Opening up adult religious education and faith development in Ireland: the AREFD project

ABSTRACT

This study reports on findings from an online survey which was carried out in Ireland, in May–June 2019, as part of the Adult Religious Education and Faith Development (AREFD) research project being conducted at the Mater Dei Centre for Catholic Education, Dublin City University. Data provided by 738 respondents to the survey are reported upon in this paper. The three areas focused on are the profile of the respondents, the content areas and skills in religious education and faith development they said they would like to engage with, and the forms and modes of delivery they preferred. The key findings point to the importance of identity, influence, and language, the broad and diverse interests expressed by participants, and the preferences they indicated for blended learning, evening engagement during the week, and local discussion groups. The findings of the study will be beneficial to those involved in developing new and creative approaches to adult religious education and faith development.

KEYWORDS:

• Adult education
• faith development
• Ireland
• religious education

Introduction

There has long been a strong link in the minds of many between national identity in the Republic of Ireland and the Christian religion, particularly Catholicism (Williams 2005; Fuller 2002). Historical, political, religious, and social divisions, however, have been a strong feature in Northern Ireland (Cairns and Darby 1998). Recent decades have seen culture and society in both jurisdictions embrace a greater diversity and plural reality as has been seen elsewhere (Kieran 2019; Anderson, Byrne, and Cullen 2016). The separate provision for Catholic and Protestant students in schools, and the growing need to provide for those of other religions and worldviews has created a notable challenge to the school systems, North and South (Francis et al. 2020; Byrne 2018; Coll 2013).

In this context, the Irish Catholic Church responded, as other local Catholic Churches around the world did, to the General Directory for Catechesis (Congregation for the Clergy 1997) by producing its own directory. In Share the Good News: National directory for catechesis in Ireland ([SGN], Irish Episcopal Conference 2010) the Catholic Church in Ireland, organised across the two jurisdictions, recognises the plurality and diversity of Irish society today and acknowledges that the engagement of the younger population with faith and religious practice has waned. SGN dedicates a full chapter to adult faith development and affirms its primary importance in facilitating members of the Church to grow into the fullness of lived Christian faith (SGN, paras. 68-90). Recognising the changing culture in Ireland, the Irish bishops are keen to promote a national conversation within the Church and beyond (Byrne 2013) about faith and life in the twenty-first century (SGN, para. 8). The recent Directory for Catechesis (Pontifical Council for New Evangelisation, 2020) highlights the most up-to-date issues in teaching and learning within this area. With additional sections on ‘new family scenarios’, ‘Catechesis in situations of pluralism and complexity’ and ‘Catechesis and digital culture’, this resource may well help members of the Church begin to address some of the issues that are contentious amongst adults when it comes to faith and the modern world in which they live.

One of the areas central to this national conversation is understanding the language people use, in Ireland and elsewhere, when engaging in different ways with adult religious education and faith development. The field of adult religious education requires a multi-disciplinary understanding. Firstly, there must be a clarity on what is understood by ‘religious education’ the term commonly used in Ireland for the formal educational activity in this area in primary and post-primary, or second-level, schools. Religious education in primary schools in Ireland is the responsibility of patron bodies which oversee schools and often represent faith communities (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment 2020). In the Republic of Ireland, state-sponsored religious education syllabuses at post-primary level were introduced in 2000 (Junior Cycle level, 12- to 15-year-olds) and in 2003 (Senior Cycle level, 16- to 18-year-olds). These were designed to encourage more than a comparative study of religions and beliefs, seeking to ‘equip students to understand their own religious tradition or non-religious worldview and also to reflect on the religious traditions and worldviews of others’ (Byrne, Francis, and McKenna 2019, 204). The syllabuses are focused on more than ‘religious studies’ but not defined within a particular faith tradition. A new specification for religious education at Junior Cycle level was introduced in 2019 (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment 2019).

Having established the breadth of what is meant by ‘religious education’ in Ireland it is important to understand too the designation, ‘faith development’. Allowing for the variety of terms used in association with Christian initiation, catechesis, and theological reflection, for example, the Irish Episcopal Conference uses ‘faith development’ as an overarching term, ‘to encapsulate all the different approaches to ongoing education available to people from the beginning of their journey into Christian faith and throughout a lifetime of growth in that faith.’ (SGN, para. 43). The AREFD project, then, employs the title ‘adult religious education and faith development’ to indicate the broadness associated with religious education and the variety of participants it may draw into dialogue, and to acknowledge the faith formation and development element that may be envisaged as a possible outcome for those who become involved in the conversation.

Likewise, it is important in introducing this research project to reflect on the use of the terms ‘religion/religious’ and ‘spirituality/spiritual’. It is generally the case that those who are religious will happily use the term spiritual to describe their religious identity, the roots of the term spirituality having emerged from the Judeo-Christian tradition (Byrne 2004). On the other hand, according to Tisdell (2008), ‘defining “spirituality” is an elusive task’ (p. 28). She argues that in contemporary literature, spirituality can be understood as being about an individual’s personal experience with the sacred, which can be engaged with across different belief systems and worldviews. For some commentators, however, ‘spirituality’ and ‘religion’ are at polar opposites. Hooks (2000), for example, implying a knee-jerk like reaction from organised religion, sees spirituality as a means to ‘break mainstream cultural taboos that silence our passion for spiritual practice’ (p. 82). A recognised trend among adults today is in seeking spiritual answers to their questions outside of formal religious institutions (Zeph 2000; Ó Murchú 1998). For some, spirituality can be somewhat nebulous, with Wuthnow (1998) asking ‘whether ‘spiritual’ has become synonymous with ‘flaky” (p. 1). In educational contexts, providers are more conscious, given increasing pluralism, that the place of the spiritual and of the religious must be clarified and articulated appropriately.

Another issue that should be noted, too, in introducing this research is that formal education in religion and faith for adults has often been associated with training for ministry (Codd 2017). Today, terms, such as lay theological education and lay ministry have come to the fore (Elias 2006). Elias emphasises, however, that not all religious education takes place in formal settings, commenting that, ‘the most pervasive adult religious education taking place today is informal education’ (2012, 9). Religious education for adults can take place, for example, in homes, communities, places of worship, on pilgrimages or holidays, through group experiences, on the Internet and with mentors (Simojoki 2019; Chazan 2003; English 2000). The online world is a particular context that has seen increasing research in recent years in relation to religious education, notably the contribution of Campbell (2010, 2005, 2004). It is recognised that not only are today’s adults living in a plural and diverse culture when it comes to race, religion and creed but that their lives are ‘digitally-infused’ (Hutchings 2011). Online pedagogies open up less formal approaches to adult learning, allowing personalised, accessible and flexible delivery according to participant needs and availability:

Learning opportunities are extended via online technologies for adults in their homes, schools, workplaces, parishes, or places of ministry. This encourages adult learners to engage in theological study, previously deemed irrelevant, inaccessible, or impossible for adult lifestyles challenged by family, work, ministry, and personal-social commitments. (Stuart-Buttle 2014, 69).

Moreover, Boschki (2005) states, ‘religious education is a process that involves all dimensions of a person’s relationships’ (p. 115). Reflection on encounter and relationality, so much at the centre of adulthood, draws on the work of Buber ([1947] 2002) and Korczak (Silverman 2017). The nature of relationships changes over time. Religious education must attend to all stages of a person’s life. Adult religious education and faith development must take into account that the learner is an adult. For Knowles (1973), who calls the adult learner ‘a neglected species’, this is essential. Goodbourn (1996) echoes concerns about not attending to the adult as learner, seeing the failure of the provider ‘to take account of motivation and preferred method’, the ‘belief that adults don’t want to learn’ and the ‘uncertainty as to how it is to be done’ as barriers against adult Christian education. Historically in Ireland, and elsewhere, the focus of investment of resources, personnel and finance, has mainly been placed on the religious education and faith development of young people. Responding to this issue, Byrne (2008) has pointed out in relation to working with young adults in the faith context that,

Very often these young adults need assistance to move from the faith they learned as children to a personal appropriation of faith as adults. This is often a time, too, to forgive the inadequacies of those who sought to pass on faith to them and the shortcomings of the teaching methods they may have employed. (p. 38)

Wickett (2005) advocates that theological education must ‘consider the issues from the learner’s perspective’. The research this paper introduces is built on that same principle:

Learning how to face life’s challenges will be a constant issue for theologians, students, and the other learners in faith community. Only the learning that values who we are and that allows us to seek alternative possibilities will enable us to respond to life’s changing contexts. (Wickett 2005, 160)

The AREFD project: an overview

In October 2018, the Mater Dei Centre for Catholic Education (MDCCE), Dublin City University, launched the Adult Religious Education and Faith Development research project (AREFD). The project seeks to facilitate a re-energising of adult religious education and faith development in Ireland. By drawing on the wisdom and experience of existing initiatives, the research seeks to contribute, both at an academic and pastoral level, to the development of new AREFD opportunities. The research team is led by Dr. Gareth Byrne, Director of MDCCE, and Dr. Bernadette Sweetman, post-doctoral researcher at the centre. The AREFD project adopts a relational approach to religious education and faith development, built on the importance of taking the person at whatever stage they are at, and encouraging real encounters, with self, between educator/learner and beyond. Over the course of the project, the team is gathering empirical evidence on current practice in adult religious education and faith development in local faith communities in contemporary Ireland. Those involved are being assisted in critically evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of their programmes and initiatives. Approaches in other contexts worldwide are also being examined. Some pilot projects with partnership communities are being organised, providing case studies and assisting in developing review processes and strategic plans. This will culminate in proposals for new models and approaches responding to the adult education challenges of present-day Ireland with regard to religious education and faith development.

Research aims

In the first year of the AREFD project, the research team engaged in two central activities: an extensive literature review and the construction of an online survey. The design, implementation and initial analysis of the survey provides the focus for this report. The survey was open to all adults living in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Drawing on the data gathered from the survey, this present paper sheds light on the experience and understanding participants have of adult religious education and faith development. The paper addresses three research aims. The first research aim focuses on the demographic profile of adults in Ireland and their experience of school-based religious education, the positive influences on their faith development and the extent to which religion is important to their identity. The second research aim focuses on religious education content areas and skills that interest Irish adults and in which they would like the opportunity for greater development. The third research aim focuses on the modes and forms of religious education and faith development preferable to Irish adults that would encourage participation. As the online survey was considered to be a scoping exercise in phase one of the overall AREFD research project, the present analysis was undertaken to inform the research team of specific themes for investigation in the subsequent qualitative phase of interviews and focus-groups. These themes could also provide a direction and signposts along the way for an articulate and focused conversation regarding the broad and diverse spectrum of adulthood and possible opportunities for adults to engage in religious education and faith development.

Method

Procedure

The three-year AREFD project was funded through a gift agreement between the Presentation Sisters North East Province and the DCU Educational Trust. Full ethical clearance was obtained for the project through the DCU Research Ethics Committee. In the first year of the AREFD project, the research team invited adults living in Ireland over the age of 18 to complete an online survey during May/June 2019. The survey was designed by the research team on Google Forms and was hosted on a designated page on the MDCCE website. It was publicised through the DCU communications channels, national media, social media and Diocesan Communications Officers, using a snowball self-selecting sampling strategy. The hope was to reach as diverse an audience as possible and to encourage participants to recommend the survey to other potential respondents. Access to the online survey was preceded with a plain language statement which indicated that participants were invited to respond, could withdraw at any time, and that confidentiality and anonymity were guaranteed. While the last item in the questionnaire gave the option to the participant to leave contact details to further participate in the overall AREFD project, participants were assured that this was separate from and would not be used in the reporting of the results of the survey. The sampling frame set out to obtain data from adults of all ages and across all counties of Ireland seeking to gather a diverse dataset.

Instrument

The AREFD online survey was designed for self-completion, using mainly Likert scaling on five points: very positive to very negative, very important to not important at all, strongly agree to strongly disagree. There were also multiple choice and open text responses. The present analysis attends to the demographic profile of respondents, their experience of school-based religious education, positive influences on faith development, how religion and faith impact on their identity, the religious education content and skills they seek to explore, and the preferred modes and forms of engagement.

Participants

There were 738 respondents to the online survey during the six-week period. There were participants from all 32 counties across both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. One item required the respondent to self-identify their religious affiliation (if any) using the same seven categories provided in the 2016 Republic of Ireland National Census: Roman Catholic; Church of Ireland; Islam; Presbyterian; Orthodox; Other; No religion. No participant selected Islam or Orthodox. The following analysis draws on the responses of all 738 respondents.

Analysis

This analysis was conducted on the quantitative variables in the online survey. The data gathered in the open text response items is not included in the present analysis. The data were analysed by means of SPSS, employing frequencies and correlations according to age and gender.

Results

Demographic profile of respondents

Of the 738 respondents, 79% were born in the Republic of Ireland, 11% in Northern Ireland and 10% elsewhere. 61% were female. According to the National Census 2016 taken in the Republic of Ireland, 51% of the total population were female (Central Statistics Office, 2017b). 46% of the 738 respondents were aged between 40 and 59. 41% were aged 60 or older. The National Census 2016 figures indicated that 25% of the total population were aged between 40 and 59, and 18% were aged over 60 (Central Statistics Office, 2017b). 46% of participants lived in the Dublin area which is a higher proportion than figures from the 2016 National Census which indicated that 25% of the total population lived in Dublin (Central Statistics Office, 2017a). 87% of respondents self-identified as Roman Catholic. The corresponding figure in the National Census 2016 was 78% (Central Statistics Office, 2017a).

Experience of school-based religious education

Respondents were asked to indicate how positive their experience of religious education at primary level was. 54% selected either positive or very positive. The corresponding figure for post-primary level was lower at 46%. 65% of those who engaged with religious education or another related area at third level stated that this was a positive or very positive experience.

Positive influences on faith development

73% of respondents identified their mother as being the most positive influence on their faith development. This was greater than the influence indicated for their father (58%) which was a little higher than that of the school (56%). There was a positive correlation between the positive influence of the school on the faith development of respondents and their age, the older age-groups reporting more enthusiastically the influence of their school. In contrast there was a negative correlation between the positive influence of friends on the faith development of respondents and their age. 33% of all respondents indicated that friends were a positive influence on their faith development.

Religion and identity

Survey participants were invited to respond on a 5-point Likert scale to a series of statements about the importance of certain beliefs and values in their lives. For the purposes of the present analysis, four statements were selected for review and the ‘agree’/‘strongly agree’ responses combined. When asked to indicate how they responded to the statement ‘I am a religious person’, 64% of respondents agreed. The corresponding figure rose to 79% with the statement ‘I am a spiritual person’. 81% agreed that ‘Religion is important to me’ while 75% agreed that ‘Belonging to a faith community is important to me’. There was a positive correlation with the age of respondents for this last statement.

Looking to the future of their religious education and faith development, and how any desires and opportunities for same may be considered, 72% of respondents agreed/strongly agreed with the statement ‘I would like to learn more about my faith’. A lower proportion however, 63%, agreed/strongly agreed with ‘I find it easy to talk about my faith’. There was a negative correlation with these statements and the age of the respondents.

Areas of learning and skills of interest

Responding to the second research aim, survey participants were invited to select from a list of content areas that they would be interested in learning more about, based around curricular themes in religious education. The three most popular selections were ‘Faith in the future’ (56%), ‘Scripture’ (54%) with which there was a positive correlation with age, and ‘Other worldviews and religions’ (51%).

The participants were invited to select from a list of skills aimed at engaging in religious education and faith development that they would be interested in refining. The list was generated from a research study conducted in DCU with primary and post-primary religious education teachers (see Byrne and Sweetman 2019). The top three skills were ‘Passing on the faith’ (54%), an oft-repeated concern, with which there was a positive correlation with age, ‘Dealing with challenges to my faith’ (49%), and ‘Living in a pluralist society’ (44%).

Forms and modes of education to encourage participation

In relation to the third research aim, respondents to the AREFD survey were invited to choose from a selection of statements on how they might be encouraged to participate further in adult religious education and faith development. The top three selections were ‘Atmosphere of respect’ (48%), ‘Feeling I am contributing to the bigger picture’ (48%) and ‘Meeting people of similar interests’ (46%).

Respondents to the survey were also asked to indicate their preferred modes of adult religious education and faith development. 43% opted for blended learning. 43% chose evenings during the week. 42% selected ‘Discussion groups in my local area’. There was a negative correlation with the age of the respondents for this last statement.

Discussion

The first research aim was concerned with an examination of the demographic profile of the respondents, the identification of positive influences on their faith development and the relationship between religion and their identity.

The demographic profile of the respondents to the AREFD online survey differed from the proportions indicated by the National Census 2016 for the Republic of Ireland. More women, more older adults, more Catholics and more Dublin-inhabitants responded to the survey. The findings cannot be considered as representative of the total adult population in Ireland. The issues raised by the participants, however, can contribute to broader and deeper conversations both in the academic and pastoral spheres concerning the evaluation and development of good quality religious education and faith development opportunities for adults in contemporary Ireland and elsewhere. Further investigations could hone in on particular cohorts, such as age groups, religious denominations and those not religiously affiliated.

There were different levels of positivity associated with respondents’ experiences of religious education at primary, post-primary and third-level. It is likely that the higher level of positivity at third level is due to the fact that the respondent would have chosen to study the area, whereas the academic subject is generally considered compulsory at both primary and post-primary level in Ireland except by the small numbers who invoke the opt-out facility. Caution must also be noted when examining such retrospection. It may be the case that the respondents’ current context and the unique events of their lives since completing formal education may colour their view on the positivity of their experience in the past (Goldburg 2020).

Parental influence on faith development has been well-documented in the literature (Byrne et al. 2019; Bengston, Putney, & Harris, 2013). This was also evident in the responses to the online AREFD survey.

There was a notable gap between the percentages of respondents identifying as ‘religious’ (64%) and those identifying as ‘spiritual’ (79%). Given the profile of respondents as detailed above, it is acknowledged by the research team that volunteer bias may have played a role. Those more positively disposed to religion and faith were more likely to participate. Not taking the responses as representative of the general population, it is nonetheless worthwhile examining the differences between the responses of those who chose to participate. In this regard, it is noteworthy that of those who strongly agreed that they are ‘religious’, 79% also strongly agreed to being ‘spiritual’. In contrast, only 47% of those who strongly agreed with being ‘spiritual’ also strongly agreed with being ‘religious’. This suggests that the adults who responded distinguish between the two terms, with the term ‘spiritual’ being more amenable (Sweetman 2019). Adult educators would be wise, therefore, to consider the language and terminology they use, and why it is being used, when constructing learning experiences in the areas of religious education and faith development.

The final element in addressing the first research aim is that of the adult’s sense of belonging to a community. A smaller percentage of respondents agreed that belonging to a faith community was important to them (75%) than those who agreed that religion was important to them (81%). Similarly, a smaller percentage felt it was easy to talk about their faith (63%) than those who agreed that they would like to learn more about their faith (72%). This highlights that there is a gap between the private and personal sense of religion amongst the respondents and the relational and communal dimension that is intrinsic to most religions. Personality, motivation, personal circumstances and other factors can play a role here. Those involved in providing for adult religious education and faith development should be alert to including opportunities that assist adults in learning to reflect upon their beliefs and values together and in finding appropriate and creative ways to articulate these in a respectful and open environment.

The second research aim sought to identify the content areas and skills in religious education and faith development desired by the respondents. This information could help existing providers to review and adapt what they currently offer and also to open up new opportunities that respond to the wants of the adult seeking religious education and faith development. There was no single area that was significantly more popular than others, showing that the adults who participated were interested in learning about a variety of different topics. The top three content areas chosen by the respondents, namely ‘Faith in the future’, ‘Scripture’, and ‘Other worldviews and religions’, show a broad and diverse interest. ‘Passing on the faith’, ‘Dealing with challenges to my faith’, and ‘Living in a pluralist society’ which were the top three skills also reflect the practical diversity faced by adults in their everyday lives. Over time and as circumstances change, it would be important for providers to be cognisant of the evolving contexts of adults and be able to adapt their content and methods to suit current needs.

The third and final research aim addressed the forms and modes of religious education and faith development for adults. This information could be of benefit to existing providers with regard to reviewing their efforts and optimising best practice. The three things that would encourage participants to engage further, ‘Atmosphere of respect’, ‘Feeling I am contributing to the bigger picture’ and ‘Meeting people of similar interests’, are all related to the creation of an environment that promotes acceptance and a sense of playing an important role. When the aforementioned gap between the personal interest of the adult and their willingness to engage in community is taken into account, it makes sense that being accepted and feeling your contribution is valued are important factors in encouraging more activity. The preference for blended learning, evenings during the week and local discussion groups also suggests a necessary balance between being part of a group and having the freedom to operate at one’s own pace. As Ros Stuart-Buttle remarks, it will be a missed opportunity if Christian educators, among others, fail to take notice of the online environment, preferably within a community of learning, as a significant space for engaging in education today:

Online pedagogy changes how people learn, and it prompts educational practitioners to adopt more participatory and collaborative ways … Christian educators, working in a globalized world, need to be attentive to these shifts in order to design learning experiences that are effective and constructive for today’s learners. (Stuart-Buttle 2011, 71)

Conclusion

The findings of this study confirm that there is a desire for a broad and varied provision of opportunities for adults of different ages and dispositions in religious education and faith development. It is recommended that adults be consulted as to their needs rather than continue with the existing culture of provision that has dominated, certainly in Ireland, up to now. Similarly, it is suggested that those already involved in adult religious education and faith development, wherever they are, review their practices and purposefully strategise as to how they could accommodate for the changing contexts faced by adults in their setting. Further research, building on what has been learned here, and taking place in a variety of contexts, would be useful in developing appealing and practical approaches to adult religious education and faith development into the future. Share the Good News was not wrong when it suggested the need for adult religious education to keep itself open to the variety of ways and places in which adults can engage with others in coming to deepen their own faith and learn respect for that of other people:

Adult religious education should not isolate itself or be isolated from other local education initiatives. Collaboration with other forms of adult education, with the community, with local/county libraries and with third-level institutions should be seen as particularly valuable … Dialogue with people of other religions and with the dominant cultural influences of our time, can also ensure that our faith is lived in open conversation with what is believed by others. (SGN, para. 75)

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Gareth Byrne

Gareth Byrne is Associate Professor of Religious Education at DCU Institute of Education and the Director of the Mater Dei Centre for Catholic Education, DCU. His teaching, research and engagement focus is on Catholic education, religious education, faith development, adult education, and the continuing professional development of religious educators.

Bernadette Sweetman

Bernadette Sweetman is the post-doctoral researcher investigating Adult Religious Education and Faith Development at the Mater Dei Centre for Catholic Education. DCU. Her other research interests include godparenthood, religious education and diversity in Irish culture, and culturally responsive teaching and learning.