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Research Summary

Religious Education naturally draws on various aspects of the academic study of religions to ensure the accuracy and currency of its content and pedagogy. This paper sets out the case for a more intense dialogue between RE and the field of biblical studies, by explaining two recent major shifts within biblical scholarship: a greater understanding of the first century Jewish context within which Christianity was formed, and the emergence of new forms of biblical interpretation which draw on the perspectives of previously marginalised groups, including women, people of colour, and the disabled. It then shows how these might fruitfully be applied to the teaching of RE in schools.

Researcher

Susan Docherty

Research Institution

Newman University Birmingham

What is this about?

The paper brings perspectives from current biblical scholarship to bear on teaching the bible in RE in schools.

What was done?

Some recent trends in academic biblical scholarship were identified and explained. It was then shown how they might be applied to topics commonly taught in secondary school RE, such as the identity of Jesus, the problem of evil, or ethical issues.

Main findings and outputs

Lesser known primary texts are analysed to reveal: the common roots of Judaism and Christianity; the variety and historical development of these religions; and the plurality of interpretation of texts and issues possible within them. Contemporary works of biblical scholarship are then investigated to draw out some ways in which the use of the bible in schools can be enhanced by attending to previously neglected interpretative voices and to global perspectives.

Relevance to RE

This paper sets out to address weaknesses highlighted by recent Exam Board reports and other studies in the teaching of Christianity in UK schools, and specifically in the use of biblical material in the classroom. It discusses developments in academic biblical studies which potentially have important and positive implications for RE: demonstrating the breadth and variety of the religions of early Judaism and Christianity; offering new information about central topics on current RE syllabi; raising important wider questions about the plurality and ‘ownership’ of the interpretation of sacred texts; encouraging greater nuance in applying biblical texts to contemporary theological and ethical debates; and providing space for people from varied backgrounds to engage directly with the biblical texts in informed and innovative ways.

Generalisability and potential limitations

The research aims to support all teachers in making effective use of the primary texts of the Christian scriptures (the New Testament) in their teaching and in preparing students for public exams in RE. It is therefore more useful for those working with syllabi which cover Christianity in detail.

Find out more

Susan Docherty (2018) A new dialogue between biblical scholarship and Religious Education, British Journal of Religious Education, 40:3, 298-307, DOI: 10.1080/01416200.2018.1493272

https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/Yup26q3NkKDaPIbSqye6/full

Research Summary

“Most U.S. adults identify with a particular religious denomination or group. They describe themselves as Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Jewish, Mormon or Muslim– to name just a few of the hundreds of identities or affiliations that people give in surveys. Others describe themselves as atheist, agnostic or say they have no particular religious affiliation. These are the conventional categories into which Americans sort themselves. But a new Pew Research Center analysis looks at beliefs and behaviors that cut across many denominations – important traits that unite people of different faiths, or that divide people who have the same religious affiliation – producing a new and revealing classification, or typology, of religion in America.” (Summary taken from original press release at http://www.pewforum.org/2018/08/29/the-religious-typology/ downloaded on September 12 2018.)

Researcher

Pew Research Center, Washington DC

Research Institution

Pew Research Center, Washington DC

What is this about?

This is about the different religious groups in the US, and how they vary internally, in terms of religious commitment, behaviour or attitudes to religion. Survey data were used to generate seven categories of religiosity that cut across religious boundaries. E.g. ‘Sunday Stalwarts’ are the traditionalist, highly engaged members, ‘Diversely Devout’ are those who whilst traditionalist are also open to ‘New Age’ beliefs such as reincarnation or psychic power and ‘Religion Resisters’ are those who think that institutional religion does more harm than good. The other categories are ‘God-and-Country Believers’, ‘Relaxed Religious’, ‘Spiritually Awake’ and ‘Solidly Secular’.

What was done?

A survey of 4729 respondents was done. It included 16 questions about their religious and spiritual beliefs and practices, the value they place on their religion, and the other sources of meaning and fulfillment in their lives. The typology groups were then created using cluster analysis, a statistical technique that identified homogeneous groups of respondents based on their answers.

Main findings and outputs

The findings are quite extensive and readers are directed to the main report (link below), but some examples can be given so as to provide a flavour. What is interesting is how the categories cut across traditional religious and non-religious lines:

• Some data may be unsurprising (76% of the ‘Solidly Secular’ have no religious affiliation).
• However, it raises questions that 17% of the ‘Solidly Secular’ category identify as Christian.
• Within Religion Resisters, non-Christian religious faiths contribute their highest overall percentage (11%).
• They only make up 6% of the ‘Sunday Stalwart’ category, which could be down to population or survey factors; the word ‘Sunday’ is used because 90% of the group belong to Christian churches and it did not figure in survey questions.
• There are interesting sub-findings, e.g. 19% of ‘Sunday Stalwarts’ and 12% of ‘Solidly Secular’ believe in reincarnation; 98% of ‘Religion Resisters’ believe there is spiritual energy located in physical things such as mountains, trees or crystals.

Relevance to RE

The final Commission on RE report speaks of the need for a deeper understanding of the complex, diverse and plural nature of worldviews at both institutional and personal levels, and to ensure that pupils understand that there are different ways of adhering to a worldview. This Pew Center research gives an original, imaginative illustration of these factors. RE curriculum developers and teachers could use it to consider how to represent diversity within religions; teacher trainers could use it to illustrate the need for this to trainees.

Generalisability and potential limitations

The survey was large-scale (4729 respondents) and care was taken to achieve a representative sample. One limitation is that the US rather than the UK is represented. The researchers also acknowledge that identifying cluster groups is as much art as science. However, UK teachers and researchers could take note of the problematising of religious categories and perhaps find ways to explore similar issues in our own contexts.

Find out more

The full Pew Centre research bulletin is available for free download at http://www.pewforum.org/2018/08/29/the-religious-typology/

Research Summary

The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast is an audio learning tool which provides content aimed at students to help improve their knowledge outside of the classroom. The podcast offers discussions and analysis dedicated to the topics set by the OCR Religious Studies specification studied in the UK. It also provides content which has the potential for synoptic links across modules and possibly other subjects the students are learning. The research project aimed to gauge how classroom teachers and their students perceived the usefulness of the podcast when using it as a flipped-learning tool.

Researchers

Andrew Horton, Jack Symes, Amy Houghton-Barnes & Anu Tester

Research Institution

The Panpsycast

What is this about?

Is podcasting, more specifically ‘The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast, a useful tool for flipped-learning?

– How did teachers use the podcast?
– Has the podcast improved the students’ learning?
– Has the podcast improved the quality of teaching?
– What are the limitations of the podcast as a learning tool?
– How much do students enjoy listening to the podcast?

What was done?

Teachers were asked to choose episodes of the podcast and then set their students homework to listen in preparation for a discussion or written task. The staff and students were then required to fill in a feedback questionnaire which they accessed online. Teachers addressed questions relating to their thoughts on how the podcast was best employed as a learning tool and how it benefited their teaching practice, if at all. Students answered questions concerning their enjoyment of the podcast medium and how it compared to their other methods of learning.

Main findings and outputs

The initial data suggest that both teachers and students enjoy The Panpsycast as a method for flipped-learning. However, there are some stipulations, particularly from the student perspective. The podcast appears to work best when there is plenty of time to listen at the pace of the specific student. The podcast should also be used intermittently, perhaps every 2-4 weeks as one of the teachers prescribed. The findings here cannot offer clear quantitative evidence regarding the improvement of students’ learning, but instead, they give an initial insight into how The Panpsycast has been received in the short-term. Further long-term studies will need to be conducted if there is to be a clearer understanding of the benefits.

Relevance to RE

The initial data suggest that The Panpsycast is an effective method for flipped-learning and that both teachers and students enjoy it. The podcast should be used as a flipped-learning tool intermittently, perhaps at the start of a new topic, as one of the teachers prescribed.

Generalisability and potential limitations

The podcast appears to work best when there is plenty of time to listen at the pace of the specific student. The podcast should also be used intermittently, perhaps every 2-4 weeks as one of the teachers prescribed. The findings here cannot offer clear quantitative evidence regarding the improvement of student’s learning, but instead, they give an initial insight into how The Panpsycast has been received in the short-term. Further long-term studies will need to be conducted if there is to be a clearer understanding of the benefits.

Find out more

https://philpapers.org/rec/HORTPF-5

Research Summary

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

Across Western Europe, people who say they personally know a Muslim are generally more likely than others to have positive opinions of Muslims and their religion, according to a recent Pew Research Center study. However, simply knowing something about Islam is less associated with positive attitudes.

This pattern is evident across several questions asked of Europeans identifying as Christian to gauge attitudes toward Muslims, including whether they think Islam compatible with their country’s culture and values and whether they would be willing to accept a Muslim as a family member .

Researchers

Scott Gardner & Jonathan Evans

Research Institution

Pew Research Center, Washington DC

What is this about?

The research is about attitudes to Islam and Muslims among self-identifying Christians in 15 different countries in Western Europe. The main questions were:

• Is knowing about Islam associated with positive or negative attitudes to Islam and / or Muslims?
• Is knowing Muslims personally associated with positive or negative attitudes to Islam and / or Muslims?

What was done?

The data were gathered through a large questionnaire survey. Follow-up focus group interviews were also carried out in 5 of the 15 countries.

Main findings and outputs

• Western European self-identifying Christians who know Muslims personally are significantly more likely to hold positive attitudes to Islam or Muslims.
• But knowing something ‘about Islam’ is less associated with these positive attitudes.
• For example, the percentage who completely or mostly disagree with the statement that Muslims want to impose their religious law on everyone else in the country is much higher among those who know Muslims personally than those who do not: 85% compared to 48% in the UK and in Switzerland, 81% compared to 47% in Germany.
• By contrast, the percentages of those simply knowing a great deal or something about Islam who completely or mostly disagree with the same statement are 75% in Switzerland, 69% in the UK and 70% in Germany.
• Regardless of their level of knowledge about Islam, similar percentages in most of the countries disagree with the statement that Muslims “want to impose their religious law on everyone else in the country.” Swiss adults who know a great deal or something about Islam, for example, are only 4 percentage points more likely to disagree than those who know less about Islam.
• The patterns are similar for different questions such as whether they think Islam is compatible with their country’s culture and values and whether they would be willing to accept a Muslim as a member of their family.

Relevance to RE

The research gives interesting information. It also backs previous research about how RE teachers should deal with religious prejudice, or help pupils manage media representations of religion. It is evident in the research that personal knowledge of Muslims challenges popular stereotypes. This re-iterates the need for teachers to draw on pupils’ personal knowledge of faith group members when presenting or discussing religious traditions, though this needs to be done sensitively. See https://researchforre.reonline.org.uk/research_report/talking-about-religion-and-diversity/?show_me=&about=&taxes=

Generalisability and potential limitations

This is a major survey by an internationally respected research centre. Care was taken to achieve representative samples and the respondent group was large (24,559). Attempts were made to balance the population of focus groups (the focus group research was contracted to Ipsos MORI).

Find out more

Scott Gardner and Jonathan Evans, In Western Europe, familiarity with Muslims is linked to positive views of Muslims and Islam, online article available at http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/07/24/in-western-europe-familiarity-with-muslims-is-linked-to-positive-views-of-muslims-and-islam/

http://www.pewforum.org/2018/05/29/being-christian-in-western-europe/

Research Summary

The question is often asked, how does migration affect religion? The number of Polish Catholics in the UK and Ireland has grown rapidly, but little is known about the religious aspects of their journey. This report is based on the researchers’ fieldwork with Polish migrants in the UK and Ireland. Drawing on interviews and participant observation with Polish migrants of various ages and class backgrounds, three possible outcomes are identified for Catholics transplanted to a new context. Firstly, they continue to practise in the same way as they did in their home country. Secondly, they begin to question their faith and leave the church altogether. Thirdly, they take the opportunity to explore their faith in a flexible and relatively independent manner.

Researchers

Kerry Gallagher & Marta Trzebiatowska

Research Institution

University of Maynooth, University of Aberdeen

What is this about?

• When people migrate, how does it effect their religion.
• Specifically, when Catholics migrate from Poland to the UK or Ireland, how does it affect their religion?
• What kinds of continuities and changes can be found in their religious views and practices? How are these religious views and practices affected by the transplantation of themselves and their Catholicism to the new country?

What was done?

The data come from two research projects conducted between 2008 and 2013. The interview material from England and Scotland is drawn from a larger study of Polish priests and parishioners in Great Britain, carried out simultaneously in London, Nottingham, and Aberdeen. The Irish portion of the data comes from a project based in County Dublin. Both projects comprised interviews with Polish migrants as well as participant observation at masses and social and cultural events. Overall, data from 71 interviews inform this research: 10 from Scotland, 20 from England, 41 from the Republic of Ireland. All participants had been residents in the UK and Ireland for at least a year. Of the 71 interviewees, 58 were female.

Main findings and outputs

• Polish migration into the UK and Ireland has been significant. Official statistics from 2011 and 2008 show that Polish is the second most spoken language in the UK, 600,000 people of Polish background live in the UK, and 200,000 in Ireland.
• There is a deep link between Polish identity and Catholicism. The presence of Polish migrants has ‘transformed’ Catholic parishes in the UK, with comparable effects in Ireland.
• But little is known of the effect of the journey on migrants’ religion. Does it strengthen or weaken it, for instance? Faiths moving from one place to another has always been part of the religious landscape.
• There is some evidence that the migrants’ Catholic identity is unchanged by the move. Masses are in Polish, people stay connected to the Church, or their connectedness increases and helps negotiate the change to the new country.
• Yet there is also evidence that migrants feel freer in the new setting, presented with new choices and opportunities including the decision not to stay part of the faith community.
• There is also evidence that some people use the change as a way to explore their faith in a more individual, open, personal manner, which has also altered the status of priests.

Relevance to RE

RE sets out to prepare young people for life in twenty-first century Britain, and the research is an example of how the country’s social and religious make-up changes all the time; teachers need to keep in touch with this. The relationship between migration and religion is a significant one but is perhaps under-explored in RE. Young people can sometimes express prejudices about it. Perhaps the researchers’ methodology offers a good model for a community or lived religion RE topic where pupils meet members of different communities and talk with them about how the experience of moving countries has affected their religious beliefs and practices.

Generalisability and potential limitations

The data are drawn from two fairly large-scale quantitative studies. The researchers acknowledge that their ‘snowball’ (spreading via networks) sample is not representative, but does reflect different settings and chime with other relevant literature.

Find out more

The full article is: Kerry Gallagher & Marta Trzebiatowska (2017) Becoming a ‘real’ Catholic: Polish migrants and lived religiosity in the UK and Ireland, Journal of Contemporary Religion, 32:3, 431-445.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13537903.2017.1362883?journalCode=cjcr20

Research Summary

Marking and feedback are essential parts of the teaching process, which allow teachers to know whether what they have taught has been learnt and therefore allow teachers to address the needs of pupils. They are also requirements for all teachers. However, they are time consuming and burdensome upon teachers. Technology has the potential to transform education, for teachers and for pupils. This study aims to investigate the role that technology has in the assessment of RE with the expectation that any benefits would also be felt in other curriculum subjects.

Researchers

Sam McKavanagh & Dr James Robson

Research Institution

University of Oxford

What is this about?

The planning was guided by these questions.

• In assessment, what can technology do that traditional methods cannot?
• How can the use of technology for assessment be beneficial to pupils?
• How can the use of technology for assessment be beneficial to teachers?
• How can technology allow us to meet the assessment objectives of RE?

What was done?

The three action cycles used different tools to assess pupils; multiple choice questions were used for each assessment.

• Cycle One (Traditional): pupils completed assessments using pen and paper.
• Cycle Two (Plickers): pupils held up unique pieces of card in different orientations to indicate their answer. The teacher’s smartphone could read and record the pupils’ response.
• Cycle Three (EDpuzzle) – through this website pupils watched videos that the teacher had embedded with questions. Scores were recorded so the teacher could track progress over time.

At the end of each cycle the following were conducted:

• whole-cohort questionnaires;
• small-group interviews; and
• teacher interviews.

Main findings and outputs

The findings show that technology:

• saved time;
• helped give quick and useful feedback;
• collated results;
• improved record keeping;
• reduced teacher workload; and
• increased pupil engagement.

In contrast, traditional methods of assessment failed to offer these benefits. Marking and feedback remained burdensome tasks for teachers and pupils did not respond favourably to them.

Technology has an important role in the assessment of RE. Pupils assessed using traditional methods and those assessed with technology showed no discernable differences in their results. The benefits to the teacher were clear: they saw a reduction in workload and were able to give immediate feedback and discuss issues with pupils which would not have had been possible with traditional methods. As Plickers and EDpuzzle can collate pupils’ results teachers can easily keep track of pupils’ performance across time, with minimal effort on their part. It is expected that these advantages would not only apply to RE and that teachers of other subjects, and in other school settings, would also benefit.

Relevance to RE

This was a piece of practitioner research and other teachers were involved in the collection of data. Therefore it will have real applicability to other teachers of RE.

The technology used is free to obtain and use and does not require pupil ownership of devices – this increases the accessibility to the technology.

One of the key findings was the savings in time for teachers whilst assessing and the production of useful real-time data, which they could use immediately to provide effective feedback to pupils.

Generalisability and potential limitations

Given the method of answer collection which the technology used, the research focussed on AT1/A01 (‘factual’ knowledge) the research did not attempt to assess AT2/A02 (‘learning from religion’) – whilst this should be possible, it was deemed that it would be stretching the research too thinly and that less clear results would be drawn. It would therefore be beneficial to retrial these technologies to attempt to assess AT2/A02 as well.

Given the length of the research project it was not possible to tell if pupils would become ‘bored’ or less enthused with the technologies the more normalised they became. A longer research process would uncover whether this is the case.

Find out more

McKavanagh, S. (2017). The role of technology in the assessment of RE (Master’s thesis). University of Oxford.

https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:27d8b9ef-0cab-4116-827a-d9b615627860

Research Summary

This project, funded by the Bible Society and Westhill Endowment Trust, developed curriculum resources for use with Key Stage 3 pupils using the contemporary biblical paintings of Brian J. Turner (www.bibleproject.co.uk) which show biblical scenes in a quirky, contemporary style that is both engaging and thought-provoking. This use of art serves to bring the idea of interpretation to life for pupils, giving license to their own, personal interpretations of the narratives, and introducing the concept of participation in respectful dialogue with the beliefs and interpretations of others. Over the course of 12 lessons, pupils are introduced to the Bible and explore a selection of eight significant biblical narratives. They also consider the single, over-arching narrative of the Christian faith – the story of creation, fall and redemption – that runs through the Bible as a whole, and to which each of the individual narratives contributes.

Researchers

Professor Rob Freathy, Professor Esther D Reed, Dr Anna Davis & Dr Susannah Cornwall

Research Institution

University of Exeter

What is this about?

The project seeks to develop a pedagogy of Religious Education (RE) based upon a narratival framework informed by both narrative theology and narrative philosophy. Working from the narrative assumption that individuals and communities are formed by reading, sharing and living within stories, the project team suggest that such a narratival pedagogy of RE might encourage pupils to think about how the lives of Christians are shaped by their interpretations of biblical narratives, to offer their own interpretations of biblical and other texts, and to consider the stories – religious, non-religious or both – which shape their own lives. In so doing, the project seeks to move away from a ‘proof-texting’ approach to the Bible towards one in which pupils are enabled to think about the significance of biblical narratives for both Christians and themselves. The resultant pedagogy comprises four phases of learning: (1) encountering narrative; (2) interpreting narrative; (3) understanding narrative in community contexts; and (4) reflecting on narratives of self and others. This pedagogy has been implemented in practice to form a set of commercially-published curriculum materials for use with KS3 students (Freathy, R., E. D. Reed, A. Davis, and S. Cornwall [2014]. The Art of Bible Reading. Buxhall: Kevin Mayhew Ltd).

What was done?

Curriculum materials for an initial 3-lesson block were designed and trialled. A workshop for local schools was held in Exeter Cathedral based on the materials. A further 7-lesson block was designed and trialled. An academic article was published on the approach, outlining the underlying theories.

Main findings and outputs

• Narrative theories are widely accepted as proposing that human beings – both as individuals and within societies – experience, understand and explain life not as a succession of disconnected momentary occurrences but primarily in ‘story’ form, as a series of on-going, interconnected narratives that are subject to time and bound up with history, culture and context. These narratives comprise multiple interweaving layers that include, but are not limited to, shared texts, histories and traditions, and the realities of daily life experiences.
• Narrative theories have been adopted by many Christian theologians as a way of talking about the doctrines and practices of their faith. These theologians understand the Bible first and foremost not as a set of abstract moral commands or doctrinal edicts but as a collection of stories that tell about the revelation of God through history, and perceive communities of faith as ‘living stories’ comprising individual members whose community life is an on-going interpretation of biblical narratives. Less widely known or developed is a similar embracing of narrative theories by scholars of Judaism and Islam among other faiths.
• We understand narrative as a descriptive (rather than prescriptive), flexible and inclusive term that can hold shared meanings for both faith traditions and a range of pragmatic thinkers, including those of non-foundationalist and other perspectives. The term does not presuppose the acceptance of particular worldviews or beliefs but can be accepted by theists, atheists, agnostics and others. It is equally important, however, to ensure that each of the faith traditions can recognise and share the narrative approach that is developed.
• A narrative approach – drawing upon narrative theology and narrative philosophy – makes possible the study of how people understand the narratives – faith-based or otherwise – that make up their own lives, and how they understand the narratives of the lives of others, challenging the commonly-held view that we exist as neutral individuals with uniformed and objective identities and outlooks.

Relevance to RE

Teachers may wish to explore and experiment with a narrative approach in the classroom. Explanations and lesson resources are available in the YouTube video (URL above), the academic article (Esther D. Reed, Rob Freathy, Susannah Cornwall & Anna Davis [2013] ‘Narrative theology in Religious Education’, British Journal of Religious Education 35[3]: 297-312), and the textbook (student and teacher editions).

Generalisability and potential limitations

The main limitation is that people often assume a narrative approach must be based solely on narrative theology, and that narrative theology must be inherently Christian. It will take further work to convince people that a narrative methodology can be used effectively to conceptualise any faith tradition, and that a narrative pedagogy can be inclusive of all students, regardless of their own faith/non-faith position. Understanding that a narrative approach should also be considered as merely one of many possible and legitimate approaches is also required.

Find out more

Esther D. Reed, Rob Freathy, Susannah Cornwall & Anna Davis [2013] ‘Narrative theology in Religious Education’, British Journal of Religious Education 35[3]: 297-312

Research Summary

This chapter reviews research carried out since 2000 that identifies weaknesses in the teaching of the Bible in English schools. Religious Education (RE) lessons are not encouraging students to read the Bible wisely. This is important and significant because RE in England has changed to focus more sharply on the study of religion at examination level (DfE, 2015). That new policy could amplify existing weaknesses unless changes are made to address the issues identified. Hermeneutics, as exemplified by the Protestant scholars Thiselton, Wright and Ford, as well as official Catholic documents, offer insights into wiser explorations of the Bible. Educationalists offer similar insights around the place of interpretation in education. This chapter identifies, for the first time, the striking degree of consistency around hermeneutics and interpretation between important and influential theological and educational writers in faith and education contexts. It concludes by asking whether it is time for a more radical change to RE that moves away from studying religion and towards studying wisdom texts. It considers Understanding Christianity’s focus on ‘virtuous readers’ (Pett, 2016, pp.42-43) as an illustration of one response to the issues identified.

Researchers

Dr Robert Bowie

Research Institution

Canterbury Christ Church University

What is this about?

The study is a review of research literature and an argument. It reviews multiple examples of studies that point to problems in the use of texts in religious education and the different calls for a better use of texts in RE, over a period of almost 20 years. It then makes an argument for a better, more hermeneutical engagement of sacred texts in the classroom.

What was done?

The research is comprised of an analytical literature review followed by an analysis of one initiative, Understanding Christianity.

Main findings and outputs

A striking conclusion from this review of research is the extent to which research has failed to make an impact in professional religious education in this specific area of the treatment of texts. Issues and concerns repeatedly identified in different studies demand focused attention from the stakeholders in the profession to better understand what is going on and how to avoid it. If there are alternative ways of developing learners as wiser interpreters of religion and belief, then these need to be identified but there is evidence that the development of wise interpretation is not being sustained by RE currently. This chapter calls for a deeper, sector- and profession-wide change in the ecology of the subject, which, were it to come to full fruition, would affect curricular and examination questions as well as classroom experiences. There is a wide coalition of agreement about the place of interpretation in RE and the aims of education might be better served by a focus on interpretation.

Relevance to RE

This draws RE teachers’ attention to a series of studies about prevailing problems. It also points to examples of initiatives that are trying to address these. It contains warnings that planning might be able to address. It opens up the subject area of hermeneutics and text study, something many teachers find challenging.

Generalisability and potential limitations

The literature reviewed was English language only.

Find out more

Bowie, R. (2017) Interpreting texts more wisely: A Review of Research and the Case for Change. In: Stuart-Buttle, R. and Shortt, J., eds. Christian, Faith, Formation and Education. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 211-228 ISBN 9783319628028

http://create.canterbury.ac.uk/16565/#Hz5ubheBXtMxfJh2.99

Research Summary

This research investigates the place of Christian New Religious Movements in the Secondary R.E. Classroom. This is an area in which there has been minimal research and publication. This research seeks to establish debate about the validity of New Religious Movements inclusion in the teaching of R.E.

Researchers

Dr James Holt

Research Institution

University of Birmingham

What is this about?

It sets out what is meant by the terms ‘New Religious Movement’ and ‘Christian’. While acknowledging that the conclusions reached are a matter of some debate, the study seeks to use ‘NRM’ in a non-judgemental and non-pejorative way. It establishes criteria based on being founded in the last two hundred years and being outside of the ‘mainstream’ (whether placed there by itself or others). Some groups may be upset to find themselves included alongside others in the group but this is perhaps unavoidable. The definition of a Christian as someone who considers themselves so to be is also controversial. It raises issues for the Unification Church who consider themselves Christians but don’t believe that Jesus was the Son of God. Similarly, groups who have tried to limit Christianity may be upset that Latter-day Saints and Jehovah’s Witnesses are found within their boundaries.

The research then goes on to discuss the arguments for and against the inclusion of New Religious Movements in the RE Classroom. These arguments are based on interviews and questionnaires. Each are given thoughtful consideration and responded to as applicable. The conclusion of this work is that New Religious Movements do have a place in the teaching of RE and the concluding two chapters build on this with two case studies- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Each are presented in light of Religious Education, and suggestions are made as to where they can be incorporated in RE’s curriculum.

A final conclusion suggests a way forward for the inclusion of New Religious Movements in Secondary RE.

What was done?

Utilising qualitative research through the use of questionnaires. The questionnaire was distributed to 186 RE teachers and professionals in various networks around the country. There were 105 respondents. The questionnaire focused around experiences of, and attitudes towards the inclusion of New Religious Movements in the RE classroom.

Main findings and outputs

1. New Religious Movements need to involve themselves more in the R.E. world.
2. Teachers need to become aware of the beliefs of New Religious Movements.
3. Pupils from new Religious Movements need to be free and confident enough to share their beliefs as appropriate in lessons.
4. Official publications need to recognise New Religious Movements (and when they do, it should be done sympathetically, honestly and accurately).
5. Exam boards need to recognise the possibility of a number of New Religious Movements being answered in ethical examination questions.

Relevance to RE

While understanding the concerns expressed against the teaching of New Religious Movements it would be wrong to dismiss them from the teaching of R.E. because of parental and teacher prejudice or arguments that strive to limit the scope of R.E. and the professionalism of R.E. teachers. The most persuasive argument is the pressures that are already on the R.E. curriculum, there isn’t sufficient time to deal with all the religions that are prescribed by law and the Agreed Syllabuses. For a lot of people a cohesive approach to individual religions would be seen as ideal. Indeed, most adherents to faiths would like to see their denomination given a curriculum block, where all aspects of belief and values could be explored in depth. However, with great stresses already placed on the time given to R.E., this isn’t really a realistic option for any denomination of any faith. The hope would be that the overall faith isn’t treated as a whole and some mention of diversity is given to pupils. While a phenomenological approach to any New Religious Movement’s faith and practice would be useful it isn’t really practicable. Therefore it is would be incumbent on the teacher to identify to the facets of New Religious Movements that could enhance the already existing study of Christianity and its denominations. In doing this it is possible to be accused of ‘cherry picking’, unfortunately in a classroom this may be unavoidable.

Generalisability and potential limitations

A significant minority of the respondents to this study listed ‘curriculum space’ as an argument against the teaching of New Religious Movements. As such the limitations of the research may surround its practicality. It also only uses two case studies to illustrate the points being made.

Find out more

“Beyond the Big Six: Minority Religions in the Secondary RE Classroom” in Schmack et al, ed Engaging RE pp 76-91 (Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars, 2010)

https://jamesdholt.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/thesis-without-attachment.pdf