ERIC Number: EJ1211362
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Mar
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1477-8785
EISSN: N/A
Religious Education -- Reform, Not Abolition: A Reply to Matthew Clayton and David Stephens
Theory and Research in Education, v17 n1 p100-111 Mar 2019
This article is a reply to Matthew Clayton and David Stephens's 2018 article 'What is the point of religious education?' (see EJ1173708). I begin by problematising the 'acceptability requirement' used to justify the authors' conclusions. I then disambiguate the key claim made in the article. If interpreted broadly, as an attack on curricula that teach about religions, then their claim is implausible, and not one that the authors themselves should endorse. However, if interpreted narrowly, as an attack on the prioritisation of religion at the expense of non-religious views, then their view is one that is already widely endorsed. I then clear up some relevant empirical considerations about current Religious Education policy and practice in England and Wales. I suggest that there are sufficiently weighty, non-partisan reasons for a curriculum subject not dissimilar to what is currently taught in schools. While Religious Education is in need of reform, it would be the wrong conclusion to draw from their paper that Religious Education should be abolished.
Descriptors: Religious Education, Educational Change, Ethical Instruction, Role of Education, Educational Policy, Educational Practices, Foreign Countries, Educational Philosophy
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative; Opinion Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (England); United Kingdom (Wales)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A