Addressing Existential Issues through the Eyes of Swedish Religious Education Teachers

• Existential issues have been integral to the non-confessional subject of religious education (RE, ‘religionskunskap’) in Sweden since the late 1960s. This chapter deals with Swedish RE teachers’ prioritizations and reflections concerning existential issues in RE teaching. Data from interviews and classroom observations with 21 RE teachers in lower and upper secondary schools are analysed together with data from a national survey among RE teachers (n= 2342). The findings suggest that while teachers see existential issues as very important, they are far more likely to prioritize the study of ‘world religions’, referring to lack of time and a need to teach from a factual basis. These prioritizations are discussed in relation to religion  as a private matter, the concept of religious literacy, and the ‘Nussbaumian’ three crucial capacities of education.

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Filosofi, etik och religion -- Religionsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Philosophy, Ethics and Religion -- Religious Studies (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap -- Didaktik (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences -- Didactics (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Religious Education

Sweden

Existential Question

existential issue

world view

teacher

survey

interviews

Sociology of Religion

Religionssociologi

Curriculum Studies

Didaktik

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

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