items about RE teachers’ perceptions of character education. The data generated from these questions allowed for analyses of the relationships between RE teachers’ worldviews, their perspectives on character education and their professional motivations.

Main findings and outputs

1. Personal worldviews informed RE teachers’ approaches in the classroom: RE teachers working in faith and non-faith schools were found to have a diverse range of personal worldviews – from atheism to theism, and all positions in between – but each kind of worldview supports a particular vision of what RE should be, and therefore generates an individual’s motivation to be an RE teacher.
2. RE teachers were found to have fair and tolerant views of other religions and worldviews: RE teachers who did or did not have a religious faith, in faith and non-faith schools, were found to have a fair and tolerant approach to religious diversity. However, this study’s findings suggest that RE teachers that have a religious faith were more open to interreligious dialogue and learning from other religions.
3. There was strong agreement among teachers with a religious faith that RE contributes to character education, and RE teachers should act as role models for their pupils.
4. RE teachers that have a religious faith were more likely to think religions promote good character: There were significant differences in perspectives between RE teachers who reported belonging to a religion, and those who did not. The former were found to be more likely to think that religious traditions provide a source of good role models; they were also more likely to care about their impact on pupils’ religious beliefs and to believe pupils emulate their religious views.

Relevance to RE

The findings of this study confirm the importance of teachers’ personal beliefs and experiences to their professional lives. It is proposed that more opportunities be made available for RE teachers to further reflect on their own worldviews and consider the implications of their personal views for practice. Professional literature and guidelines about RE could be revised to sensitively advise teachers on the best ways to incorporate their own commitments and orientations in their approach to religions in the classroom; these should acknowledge the diversity of teachers’ personal worldviews. Given the widely held belief found among participants regarding the contribution of RE to pupils’ character development, this report provides evidence to suggest that schools and LEAs should develop coherent rationales and syllabi for RE lessons to create further opportunities for developing character. This would strengthen the provision that RE can make in schools, and also help cultivate the character growth of pupils of all faiths and those of none, through RE.

Generalisability and potential limitations

The sampling was, for both qualitative and quantitative phases, non-probabilistic and dependent on participants’ self-selection. There may be bias in both samples, which comprise RE teachers who volunteered in response to advertisements in particular venues. They therefore may be more committed, better networked and more enthusiastic than teachers who did not respond to advertisements to participate in the study.

Find out more

https://www.jubileecentre.ac.uk/userfiles/jubileecentre/pdf/Research%20Reports/RE_Teachers_and_Character.pdf

Research Title

The Story Tent – Developing Intercultural Learning in Primary Schools

Research Summary

This PhD thesis explored the possibility of applying Scriptural Reasoning (SR) principles to promote Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) in primary schools. It did so by using storytelling and interfaith dialogue to encourage pupils to exercise ICC in classroom settings.
My research title was “An inquiry into the development of intercultural learning in primary schools using applied Scriptural Reasoning principles”.
My hypothesis was that ICC could be promoted in primary schools using faith stories delivered by faith representatives through applied SR practices.
My aim was to test this hypothesis through practical classroom research.
My objectives were:

1. To develop and refine a teaching strategy intervention that employed an age-appropriate adaptation of SR with a view to promoting ICC among primary school children.
2. To measure ICC displayed by the children during the intervention against a model currently employed by the Council of Europe’s education programmes.

This thesis takes its philosophical position from the work of Ricoeur and combines a phenomenological and interpretive approach to religious education to develop pupils understanding of both the “other” and the “self.” From this theoretical position, an age-appropriate intervention was developed based on the principles of SR in collaboration with the Cambridge Interfaith Programme. The resulting “Story Tent” RE themed day built on the established work of Julia Ipgrave’s dialogic and Esther Reed’s narrative approach to religious education.

Researcher

Dr Anne Margaret Moseley

Research Institution

Warwick Religious Education Research Unit

What is this about?

SR is an approach to studying scriptures in interreligious encounters, originally in an academic context. Its focus is on developing an understanding of religion, as experienced by faith participants through shared dialogue around sacred texts. It is a practice where people of different faith traditions come together to share their sacred texts in an environment of mutual trust and respect. Exploring difference and learning to disagree well is at the heart of the approach.
In this research I explored whether it was possible for primary aged pupils to engage with SR principles and whether this approach to reading sacred texts might encourage intercultural communication. I wanted the research to be built on applications of good classroom practice, but I also wanted to give the work a solid theoretical foundation in current academic research. Before the Intervention I developed a theoretical framework through a consideration of two primary research questions, each with associated subsidiary considerations.

1. What are the possibilities for and challenges to the development of SR strategies for promoting ICC?
2. How might SR practices be adapted to suit the experience, skills and cognitive levels of primary age pupils for them to exercise ICC?

What was done?

The underpinning work utilised Action Research methodology through a cyclical approach which took place over two iterative cycles in three different schools, each with its own distinctively different religious ethos and demographic make-up. It was unusual in combining the contributions not only of teachers and researcher but also faith representatives from local communities.
The Intervention was delivered in three schools over two iterative cycles. A research team was brought together to deliver the Intervention that consisted of academics, religious education teachers and community faith representatives.
A total of eighty-seven KS2 pupils (children aged nine to eleven years), from three different schools participated in the research. Data was collected during the Story Tent Intervention day through pupil self-assessments at the end of each teaching session, and by transcribing recordings of focused group work and research team interviews. Follow-up interviews were completed the following day with a representative sample of seventeen pupils from the three schools, using a semi-structured interview developed by the Council of Europe, “The Autobiography of Intercultural Encounter” (AIE). The data was combined to produce pupil case study portfolios and ATLAS.ti was used to support the coding process and analysis of the data.
Useful Resources:
Moseley, Anne (2018) An inquiry into the development of intercultural learning in primary schools using applied scriptural reasoning principles. PhD thesis, University of Warwick. (Available to view on the Warwick University library catalogue e-thesis – WRAP)
The Story Tent blog at CIP https://www.interfaith.cam.ac.uk/news/storytent [Accessed: Feb 2019]
Council of Europe (2009) Autobiography of Intercultural Encounters. Available at: https://www.coe.int/t/dg4/autobiography/Source/AIE_en/AIE_context_concepts_and_t heories_en.pdf [Accessed: Feb 2019].

Main findings and outputs

Primary Findings

1. Story proved to be an age appropriate genre for primary pupils to connect with and provided a familiar context in which pupils were quickly inspired and facilitated engagement. It enabled pupils to investigate difference through an authentic encounter of sacred texts with the support of a community faith representative. It provided a space where ICC could be practiced, and interpretations could be developed using applied SR principles.
2. The concept of the Story Tent “meeting” place facilitated an environment which enabled pupils to explore a “third space” place of translation, in which different viewpoints could be held in tension and explored together. Through the process of trialogue in this structured space pupils could encounter the “other” in a way that was not compromising to personal faith positions.
3. Drama proved to be an effective environment for pupils to exercise ICC. The process of working together to discover and interpret a story and present the findings provided a context in which many of the competences were being exercised in the moment.

Secondary Findings

1. Some of the competences were more frequently demonstrated than others suggesting the possibility of a hierarchy of competences. These differences were most noticeable in those skills that required cognitive thinking. From the pupils’ responses, explaining and relating were more frequently demonstrated than interpreting or critical cultural awareness.
2. Just as there appears to be a cognitively-related hierarchy among the skills-orientated ICC, there also appears to be an interactional hierarchy among the attitude-orientated ICC. For example, those pupils who were able to tolerate ambiguity were more likely to demonstrate a wider range and number of competences than those who did not.
3. Personal religious identity also impacted the pupils’ responses to the Intervention. It tended to have a polarizing impact. Those who expressed no faith position during the Intervention tended to demonstrate average overall Competence, whilst those who identified a personal faith position exhibited either high or low Competence. Pupils who had a strong sense of personal identity and were open to others and able to tolerate ambiguity were more likely to demonstrate critical cultural awareness and higher levels of overall Competence.
4. The Story Tent Intervention proved to be a significant learning experience for the Action Research team. The process of presenting and participating in the Intervention provided a space where a community of learning developed and all those taking part were being challenged by the experience.

Relevance to RE

1. Using Story – The research suggests that story is a powerful vehicle for pupils to interpret meaning without the need for irreducible truth claims. It provided a context where pupils could step out of themselves and imagine different worldviews alongside their own.
2. Using groups of 3 for discussion – The research suggests that pupils working together in groups of three provided a space for trialogue which moved beyond the position of binary dialogue to provide a space where multiple interpretations were possible.
3. Using Drama to develop ICC – The research suggests that the drama session provided a context for pupils to exercise ICC and recognises its potential to explore the views of the “Other”.
4. Using faith community members – The findings from this research suggest that adult and pupil participants demonstrated similar responses to the intervention indicating there is significant value to the involvement of members of faith communities.
5. Using the Council of Europe AIE structured interview tool – The research found that the AIE interview tool was an effective resource which enabled pupils to reflect on their intercultural learning.

Generalisability and potential limitations

Whilst it is difficult to draw conclusive evidence from the Intervention as the data sample size was small, the breadth of religious and demographic composition of the research schools provided an opportunity to explore responses to the Intervention over significantly different groups of pupils which provided an interesting comparison.
During the project I became aware of the limited opportunities the team had to fully explore the contributions of the teachers beyond the Story Tent Intervention day. Whilst the faith representatives were able to see how the Intervention worked out in different contexts over the two iterations, the teachers only encountered the experience in their own school contexts. This led to different roles emerging within the research team in which the faith representatives became more involved with the development of the Intervention and the teachers took on a more advisory role in assessing how the pupils had responded to the encounter.
Whilst the AIE interview provided a useful tool for comparison, I was aware of some limitations. Some competences were more difficult to observe, for example, very few pupils demonstrated non-verbal communication, which is by its very nature not communicated verbally. It would have been interesting to video pupils’ interactions to explore this dimension further, although there would be considerable ethical implications to this course of action. Pupils also demonstrated competences that were not included in the framework for example, an ability to collaborate and work together made a huge difference to pupils’ experience of the encounter and yet it is not recorded within the ICC framework applied.
This research drew heavily on the work of Byram and the Council of Europe to build an ICC framework for the Story Tent Intervention. However, during the research a new framework emerged from the Council of Europe. Whilst there is considerable overlap with previous models, there are significant differences, in particular a section that incorporates “Values” for intercultural competence. I chose not to change my research design midway and would further argue that Byram’s model and the AIE interview are still conceptually relevant.

Find out more

Moseley, Anne (2018) An inquiry into the development of intercultural learning in primary schools using applied scriptural reasoning principles. PhD thesis, University of Warwick. (Available to view on the Warwick University library catalogue e-thesis – WRAP)

http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/112822/

Research Summary

This article explores the interpretation and influence of Genesis 1-2 – the biblical Creation accounts – in relation to Christian responses to contemporary ethical issues. It invites GCSE/A-level students and teachers to engage in a careful and critical examination of the texts. This is essential for a nuanced understanding of the variety of ways in which the texts have been interpreted. The article explores how Genesis 1 and 2 have been influential in forming a variety of Christian responses to such issues as gender equality, animal rights and environmental care. The article offers a partner piece to the newly updated ‘Beyond Stewardship’ resources produced by the University of Exeter for use in GCSE/A-level RS.

Researchers

Professor David G. Horrell & Dr Helen C. John

Research Institution

University of Exeter

What is this about?

This article explores the interpretation and influence of Genesis 1-2 – the biblical Creation accounts – in relation to Christian responses to contemporary ethical issues. It invites GCSE/A-level students and teachers to engage in a careful and critical examination of the texts. This is essential for a nuanced understanding of the variety of ways in which the texts have been interpreted. The article explores how Genesis 1 and 2 have been influential in forming a variety of Christian responses to such issues as gender equality, animal rights and environmental care. The article offers a partner piece to the newly updated ‘Beyond Stewardship’ resources produced by the University of Exeter for use in GCSE/A-level RS.

What was done?

The article begins with a close examination of the texts themselves, including an accessible comparison of the two accounts side-by-side. It then goes on to illustrate the enduring influence of these creation stories in the ethical debates in which appeals to these texts are made (often on opposing sides). The article outlines the biblical creation stories, noting the context of and differences between the two. It then considers what these texts have to say about (i) human status and the image of God; (ii) gender and equality; (iii) non-human animals and the question of vegetarianism; and (iv) human responsibility for the environment.

Main findings and outputs

This article – alongside the website resources – emphasises that the biblical texts have a complex legacy: there is no simple, singular ‘Christian’ response to gender equality, animal rights, or environmental issues. Appeals to Genesis 1 and/or 2 have been made to support or deny gender equality, to support or deny the rights of non-human animals, to support or reject vegetarianism, and to support stewardship or to support the domination of the natural world. The article offers insight into how and why those polar opinions have been supported by the biblical creation accounts.

Relevance to RE

This article would make excellent background reading for teachers and could be used as a think piece with A-level classes (or higher ability GCSE classes). It relates to issues of gender equality, animal rights, vegetarianism and environmental care.
The accompanying website resources, developed within the University of Exeter’s ‘Beyond Stewardship’ project, are designed for use in RE/RS classrooms when tackling issues related to environmental ethics. They encourage students to think beyond a simple equation of ‘Christian ethics’ with ‘stewardship of the environment’. Resources are available under the following subtitles:

1. Is Christianity to blame?
2. Origins of stewardship
3. History of stewardship
4. Contemporary Christian views
5. Catholic teaching explored further
6. The Future of Earth
7. Criticisms of stewardship
8. Alternatives to stewardship
9. The Exeter Project
10. Humans and (other) animals

Generalisability and potential limitations

The article and resources are primarily aimed at teachers and KS5 students. However, able KS4 students will find them useful as stretch and challenge materials and/or revision activities. They focus solely on Christian perspectives but do tackle the considerable variety therein.

Find out more

The article is entitled ‘Creation, Humans, Animals, and the Environment: Understanding the Influence of Genesis 1–2’ and appears in the November 2018 edition (Issue 51) of Dialogue magazine (pp. 3-8).

http://humanities.exeter.ac.uk/theology/research/projects/beyondstewardship/

Research Summary

In this thesis, I explore the introduction of creativity into Religious Education lessons. I will present a mixed methods case study research project focusing on a Year 8 all boys’ class within a large high achieving independent school. This study takes place in a largely secular classroom, in an environment where students are very highly motivated to do well. During this study, the questions I will explore are: What effect does creatively interpreting biblical text have on the students’ intrinsic motivation to work? What effect does the use of iPads with biblical text have on the students’ ability to unlock creativity? What effect does the creative interpretation have on helping students to interpret the meaning of passages?

Researcher

Mr Tom Jenkins

Research Institution

University of Cambridge

What is this about?

The use of creativity and IT to engage students in religious studies. What effect does creativity have on the students’ ability to make meaning?

What was done?

Mixed methods case study. Methods: lesson observation, pupil questionnaires, pupil interviews, and student work analysis.

Main findings and outputs

Research Question 1: What effect does creatively interpreting biblical text have on the students’ intrinsic motivation to work?
I can conclude that in my study creatively interpreting biblical text did have a positive effect on my students’ intrinsic motivation. I did anticipate that this might be so, however I did not anticipate the reasons why creativity would increase their motivation, and for me this was the interesting aspect. Students were motivated by the opportunity to be creative because it gave them a chance to express themselves, and also their viewpoints. It also gave them the freedom of choice to choose their learning, and this proved to be a valuable opportunity to the students.

Research Question 2: What effect does the use of iPads with biblical text have on the students’ ability to unlock creativity?
In response to this RQ I find that I share the view of London Knowledge Lab (Team, 2013), that the effectiveness of the iPad depends on the manner in which it is used, not in anything intrinsic to itself. For some students it was helpful to use an iPad, in particular if they struggled with more traditional ways of being creative (drawing). However, it is also clear that there were times when students would have preferred not to use an iPad, and to return to previous methods of creativity. The iPad can also be restrictive to some students, and using an iPad is as much a skill as drawing is.

Research Question 3: What effect does the creative interpretation have on helping students to interpret the meaning of passages?
This was the most interesting RQ, and I found that creatively interpreting the meaning of passages does have a positive effect on the students’ ability to interpret the meaning. Some of the pieces of work I examined on the Good Samaritan were quite powerful, and they captured the heart of the passage very strongly. It appears that applying the parable to a modern day example helped the students understand the concept of social responsibility, and how to be ‘active’ rather than ‘passive’ members of society. I can also conclude that because the students had to create their own versions of the bible passages, they had to understand them in great detail. This was very clear in even the most basic responses to the task, and it became a clear indicator of ability and progress. The use of creativity also had a final unexpected effect on the students, which was that it made them reflect upon themselves and each other. During the course of creating their own Good Samaritan and Sower parables, the students reflected upon chances they have had to be helpful to one another. Applying the bible passages to the modern world also accomplished a further thing, which was to make religious education relevant to the students of today.

Relevance to RE

This research will help inform RE teachers about the benefits of using creativity in RE lessons, it will also provide some ideas as to how this can be done. This project will also stimulate conversation over how to make RE relevant in today’s society, and it will reference good pieces of literature on this viewpoint.

Generalisability and potential limitations

This was a small scale study, carried out with a small sample number, in a school with a 1:1 iPad scheme.

Find out more

Title: Making Meaning. A Critical Examination of the Effects of Creativity on the Meaning Making and Motivation of High Attaining Year 8 Students Studying the Gospels

Research Summary

This is a themed report across various sources, simultaneously illustrating the neglect and potential of RE. The RE Council / NATRE ‘state of the nation’ report gives a concerning picture of RE provision in English secondary schools – in essence, too many schools are failing to meet their statutory obligations where the subject is concerned. Other sources (REDCo, RE for Real and Does RE Work?) show how young people value RE as an important part of preparation for adult life. Both negative and positive data are useful in advocating RE’s social contribution: the neglect needs to be challenged and the potential widely realised.

Researchers

Dr Kevin O’Grady (summariser), RE Council / NATRE, REDCo project / RE for Real project & Does RE Work? project

Research Institution

Research carried out for Culham St Gabriel’s Trust

What is this about?

In England, a concerning number of secondary schools do not meet their statutory obligation to provide RE.
There are also concerns over the amount of RE teaching carried out by non-specialist teachers and the amount of time given to the subject in schools where RE is taught. These weaknesses mean that many young people are not being adequately prepared for adult life in a religiously and culturally diverse society.

Research on young people’s own perceptions of the value of RE underlines this problem whilst pointing to the subject’s high potential. For teenagers in the UK and Europe, the study of religions is desirable as a preparation for inter-religious and inter-cultural understanding and for adult life; school is its likely site. At the same time, the quality of teaching is a key variable. Good RE teaching needs a high level of specialist qualification and skill.

What was done?

This report reflects secondary research, in which the researcher collated data from four primary sources. The methodologies used in the primary research projects were wide-ranging (including analysis of official data, questionnaires and interviews).

Main findings and outputs

28% of secondary schools give no dedicated curriculum time to RE (this equates to about 800,000 pupils).
RE provision is largely dependent on school type. 96% of schools with a religious character offer RE at KS4. 90% dedicate at least 3% of their timetables to RE at KS4. In 90% of these schools, over half of their RE lessons are taught by a specialist teacher. Academies are the least likely type of school to offer RE at KS4: 73% offer RE at this level and 27% provide more than 3% curriculum time. In 66% of academies, over half of their RE lessons are taught by a specialist teacher. Nearly half of academies and community schools that teach full course RE do so on short course time allocation (5%).

However, teenagers strongly value RE’s actual or potential contribution. They recognise the need for knowledge about each other’s religions and worldviews. Those who learn about religious diversity in school discuss these more easily. They want learning to take place in a safe environment where there are agreed procedures for discussion. They want school to include learning about different religions or worldviews. English pupils value RE’s challenging of stereotypes, preparing them to live with diversity, focus on lived religion and contribution to their personal development. Good teaching requires specialist skill and knowledge: informed, skilled enquiry into different religions and world-views, enabling pupils to be well qualified in RE without reducing it to examination training.

Relevance to RE

This report results from conversations about how different research findings might be used to advocate the case for proper RE provision in schools and the importance of effective teacher training arrangements. In relation to the data on neglect, they are a reminder of RE’s statutory position in the curriculum; but also of its vulnerability and the need for teachers and other professionals to defend the subject. Those on the value of RE in teenagers’ eyes contribute to a positive basis for its defence and future flourishing.

Generalisability and potential limitations

The findings have high credibility. The data on neglect of RE in English schools come from UK government sources. Those on the potential of RE as seen by teenagers are remarkably consistent across three different major studies. A limitation is the secondary focus, but the findings could help to model research on RE provision in primary schools.

Find out more

For an overview of REDCo project findings, see Robert Jackson, “Religion, education, dialogue and conflict: editorial introduction,” British Journal of Religious Education 33 (2), (2011): 105-109:107-108. The key text reporting Does RE Work? Is J.C. Conroy, D. Lundie, R.A. Davis, V. Baumfield, L.P. Barnes, T. Gallagher, K. Lowden, N.Bourque and K. J. Wenell, Does Religious Education Work? A Multi-disciplinary Investigation (London: Bloomsbury, 2013).

https://www.natre.org.uk/uploads/Free%20Resources/SOTN%202017%20Report%20web%20version%20FINAL.pdf

Research Summary

We Need to Talk about RE (London: Jessica Kingsley, 2017) is a collection of essays by established and emerging RE leaders commenting on theory, practice and policy around RE. The book focuses mainly on the English system, with European and wider global contexts referred to. Each chapter is a grounded, research-informed provocation. The book is edited by Dr Mike Castelli (currently Executive Chair of the Association of University Lectuters in Religion and Education) and Dr Mark Chater (currently Director of a charitable trust supporting RE).

Researchers

Mike Castelli, Mark Chater & Linda Woodhead

Research Institution

Several

What is this about?

The book as a whole promotes public discussion on what is needed from a new model of RE. The book argues that we need to talk about RE for several reasons: because so much is changing in the culture of schools; because teachers of RE are ‘cultural and religious heroes caught up in a conflicted education system’; because the kind of RE practised UK is unique, but gravely in danger of dismemberment and neglect; because of the urgent need to find consensus about the purpose and place of RE; and because wider society needs better ways of dealing with religious and cultural ‘otherness’.

What was done?

Each of the fifteen authors uses a distinctive methodology based on their own professional experience as teachers, researchers, practitioners, policy makers or consultants.

Main findings and outputs

Each chapter, written by a different author, offers a manifesto for change. The postscript, written by a serving teacher of RE, argues passionately for change based on clarity of purpose.

Relevance to RE

Trainee and serving teachers will find the book a stimulating, provocative and hope-inspiring daily companion to their practice.

Generalisability and potential limitations

There is no programmatic set of findings or recommendations.

Find out more

Castelli, M. And Chater, M (2017) ed. We Need to Talk about Religious Education: Manifestos for the Future of RE.London: Jessica Kingsley Publishing.

Research Summary

This article provides a reconstruction of the processes leading to the formation of the widely influential Birmingham Agreed Syllabus of Religious Instruction (1975). This is contextualised within one of the most significant periods in the history of race relations in the United Kingdom. The authors discuss how this syllabus, and other landmark reforms in religious education (RE) in English schools from the late 1960s, responded to ethnic diversity by promoting supposedly culturally pluralist, multi-faith approaches to RE.

Researchers

Prof Stephen Parker & Prof Rob Freathy

Research Institution

University of Worcester

What is this about?

The research inquired into the multiple causes of a crucial moment of curriculum change in religious education. Given the stated importance of this particular syllabus to English RE history, it seemed important to us to understand how it came about.

What was done?

The research utilised historical methodologies to reconstruct a moment in curriculum history.

Main findings and outputs

• That the history of the subject can help us to understand the nature and purpose of RE in the present.
• That curriculum change in RE is often highly controversial, and sometimes bound up with notions of national and religious identity.
• That RE is often seen by policy-makers as a vehicle for social cohesion.
• That the influences upon developments in RE are multiple.

Relevance to RE

As background to a masters level study of RE policy, or to get to grips with how RE came to be as it is.

Generalisability and potential limitations

The paper needs to be read in conjunction with other related work by the authors to contextualise this important period in the recent history of the subject.

Find out more

Parker, S.G., Freathy, R.J.K. (2012) Ethnic diversity, Christian hegemony and the emergence of multi-faith religious education in the 1970s, History of Education: journal of the History of Education Society, 41: 3, 381–404.

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0046760X.2011.620013