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Research Summary

This research was carried out in a variety of English schools. In primary RE classes, the Bible was seen to be used more positively than was so in secondary RE classes. Primary teachers provided a more positive climate for the development of skills of reading and interpretation. In secondary schools, students (and teachers) often expressed negativity towards books and the Bible in their RE learning. Yet engagement with religious scriptures is necessary for students to develop a comprehensive understanding of religion.In primary schools, the greater scope given to stories, (and their power to provoke new understanding) provides a foundation on which secondary RE teachers could build.

Researcher

Julia Ipgrave

Research Institution

University of Warwick

What is this about?

• What are the differences between the use of the Bible in primary RE and in secondary RE?
• How do primary teachers create a more positive climate for its use?
• What can secondary teachers learn from their primary colleagues in this respect?

What was done?

The findings emerged from a wider project into the resourcing of RE and examples from related research in the field. There were 20 school case studies in (10 primary and 10 secondary) across England. At each school RE lessons were observed, policy and planning documents were viewed, teachers and pupils were interviewed about the materials they used in the RE class, and the young people participated in focus groups about the merits of selected RE books and resources in their learning.

Main findings and outputs

• Generally, research shows widespread negatitivity to the Bible amongst young people, whose interest in books also seems to be declining.
• However, primary schools seem to work harder at and be more successful in promoting a love of reading.
• Primary pupils often report enjoyment of RE because stories are involved.
• Secondary pupils tend to be more negative: books contain too many words and too much information. Teacher-produced worksheets or power-points are easier to memorise for the examination, with their short lists of ‘key points’.
• For secondary pupils, Bible ‘quotations’ were better when taken out of context for re-insertion into examination answers on a range of topics. Teachers treated books as ‘dated’.
• Primary teachers (when teaching is most thought-provoking) are ready to present Bible stories as representing realities that are different from those of their pupils, and to ask pupils to think about what is strange or puzzling.
• Secondary teachers could build on this unsettling process. In teaching e.g. Shakespeare they do so. In RE, a critical reading of a text need not be so sceptical that pupils are not open to possible different meanings or puzzles, possibly expanding their horizons.

Relevance to RE

• Regarding RE’s curriculum, the research finds that religious texts and stories are a rich but under-appreciated resource, specifically at secondary level.
• In secondary pedagogy, teachers might try to build on the successes of good primary practice.
• Pedagogical principles would include presenting stories ‘whole’, with attention to their original context. and encouraging pupils to be patient and imaginative whilst reading and thinking about them.
• Pedagogical strategies would include asking pupils to consider different possible interpretations of stories, the perspective and roles of different characters in stories and the questions and issues raised, including why the stories are strange or puzzling.

Generalisability and potential limitations

The findings relate to a fairly small number of schools, but secondary colleagues can read them and weigh up whether they apply in their own schools. They could help to strengthen primary-secondary liaison and progression. They focus on the Bible but may apply to other religious texts.

Find out more

From storybooks to bullet points: books and the Bible in primary and secondary religious education, British Journal of Religious Education 35.3 pages 264-281 (published online 21 December 2012), http://0-dx.doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2012.750597

https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/ces/research/wreru/research/completed/dcsf

Research Summary

This article is based on the authors’ experiences of teaching RE, educating RE teachers and carrying out research on RE. They write about how skills and attitudes supporting impartiality in RE can be developed. A relationship of trust between teacher and students is seen to be very important. In this respect, it is of benefit if teachers can build knowledge and understanding of the opinions and values of the pupils in their classes. Some student teachers or teachers with very firmly held views find it difficult to be impartial regarding RE’s content. However, using examples from their research, the authors argue that good quality teacher education can assist those wishing to take an impartial approach. They recommend further research, ideally involving partnership between researchers and practitioners.

Researchers

Robert Jackson & Judith Everington

Research Institution

University of Warwick

What is this about?

• How can RE teachers be impartial when teaching?
• What are the skills and attitudes that they need in order to do this?
• How can these skills and attitudes be developed?
• What kinds of relationships between teachers and students help teachers to be impartial?
• How can teacher education help with this?
• What kinds of further research are needed?

What was done?

The article brings together findings from different studies, carried out at different times and with various methodologies including Life History studies of beginning RE teachers, interviews with RE teachers, practitioner research carried out with pupils and an ethnographic study of a church.

Main findings and outputs

• This research is about impartiality, not neutrality. Impartiality: the teacher is willing to let his or her beliefs or values form part of classroom discussion, when appropriate. Neutrality: teachers’ and pupils’ views are set aside and an ‘objective’ view of religion is sought.
• Teacher commitment, including religious commitment, can certainly be compatible with respect for pupils’ freedom of belief or expression. Skilled teachers know when to withhold and when to communicate their views; pupils see this as professional honesty.
• Sensitivity is needed, and self-awareness. Teachers should reflect on how their own views on religion have been formed and how these might affect their classroom presentations.
• An interest in pupils as individual persons (rather than simply learners) is key; teachers must recognise, understand and respect their right to have life-views and beliefs that differ from their own.
• In the case of pupils from religious backgrounds, teachers need to have sufficient knowledge of the diversity within religions to recognise the ‘position’ that a pupil holds.
• For experienced teachers, their personal views or beliefs and those of pupils are explored in classroom discussions if a well-established relationship of trust has been achieved. One teacher was able to use his own ethnographic study of his own church as an effective learning resource.
• Further research is needed on these issues, ideally through teacher-researcher partnerships, but the points in the article are consistent with broader-based work carried out by the Council of Europe (see second entry in Sources below).

Relevance to RE

• Within policy, RE should not be understood as simply informing young people about religions. Young people’s own beliefs and ideas are also important, whether they are religious or not.
• In designing the curriculum, the above point must also be kept in mind.
• In teacher education and on a career-long basis, teachers should reflect on their own backgrounds, beliefs and motivations to teach RE.
• They should consider how their own backgrounds, beliefs and motivations might affect how they present religion or related issues in the classroom.
• Regarding pedagogy, RE teachers should relate to pupils as individual people and not simply learners. They should respect pupils’ rights to their own beliefs and ideas and to express these.
• Listening to young people’s expressions of their beliefs and ideas is important for an atmosphere of trust to be built in the classroom. This is the right atmosphere for personal views to be exchanged, without pressure and with respect for difference.

Generalisability and potential limitations

As the authors say themselves, further research is needed on these issues, but the points and examples raised in the article are consistent with larger-scale European findings. Again, see the second entry in Sources below.

Find out more

Teaching inclusive religious education impartially: an English perspective, 10.1080/01416200.2016.1165184, British Journal of Religious Education 39.1 pages 7-24 (published online 9 May 2016), See also Signposts: Policy and Practice for Teaching about Religions and Non-religious Worldviews in Intercultural Education. Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publishing. European Wergeland Centre, http://www.theewc.org/Content/Library/COE-Steering-documents/Recommendations/Signposts-Policy-and-practice-for-teaching-about-religions-and-non-religious-world-views-in-intercultural-education

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01416200.2016.1165184

Research Summary

Religious Studies (RS) is expected to impact on students’ personal development as well as enabling them to acquire knowledge and understanding of religious and philosophical traditions. A small-scale, in-depth piece of qualitative research was undertaken with A Level RS students in two Midlands sixth forms, to find out about whether that is true in practice. Students’ motivations for studying A Level RS were researched, including the value they see in the subject and how far they perceived themselves changed as a result. It was found that students appreciated the scope to discuss and debate, and the potential wider applicability of the subject. All students felt they had their own views and ideas both challenged and confirmed, although there also appeared to be limiting factors as to how far understanding of, and empathy for, the beliefs, values and worldviews of others was possible. Teachers could use the findings when considering improvements to A level teaching and as ways to market RS to possible opters.

Researcher

Ian Jones

Research Institution

St. Peter’s Saltley Trust, Birmingham

What is this about?

• Does A level RS impact on students’ personal development as well as their knowledge and understanding of religion and philosophy?
• What value do students see in the subject? How far do they agree that their studies change them?
• What is it about discussion and debate that students appreciate, and it what ways do they see their learning in RS as widely applicable?
• How far do they see empathy with others’ views as possible?

What was done?

Two sixth forms were studied over the duration of an A level course. 21 semi-structured interviews were carried out with 21 students; and in each school, lessons were observed over a month.
Three teachers were also interviewed.

Main findings and outputs

• Most students chose A level RS because they enjoyed GCSE and – based on the A level specification – were curious to find out about how other people thought and acted.
• Another reason was that debating, arguing and discussing were seen as interesting and useful activities.
• Reflecting back on their course, all students felt glad and would make the same decision again; the opportunity to debate and hear different views was again the main reason.
• The emphasis on discussion was sometimes observed as rather ‘open’ and this acted as a limitation on critical engagement with philosophy. There was sometimes a tendency (from teachers or students) to assert the absence of right or wrong answers.
• At other times critical engagement with philosophy was focused and students appreciated the higher level of challenge. Students favoured topics with more personal relevance or potential for controversy. At best RS helped them to ‘sort out’ their thinking in relation to life issues. An additional positive factor was preparation for life in a society of diverse beliefs and views.
• Students noted the relative absence of treatment of religious traditions, a factor that also surprised the researcher.
• In terms of personal impact, it tended to be undramatic but perceptible: having one’s opinions challenged, offering tools for relating to later life situations – learning was deepened when students were asked to relate different philosophical theories to life-situations.
• Even so, A level RS confirmed many students’ existing worldviews.

Relevance to RE

• Teachers could use this research as evidence of the interest and benefits of RS, when presenting A level RS as an attractive option to students and parents.
• Teachers can build on students’ evident preferences for discussion, debate and argument.
• Where subject content provides potential for personal relevance or controversy, teachers can use this to build student engagement.
• Teachers should also take note that students appear to be most engaged and challenged when: teaching goes beyond description of different ideas into critical thinking about philosophy; students are asked to relate different philosophical theories to different life-situations, and have a sense of organising their thinking in preparation for later life. If possible, teachers might include more material from different religions in the course of study.

Generalisability and potential limitations

The research only claims to be small-scale but it illustrates very interesting themes for teachers to follow up, especially because this area of RE is under-researched.

Find out more

Why study A Level Religious Studies? Qualitative perspectives from two English Midlands sixth forms, Journal of Beliefs and Values 38.1 pages 3-17 (published online 23 September 2016), 10.1080/13617672.2016.1232566

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13617672.2016.1232566

Research Summary

UK education and RE are highly politically controlled, and some writers think that RE’s emphasis on tolerance of different religions has prevented pupils from thinking critically about religion. Pupils’ learning about religions has often been found to be superficial and many popular resources present religions in terms of familiar stereotypes. The writer shows how this is especially true regarding Islam, which has undergone a transformation (once a world religion associated with the Middle East, now a potential source of terror), but its transformation is not reflected in syllabuses or resources used to teach about it. She argues that bringing questions in to RE from Sociology could help to address this weakness. Students could critically consider questions such as: how are Muslims likely to be treated and understood in the UK? Why are young Muslim girls more likely than their mothers or grandmothers to wear the veil?

Researcher

Lynn Revell

Research Institution

Canterbury Christ Church University

What was done?

This is a critical survey of relevant literature and other materials including official documents, RE text books and examination papers.

Main findings and outputs

• There is a discrepancy, generally, between religions as they are experienced and known in the world and religions as they are presented in textbooks and examined in RE.
• Regarding Islam, there tends to be an assumption that Muslims have common views and concerns and that the religion is not really diverse.
• Examination papers from 1997 to 2013 were analysed; it was striking how little questions about Islam had changed. On page 58 the author states:
• ‘Islam is now the fastest growing religion in the developing world, the meaning of Jihad has become a matter of popular discussion and the role of women in Islam has become an issue of international debate. These changes are not reflected in most of the questions: it is as though the Islam examined by students is the same Islam that existed a generation ago.’
• Yet examination papers do sometimes ask pupils to think critically, and the relationship between liberal values of tolerance and a lack of pupil criticism is not clear. The fact is that many different kinds of ideas influence RE in different ways.
• Using sociological questions may help pupils to be more critical. How are Muslims likely to be treated and understood in the UK? Why are young Muslim girls more likely than their mothers or grandmothers to wear the veil? This should not be based on ‘projection’ (unfounded assumptions) but ‘prediction’ (where observation and analysis are used).

Relevance to RE

• Regarding policy and curriculum, it would appear that examination boards should take a fresh look at their specifications and examination papers.
• In relation to school-level curriculum and pedagogy, teachers might reconsider approaches to Islam in the light of this research. They should take care to address the variety of Muslims and experiences and ask pupils to follow suit.
• Teachers should test the sociological questions mentioned by the author (above) for their value in helping pupils to think critically. Further, no doubt teachers and pupils will have questions of their own about the experiences of Muslims in UK society. These can be added to the list and would provide an interesting basis for follow-up research, based in classrooms.

Generalisability and potential limitations

The research draws on a varied and wide range of resources and uses these as a basis for a potentially very useful suggestion to teachers to test in their own practice.

Find out more

Predicting religion, Journal of Beliefs and Values 36:1, 54-63

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13617672.2015.1014652

Research Summary

Neo-paganism – contemporary ‘Western’ paganism, as distinct from the animist beliefs of ‘traditional’ people – is an international movement with branches in 30 countries. The Pagan Federation, founded in Britain in 1971, has as its first principle ‘Love for and kinship with nature’. But what does this mean for contemporary pagans? Is it really a description of their way of life, or is it metaphorical language, or is it romantic wishful thinking? The article gives an account of neo-pagan beliefs and practices. Neo-pagans do identify their beliefs with those of traditional animist peoples, and the article also spends some time giving accounts of those. The researcher shows that they are not totally comparable. Neo-pagan belief in kinship with nature is restricted to belief and ritual, whilst in traditional animist societies, it actually determines all of the rules of life, something which is impossible in a contemporary, pluralist society. Yet neo-pagan principles of kinship with nature are still important to the huge task of shifting people away from the damaging ideology of consumerism.

Researcher

Kathryn Rountree

Research Institution

University of Massey, New Zealand

What is this about?

• Who are Neo-Pagans and what do they believe and practice?
• How does their principle of ‘kinship with nature’ affect their lifestyles?
• They identify their principle of ‘kinship with nature’ with the beliefs and cultures of traditional animist peoples, but to what extent can they be compared to such peoples? (What, in turn, do such peoples actually believe and practice?)
• Neo-Pagans see their commitment to ‘kinship with nature’ as a solution to problems caused by twenty-first century consumerism, especially environmental problems. To what extent is this view justified?

What was done?

Mostly, the author’s research method is to review existing literature on Neo-Paganism and on traditional animist societies, but some communication via email with contemporary practitioners of neo-paganism is also evident.

Main findings and outputs

• Neo-Paganism is an international movement with diverse members: Pagans, Wiccans, Heathens, Earth Goddess-Worshippers, Druids and Shamans. Most Neo-Paganists are animists, believing that all things on Earth have spirits. Humans are one kind of ‘people’ amongst ‘bird-people’, ‘waterfall-people’ and so on. All such ‘people’ have rights, all are inter-linked.
• The key belief in Neo-Paganism is ‘kinship with nature’: humans have a familial relationship to all things on Earth. Some Neo-Pagans, especially in Britain, express this through environmental activism or protest. Participation in ancient rituals at sacred sites e.g. stone circles or springs is common. During such rituals, Neo-Pagans report feelings of intense communication with or non-separation from nature, or abilities to connect with local spirit beings or human ancestors.
• Neo-Pagans choose these beliefs and rituals, but ‘traditional’ animists inherit animism as a matter of culture and law. Their kinship is with particular places, animals and / or plants. Various examples are given: for the Kamea of New Guinea, strict marriage laws mean that husbands and wives each have specific plants to grow, pieces of land take the names and identities of those working on them, trees are given names and young girls grow up eating food produced on their future husband’s land (marriages are arranged at birth).
• Neo-Paganism is a radical alternative, hard to establish as ‘normal’, whilst traditional animism is taken for granted (though under pressure from Westernisation). It may be romantic, but ‘kinship with nature’ could be a useful strategy for working towards Earth’s sustainability.

Relevance to RE

• The research offers very interesting and useful background information for those RE teachers seeking to include studies of Paganism in the curriculum.
• Pedagogically speaking, the approach taken by the research could well be fruitful in the classroom. It is enquiring, sympathetic yet critical. Pupils could look into Paganism in a variety of ways (listening and responding to teacher presentations based on the article and other sources1, carrying out their own background research, receiving and interviewing a visitor, etc.) Some of the critical questions posed by the article could then be offered to pupils for discussion and debate, e.g. is it true that we are related to all other forms of life on Earth? Is it actually possible to live as if all other forms of life belong to your family? What are the strengths and weaknesses of Paganism as a way of life or philosophy, in relation to protecting the Earth for future generations? Does it have more or less to offer than the ‘mainstream’ religions which the pupils have studied?

Generalisability and potential limitations

The study is of the broad international Pagan movement, The Pagan Federation. It takes account of the fact that this movement is diverse in its membership. In comparing the beliefs of neo-pagans to traditional animist beliefs, it gives several different examples of these. The environmental issues that it raises are of very wide relevance and good for pedagogy.

Find out more

Neo-Paganism, Animism, and Kinship with Nature, Journal of Contemporary Religion, 27:2, 305-320 (published online 23 April 2012), 10.1080/13537903.2012.675746

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13537903.2012.675746

Research Summary

Through RE, many gifted students who might otherwise be missed can be identified. The findings of this research are based on a study of Heads of Department in three very different sec-ondary schools in Cambridgeshire, and how they identified and challenged students gifted and in studying religion. The lack of student challenge in much RE is discussed and ways are suggested to extend and enrich all. Strategies are discussed for doubly exceptional students (e.g. those with profound insights but poor written skills). The research suggests how the RE profession could develop an approach to giftedness, with direct implications for classroom activities including poems, debates and plays.

Researcher

Jane Mary Ramsay Simpson

Research Institution

Independent researcher

What is this about?

• What does ‘being a gifted student’ mean in relation to RE?
• What is a ‘doubly exceptional’ student?
• What kinds of pedagogy and support do gifted students need in RE?
• What are some good examples of these, and what can teachers do next?

What was done?

Literature searches on RE and giftedness, interviews with Heads of RE, surveys of schools’ policies and documentation.

Main findings and outputs

• Few teachers were aware of the overlap between RE skills and ‘doubly exceptional’ giftedness (e,g autistic or dyspraxic pupils with high insight but poor writing).
• Doubly exceptional pupils often show spiritual or emotional sensitivity, profound questioning, high expressivity and a sense of social justice.
• However, usually, RE teachers have responded to giftedness by producing extension activities based on higher thinking skills.
• ‘Teacher A’ says her most important strategies are asking open-ended questions, and providing extended reading resources.
• ‘Teacher B’ says her department has just begun to re-write schemes of work to cater for gifted students, providing more depth to challenge the most able.
• ‘Teacher C’ struggles to find opportunities to train to teach gifted pupils.
• ‘Teacher B’ used both classroom observation and assessed tasks to write students’ reports, commenting on both empathy and knowledge level. ‘Teacher A’ provided laptops and placed doubly exceptional students in top sets.
• Such pupils need support. ‘Concept cracking’ provided adequate tasks, e.g:
• Pupils decide which concept they are going to crack, such as abortion, find the related concepts such as ‘Is life sacred? ’, study the core ideas in different religious traditions and then see how these religions diverged when they put their ideas into practice.
• Moral dilemmas can be set: pupils can use creative methods such as poems, plays or debates to explore and respond to them. Gifted pupils themselves can help to identify suitable pedagogy.

Relevance to RE

• School and departmental policies can be assessed in the light of the research: is provision for the gifted planned adequately?
• The research would give an interesting and useful basis for teacher training or teacher development sessions.
• Regarding RE pedagogy, the examples of tasks for the gifted that are provided by the research could be adapted for use in teachers’ own schools.
• The creative, open-ended, exploratory style of pedagogy suited to the needs of gifted children could be explored and developed by RE teachers and RE departments; it could well prove to be helpful in improving provision for all children. Again, teachers can consult pupils about this.

Generalisability and potential limitations

Only three schools were researched, but the literature cited is broad and the examples of pedagogy are very interesting. For generalisability, it is really up to RE teachers to test out the conclusions of the research in their own schools, and the research gives a good basis for this.

Find out more

Bridging the gap between Religious Education and gifted education: theory and praxis in three secondary school programmes in Cambridgeshire, British Journal of Religious Education, 34:3, 247-261 (published online 6 February 2012)

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01416200.2011.649342

Research Summary

The researcher analyses the health and well-being strand of Scottish educational policy. She notes that it draws partly on physical health promotion, partly on ideas about emotional and social literacy and partly on social care; but the idea of flourishing (leading a life that can be valued), though the most educational of the various versions of well-being, is absent. There is a tendency to see well-being as a prerequisite rather than an outcome of education. Teachers and other professionals usually repeat this view, but examples are given where high quality learning is deemed to be an important feature of a thriving childhood. Learning can be an experience of joy. Well-being needs to be seen at two levels: children need to be well in order to access the curriculum, but more deeply, learning should be of the kind to help them to flourish and live well. These are important issues for RE teachers to consider. How can RE content and pedagogy build children’s well-being?

Researcher

Jennifer Spratt

Research Institution

University of Aberdeen

What is this about?

• This research is about the concept of children’s well-being, within the Scottish educational system. How does the concept of well-being relate to learning?
• How does Scottish educational policy use the concept of well-being?
• Is well-being seen as a prerequisite of learning, or as an outcome of learning?
• How are the policies interpreted and used by teachers, in practice?
• How do teachers’ choices and actions affect pupils’ present and future well-being?

What was done?

Relevant literature, e.g. education policy documentation, was analysed. Interviews were then carried out with nine policy professionals (six at national, three at local level) and sixteen teachers (across two education authorities). The teachers were a mixture of primary and secondary, all with health and well-being responsibilities in their schools.

Main findings and outputs

• Health and well-being is an important strand of the Scottish Curriuculum for Excellence: the policy draws on physical health promotion, ideas about emotional and social literacy and social care; but the idea of flourishing is absent.
• ‘Flourishing’ is equivalent to Aristotle’s eudaimonia or good life. Well-being policy tends to assume that children’s well-being is important as an underpinning of learning in school, but well-being can also be an outcome of learning, or even a kind of learning. All of these are important.
• Children, through learning, should discover their own individuality, develop intellectual freedom and democratic fellowship, challenge injustice and understand human emotion.
• Children’s own perspectives on learning are important and they should be listened to by teachers. Good pedagogical practice in this respect is like a partnership. Well-chosen curricular content and pedagogical methods can foster this quality.
• Examples are given. A Geography teacher teaches about inequality so that children reflect on what they have and develop empathy with others. An English teacher uses literature to promote understanding of universal human themes as well as helping pupils to build communicative and expressive skills. A Science teacher begins topics by asking pupils about what they might be interested in, how they would like to learn and how they will share what they have learned.
• It is worth emphasising that the purpose of this kind of pedagogy is not to build children’s well-being in order to improve their ‘performance’, but to develop a form of education that helps to secure their well-being and develop their individuality.

Relevance to RE

The research poses a set of curricular and pedagogical questions to RE teachers:

• When developing topics for study, how can we try to ensure that the content has interest and value for learners? Are there particular aspects of RE that have the potential to help learners to develop important qualities of well-being, such as challenging injustice or understanding human emotion?
• With regard to pedagogy, are there styles of learning or types of activity that have the potential to help learners to develop important qualities of well-being, such as their individuality, their freedom of thought or their democratic abilities?
• What do learners say about the value of RE to them as people rather than achievers? What do they say are the kinds of RE content and pedagogy that develop their individuality and well-being? What kinds of opportunities do we create for them to have these conversations with us?

Generalisability and potential limitations

The document analysis has a Scottish basis and the number of interviewees is relatively small. However, the research identifies and addresses questions worth reflecting upon, for any practitioners of education, certainly including RE practitioners.

Find out more

Childhood wellbeing: what role for education?, British Educational Research Journal 42.2 pages 223-239 (published online 2 November 2015), 10.1002/berj.3211

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/berj.3211/epdf

Research Summary

The author shows how a ‘banking’ model (where content is ‘delivered’ efficiently to pupils who have scant personal involvement in it, in order to boost scores) is inappropriate for RE. He sets out to assess the value of RE in terms of their overall experience of the subject. 369 London teenagers are surveyed. Most are positive about RE (it builds respect and understanding); but non-religious pupils, Y10 pupils and boys are less positive. Questions are raised about how to engage these groups. Generally, participatory learning methods such as visits, debates and computer use boost motivation, and perhaps non-religious world views should be studied in RE. Teachers could look further into these ideas.

Researcher

Phra Nicholas Thanissaro

Research Institution

University of Warwick

What is this about?

• Young people’s attitudes to RE and how they can be improved.
• Differences between different groups regarding attitudes to RE, based on gender, religious practice or not and age.
• How participatory learning methods (visits, debates, computer use) build more moptivation than ‘banking’ practices (where knowledge is ‘delivered’ to pupils in pursuit of examination grades).
• Whether non-religious world-views should be studied in RE (in general, motivation is higher when pupils’ home backgrounds are affirmed).

What was done?

Questionnaires were completed by 369 young people – 237 boys and 132 girls – aged between 13 and 15 years, attending London schools.

Main findings and outputs

• A ‘banking’ model is inadequate for RE (content is ‘delivered’ efficiently to pupils who have scant personal involvement in it, in order to boost scores).
• Taking account of pupils’ background is favourable (e.g. if religions are presented in a way that they recognise from their own experience, their motivation increases).
• The value of RE needs to be assessed in terms of the overall quality of pupil experience.
• A questionnaire was designed to do this (see What was done, above): generally, RE was valued positively, 66% of pupils reporting that it aided respect for and understanding of different religions.
• But less than half agreed that RE helped them to understand their own religion and only two-fifths agreed that RE had taught them something new about their own religion.
• Girls broadly had more positive attitudes to RE. Year 9 pupils were significantly more positive than Year 10 pupils. Religious pupils were significantly more positive.
• Pupils expressed a more positive attitude to RE where a church had been visited, computers had been used, or there had been a classroom debate. None of the other classroom factors, including teaching style, made any significant difference.
• These activities can be classified as participatory as opposed to ‘banking’.
• Questions arise about how to build the motivation of non-religious pupils (perhaps their backgrounds should be affirmed and non-religious world-views studied) and why motivation in RE decreases over time. Further research is needed.

Relevance to RE

• Policy and curriculum documents, at different levels, should address the need for RE’s content to relate to pupils’ backgrounds and experiences.
• Regarding pedagogy, when presenting religions, teachers should aim to take pupils’ experiences of them into account (bearing in mind that this can be a sensitive process).
• The inclusion of non-religious worldviews in the RE curriculum should be considered, as a way of affirming the backgrounds and convictions of many students.
• Participatory methods of learning (e.g. visits, debates, computer use) may be developed by teachers in order to boost pupils’ motivation.
• Teachers could also monitor any decrease in pupil motivation over time in their own schools. If it is evident, what reasons do pupils give, and how can it be addressed?

Generalisability and potential limitations

Evidence is cited by the author to show that the research is reliable and valid.

Find out more

Measuring attitude towards RE: factoring pupil experience and home faith background into assessment, British Journal of Religious Education 34.2 pages 195-212 (published online 7 November 2011)

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01416200.2011.623154

Research Summary

The researcher analyses nearly three decades of statistics on religious belief in the UK. The research shows how belief in God, in a personal God, in heaven and in sin have declined, whilst belief in life after death and in hell are relatively unchanged. Women and people who say that they belong to a religion are more likely to express agreement with traditional religious beliefs. The picture regarding age is complex, though older people are generally more likely to believe in God but less likely to believe in life after death. Those of higher socio-economic status are less likely to hold traditional religious beliefs.

Researcher

Ben Clements

Research Institution

University of Leicester

What is this about?

• Since 1981, has traditional religious belief declined in the UK?
• Has belief in God declined?
• Has belief in life after death declined?
• Has belief in hell declined?
• Has belief in heaven declined?
• Has belief in sin declined?
• What effects on these patterns of belief do the factors of gender, age and religious belonging have?

What was done?

The researcher analysed nationally representative survey data covering nearly three decades. First, the extent of change and continuity in religious beliefs in Britain in recent decades was examined.
Second, the correlates of traditional beliefs, were analysed (so that different kinds of people more or less likely to hold various beliefs could be identified).

Main findings and outputs

• Belief in God has declined (75.1% in 1981, 57.7% in 2008).
• Belief in a personal God (as opposed to spirit or life-force) has declined (30.4% in 1981, 25.0% in 2008).
• Belief in life after death is relatively unchanged (45.2% in 1981, 44.3% in 2008).
• Belief in hell is relatively unchanged (26.2% in 1981, 28.6% in 2008).
• Belief in heaven has declined (57.0% in 1981, 46.4% in 2008).
• Belief in sin has declined (68.2% in 1981, 57.2% in 2008).
• Women are significantly more likely than men to express believe in God, life after death and heaven.
• To some extent, people of higher socio-economic status are less likely to hold religious beliefs.
• Those professing religious belonging are more likely to hold a religious belief (as would be expected).
• The effects of age on belief are varied, though older people are more likely to believe in God where religion is important in their lives, but less likely to believe in life after death.

Relevance to RE

• Teachers may be interested in these research data as part of their background information for the study of religion in the UK.
• The findings may also have pedagogical uses. For instance, the findings that women are more likely, those of higher socio-economic status less likely to hold religious beliefs could be offered to pupils as tasks: what are some possible explanations for these findings? Which do you find most convincing and why?
• Or: given that belief in life after death has remained more or less unchanged, why has belief in God declined?
• Pupils might also repeat the research in their schools or local areas, comparing their findings with the national picture given.

Generalisability and potential limitations

The research covers a very broad amount of established data in a very thorough way. The researcher states that a limitation of the research is that although traditional religious beliefs and their correlates are accounted, beliefs in the paranormal are not, and neither are correlatesGod between traditional religious beliefs and beliefs in the paranormal.

Find out more

The correlates of traditional religious beliefs in Britain, Journal of Beliefs & Values, 35:3, 278-290

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13617672.2014.980070

Research Summary

This article draws on research carried out in 24 UK schools over a three year period. It looks over problems with defining how teachers in general can be seen as professionals, then it considers the theme of teacher professionalism in RE specifically. It shows how RE teachers are often confused about what being a professional RE teacher means. Is it about passing on faith? Is it about making sure that pupils meet examination targets? Why have many RE teachers reached for philosophy as a way to boost their professional esteem? The article argues that a genuine focus on religious literacy and the ability to help pupils gain in religious literacy are the true characteristics of RE teacher professionalism, but failure to grasp this has meant that RE teacher professionalism is in decline.

Researcher

James C. Conroy

Research Institution

University of Glasgow

What is this about?

• What is professionalism in RE teaching?
• What does it mean for a teacher to be professional?
• What does it mean for a teacher of RE to be professional?
• How does professionalism in RE relate to religious faith?
• How does professionalism in RE relate to the preparation of pupils for examinations?
• Why have many RE teachers turned to philosophy as a way to boost their professional esteem?
• How can a focus on religious literacy restore professionalism to RE teaching?

What was done?

The researcher went through the data of a large research project on RE in the UK, bringing out examples that relate to the issue of RE teacher professionalism. The original project used a combination of different research methods. They included observation in schools, focus groups, interviews, questionnaires, expert seminars, reconstruction of classroom events through theatre, conference feedback, teacher-led research, textbook and teaching materials analysis and examination papers analysis.

Main findings and outputs

• Teacher professionalism is harder to define than e.g. professionalism in law or medicine, because it is less clear what teachers need to know and be able to do.
• Teachers seem less able to have control over their conditions of work and practices. They work in a command and control culture.
• RE teachers struggle with further complications, e.g. the interest of religious groups in their work and general lack of clarity over what RE is for. Pupils expect them to have an identity in relation to religion, so it can be hard to separate their personal and professional identities.
• Some RE teachers try to shape a professional identity by embracing ‘accountability’ and concentrating on pupil ‘performance’. Examinations represent an unhealthy obsession and much time and energy are spent in rehearsing students to give model answers according to set formulae.
• This means that RE’s knowledge base shrinks, and with it teachers’ professionalism.
• It can also mean that issues of truth are not debated and RE becomes in effect a matter of different ‘opinions’.
• The use of non-specialist teachers can add to these problems.
• Where there is a professional approach, it is based on religious literacy – viewing knowledge of religion as professional knowledge, and equipping learners with it as professional practice. Such teachers ask students to consider religious interpretation, symbolism and ritual, but rarely seem to focus on theology.

Relevance to RE

• On policy, the nature and scope of RE’s content should be identified. It needs to be stressed that RE’s content has educational value and is not intended to form lists of key points for examinations.
• On curriculum, the RE curriculum should aim to provide learners with knowledge and understanding of religion, including opportunities to debate issues of truth in the light of their studies. This is not the same as a philosophy and ethics approach, though it may overlap.
• On pedagogy, shrinkage of RE’s knowledge base for purposes of examination rehearsal should be avoided.
• On teacher development, RE teachers should have or gain broad knowledge of religious traditions. They should develop the ability to teach this content to learners in an engaging way, relating it to learners’ likely or actual questions including questions over truth.

Generalisability and potential limitations

The findings are presented through a fairly small number of examples from the project, but the author reports that such examples were numerous. They are consistent with other research and with a great deal of educational opinion. The article does not go into how the main recommendation could be put into practice (that is, how religious literacy could be put at the centre of RE teacher’s professional work, or how the obsession with examination training could be overcome).

Find out more

Religious Education and religious literacy – a professional aspiration?, British Journal of Religious Education 38.2 pages 163-176 (published online 6 April 2016).

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01416200.2016.1139891