Researching Religious Education as Social Practice

Beschreibung

The aim of this book is to contribute to an understanding of research in religious education as a practice. Therefore, the author discusses the relationship between the practice of RE research and the practice of teaching RE. The issue is the identity and self-understanding of religious education research. In the English language “religious education” may refer both to the school subject and to the research discipline. The author argues that it is essential to distinguish these as two different practices.
The aim of this book is to contribute to an understanding of research in religious education as a practice. Therefore, the author discusses the relationship between the practice of RE research on the one hand and the practice of teaching RE on the other. The understanding of education as a research discipline and the status and role of educational theories are increasingly debated. One key question is whether educational theories are in any respect different from other theories in the social and human sciences. Are theories created in educational research “practical” or “normative” in the sense that they should aim at prescribing or developing better practice? These are also important questions for research in religious education. The issue at stake is the identity and self-understanding of religious education research. In the English language “religious education” may refer both to the school subject and to the research discipline. The author argues that it is essential to distinguish these as two different practices. This means that clarifying what religious education as a school subject is does not automatically give an answer as to what religious education as a research discipline is. The book is divided into two parts. In part one a theoretical framework is established that will give a better understanding of the discussions in part two. The second part analyses the character of the research on religious education in relation to the practice of religious education, in the light of social scientific research. The chapters argue for a hermeneutically empirical understanding of research in religious education and a dialectical relationship between RE research and RE practice.

Autor*in

Geir Afdal
Geir Afdal is Professor of Religious Education at MF Norwegian School of Theology and Østfold University College.

Themen in »Researching Religious Education as Social Practice«

Religious Diversity Religionsunterricht RE research Yrjö Engeström Neo-Aristotelanism theory and practice Charles Taylor Schulpädagogik Religionspädagogik

Stimmen zu »Researching Religious Education as Social Practice«

Wer sich über neuere Ansätze praxisbezogener Forschung im Blick auf Religionsunterricht und Religionspädagogik im internationalen Diskurs orientieren will, hat mit Afdals Werk einen profunden Beitrag mit reichhaltigen Bezügen und exzellenten Darstellungen der wissenschaftstheoretischen Grundlage zur Hand, der überzeugende Grundlagen für eine partizipative Forschungsperspektive in diesem Feld bereitstellt. – Peter Schreiner auf: socialnet.de
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The book [...] will add an important dimension to the discussion on the interface between research and teaching in religious education. – Richard Rymarz in: Journal of Religious Education.
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