Issues in the integration of religious education and worldviews education in an intercultural context

ABSTRACT

The Council of Europe’s 2008 ‘Recommendation’ advocates the study of ‘non-religious convictions’ in schools in addition to religions. In 2018, there is evidence of growing academic interest in the inclusion of non-religious worldviews in the school curriculum, but few European countries include such a study within religious education. The guidance document, Signposts, recognises that the integration of religions and non-religious worldviews is problematic for policy makers, teacher trainers and schools and that there is a need for further research. Norway and England are at significant but different stages in the process of integration. This article presents a comparative study which draws on the findings of research in both countries which has investigated the process at classroom and policy levels, and issues raised by this. Four issues are explored: practical challenges; differing understandings of the concept of worldviews; the inclusion of non-religious worldviews as a political issue and influences on the selection of worldviews. The article concludes with a discussion of issues and findings within a supranational context and makes recommendations which highlight the value of integration and the need for both contextual studies and further comparative research.

KEYWORDS:

• Worldviews education
• religious education
• intercultural
• teachers
• policy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The term ‘non-religious convictions’ (derived from French) is not widely used in the international discussion of this topic. We use the term ‘non-religious worldviews’ as this has widespread use, although ‘secular worldviews’ is the term commonly used in Norway.

2. ‘Worldviews’ is used as a translation of the Norwegian term ‘livssyn’ although the meanings are not identical. See Bråten (2018).

3. Bråtens translation from Udir (2018).

4. Noting that other religions and non-religious worldviews were marginal in Christian education and Christianity was marginal in Worldviews Education, but less so after the 1987 revision.

5. Since a change in the law in 1969, the school and all subjects has formally been ‘educational’ and not religiously-based. Subsequently, Christian education was formally denominational and reflected mainly a Church of Norway perspective, but was seen as non-confessional (Bråten 2013, 22).

6. The requirements do state that syllabuses should aim to develop students’ knowledge and understanding of religions and non-religious beliefs such as atheism and humanism (DfE (Department for Education) 2015,3).

7. The CoE report (2018) refers primarily to Humanism, Secularism, Atheism and Agnosticism but, in supplementary guidance, examples include existentialism and Confucianism (75).

8. The BHA is now known as ’Humanists UK’.