Russian REDCo findings in support of dialogue and hermeneutics

Abstract

REDCo findings question the ideal of neutrality of the teacher on ethical, epistemological and didactical grounds showing in particular that the exposure of the teacher's personal commitments and beliefs stimulates students to participate in dialogue. The findings support hermeneutical approaches to the empirical studies in education showing that quantitative methods are to be used in a wider framework where there is a hermeneutical process of revisiting given data in the light of the new data. Qualitative methods and international and interdisciplinary cooperation are of high value in this process.

Keywords:

• religious education
• hermeneutics
• dialogue
• neutrality
• qualitative and quantitative methods