Current debates about (inter-)religious literacy and assessments of the outcomes of religious education: two approaches to religion-related knowledge in critical review

ABSTRACT

This article addresses two current debates that have generated increasing interest in a number of countries but have rarely been considered together: the debate on religious and interreligious literacy and the debate on the assessment of the outcomes of Religious Education (RE). Against this background, both debates are reviewed and critically discussed in relation to the following questions: 1) What guiding educational ideas are connected to the new or renewed interest in religion-related knowledge, and which ideas form the shared motives that influence the two debates? 2) What is the empirical basis of these debates? The results indicate that the educational basis of the two debates is currently underdeveloped, and their empirical foundations are rather weak. In addition, there is a need to direct attention towards strengthening religious and interreligious literacy in, for example, RE. The debates on both (inter-)religious literacy and the assessment of the RE outcomes should be based on clear educational guidelines and informed by solid empirical results that directly address religious literacy and the religion-related knowledge of young people. Moreover, we conclude that the two debates should be developed together, as they both require enhanced theoretical understandings and empirical insights.

Plain Language Summary

This article focuses on two separate debates that have recently attracted interest in several countries around the world: the debate on religious and interreligious literacy and the debate on the assessment of the outcomes of Religious Education (RE). Although these debates have similar themes and are influenced by shared factors, they have rarely been considered together. From this standpoint, both debates are briefly reviewed and critically discussed in this article. The analysis is directed by two questions: What guiding educational ideas are connected to the new or renewed interest in religion-related knowledge, and which ideas form the shared motives that influence the two debates? What is the empirical basis of these debates? The results show that the educational basis of the two debates is currently underdeveloped, and their empirical foundations are rather weak. In addition, there is a need to strengthen religious and interreligious literacy in, for example, RE. The debates on both (inter-)religious literacy and the assessment of the RE outcomes should use clear educational guidelines and include solid empirical results that directly focus on religious literacy and the religion-related knowledge of young people. Moreover, both debates should be developed together to improve their theoretical understandings and empirical insights.

KEYWORDS:

• Literacy
• assessment
• knowledge
• religious education

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Friedrich Schweitzer

Friedrich Schweitzer is Professor at the University of Tübingen, Faculty of Protestant Theology/ Chair of Religious Education. His research projects refer to both the history of religious education as well as to empirical studies on RE. Most recently he published studies on youth and religion and on inter-religious education.

Christina Osbeck

Christina Osbeck is Professor at the University of Gothenburg, Department of Pedagogical, Curricular and Professional Studies that she also is the head of at present. In her research, she is especially focussed on religious education, ethics education and existential questions of young people, their life interpretations and life views. She has recently finalized a project funded by the National Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet) taking its departure from challenges in assessing knowledge within religious education based among other on test results from the National Tests in Religious Education, started in 2013 in Sweden.

Antti Räsänen

Antti Räsänen is Professor of Religious Education at the University of Helsinki, and Dean of the Faculty of Theology. He has focused on religious development in adulthood and issues of religiousness during the life cycle. Later the perspective changed to studying youth and childhood spirituality including studies and evaluation of RE as a school subject. His current interest is in stereotypes and meta-stereotypes between and within different religious groups.

Mirjam Rutkowski

Mirjam Rutkowsi is a researcher at the University of Tübingen, Faculty of Protestant Theology. Her research interests are empirical research in education and pedagogical psychology, religious education and teacher training.

Evelyn Schnaufer

Evelyn Schnaufer is a researcher assistant at the University of Tübingen, Faculty of Protestant Theology. Her research focus is empirical research in education and pedagogical psychology, especially the development of student questionnaires.