ERIC Number: EJ1250997
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2196-3673
EISSN: N/A
Freedom of Religion and Secular Education: Teachers Define the Meaning of Religious Freedom in Everyday School Practice
Fahlén, Marie
International Journal for Research on Extended Education, v5 n2 p150-163 2017
Questions about freedom of religion versus secular values have increased as a controversial topic in European public debate during the last decades. The aim of this article is to shed light on these issues by focusing on the definition of "freedom of religion as a human right" among teachers working with younger pupils in the Swedish school system. From a holistic perspective on religion and children's education, in-depth individual interviews were conducted with teachers working in primary school, as well as teachers in the leisure-time center, examined through discourse analysis. This study provides insights into how two different groups of teachers interpret and apply these potentially conflicting values in everyday school practice. At the end of the article, I reflect upon the consequences of the Swedish, secular and individualistic values that were dominant in the teachers understanding of freedom of religion, in relation to the challenges of a multi-religious school and society.
Descriptors: Freedom, Religion, Foreign Countries, Elementary School Students, Civil Rights, Holistic Approach, Educational Practices, Resource Staff, Religious Factors, Teacher Attitudes, Values, Individualism
Budrich Journals. Verlag Barbara Budrich GmbH, Stauffenbergstr. 7, 51379 Leverkusen, Germany. e-mail: info@budrich-journals.de; Web site: https://www.budrich-journals.de/index.php/IJREE
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Sweden
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A