The voice of minority faith and worldview students in post-primary schools with a Catholic ethos in Ireland

Abstract

This article gives voice to students of minority faith and worldview regarding their lived experiences of attending Irish post-primary schools with a Catholic ethos. The importance of listening to students’ voice is supported by Article 12 of the United Nations Charter on the Rights of the Child (1992). The research methodology was qualitative, involving interviews with 18 post-primary students of minority faith or worldview. Gramsci’s writings on cultural hegemony were then used as a theoretical lens to understand the emergent themes. The results suggest an operational Catholic hegemony in the participating schools, which is evidenced by Catholic-centric practices. Resultant inequalities exist in the facilitation for minority faith and worldview students to manifest their faith compared with Catholic students. Opting out of religion class is problematic, and the findings raise concerns, as it is evident that students’ human right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion is not a reality in their schools (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article18, 1948). It appears that a tacit arrangement exists whereby non-Catholic students resign themselves to conforming to Catholic school practices. On the other hand, students expressed positivity about their schools’ ethos and wish to be educated together.

Keywords:

• hegemony
• human rights
• post-primary
• student voice
• religion

Notes on contributor

Catherine Stapleton is a lecturer in Education in Mary Immaculate College, St. Patrick's Campus, Thurles.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Irish Research Council [grant number GOIP/2013/707]