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Research

Knowledge development of tweens in RE – the importance of school class and communication

Christina Osbeck

Research Summary

This research draws on findings from an religious education (RE) test done by 52 Swedish 12-year-old pupils in three different classes on two occasions at the beginning and end of the 2011/2012 academic year. The purpose is to examine whether RE knowledge development can be identified generally, whether there are differences between classes, and if so whether they can be related to communication patterns and describe directions of knowledge development within RE. The findings show that RE
developments over the course of the academic year can be identified in all three classes, and that there are differences among the classes in both achievement levels and developments. What counts is the degree to which the communication practices of the classes facilitate RE learning. Among the individual communicative factors, ‘asking questions’ when one is curious or does not understand is an important factor. The greatest developments seem to be among less complex and learning-about forms of RE knowledge.

Researcher

Christina Osbeck

Research Institution

Gothenburg University

What is this about?

This is about 12-year-old RE pupils and their levels of success in developing subject knowledge. Are there differences between classes? (In the three classes studied, general levels of progress in core subjects are roughly the same, at slightly above the national average.) If there are differences, do these correlate with any particular communication practices that are established within the classes? Do they also correlate with pupil experiences of school, such as stating that schoolwork and RE are enjoyable, or feeling that you are good at RE?

What was done?

A test was developed, in two parts, with four tasks altogether, spanning different elements of RE knowledge. The first part was taken in the Autumn of the school year, the second in the Spring. The test scores were analysed, closely, with attention to differential development rates in each class and in different test items.

Main findings and outputs

  • When other variables are factored in, there remains a difference in development of knowledge between classes, one class showing a statistically significant higher rate.
  • There is also a statistically significant higher rate of development of knowledge in relation to one type of test task, across the three classes: this test task focuses on knowledge of Judaism and the Bar Mitzvah; the lowest rate of development occurs where pupils are asked to interpret a picture of a square containing a church and a mosque, and whether the picture could have been taken a hundred years ago.
  • Membership of a particular class, or kind of class, appears to impact positively on knowledge development in RE.
  • The communication practice within this class, of pupils asking and answering questions about matters about which they are curious or unsure, appears to impact positively on knowledge development in RE.
  • Other important positive factors in knowledge development in RE are existential discussions at home (for ethics), viewing yourself as good at RE and seeing schoolwork and RE as enjoyable.

Relevance to RE

The final paragraph of the article reporting the research (reference below) brings out the relevance to RE teaching very well. As a paraphrase: teachers need to learn effective questioning and to encourage pupils to formulate and ask questions; teachers need to focus hard on pupils’ knowledge development, and set up a classroom climate to promote it; teachers should aim to promote knowledge of aspects of RE which are harder to achieve than others, or are neglected, including learning from religion; and overall, teachers should work on the basis that classroom questions visualise learning, both teachers and pupils gaining information about what pupils know and do not know.

Generalisability and potential limitations

This is a fairly small-scale study, though carried out through a sophisticated methodology. The data are analysed carefully to bring out some clear and important messages for RE teachers.

Find out more

Christina Osbeck (2019) Knowledge development of tweens in RE – the importance of school class and communication, British Journal of Religious Education, 41:3, 247-260.

https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2017.1361379

 

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