How children aged 9–10 understand Bible stories: a study of children at a church‐aided and a state primary school in the Midlands

Abstract

This article details the Bible Story Project's (BSP) initial work in examining how children understand stories. It draws on the insights of both developmental thinking and experiential learning, with awareness of the growing need to release the authentic ‘voice of the child’. The context is found in Year 5 children in two contrasting inner city schools. The data is reduced by means of quantitative (mathematical statistics) and qualitative (case study) methods. It is summarized with a description of the fresh insights offered by the research, noting how imaginative world views influence the personal hermeneutic of children as they respond to either religious or secular stories. The children in the research sample are British and multi‐ethnic working with a predominantly Judaeo‐Christian world view.

Keywords:

• Bible
• Godly play
• Faith development

Notes

Corresponding author. St John's College, Chilwell Lane, Bramcote, Nottingham NG9 3DS, UK. Email: h.worsley@stjohns‐nottm.ac.uk

All children's names have been changed.