Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Religious education curriculum'

Annexure to thesis: CORD : a curriculum for Catholic high school religious education : 15 intertwined process-strands : a book for teachers / composed and compiled by Michael Burke. Pietermaritzburg : Centaur publications, 1991. ISBN 0 947472 68 1.
Bibliography: pages 181-187.
Finding a satisfying approach to Religious Education is a problem even to schools with a specifically religious character; it is even more of a problem to multi-faith public schools. The root of the problem may lie in the monolithic way that "religion" and "religious education" are perceived. Everyone develops ways of making sense of life, however inadequate, and everyone possesses the same range of faculties for doing so. In a broad sense, this is religion - even if only some are conditioned to call it this - and any assistance given to awakening the faculties concerned is religious education - even if only some recognise it as such. Agnostics often possess highly developed faculties that in believers are seen as belonging to the fabric of their faith. In devising a programme of Religious Education for Catholic Schools, my starting point was to examine the range of faculties involved and how learning and growth happen in practice. It became apparent that, just as a language is approached by many routes (such as learning to understand, speak, read, write, and appreciate it) so too a number of processes operate in parallel to produce the effect called Religious Education. The analysis crystallised fifteen distinct learning processes. Some are immediately recognisable as "religious"; others are partly motivated and orientated by religion; still others are religious only in implicit ways.

In early 1983, the Catholic Education Authority in Sydney issued a major curriculum document for the systems 210 Primary schools on Religious Education. One year after the documents' release there was evidence of its negligible impact in classrooms. Studies of overseas, Australian, and local system-level changes supported the view that there was relatively limited documentation of the processes followed in the implementation of system-level change. As its starting point, the Field Study pursues the development in eight schools of a system-stimulated implementation process over twelve months. A historical perspective of the system is given; implementation of change is defined; and the approach used in the study is sited in the theoretical context of Action Research. The body of the study is written in an 'inter-leaving' style. In each Chapter a chronological descriptive approach is followed and, as appropriate, theoretical considerations are introduced as a method of reflection and interpretation of the process. Among the processes under investigation, major consideration is given to planning, monitoring and collaborative staff development. The specific strategy of change developed is that of a Co-operative Peer Support Scheme, based on Goodlad's concept of a "league". Concerns - Based Adoption Methodology (CBAM) is used as a monitoring technique. An original contribution to the monitoring processes is the invention and application of a micro-computer program for analysis of the Stages of Concern of the teacher participants in the Project. The salient findings of the Study are that the particular plan had been effective, and that system planning can only be directional. Monitoring procedures that are are amenable to use in system-level change were demonstrated to have been useful. Clear focussing of issues, the generation of locally produced learning materials, and conscious use of adult learning process enhances the outcomes of the Project. Finally, the goal-free descriptive approach followed identifies more sharply new questions requiring further exploration: mechanisms leading to group formation; the interrelationship between psychic-group and socio-group processes; the roles of change-agents and the support system; and the quality of use rather than the percentage of users.

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This work is a reflection on the religious education in public schools in Goiás. We looked in on the concept of secularism as a fundamental principle of democratic governments and Re-publicans on the relationship of this principle within the Brazilian public school and all de-rived implications there. Religion is an integral element in building the identity of a people and understood as a sym-bolic system practices and beliefs relating to the invisible world of supernatural beings. Therefore, the History of Religions is also the result of social, political and economic estab-lished in a society. Faced with a series of thematic alternative, we made the deliberate choice to meet more fully the guiding material for religious education classes in public schools: the curriculum. Also examine the set of pageants, cultural, social and policies that guided the presence of religious education in public schools in Brazil. Understand the religious culture of a people is key to understanding its history. We seek to investigate the school's relationship with their social environment and social contradictions that manifest themselves in the strug-gle for a democratic school for all. The initial conflict presented in the subject of questioning part of a hypothetical-deductive reasoning. With its commitment to work is to help the Religious Education teachers from public schools in the state of Goiás can expand their benchmarks for the recognition of cultural diversity, ethnic-racial and religious that compose the Brazilian society through the curriculum. The suggested educational product is a proposed curriculum for religious education in high school under a new nomenclature: History of Religions, with input from other areas of knowledge such as history, sociology, philosophy, art, geography and language.
O presente trabalho faz uma reflexão sobre o Ensino Religioso nas escolas públicas estaduais em Goiás. Debruçamo-nos sobre o conceito de laicidade como um princípio fundamental de governos democráticos e republicanos, sobre a relação desse princípio dentro da escola públi-ca brasileira e todas as implicações derivadas daí. A religião é um elemento integrante na construção da identidade de um povo e compreendido como um sistema de práticas simbólicas e de crenças relativas ao mundo invisível dos seres sobrenaturais. Assim sendo, a História das Religiões é também o resultado das relações soci-ais, políticas e econômicas estabelecidas numa sociedade. Diante de uma série de alternativas temáticas, fizemos a opção intencional em conhecer mais a fundo o material norteador para as aulas de Ensino Religioso na rede pública: o currículo. Analisar também o conjunto das repre-sentações históricas, culturais, sociais e políticas que orientaram a presença do Ensino Religi-oso na escola pública no Brasil. Compreender a cultura religiosa de um povo é fundamental para compreender a sua história. Buscamos investigar as relações da escola com o seu entorno social e as contradições sociais que se manifestam na luta por uma escola democrática para todos. O conflito inicial apresentado na problematização do tema parte de um raciocínio hipo-tético-dedutivo. O empenho deste trabalho é colaborar para que os professores de Ensino Religioso da rede pública estadual do Estado de Goiás possam ampliar seus padrões de referência pelo reconhe-cimento da diversidade cultural, étnico-racial e religiosa que compõe a sociedade brasileira por meio do currículo. O produto educacional sugerido é uma proposta curricular para o Ensi-no Religioso no Ensino Médio sob uma nova nomenclatura: História das Religiões, com apor-te de outras áreas do conhecimento como História, Sociologia, Filosofia, Arte, Geografia e Linguagem.

This research examines the current requirements and practices of Religious Observance (RO) and spiritual development within Scotland’s ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ (CfE). The research is focussed on the nondenominational school sector - approximately 90% of Scottish schools. The CfE has brought a shift in focus from solely curricular content to greater emphasis on character formation. Four key descriptors, termed “capacities”, are used: responsible citizens, effective contributors, successful learners and confident individuals. A number of supplementary programmes are being promoted to achieve this through schemes such as the ‘Rights Respecting School Award’, ‘Inspire-Aspire’, ‘Peer Mediation’ and ‘Restorative Justice’. The CfE details certain age-appropriate experiences and outcomes which pupils are expected to attain across eight core curricular subjects. In contrast, RO and spiritual development are outlined very differently by six key ‘Sensings’ in the ‘Report of the Religious Observance Review Group’ (2004), referred to in this thesis as the RORG. These Sensings have minimal descriptions, no exact definition and do not have detailed age-appropriate experiences and outcomes. The Sensings are: sensing mystery, sensing values, sensing meaningfulness, sensing a changed quality in awareness, sensing ‘otherness’ and sensing challenge. This thesis addresses a number of questions: defining ‘spirituality’ in a way that can sit comfortably within Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence (CfE); how RO events and these Sensings are perceived by pupils in particular - their voices are given especial prominence throughout; where RO and spiritual development are perceived as ‘belonging’ or ‘fitting’ within the CfE; how the ‘success’ of Sensing-rich RO events can be assessed and measured; crucially - what the children and young people think of the RO they receive; the validity and ‘completeness’ of the Sensings; how to train school staff and school chaplains in delivering spiritual development. The research involved participant observation and interviews with policymakers (advisors, consultants, Education Scotland staff, Religious Representatives on local Council Education committees, and members of school senior management teams), practitioners (chaplains and youth workers tasked with the actual delivery of RO events), parents of Primary school and Secondary school pupils, and - crucially - pupils (from Primary 3 to Secondary 6). The goal was to record and analyse their principles, practices and lived experience of RO and spiritual development. In total qualitative data was gathered in thirty-four interview sessions from nine policy-makers, eight practitioners, nine parents, seventeen Primary school pupils and thirty-five Secondary school pupils. The practitioners, parents and pupils between them were connected to nondenominational schools covering seven Councils: City of Aberdeen, Dumfries and Galloway, Fife, City of Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire and South Lanarkshire. The pupils between them came from four different nondenominational Primary schools, three non-denominational Secondary schools, and one independent School (Christian faith-based, fee-paying). This gave a reasonable sample of Scottish schools. The definition of ‘spirituality’ that I developed (p 44) is that “Spirituality is that uniquely human capacity and need for a sense of identity and of integrity, of place and of purpose, which can only be fully satisfied in relationship with others and with a transcendent Other.” A full explanation for this definition is given in the text. The pilot study showed that pupils of all ages did not grasp the language and vocabulary of the Sensings as given in the RORG and in conclusion I offer an alternative “child-friendly” re-titling as follows: sensing mystery (the “Wow!” moments), sensing values (the “Now ...' moments), sensing meaningfulness (the “How ...? ” moments), sensing a changed quality in awareness (the “Aum” moments), sensing ‘otherness’ (the ‘Narnia’ moments) and sensing challenge (the “Ow!” moments) (p 54). Once reworded and explained all pupils were quick to grasp most of the Sensings though ‘a changed quality in awareness’ and ‘otherness’ - perhaps requiring higher order thinking skills - were only accessible to older pupils (though they could not always discern or define the distinctions between them). I found that Policy-makers had a clear perception of how RO fits within CfE but that the actual practitioners (many of them from faith-based backgrounds) frequently struggled to achieve clarity on this point and were often unable to articulate a clear educational purpose to their RO input (p 113). A lack of contextual awareness, of training, of time, and of ability to think beyond their theological frameworks often hampered them. Clear and positive and fruitful metaphors for RO emerge from the research: RO provides an important ‘space’ within CfE (p 119), and a place for ‘exploration’ and for ‘questioning.’ A consistent conclusion from my data reflects on how both practitioners and participants in RO events viewed them and constructed meaning from them: this was frequently done by offering opposed pairs and, almost literally, placing themselves or their RO events at some point on the continuum between two poles (p 124). A whole spectrum of opposed pairs were found: from indoctrination (RO) to education (RME); from collective (RO) to individual (RME); from emotional (RO) to intellectual (RME), though practitioners were frequently at pains to make clear that this did not mean RO was inferior or in any way anti-intellectual or lacking in intellectual rigour; from experiential (RO) to explorative (RME); and from inspirational (RO) to informational (RME). My findings were that practitioners offered a range of measures for assessing the ‘success’ of their RO events (p 139) which are critiqued: “an RO event is successful” - when I think it is, if it was enjoyed, if a school is “happy with it”, if there is pupil engagement, if pupil feedback says it has been, if your chosen quantifier says it has been, and if there are no complaints about it. I follow this with a discussion on the issues of getting RO ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ (p 152). The view of parents on the qualifications for those delivering RO to their children were also explored at this point, with the great majority strongly favouring faith-based practitioners (p 162). A major feature of this research has been to seek and to summarise the first-hand views and the authentic voices of the children and young people within CfE. Their main reactions are summarised (p 172) as “Don’t make it [RO] a policed endurance test”; “Don’t make it so boring”; “Don’t tell us what to think”; “Let us ask our big questions. Help us find some answers”; and “Don’t exclude us. Let us have a say. Let us help you.” In the light of the research two additional Sensings are strongly indicated: Sensing Stillness (p 192) and Sensing Community (p 200). Sensing Community in particular was identified as offering significant potential benefits for RO (p 206): creating a beneficial group identity or ethos for the school community, building pupil capacity as responsible citizens able to take their place in the wider community beyond the school gates, enabling individual and group resilience in the face of crisis, sharing emotional and spiritual experiences that could enrich the lives of all the participants, and the acquisition and exploration of values together in a safe and protected environment. The final section (p 210) explores the creation and use of a tool for teaching practitioners to identify and explore the Sensings: the ‘Spiritual Moments’ box.
In Educating school staff to experience and deliver the sensings (p 223), it merged that the issue is one of helping secular staff in particular to find a spiritual context for exploration and development of the sensings. In training faith representatives to experience and deliver the sensings (p 227) the issue is one of helping faith practitioners to explore and develop the sensings in the secular educational framework.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1986.
Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: William Bean Kennedy. Dissertation Committee: Douglas M. Sloan. Bibliography: leaves 216-221.

This study documents a critical evaluation of the religious education curriculum used in Uganda's secondary schools. The study focused on goals and objectives, methods, content, and public perception of religious education instruction. The evaluation was based on a qualitative investigation that employed three methods to collect data: document analysis, classroom observation, and interviews. The investigation was guided by a series of research questions that included the following: What are the overall goals and objectives of religious education instruction? What are the attitudes from the community regarding religious education? What are the roles of religious leaders during implementation of this curriculum? How does the curriculum prepare students for the pluralistic nature of the society? What qualifications and training do the teachers have? What are the politics involved in curriculum implementation? What is the philosophy of religious education instruction as defined by policy makers and how is it implemented?

Bibliography: pages 89-94.
Education is perhaps the area which has been affected most profoundly, both by the policy of Apartheid and the resistance to that policy. Since 1976, the year of the Soweto uprising, people have been talking about the Crisis in Education. Sporadic student uprisings have occurred from time to time. The education system has been rejected by many teacher and community organisations. This state of affairs is hardly surprising if we consider the main characteristics of the present education system as seen by Ken Hartshorne, "It is based on race and apartheid ideology. It is·based on class and economic discrimination. The central state authority is dominant. The education system is authoritarian in character. The education system is the site of crisis and struggle. It is permeated by contradictions and uncertainties" (1992, 4-8). This thesis is an attempt to locate the curriculum practice in Religious Education during the height of the Apartheid era, to consider what options we have and to make proposals as to what can be done in terms of philosophy and practice for the future.

Worldview studies among high-school students is a strategic way of building an attitude of respect and dialogue between citizens in the increasingly multi-cultural society of Sweden. First of all, academic research by professors in philosophy and education from different countries, express the importance of worldview studies among students. Secondly, established experience in several educational institutes, as well as among many students, confirm that worldview studies leads to better understanding of self and others. Thirdly, with the increasing number of immigrants in Sweden, there is a great need of constructive forums for dialogue concerning different worldviews. Considering academic research, established experience as well as the immigration crisis in Sweden this essay investigates and argues the thesis that an increased emphasis on worldview studies within the Swedish high-school curriculum is a strategic and pedagogical way of building bridges of dialogue and respect in our society.

Thesis advisor: Thomas H. Groome
What does it mean to "be church"? How can we foster a sense of collective faith identity through religious education? What resources can we draw upon in this endeavor? I propose that the authentic early Irish Church offers insights that add to the field of religious education by suggesting that religious educators focus on forming persons in faith to be Christians both within a community of believers and in the world. Doing so not only enriches the individual, but also invigorates the Church and allows it to reclaim its voice in the twenty-first century public square. This thesis suggests an approach to religious education rooted in the example of the early Irish tradition yet pertinent to the contemporary desire for faith, spirituality and community. The faith of the early Irish centered upon the triad of Christ the King, covenant, and community. Together these three Christian principles foster holistic lives where faith and life become inseparable, what I term abiding faith. My approach to this task is threefold: 1. To survey the original texts and practices, and catechetical efforts of Early Christian Ireland (5th - 10th centuries) in an effort to recover an authentic understanding of the Early Irish Church. 2. To place the prominent Early Irish Christian understandings of a) Jesus Christ, b) covenantal relationship, and c) community of believers, into conversation with modern theology. 3. To bring the Irish recovery into conversation with the field of contemporary religious education. Chapter 1 contextualizes the research by sketching the historical setting of pre-Christian Ireland through the arrival of Christianity with Palladius in the early fifth century. Chapter 2 continues the historical survey concentrating on the Christianization process, pedagogical practices and the subsequent transformation of Irish society. Chapter 3 turns to the content of the evangelization of Ireland first examining the Irish use of the heretics Pelagius and Theodore of Mospsuestia. I demonstrate that their influence in Ireland was primarily exegetical and that Irish use of their texts did not render the Irish Church heterodox. Secondly, I focus on the texts produce by the Irish Christians with an eye towards their christological and ecclesiological motifs. Chapter 4 engages the wisdom of the early Irish Church, their emphasis on Christ the King, covenant, and community with modern theological understandings. Here, I liberate these understandings from unnecessary tangential concepts that are detrimental to forming persons for an integrated, life-giving, abiding faith. I then take these recovered Christian foci into a conversation with contemporary religious education text. Chapter 5 demonstrates the viability for religious education for abiding faith through the shared Christian praxis approach of Thomas Groome. I offer a description of shared Christian praxis followed by a discussion of its use in both the formal educational setting and the liturgy. Chapter 6 offers, as the title states, some concluding thoughts on the development of the work as a whole
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009
Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry

This thesis examines the social and pedagogical challenges of implementing Québec's Ethics and Religious Culture program (ERC). This program advocates multi-religious instruction as a means toward social harmony at a time when people from differing religious cultures increasingly co-exist. In this context there is a crucial need for children to learn about the culture and religious beliefs of others. The distinct culture and religious history of Québec makes it a unique setting for such a program. The thesis examines the strained and complex feelings regarding religion that have pervaded Québec society since the Quiet Revolution. In the end the thesis points to teacher preparation and the attitude of teachers as the basic elements that will make the program succeed or fail. It concludes that the implications that the ERC program carries for social harmony are substantial and historic.
Cette thèse examine les défis sociaux et pédagogiques de la mise en application du programme Éthique et culture religieuse [ECR]. Ce programme, qui introduit un modèle d'instructions multi religieux dans les écoles, est un effort pratique visant à promouvoir l'harmonie sociale au Québec dans un contexte ou des gens de différentes croyances religieuses doivent apprendre à vivre ensemble. On reconnait ici qu'il y a un besoin critique pour nos enfants d'apprendre et de connaître les cultures et les croyances religieuses des gens qui les entoures. L'histoire culturelle et religieuse du Québec fourni un milieu unique pour un tel programme. Cette thèse examine les relations contraintes et les sentiments complexes qui se répandent dans la société québécoise au sujet de la religion depuis la révolution tranquille. En fin de compte, elle démontre que la préparation, l'éducation et l'attitude des enseignants sont les éléments de base qui feront de ce programme un succès ou un échec. Elle conclut que les implications du programme ECR pourraient avoir un impact significatif et historique sur l'harmonie sociale et le bien commun.

The project director serves as the director of operations for the New Breed Church Planting Network (NBCPN). A necessity for developing a reproducible disciple-making strategy for the church planters of NBCPN existed. The project exists to develop a reproducible disciple-making practicum to meet the needs of NBCPN.

Within the first chapter, the project director explored the ministry project proposal and purpose. Listing main objectives, limitations, assumptions, term definitions, and a detailed project rationale explain the project process. The project director researched four North American church planting organizations to assess the respective utilization of disciple-making processes, while providing an explanation for NBCPN’s need for a reproducible strategy.

Within the second chapter, the project director examined two separate passages of scripture. The texts of Matt 28:18–20 and Acts 1:8 (ESV) became the foundational basis upon which the project director analyzed and made reproducible disciple-making conclusions. Chapter two consists of exegesis, exposition, and application of the chosen texts and explained the biblical and theological foundation of the ministry project.

Within chapter three, the project director provided research for the ministry foundations aspect of the project. The project director identified and explored past and present ecclesiological disciple-making procedures. The project director’s goal for chapter three provided information concerning the development of historical and 11 contemporary reproducible disciple-making, as well as, examining theoretical and application models.

Within chapter four, the project director described the development of the ministry project. The chapter focused on the project director’s seven-practicum reproducible disciple-making strategy for the church planters of NBCPN. The project director’s compiling of information regarding the utilization of an expert panel, incorporated Great Commission components, integrated research of chapters two and three, and implemented expectation, completed the chapter.

In chapter five, the project director documented an overall summation of the ministry project. The director examined the evaluation of the project process, analysis of the findings, and an overview of the lessons learned. The strengths, weaknesses, and personal reflection of the ministry project offered descriptive insight to the project director and for reader clarity.

PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO
Em geral, a elaboração do currículo do Ensino Religioso enfatiza ou a tradição acadêmica que lhe dá fundamento epistemológico ou a tradição religiosa que pretende sobreviver no tempo e na história, conferindo sentido às novas gerações. Porém, com o advento da sociedade moderna secularizada e plural, é necessário tomar como ponto de partida a pessoa concreta e as suas demandas por sentido, como ficou evidenciado na pesquisa de campo. Assim, é preciso buscar naquelas tradições as mediações necessárias para a formação dos valores que devem caracterizar este componente curricular. Neste sentido, revisitamos o trabalho de um místico cristão - Inácio de Loyola - o qual viveu entre a Idade Média e a Renascença e que nos apresenta um itinerário mistagógico espiritual centrado, ao mesmo tempo, nas Pessoas Divinas e na pessoa do exercitante. Na contemplação dos mistérios da vida divina, verdadeiro fundamento da história, a pessoa, em todas as suas dimensões, vai sendo atingida e exigida nesse processo de descoberta e de encontro da vontade de Deus para sua vida. Esta pedagogia espiritual lança luzes sobre o currículo do ensino religioso posto que sugere itinerários personalizados de educação na fé e à fé, rompendo com uma apresentação meramente racional ou emocional da experiência cristã, além de tomar em devida conta o processo de desenvolvimento dos educandos.
In general the development of a religious educational curriculum emphasizes either academic tradition due to epistemological support or religious tradition for its historic survival for the generations to come. However with the emergence of a modern-secular-pluralistic society, it is necessary to take people and their demands for meanings as the starting point, as it was observed in the research field. So we need to find necessary traditional mediations for the formation of values that should characterize the curricular component. Thus we revisited the writings of a christian mystic - Ignatius of Loyola - who lived between Middle Ages and Renaissance and provides a centered-spiritual- mystagogical itinerary, focusing on the Divine Persons and on the practitioner at the same time. In contemplation of the mysteries of divine life, the real basis of history, the person, in all dimensions, is being achieved and required in the process of discovery and encounter with God s will in his/her life. Such spiritual pedagogy enlights the curriculum of religious education since it suggests customized itineraries for education under faith and aiming faith, breaking with a merely rational or emotional presentation of christian experience, while taking the global development process of learners into account.

The purpose of the essay is to examine and discuss the attitudes presented from different players involved in the development of religious education (RE) for upper secondary school in Sweden, and see if and what solutions are presented for solving these problems. A qualitative content analysis was used in order to investigate the different players, the Swedish schools inspectorate and the different researchers involved in the development of RE,attitudes and criticism towards religious education in Sweden.This study has shown that there are many fundamental issues with religious education in Sweden in such areas as different attitudes from both teachers and students towards RE, teachers competence in RE and towards the goal and criteria in the curriculum “outlooks onlife” (Swedish: Livsåskådningar). However, this essay has also proven that there have been no clear solutions presented by any of the players as to solving the issues of RE in Sweden, leaving a gap between schools, teachers and the other players involved in the development of religious education in Sweden.

Non-religious worldviews in the Religious Education classroom in Swedish upper secondary schools. What role does it play and how is the curriculum interpreted by writers of course books in Religious Education, these are questions that this study aims to answer. The study is an analysis of course books in RE to see how they portrait non-religious worldviews. Since the Swedish National Agency for Education has published a curriculum with areas that are problematically difficult to interpret. What place non-religious worldviews have in is one of these ambiguous areas. The study aims to answer the main question: How is non-religious worldviews portraited in course books for the upper secondary school course religious education and how is it compared to how religious worldviews are portraited. Ten course books are chosen and studied. The study shows that non-religious worldviews get very little space in the books and the main focus lays on religious worldviews, more specifically the ones more known as the world religions. This creates a problem since the education is supposed to be on the same terms and conditions for every pupil. If different course books have different content the education will not be the same depending on which book is chosen. A conclusion is drawn that the Swedish National Agency for Education should be clearer in their curriculum to avoid situations like this one.

This chapter investigates the relationship between the official aims and intentions of Religious Education (RE) in Sweden and the pupils’ attitudes. In Sweden, as in several Western countries, there is a growing recognition that teaching RE may contribute to social cohesion in an increasingly diverse society. This chapter argues that it is also necessary to take into account the cultural context in which the education takes place, for instance that Sweden has developed over a short period from a fairly monocultural society with a Lutheran state church to a religiously and culturally more diverse society, and that the country can be seen as highly secularised on an individual level. The aims of RE are investigated through analysis of official documents and the pupils’ attitudes are investigated by means of survey data from a nationally representative classroom questionnaire along with observations from focus group interviews with pupils in upper secondary school, aged 18–19 regarding attitudes towards RE and religious and cultural diversity. The chapter concludes that it is difficult to attain the lofty aims of intercultural understanding through RE teaching, especially among pupils who see themselves as nonreligious. It suggests utilizing the said gap between religious and nonreligious pupils.
Silence, conflict or exoticism? Views of religion and Religious Education among senior high school students and teachers in multicultural Sweden
Impact of Religion

This thesis examines the religious knowledge curriculum for junior secondary schools in order to contribute to and reinforce the implementation of the national curriculum as recommended by the national policy on education which favours a more inclusive curriculum. Literature review on the national policy on education, the national curriculum and a brief empirical study on the views of some stakeholders in Nigerian education point to the need for appropriate implementation of Nigeria's educational policies into a curriculum that will help pupils discover that religion can and does contribute to their national life, school life and individual life. The introductory chapter gives an overview of the religious knowledge curriculum within the Nigerian context. Chapter two reviews relevant literature on the religious knowledge curriculum and the national policy on education. It was revealed that the exclusive and confessional approach of the present curriculum has not been consistent with the goals of the national policy. It highlights traditional religion as significant to Nigeria's religious culture. It recommends the "learning from and about" approach in studying Nigeria's main religions as significant to the process of mutual respect, coexistence and understanding among the various groups. Chapter three examines the principles for curriculum development. It adopts the CESAC process model of curriculum development as the most recommended model by the Government of Nigeria. It attempts to construct a religious knowledge curriculum based on the relevant criteria discovered during the course of the research. Chapter four explores the significance of stakeholders in Nigerian education. Specifically, it reports on an empirical study which investigates the views of stakeholders regarding the adoption of the new religious knowledge curriculum. Chapter five examines the viability of the new curriculum within the national policy guidelines. It argues that the teaching of the new religious knowledge curriculum is consistent with the human development pedagogical approach for teaching an inclusive religious knowledge curriculum.

Since equipping students for service to God and others is either an implicit or explicit element of the mission statement of every Christ-centered college and university, academic officers at such institutions should give serious consideration to making service-learning one of their regular pedagogical strategies. This paper presents the philosophical, pedagogical, and theological framework upon which a Christian higher education institution could build a shared rationale for a service-learning program. The author discusses a case study of a Christian liberal arts college that is taking steps to develop a campus-wide commitment to service-learning, including the implementation of a pilot program in order to better accomplish their service-oriented mission. The work provides a number of research-based guidelines to assist faculty members who want to learn how to embed a service-learning component into one of their academic courses. These guidelines are organized by use of a mnemonic device developed by Saint Mary's College of California to outline five basic components involved in such a process. The letters O.P.E.R.A. represent outcomes, partnerships, engagement, reflection, and assessment. The author describes each element in some detail, including examples of practice at a number of colleges and universities, and lists a summary of key points for each one. Readers will also find a discussion of an eight-step process, based on a review of best practices, by which the case study institution sought to develop an effective service-learning program within its curriculum. First, the researcher helped lead the college community in a discussion of the alignment of service-learning with its mission in order to develop a shared vision for the program. The provost appointed a service-learning advisory team, which worked with the faculty to develop an institutional definition of service-learning, select instructors to participate in a pilot program, determine the most appropriate means by which to train faculty members in service-learning practice, and assist the initial instructors in the process of developing community partnerships. The writer discusses the implementation of the pilot program in three courses in a single semester and presents the results of the various means of assessment employed at the course and program level. A factor analysis of student survey items provides the basis for a discussion of statistical analyses comparing responses across the three courses and across demographic categories. Although the pilot program did not achieve the specific criteria for success established by the advisory team for the student, faculty, and community partner groups, most participants reported positive impact in many outcome areas. The results confirm the importance of following best practice guidelines in assuring a high quality experience for all participants. The work concludes with an examination of a number of issues that service-learning practitioners suggest a campus community must consider if it desires to institutionalize service-learning and collaboratively integrate it into both the curriculum and co-curriculum. The author also provides recommendations based on the results of the case study institution's pilot program to improve its practice of service-learning as it prepares to expand the use of this strategy into additional courses—recommendations that could also help other colleges strengthen the implementation of their first pilot programs. Finally, the writer presents topics for further research that could contribute to a program's continuous quality improvement and to the larger body of scholarship on service-learning.

This project, Brothers for Life, is a curriculum of formation designed for seniors at an all-male Lasallian high school so they can join faculty in their efforts to facilitate retreats, prayer, and service activities for younger students. This project takes root in the writings of St. John Baptist de La Salle (the founder of Lasallian schools) which state that students in Christian schools should receive an education that moves the students toward full and abundant lives, not just an accumulation of numbers and facts. To give this project proper shape and direction, the unit design is organized through the Understanding by Design framework created by Wiggins and McTighe (2005, 2011). Through an organized structure that maintains authenticity to the Founder, this project opens the door to a fuller and more abundant life for the students enrolled in the course and by extension, the students and faculty to whom they minister.

This qualitative study investigated the religious motivation of college-age LDS young single adults. In particular, this study sought to answer the following question: “What are the contexts and social factors that influence religious motivation of collegeage LDS young adults to study religious texts?” To examine this question, a phenomenological approach was used to explore what participants had in common with feeling motivated to read religious texts. The primary sources of data came from one-on-one interviews that describe the personal experiences and perspectives of 10 college-age LDS young single adults. Sociocultural theory guided the analysis and interpretation of data and findings. Findings indicated the following: (a) regardless of the context, it appeared that involvement in discussions about the scriptures increased the likelihood of an individual feeling motivated to read, (b) even when other contexts included elements that encouraged scripture reading, it appeared that friends strongly influenced whether or not individuals felt motivated to read scriptures, (c) it appeared that environments of expectation influenced motivation to read, and (d) it appeared that individuals who spent time marking and writing in their scriptures felt motivated to read. Based on these findings, it is recommended that further research be done to explore the following: (a) What types of discussions influence motivation to read religious texts? (b) What other religious practices are influenced by friends? (c) How should expectations be communicated and maintained? (d) Is there a difference in motivation between marking (coloring) things in the scriptures and writing (journaling) in the scriptures? It is also important to examine these findings to see if they hold true within other religious contexts and denominations.

This study has explored and described how Religious Education (RE) in Secondary Schools in Zimbabwe has developed in response to pluralism. It has been inspired by my teaching experience in different secondary schools in the country. There has been a growing need in Zimbabwe to expand the horizon for RE as the nation is becoming more sensitive to religious diversity among the learners. The government through its Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has been implementing changes in RE secondary schools with the hope of making it open to pluralism. This study shows that despite the government's efforts, little has changed in the teaching of RE in the classroom. This has been a result of failure by the government to engage teachers in the implementation of the proposed changes. There is a strong relationship between teachers and religious education in schools. They are the main determinant of the quality of education learners receive as they make choices, both conscious and unconscious, in regard to how to structure academic and social relationships in the classroom. Their perceptions towards religious pluralism also influences the way they teach about religion in the classroom. Unfortunately, this relationship between teachers and religious education was not given much attention in the development of the subject in secondary schools in Zimbabwe. This study investigates this relationship and contributes some knowledge in this area for further discussion.

The purpose of writing An Evaluation of The Journey Within: Soul Care in the African American Context to implement an eight week curriculum of intentional and experiential practice of spiritual formation/soul care to determine the impact of the Journey Within: Soul Care on a Christian believer’s emotional health and spiritual maturity in the African American context. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)

This thesis provides a critical examination of the Turkish citizenship education reform from 1995 to 2012 drawing on interviews with key informants, archival and public policy documents, programmes of study and textbooks. A literature review finds that democratic citizenship education aims to make learners competent members of their multi-layered communities who are equipped with participation and deliberative decision-making skills, value the rule of law, democracy, human rights and diversity in pursuit of social justice. By contrast, national citizenship education promotes a monolithic national identity, conformity and obedience by transmitting abstract knowledge of political structures. Since the 1990s, the United Nations (UN) and the Council of Europe have supported democratic citizenship education based on international human rights standards. In 1995, the Turkish Ministry of National Education responded positively to the UN Decade for Human Rights Education initiative and attempted to reform citizenship education that had been devised as a tool to consolidate secular nationalism. This marked the start of the curriculum reform that intermittently lasted until the repeal of the courses in 2012. Data analysis is informed by the conventions of critical discourse analysis, which suggests scrutinising micro-relations of language in the text against ideological power structures of the broader context. One significant finding of the study is that the forces of secular and religious nationalism in Turkey responded to the educational projects initiated by the UN and the CoE and introduced new citizenship education courses. However, they used these courses to consolidate their own and obliterate their rivals’ ideological discourses. By providing an in-depth analysis, this research aims to contribute to the institutionalisation of citizenship education in Turkey and the scholarly debate about the role of internal and external influences in citizenship education curriculum change.

The purpose of writing Implementing A Contextual Discipleship Curriculum to Impact Biblical Knowledge and Application for Women in a Large Church in Ghana was to add to the body of knowledge concerning discipleship curricula for women in developing countries. Christianity is growing most rapidly in developing countries, and women play a pivotal role largely due to their influence on the children, the future generations. Yet there is a dearth of information on how to disciple the women in these areas. This project tested a 16-week contextual discipleship curriculum at Rhema Outreach Church in Ashaiman, Ghana, West Africa. The students were members of the Women's Ministry, and most of them were market women. The average class size was 50 women. The program was geared towards oral learners because some of the women were illiterate. The project centered around lessons in biblical knowledge, biblical leadership, and biblical financial awareness/stewardship. This project used mixed research methods, relying heavily on qualitative analyses with an embedded quantitative analysis. The data strongly suggested that a contextual curriculum can be effective in enhancing the discipleship knowledge and practices of women in developing countries. The results also demonstrated that discipleship among women in developing countries is a critical area that the global church needs to address.

Chapter 1 states the thesis and hypothesis as well as the rationale for the project, and the community and church context. The biblical, systematic, and ecclesiological/historical foundations of the project are also discussed.

Chapter 2 discusses literature related to the topic in the broad categories of discipleship, lessons learned from practitioners in the field, contextual theologians, and the voices of selected African female theologians.

Chapter 3 presents the research methodology used, the rationale for the methodology, and how it was applied at the Rhema Outreach Church in Ghana.

Chapter 4 presents the findings from the research instruments, including the voice of the women at Rhema Outreach Church. Some of their opinions differed from that of the researcher and peer reviewers.

Chapter 5 offers reasons for the disparities between the Rhema women's opinions and the findings of the qualitative and quantitative analyses. It also offers suggestions for future research in this area and implications of the project's findings for the larger Christian community.

The current picture of the American Church is considerably less gloriously diverse than the end-times church portrayed in Revelation 7:9. Since the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s observation in 1956 of Sunday morning as the most segregated time in America, much has been written about the subject of diverse churches, by many different authors and from many different perspectives. By distilling the best practices found in these writings into a model curriculum and teaching it to his congregation, the author answers the question “What constitutes an effective training model designed to increase awareness of some of the key aspects of multi-ethnic churches for Harmony Vineyard Church in Ashland, Virginia?”

The project’s rationale was straightforward and simple. First, a more unified, diverse church blesses God the Father. Second, for pastors who desire a multi-ethnic congregation, this project will hopefully serve as a single resource addressing the specific issues of teaching and training both pastors and congregations in exactly how to go about creating such a congregation. Third, developing more multi-ethnic congregations is desirable, important, and strategic as the U.S.A.’s ethnic population continues to grow.

The intervention project consisted of seven training segments designed to do the following: 1) to portray God’s heart for unity; 2) to introduce multi-ethnic church terms and concepts; 3) to introduce cultural awareness and its importance, and; 4) to conduct a “sacred conversation” about race and racial issues. The training included both sermons and classroom teaching, and was presented during May, 2015.

Another aspect of the project was a questionnaire-based study of self-described multi-ethnic Vineyard churches to test if the literature’s best practices needed to be contextualized for each denomination, and specifically for Vineyard churches. The good news is that apparently they do not. It was also good news to discover that in many cases, monoethnic churches can become multi-ethnic even if their neighborhoods are not particularly diverse.

At the project’s end it was determined that the curriculum put forth was a successful training model as a significant majority of the participants’ feedback pointed to an increased awareness of the training’s four focus areas mentioned above.

This research study aimed to explore and describe students' and teachers' perceptions of religious education programs for Year 12 students in Catholic schools in Victoria in light of theoretical concepts of religious education. It sought to discover how appropriate these programs were in meeting the needs of today's students and achieving the aims of religious education for senior secondary students in Catholic schools in Victoria. The purpose was to propose guiding principles that could inform a review of Year 12 religious education curriculum in Catholic schools. There were two broad areas of investigation to this study: the theory and the practice of religious education in Catholic schools, with special attention given to the Year 12 programs. With the first area, there was an examination of religious education theory as revealed in the literature. This was concerned with the nature and purpose of religious education in Catholic schools. Different approaches to religious education were explored and their strengths and weaknesses for senior secondary programs were highlighted. In addition, recent approaches to teaching and learning at the broader curriculum level were investigated to highlight possible relevance to religious education. Thirdly, the theory of and approaches to religious education were considered in relation to some aspects of the context of contemporary classrooms. The second area was an investigation into current practices in the compulsory or core Year 12 religious education programs since these were accessed by all or most students in Catholic schools. Eleven schools were involved in the study. They were drawn from the four dioceses in Victoria and were chosen because they displayed certain characteristics which were seen as representative of the wider range of Catholic schools. In order to gain an insight into classroom practices, three sources of data were collected from these schools and examined. Firstly, through the use of questionnaires and interviews, data was collected on students' perceptions of their experiences in their religious education program. Secondly, questionnaires were used to gather information on the teachers' experiences of the program, their perceptions of their students' experiences and their background in religious education. Teachers' perceptions were used as a point of comparison with students' perceptions. Thirdly, religious education documents were examined and analysed to discover their aims and objectives, the content and topics included and their assessment strategies. In general, the various approaches (in terms of content and method) to Year 12 religious education classroom programs in Catholic schools in Victoria either emphasized cognitive learning or it focused on affective learning. With the former, an intellectual study of religion through a study of different religious traditions was offered which, it was hoped, would lead to an increased understanding and appreciation of the subject. With the latter, more attention was given to the personal dimension in religious education in terms of interpersonal and intrapersonal learning. The findings of this research study indicated that, in the perceptions of a majority of students, the religious education programs were not meeting their needs. This raises the question of the pertinence of the aims for senior secondary religious education as proposed in curriculum guidelines for Catholic schools in Victoria. The findings, therefore, suggest a need for a review of such programs in Catholic schools. The study concluded with the proposal of thirteen guiding principles that could inform the development, implementation and evaluation of future Year 12 religious education programs in Catholic schools. The principles, drawn from key insights from both the theory and current practice of religious education, could have relevance for Catholic school administrators, policy makers and religious education teachers. In addition, other areas were identified which could be useful for further investigation to enhance existing knowledge in this field of study.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Instructional Systems and Technology and Religious Studies, 2006.
"Title from dissertation home page (viewed July 12, 2007)." Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-10, Section: A, page: 3695. Adviser: Charles M. Reigeluth.

Thesis (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This research focuses on teacher-learning for religious and cultural diversity. The background to the study is associated with curriculum reforms in South Africa since democratization in 1994 and the growing interest globally in the integration of Citizenship education and Religion education. In South Africa, the new national curricula after 1994 introduced Life Orientation as a learning area / subject which includes Citizenship education with Religion education as key focus areas. The outcomes associated with these focus areas require school-based learners to demonstrate knowledge of diversity, co-operative and communicative forms of democracy and commitment to the values espoused in The Constitution. The question that arises in relation to the professional development of teachers in this regard, concerns whether teachers have the professional knowledge base to ensure that their learners acquire the knowledge and skills to enable them to participate as competent citizens in a pluralist democracy. Consequently the large-scale transmissionist approaches to teacher development that have dominated INSET programmes have been critiqued in this study for being inadequate for learning the complexities associated with diversity, citizenship and democracy. This study has hence advocated for teacher-learning through participation in communities of practice which arguably provide appropriate learning conditions in which dialogue and critical reflection characterise the interaction between teachers. On the grounds that South Africa’s social-political history enforced the segregation of racial groups and privileged Christianity above other religions or beliefs, a further argument is related to how this history has influenced teachers’ frames of reference and whether teachers’ frames of reference continue to influence how Citizenship education is approached in the classroom. Hence, the theoretical framework for this study has been formulated to address the issue of teacher-learning for Citizenship education and Religion education (Citizenship education/Religion education) and the extent to which the frames of reference of teachers influence their approaches to democracy, values, citizenship and diversity. To this end two learning theory perspectives have been explored, viz. Mezirow’s transformative learning theory (1991, 2000) and communities of practice, as conceptualised by Wenger (1998, 2006b). The efficacy of the communities of practice concept for teacher-learning for diversity was investigated against a transformative learning theory background, using a mixed methods approach. A cross-sectional survey was conducted amongst 60 secondary schools in the Gauteng province, followed by a phase of participatory action research (PAR) with three teachers over a period of approximately eight months. The survey questionnaire was designed to determine the perspectives of a sample of Life Orientation teachers towards learning and teaching religious and cultural diversity in Life Orientation. The findings were used to inform the action research process which in turn drew attention to the significance of the community of practice concept for assisting teachers to generate content knowledge for Citizenship education/Religion education from an inclusive and constructivist perspective. The findings of the survey questionnaire indicated that the majority of the teachers in the sample were not opposed to including religious diversity in their Life Orientation classes despite not having backgrounds in Religious Studies or meaningful in-service training. The PAR findings indicate the value of engagement by teachers in a community of practice for creating and acquiring appropriate content knowledge and for critical reflection on the meaning and application of democratic and personal values for Citizenship education/Religion education.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie navorsingsprojek fokus op onderwyser-leer ter bevordering van religieuse en kulturele diversiteit. Die agtergrond van hierdie studie is enersyds kurrikulumhervorming in Suid-Afrika sedert demokratisering in 1994 en andersyds die groeiende, wêreldwye belangstelling in die integrasie van Burgerskapopvoeding (Citizenship Education) en Religieuse-onderrig (Religion Education). Lewensoriëntering as ‘n leerarea/vak wat Burgerskapopvoeding en Religieuse-onderrig as primêre fokus insluit, is na 1994 as deel van die nuwe nasionale kurrikulum in Suid-Afrika bekendgestel. Die leeruitkomste van hierdie fokus vereis dat leerders kennis moet demonstreer rakende: diversiteit, samewerkende- en kommunikatiewe vorms van demokrasie en die verbintenis tot die waardes soos in die Grondwet vervat. Die vraag word gestel of die professionele ontwikkeling van onderwysers die nodige professionele kennisbasis bied wat kan verseker dat leerders wel kennis en vaardighede verwerf wat hulle in staat sal stel om bevoegde burgers te wees om aan ‘n pluralistiese demokrasie deel te neem. In hierdie studie word die transmissionistiese benaderings (transmissionist approaches) wat die indiensonderwysersopleiding (INSET) gedomineer het, krities ondersoek en bevraagteken ook hierdie benadering vir die onderrig-leer van kompleksiteite soos diversiteit, burgerskap en demokrasie. In hierdie studie word onderwyser-leer by wyse van deelname aan “gemeenskappe van praktyk” (communities of practice) onderskryf hoofsaaklik weens die moontlikhede wat hierdie benadering bied om gepaste leeromstandighede te skep waar onderwysers se interaksie deur dialoog en kritiese refleksie en terugskouing gekenmerk word. In die lig van Suid-Afrika se sosio-politiese geskiedenis waartydens die segregasie van rassegroepe afgedwing is en Christendom bo ander religieë of geloofsoortuigings bevoorreg was, word kritiese argumente gevoer rondom die invloed van hierdie geskiedenis op onderwysers se verwysingsraamwerke en hoe hierdie betrokke verwysingsraamwerke onderwysers se benadering tot Burgerskapopvoeding beïnvloed het. In die teoretiese raamwerk van hierdie studie word die grondliggende kwessies en diskoerse van onderwyser-leer vir Burgerskapopvoeding en Religieuse-onderrig (Burgerskapopvoeding/ Religieuse-onderrig) ondersoek asook die mate waarop die verwysingsraamwerke van onderwysers hulle onderrigbenaderinge tot demokrasie, waardes, burgerskap en diversiteit beïnvloed het. Die twee leerteorieë en perspektiewe van Mezirow se Transformatiewe Leerteorie (1991, 2000) en “gemeenskappe van praktyk”, soos deur Wenger (1998, 2006b) gekonseptualiseer is, word as vertrekpunte geneem. Die effektiwiteit van die konsep “gemeenskappe van praktyk” vir onderwys-leer in belang van diversiteit, word ondersoek teen die agtergrond van ‘n transformatiewe leerteorie deur gebruik te maak van ‘n gemengde-metodesbenadering (mixed methods approach). ‘n Deursnee-opname is aan 60 sekondêre skole in die Gauteng provinsie gedoen, gevolg deur ‘n fase van Deelnemende-Aksienavorsing met drie onderwysers oor ‘n tydperk van ongeveer agt maande. Die vraelys vir die opname is sodanig ontwerp dat ‘n steekproef Lewensoriënteringonderwysers se perspektiewe van onderrig-leer van religieuse en kulturele diversiteit in Lewensoriëntering bepaal kon word. Hierdie bevindinge is vir die aksienavorsingsfase gebruik wat die aandag gefokus het op die belangrikheid van “gemeenskappe van praktyk” as ‘n konsep wat onderwysers kan help om inhoudskennis vir Burgerskapopvoeding/Religieuse-onderrig vanuit ‘n inklusiewe en konstruktiewe benadering te genereer. Die bevindinge van die vraelysopname toon dat die meerderheid van die onderwysers, wat deel was van die steekproef, nie gekant is teen die insluiting van religieuse diversiteit in Lewensoriënteringsklasse nie ten spyte van die feit dat hulle geen agtergrond in Religieuse-onderrig of enige ander betekenisvolle indiensopleiding ontvang het nie. Die bevindings van die Deelnemende– Aksienavorsingsproses bewys die waarde van onderwyserbetrokkenheid in “gemeenskappe van praktyk” om inhoudskennis te verwerf en krities na te dink oor die betekenis en toepassings van demokratiese en persoonlike waardes vir Burgerskapopvoeding/Religieuse-onderrig.

The purpose of this grounded theory research study was to discover the transformational learning elements of a small group experience at an Evangelical Christian church that fosters personal transformation. Given the lack of Evangelical Christians experiencing personal transformation within small groups, leaders and teachers could learn much from transformational learning theory that continues to be the predominant framework for research in the area of adult education. The source of data for this study was interviews with small group leaders, teachers, and participants who had experienced a personal transformation while attending a small group. Analysis of the data found that participants faced a variety of circumstances that were personal, meaningful, and transformative, revealing 8 elements, mostly relational, within the small group experience that fostered personal transformation. The concluding theory for this study is that the relational elements of small groups, such as love, care, prayer, and connection create a transformative learning environment where personal transformation is likely to take place through the transparency and development of close relationships with others in the group. Implications of this study include pastors and leaders incorporating relational elements into small groups by taking intentional steps to match individuals, set expectations, set an example, be open and honest, know members, focus on the Bible, be ready to learn, and assess throughout. Creating a life-changing small group experience is an essential mission of Evangelical churches and by incorporating these elements churches can make great strides in fostering spiritual growth and personal transformation in individuals’ lives.

As the percentage of students opting for nonpublic schooling increased in the nineties, private sector choices have diversified, with schools as distinctly different as Afro-centric, Waldorf, Jewish, Muslim, and varieties of Christian schools. Much of the early research in how parents make school choices focused on school climate features rather than curricular considerations. In this study a somewhat isolated population related both by blood and religious association was analyzed in terms of their schooling, choices over a nineteen year period. The PEERS (political, educational, economic, religious, and social attitudes.) Test indicated that although these seven families are highly congruent in their beliefs, their schooling choices were well distributed between public school, a private Christian School with a traditional curriculum, a private Christian school with a continuous progress curriculum (A.C.E.), and homeschooling. The four research questions for this project were: What factors influenced each separate schooling choice? What was the parents' understanding of the curricular differences among their several choices? To what degree did curriculum, affect the parents' final choice of a school? What does the evidence show about parents' ability to make effective choices? The author's participant observation in the test group's cultural milieu for over eight years provided knowledge about the group's thinking processes. Formal exit interviews were recorded and coded for insights on how schooling choices were made. From the analysis of the parents' stated reasons for schooling changes the two most significant findings were the strong influence of adult peer pressure to follow certain trends in schooling choices, and a definite chronological progression ending with strong family commitments to a particular choice. Primary themes which arose, from the exit interviews included parents' ability to recognize individual differences among children, parental understanding of the role of curriculum and the role of the school environment, specifically safety issues and peer influence. Unexpected themes which arose were supervisory concerns, the question of values, and philosophical issues. While curriculum was concluded not to be a strong factor in parents' decision, the results did confirm parent gains in understanding of curriculum, over time. Results also affirmed parental efficacy in educational decision making.

Educational leaders have many choices of organizational, curricular, and instructional interventions for academically underprepared high school freshmen. In the past decade, doubled instructional time in core subjects has become an increasingly popular intervention in large public school districts. Results so far have been mixed and there are no studies investigating the effects of this strategy in the private school sector. The purpose of this retrospective, pretest-posttest quasi-experiment with nonequivalent groups was to examine whether significant differences existed in the academic achievement gains of academically underprepared Catholic high school freshmen who received double-dosed mathematics and/or English instruction during ninth grade compared to equally underprepared peers who did not. The study used a dataset of 493 cases from an urban Catholic diocese in the San Francisco Bay Area. Academic achievement data consisted of archived mathematics and reading scores from two standardized, norm-referenced batteries with a published predictive validity metric of r = .83 (pretest: HSPT, posttest: PLAN). Independent t-test, ANCOVA, and ANOVA analyses were conducted to identify differences between group means and variances. Analyses revealed no statistically significant differences in posttest scores in mathematics or reading between the groups, challenging existing assumptions from previous effectiveness findings in the public school sector. The results indicate that, as a stand-alone intervention, doubled instructional time in the core subjects does not accelerate achievement gains for academically underprepared freshmen at urban Catholic high schools.

This thesis aimed to study the perspectives of religious education coordinators’ in secondary schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne regarding their management of a particular curriculum change in religious education. The change in question involved a “top down” (Morris, 1995) change to a “text-based curriculum” (Pell, 2001) directed by the Archbishop of Melbourne, who is responsible for religious education in Catholic schools throughout the Archdiocese. Situated within a qualitative paradigm this research utilised grounded theory as a means to identify and analyse the theory generated from interviews with religious education coordinators who were responsible for managing the change. The emergent categories were used to generate new theory in relation to how religious education coordinators managed the curriculum change. Key theories generated from this study included factors that impeded the change such as an inability to understand the theoretical position underpinning the curriculum innovation, and inadequate qualifications to teach religious education. It also generated theory about factors that assisted the management of this change such as time to reflect on practice, and support from school leadership teams. The theory generated was analysed against the existing knowledge about curriculum change in education, textbook use and leadership in religious education. A distinguishing aspect of this research is that it linked the general literature on educational change as it applies to curriculum change, with curriculum change in religious education.The study also proposed some recommendations for future directions and practices concerning the management of curriculum change in religious education in Catholic schools.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University
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L. Harold DeWolf's participation in the Cooperative Curriculum Project is examined in order to set forth the mutual relationship between theology and religious education described in DeWolf's thoughts. DeWolf's emphasis on experience and relationships in both educational and theological questions offsets the programmatic curriculum approach characteristic of the project. [TRUNCATED]
2031-01-01

The aim of this study was to quantitatively measure refutation text's power for conceptual change while qualitatively discovering students' preference of refutation or expository text structures. This study also sought to examine if religious interest levels predict conceptual change. Participants for this study were 9th, 10th-, 11th-, and 12th-grade seminary students from the private religious educational system of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). The study was conducted in two sessions. Session 1 involved pretesting, interventions, and posttesting. Session 2 involved delayed posttesting and participant interviews. Results were predominately measured quantitatively with some qualitative interview analysis added to enrich the study. This research study provides insight into the refutation text effects in LDS religious education. Results of the study showed significant differences in conceptual change between participants reading refutation texts and those reading expository texts. In every case, the refutation text group performed higher on posttests than did the expository group. Results also showed participant preference toward refutation text structures. Furthermore, the study found significant correlations that verify topic interest as a possible predictor of conceptual change. Insights are valuable in aiding curriculum developers in implementing effective ways to teach doctrinal principles by utilizing refutation text interventions. The advantages of this research study add to educational research and identify areas for improvement and exploration in further research. This study of refutation text effects in religious education also broadens researchers' understanding of refutation text's power for conceptual change in subjects outside of K-12 science. Results of this study are of interest to researchers, teachers, curriculum writers, and LDS seminary teachers and administrators.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD
This research study investigated the perceptions of Religious and Moral Education (RME) teachers in Namibia with regard to the implementation of the RME syllabus, Grades 5-10 in actual teaching and learning situations. It also examined to what extent pre-service and in-service training prepare these teachers to deal with the demands of the subject in their professional classroom situations. The relevance of the study was that the continuing process of curriculum development would benefit from specific knowledge of the perceptions of teachers and learners, regarding their problems and problem-solving, shortcomings in the system, pre-service and in-service training, and support services. The study took place amidst a global debate on paradigms in the teaching of religion and moral formation. It could therefore also contribute to a growing canon of literature with specific contributions based on empirical research. The study reviewed literature in the field of religious and moral education, the official curricula and syllabi, as well as all other policy and training documents relating to the subject. A carefully sampled case study of teachers in public schools in the Ompundja Circuit of the Oshana Region was carried out. In 1990, under the new constitution, Namibia was declared a secular state, recognising all religions. This was contrary to the colonial period in which Christianity was the only recognised religion and taught under a Christian national ideology in an apartheid political setup. The new dispensation brought new challenges to the subject teachers because, in the past, most of them were only trained to teach Biblical Instruction/Biblical Studies. In the new constitution, the state neither favours nor neglects any of the religious orientations. The context of the study was, thus, the appropriate choice for a particular paradigm in which religion and morality are studied at school level, based upon the principles of a multi-religious and multi-cultural society where both teachers and learners gain knowledge and understanding of other faiths and values; a culture of tolerance is encouraged and fostered; the rights of different religions and their moral values are respected and promoted; and learners are prepared for responsible citizenship

Experts do not agree on the definition of spiritual development although positive spiritual development benefits society in many ways. Without agreement on the definition of spiritual development and a common understanding of spiritual development, parents, teachers, and pastors who are entrusted with the task of fostering positive spiritual development in Christian settings face the challenges of determining what spiritual development is (definition), the desired goals (culmination) of spiritual development, and the most effective ways to meet those goals (context and content). The purpose of this study was to use data, from the social sciences and Christian points of view, to inform Christian education programs and arrive at recommendations for fostering young children's spiritual development. Data sources include textual literature from the social science and Christian points of view. In addition, the researcher gathered interview data from twenty children's pastors. Research results included: 1. It is possible that spirituality is associated with sensory awareness. 2. Examining spirituality as sensory awareness may lead to focusing on innate qualities of spiritual capacity with a more focused inclusion of children with special needs in faith-based programs, a God-given conscience, and consideration that children may be born with spiritual gifts to express their spiritual nature. 3. Congregations/parishes under utilize intergenerational activities, time for quiet and reflection, and opportunities to talk to children about spiritual matters.