Final Research Proposal - Sean Healy. Professional ... · Final Research Proposal ... Research Proposal dealing with the question of how to best teach Religious Education in ... This

Catholic Secondary Religious Education. A Proposed Study.

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EDFD668 : Task 3

Final Research

Proposal

Interpreting and Designing Educational Research

Sean Healy S00083524.

s00083524

Sticky Note

6.1.7 1 of 1. Explore educational ideas and issues through research. Research Proposal dealing with the question of how to best teach Religious Education in Catholic Secondary schools.


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Final Research Proposal for

Catholic Secondary

Religious Education

Introduction

This research proposal wishes to address the topic of Religious Education

(henceforth RE). It proposes to gather survey data to further the debate on the

current problem of how best to teach RE in Australian Catholic Secondary schools.

Specifically, it wishes to do this by answering the questions of what purpose and

which content young adults wish to see present in the RE of Australian Catholic

Secondary schools.

Background Context

There has been a significant world-wide interest over recent decades with including

the religion subject in state schools (Barnes, 2008; Finlay and Kennedy, 1998;

Numen Editorial, 2008; Carmody, 2003; and Jackson cited in Alberts, 2008). This

issue has become increasingly important in recent decades due to the multicultural

nature of many societies as well as publications from working bodies of the United

Nations calling for governments and schools to “play a large part in contributing to

religious tolerance as well as for the respect for freedom of religion or belief“

(Jackson, 2008). As a direct result, many nations have responded by including a


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compulsory religion subject in their school state curriculum or by modifying existing

religion programs to have a more multi-faith approach.

Because of the secular nature of Western states, both the content and underlying

purpose of teaching religion has often been challenged and modified (Hill, 2004, p

173; Broadbent and Brown, 2002, p 88). As a result, the teaching purpose has

generally moved from a faith based confessional approach to one of several secular

non confessional models. Sometimes these different approaches have been viewed

as opposite or even conflicting (Carmody, 2003; Davies and Francis, 2007). The first

non confessional approach was introduced in Britain through Working Paper 36

(Schools Council 1971, cited in Barnes, 2007 and also Cush, 1999) and was

followed in some Australian schools in the mid 1980’s (Goldburg, 2008). In recent

decades a range of non confessional models have been implemented and at present

there is no clearly agreed and universal model (Lefebure, 2006; Patton, Robbins and

Newby, 2009; Matemba, 2005).

Justification for Study

There is growing international evidence that parents and religious communities are

beginning to shun mainline state schools explicitly because of their religious

educational policies (IES Institute of Educational Studies, 2008; Barnes, 2008; Hull,

2003; McKay, 2002). Currently, there is much debate regarding the problem of the

best way to teach RE (Barnes, 2007, 2008; Bell, 2008; Goldburg, 2005, 2008;

Davies and Francis, 2007; Hill, cited in Loria, 2006; Patrick, cited in Loria, 2006;


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Moore, 2006; Ramey, 2006; Hull, 2003; Cush, 1999; Alberts, 2008; Matemba, 2005;

Groome, 1998, p. 7). This proposed study is justified because its purpose will be to

create quality data for that debate and to help inform policy decisions.

Although the Australian Catholic School systems are not bound by secular

constraints, there are many educators advocating that an underlying non

confessional purpose as well as non Catholic subject content should also be present

in these systems. Currently for example, there is much debate within Religious

Studies courses at the Australian Catholic University on whether or not to teach

World Religions with a more non confessional de-Christianised ethics content in the

Catholic RE subject.

Many educators are in favour of such a change. Cush (1999) argues that students

are less reluctant to participate in non confessional environments. Others argue non

confessional objective studies of World Religions are more likely to produce

tolerance and respect as well as suit modern pluralistic communities and be better

suited to the school environment (Engebretson, 2009; Jackson, 2008; Watson (cited

in Davies and Francis, 2007); Carmody, 2003). Likewise, Moran and Harris argue

that non Catholic content such as World Religions need to be studied to help form

and enlighten Catholic students (Moran cited in Ryan, 2007, p 75; Harris and Moran,

1998, pp. 39, 55, 83; Harris, 1989, pp. 32-34, 122).


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Purpose of Study

The purpose of this study is to survey students with regards to their perceptions of

what purpose and which content is best suited to RE in Catholic Secondary schools

in order to add further quality data to the current problem of how to best teach RE in

Catholic Secondary schools. It aims to ascertain how young adults saw their RE and

through deductive reasoning, ascertain what changes, if any, they would like to see

made to the content or the underlying purpose present in this subject.

This study aims at reducing the deficiency of available knowledge regarding the

attitudes of young adults towards RE. As students and teachers are partners in the

success of RE, surveying the attitudes of young adults, who have recently completed

Secondary education will increase our knowledge about student preferences and

should better inform practice. This study aims to be useful to Bishops, Religious

Co-ordinators of Catholic schools, individual Religion teachers and also parish based

catechists teaching Catholic school students in state schools. This data should also

help future teachers of RE, such as myself, to design interesting and relevant Units

of Work and better understand the attitudes and needs of students.

Previous Studies

There are many different stakeholders in the teaching of religion in Catholic schools

including students, parents, religious authorities, religious communities, teachers and

other educators as well as the different levels of government and society at large


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(Nixon, 2008). Previous studies concerning RE have canvassed the opinions of

many of these groups. A large part of the current debate has centred on the attitudes

towards RE of contemporary students. In the Australian context, Rossiter is one of

the main religious educators cited in such debates.

Rossiter (2002) citing research by Flynn and Mok (Catholic Schools 2000: A

Longitudinal Study) reports on an extensive study of 8,300 year 11 and 12 students

at NSW Catholic Schools to show many students thought RE had “little or no

relevance to their lives” and was considered by them to be of much less importance

than other subjects. He mentions that a striking conclusion from the authors was that

“Catholic schools could well discontinue formal Religion classes in Years 11 and 12.”

This study showed that only 19% of the students surveyed took RE seriously and

only just over a third thought RE was related to real life (35%) or was taught at a

level comparable with other subjects (38%).

Rossiter questions the meaningfulness and relevance of traditional religion and RE

for today’s young (Crawford and Rossiter, 2004; Rossiter, 2003; Rossiter, 2002;

Rossiter, 2001a; Rossiter, 2001b; Rossiter, 1996). He also believes students are

less likely to receive the truth claims of the Catholic Church seriously (1981) and that

students currently perceive RE as boring, unchallenging, not educational and not

contemporary with their needs (Rossiter, 2000; Crawford and Rossiter, 1994). He

feels RE does not take into account the interests and philosophies of students

(Rossiter, 1997). He hypothesises that a non confessional approach and the


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balancing of traditional Catholic content with both contemporary life issues and a

more critical investigation of Catholic belief will make RE more relevant and

appealing to students (Rossiter, 1981). Some of the issues he would specifically

introduce would be the role of women in religion and discussions of any gender bias

in the Catholic Church; the impact of the new physics on religious thinking;

controversial issues within other religions; indigenous spiritualities; a critical

investigation of miracles; euthanasia; world religions; contraception and birth control;

globalisation; capitalism; and links between religion and racism (Crawford and

Rossiter, 2006, pp. 380, 394-397; Rossiter, 2001a; Rossiter, 2001c; Rossiter, 1996).

Some of this suggested RE content will be put to young adults in this proposed study

for their consideration.

A German study from Ulrich Riegel and Hans-Georg Ziebertz (2007) interviewed

1925 German adolescent public school students on what they felt should be the

purpose of RE. The great majority of them supported non confessional purposes

such as learning about religions (90%), ethics (87%) and life skills (78%). Less than

20% of respondents thought that the purpose of RE should be to bring the students

closer to the Church or to the Christian faith. Just over 21% of respondents thought

there should not be any RE at all. If we limit the responses to only the group who

categorised themselves as religious, 15% agreed that there should be no RE. Only

about a third of the religiously self-defined students thought that the purpose of RE

was to bring the student closer to the Church or the Christian faith. It is interesting to


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note that 63% of those defining themselves as religious, and 50% of overall

respondents were Catholics.

The authors concluded that young German adolescents

“……wished for a religious education that objectively informs them about different religions and also encourages them to seek answers to important life questions. A religious education along strictly denominational lines is strongly rejected, as is the idea of doing away with religious education at public schools altogether.”

Another study, done by Geraint Davies presents a mixed picture regarding the

perceived purposes and content of RE by the heads of 112 Welsh Primary Church

schools. In this study the author compares the Christian confessional aims of many

of the syllabi for Religious Instruction with that of the aims of the head teachers.

These teachers are more likely to see RE as a search for meaning rather than a

presentation of answers. While 91% thought spiritual development in church schools

should involve experiencing periods of silent reflection, not more than 49% of

respondents linked this to experiencing feelings of transcendence. On the other hand

98% of respondents thought that RE should encourage students to develop personal

beliefs, with 83% specifically stating these beliefs should be Christian. As with the

German study, there was a positive correlation between strong religious identity and

a more confessional attitude towards RE.


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Method of Collecting the Data

This paper proposes to survey a sample of 300 University students in the form of a

questionnaire. This survey will use both quantitative and qualitative approaches and

would take place at the Australian Catholic University Strathfield campus on a

voluntary basis by enrolled students. The scope of the study will be confined to

ascertaining student views on the purpose and subject matter that they would like to

be present in RE at Australian Catholic High schools. There will be a strong

quantitative component of the study that will ask students questions regarding RE

purpose and subject content by using a 5 point Likert scale instrument which can be

found in Appendix A. The list of possible answers will be based from a range of

suggestions made by the educators and studies mentioned above. Half of the

answers for the “RE Purpose Question” will be broadly confessional and half non

confessional. Likewise half of the answers for the “RE Content Question” will contain

Catholic content and half non Catholic content. Independent nominal variables would

be isolated in the survey and would include the respondent’s religion and whether

they attended a Catholic Secondary school. The independent ordinal variable of the

level of the respondents religious persuasion will also be ascertained in order to

distinguish between the nominal and actively religious. The survey would also

contain a qualitative open question where students will be asked to contribute any

thoughts they have regarding what is of interest to them on the topic of Religion.


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Analysis and Reporting of the Data

The percentages of agreeing and disagreeing responses for each of the questions

will be compared and this will give a good indication of student attitudes.

The Likert scales will also be interpreted as interval data (Creswell, 2008, p 176) with

the most positive answers (strongly agree) converted to a 5 and so on down to the

most negative answers (strongly disagree) which will be converted to a 1. Standard

deviations and variances will be calculated for all closed answer options to find the

responses that enjoy the greatest level of agreement amongst respondents.

Resulting answers will be grouped into the corresponding categories of

“confessional” / “non confessional” and “Catholic content” / “non Catholic content”.

The means for the individual answers as well as the means for the category group

answers will then be analysed to ascertain student perspectives on the purpose and

content they would prefer in Catholic Secondary RE. These means as well as the

overall percentages will be correlated with both the religious persuasion of each

student as well as whether they attended a Catholic High school in order to ascertain

whether there are any links between these independent variables and responses. A

summary of the quantitative data and the findings will be included in the final report.

The responses for the qualitative open question regarding what is of interest to

students in RE will be analysed and categorised into main themes and these themes

and their frequencies will also be included by the author in the final report.

Expected Results

To my knowledge, no research has previously been carried out in the Australian

educational sector to determine the thoughts and feelings towards Catholic RE of

young adults who have recently finished Secondary education. As a result, it is

difficult to anticipate expected results for this study. If the attitudes of respondents


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are in agreement with Rossiter’s hypothesis and in line with the German adolescent

student study by Riegel and Ziebertz then the results will show a preference for a

non confessional approach and strong support for non Catholic content in Catholic

Secondary RE.

It is expected that there will be some positive correlation between the level of

Catholic religiosity and both the preference for Catholic content and a Confessional

approach to teaching RE. It is also expected that there will be a positive correlation

between non confessional and non Catholic content preference responses.

The answers to both the open question and the Likert scale questions will provide

quality data from which to assess student perceptions and suggestions towards

Catholic Secondary RE. It should correctly reflect their current attitudes, interests

and needs as well as indicate any positive or negative attitudes they may have about

Catholic RE. The studies’ findings should give support to some educators and

encourage other educators to re-assess their current approach to either be more in

harmony with respondent’s thoughts or to more clearly and better present their own

rationale to Secondary students and young adults in regards to the current debate.

Considerations in Sampling

The target group of respondents will be students attending the Strathfield campus of

the Australian Catholic University. The reasons for choosing this group as the target

group from which to gather information is multi-fold. Firstly, it is for convenience. The

author of this study is currently studying himself at the ACU and so has relatively

good access to the target group. Secondly, students at the University are more likely

to have attended a Secondary Catholic school. As a relatively large percentage of


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the students at Strathfield campus are studying education, their opinions on RE

should be well informed and insightful. As undergraduates or post graduate students,

they are likely to be more maturely able to assess Secondary RE from a not too

distant perspective and to clearly articulate their insights.

A limitation in choosing this target population is that it only gathers information from

tertiary students at the Strathfield campus of the Australian Catholic University. While

having advantages, the young Australian adults who do not attend this particular

university campus are completely left out of the gathered data.

Students will be approached on campus on a random basis and an extrinsic reward

of a chocolate will be used to entice students to complete the survey. As such, the

survey will be on a voluntary basis and the sample cannot be guaranteed to be

representative of a typical cross section at the campus (Creswell, 2008, p 155).

However, the survey is designed to be short and easy to answer. In combination with

the extrinsic reward this should facilitate a large response rate and help contribute to

a fairer representation of student’s attitudes.

Ensuring Validity of Results

In early August, to establish the validity of the questionnaire, there will be a pilot

study with 10 students at the ACU campus. This pilot study will focus on the clarity of

survey questions and the accuracy of recorded data. Special emphasis will be

placed on questions showing responses that have a large variance with other


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questions within the same category as well as the ‘free form’ comments. The

purpose of the pilot study is to ensure student understanding the questions and

responses correctly represent their thoughts on the topic. These students will be

interviewed after completing the questionnaire in order to ensure that the recording

of information is commensurate with their views. The questionnaire will be amended

if any part is found to be invalid.

Ethical Considerations

This study aims at meeting the ethical standards as outlined by the ACU Human

Research Ethics Committee (HREC). It will first gain permission from HREC to

conduct the student survey on campus through the standard application form and

then comply with any requirements the University may make. Possible requirements

might include a 1 page preface to the questionnaire asking prospective respondents

to agree to participate in the study and informing them of the purpose and

anticipated benefits of the study as well as any potential harm that may be caused

and their rights as a respondent while also guaranteeing the confidentiality of the

data they provide. Students may be required to sign a consent form before beginning

the questionnaire (HREC guidelines; Creswell, 2008, pp. 158-159).

The questionnaire is designed to be non invasive. The question regarding a

student’s level of religiosity may be interpreted as a sensitive or emotional question

by some respondents but it is a vital piece of data that will be needed to interpret

results. It is anticipated that the level of harm for the respondents will be assessed as


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negligible and that approval from the HREC will be quickly granted. The following

timeline gives an outline of the expected progression of the study.

Proposed Timeline for Research Study

Late June Apply to and receive approval from the HREC for the study.

Early August Begin gathering survey data at the ACU Strathfield campus.

Middle September Finnish gathering data and report progress to the HREC.

Late September Analyse gathered data and prepare the study report.

Late October Finalise and submit the study report to the head lecturer.

Early November Report to HREC that the study has completed.


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Reference List

Alberts, W. (2008). Didactics of the Study of Religions. Numen. 55 : 2-3, 300-334. Barnes, L. P. (2007). Developing a new post-liberal paradigm for British Religious Education. Journal of Beliefs & Values. 28: 1, April 2007, 17–32. Barnes, L. P. (2008). The 2007 Birmingham Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education: a new direction for statutory religious education in England and Wales. Journal of Beliefs & Values, 29: 1, 75 — 83. Bell, C. (2008). Extracting the Paradigm-Ouch! Method and Theory in the Study of Religion 20: 2, 114-124. Broadbent, L. and Brown, A. (ed.) (2002). Issues in Religious Education. London: RoutledgeFalmer. Carmody, B. (2003). Religious Education and Pluralism in Zambia. Religious

Education. 98: 2, 139-154.

Crawford, M. L. and Rossiter, G. M. (1994). The Nature of Religious Education in Public Schools: The Quest for an Educational Identity, Panorama: International Journal of Comparative Religious Education and Values. 5(1), 77-94. Crawford, M. L. & Rossiter, G. M. (2004). Editorial: Spirituality and Religious Education. Journal of Religious Education. 53 , 1, 1-2. Crawford, M. and Rossiter, G. (2006). Reasons for Living. Victoria : Acer Press. Cresswell, J. W. Educational Research. Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research. New Jersey: Pearson education, Inc. Cush, D. (1999). The Relationships between Religious Studies, Religious Education And Theology: Big Brother, Little Sister and the Clerical Uncle? British Journal of Religious Education. 21: 3, 137 — 146. Davies, G. (2007). Spiritual development in church schools-a survey of Welsh head teachers’ perceptions. International Journal of Children’s Spirituality. 12 : 3,

307–324.


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Davies, G. and Francis, L. J. (2007). Three approaches to religious education at Key Stages one and two in Wales: how different are church schools? Journal of Beliefs & Values. 28 : 2, 163–182. Editorial (2008). The Challenge of Religious Education for the History of Religions.

Numen International Review for the History of Religions. 55 : 121–122.

Engerbretson, K. (2009). In Your Shoes. Victoria : Connor Court Publishing Pty Ltd. Finlay, G and Kennedy, A. (1998). Religious Education and the National Curriculum: A Catholic Perspective. DELTA - Policy and Practice in

Education. 50 : 1.

Goldburg, P. (2008). Teaching Religion in Australian Schools. Numen 55 : 241–271. Goldburg, P. (2005). Teaching World Religions: Developing Critical Religious Literacy. Journal of Religious Education. 53: 4, 24-29. Groome, T. (1998). Educating for Life. A Spiritual Vision for Every Teacher and

Parent. Allen, Texas : Thomas More.

Harris, M. (1989). Dance of the Spirit. The Seven Steps of Women’s Spirituality. Sydney : Bantam Books.

Harris, M and Moran, G. (1998). Reshaping Religious Education. Conversations on contemporary practice. Louisville : Westminster/John Knox Press. Hill, B. V. (2004). Exploring Religion in School. Adelaide: Openbook Publishers. Hull, J. M. (2003). The Blessings of Secularity: Religious Education in England and Wales. Journal of Religious Education. 51 : 3, 51-58. HREC guidelines. Ethical Conduct in Research Involving Humans. Guidelines for Applicants to the Human Research Ethics Committee. From the ACU website http://www.acu.edu.au/about_acu/research/for_researchers/research_ethics/

IES Institute of Educational Studies - US Department of Education. (2008). 1.5 Million Homeschooled Students in the United States in 2007. Issue Brief. December 2008.

Jackson, R. (2008). Teaching about Religions in the Public Sphere: European Policy Initiatives and the Interpretative Approach. Numen. 55 : 2-3, 151-182.


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Lefebure, L. D. (2006). Catholic Theological Education in a Religiously Pluralistic Age. Teaching Theology and Religion. 9 : 2, 85–90. Loria, P. (2006). Religious information poverty in Australian state schools. Journal of Christian Education, 49 : 3, 21-31. Matemba, Y. H. (2005). Multi-faith Religious Education in Botswana. Religious

Education. 100: 4, 404-424.

McKay, G. (2002). The Catholic Option: non Catholic Parent’s Choice of a Religious Education in Saskatoon Catholic Schools. A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate Studies and Research. University of Saskatchewan Library -

Electronic Theses & Dissertations.

Moore, J. R. (2006). Islam in Social Studies Education: What We Should Teach Secondary Students and Why it Matters. The Social Studies. Jul/Aug 2006; 97: 4, 139. Nixon, G. (2008). Postmodernity, Secularism and Democratic approaches to Education; the impact on Religious Education in Scotland : An Analysis of the ‘philosophication’ of Scottish Religious Education in Light of Social and Educational Change. Journal of Empirical Theology 22 (2009) :162-194. Patton, L. L., Robbins, V. K. and Newby, G. D. (2009). Comparative Sacred Texts

and Interactive Interpretation: Another Alternative to the “World Religions” Class. Teaching Theology and Religion. 12 : 1, 37 - 49.

Ramey, S. W. (2006). Critiquing Borders: Teaching About Religions in a Postcolonial World. Teaching Theology and Religion. 9 : 4, 211–220. Rossiter, G. M. (1981). Stifling Union or Creative Divorce? The Future Relationship between Catechesis and Religious Education in Catholic Schools, Word in Life, 29(4), 162-173. Rossiter, G. M. (1996). Young People's Perceptions of Science: The Influence on their Emerging Spirituality, Catholic School Studies. 69(2), 53-56. Rossiter, G. M. (1997). The Contribution of Thomas Groome’s Shared Christian Praxis to Catholic School Religious Education: Reflection by Practitioners. Journal of Religious Education. 45(3), 30- 34.


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Rossiter, G.M. (2001a), Finding the Balance: Religious Education in Australia , in Z. Caldwell (Ed.) Religious Education in Schools: Ideas and Experiences from around the World. International Association for Religious Freedom, Oxford. Rossiter, G. M. (2001b). Reasons for living: Religious Education and young

people's search for Spirituality and identity. In B. Roebben and M. Warren (Ed.) Religious Education as Practical Theology: Essays in Honour of Professor Herman Lombaerts, Annua Nuntia Lovaniensia Series. Leuven : Peeters Publishing, Leuven.

Rossiter, G. M. (2001c). The development of identity: Implications for Religious Education, in M. Ryan (Ed.) Echo and Silence: Contemporary issues for Australian Religious Education, Social Science Press, Wentworth Falls, NSW. Rossiter, G. M. (2002). Addressing an apparent crisis for Catholic School Religious

Education: The importance of ‘Relevance’ and of the theme ‘Search for Meaning’. Journal of Religious Education. 50 : 2.

Rossiter, G.M. (2003). Catholic Education and Values: A review of the role of Catholic schools in promoting the spiritual and moral development of pupils, Journal of Religion in Education. 4, 105-136. Riegel, U. and Ziebertz, H. (2007). Religious Education and Values. Journal of Empirical Theology. 20: 52-76. Ryan, M. (2007). A Common Search. The history and forms of religious education in

Catholic schools. Hamilton : Lumino Press.


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Appendix A - Proposed Questionnaire.

Please take your time and mark a cross ‘X’ against the answer which best describes your response.

1. Did you attend at any stage a Catholic High School ? Yes O No O

2. How would you describe your own religious identity ? _________________________

3. How important is this identity to you ? Not Of Little Sometimes Quite Very Important Importance Important Important Important

O O O O O

4. The purpose of Catholic Religious Education in High School should be to provide or encourage :

Strongly Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Disagree

A reasoned explanation of the Catholic faith O O O O O

An understanding of secular ethics O O O O O

An understanding of the beliefs of world religions O O O O O

An understanding of Catholic Church teaching O O O O O

A reflection and encounter with God O O O O O

A participation in community through the Church O O O O O

A participation in community apart from the Church O O O O O

A self identity that includes the Church O O O O O

A self identity apart from the Church O O O O O


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5. Subjects that should be included in Catholic Religious Education in High Schools are:

Strongly Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Disagree

Biblical studies O O O O O

An understanding of current affairs O O O O O

An understanding of secular ethics O O O O O

An understanding of feminist theologies O O O O O

Catholic contributions to science and education O O O O O

Catholic contribution to health, charity and art O O O O O

Scientific inquiry into miracles and the supernatural O O O O O

Historical investigation into early Christianity O O O O O

Understanding of World Religions O O O O O

A reasoned explanation of the Catholic faith O O O O O

Understanding of Aboriginal spiritual religions O O O O O

Understanding of New Age Spiritualities O O O O O

6. Is there any aspect of the topic of Religion that is of special interest to you?

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________


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Appendix B – Screen Prints of Selected Journals Showing First Page.


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Documents

Final Research Proposal - Sean Healy. Professional ... · Final Research Proposal ... Research Proposal dealing with the question of how to best teach Religious Education in ... This