This systematic quantitative literature review explores the use of story in early childhood religious education to inform the research question “What are the pedagogical benefits of using story in religious education in the early years of primary school?” Searches were conducted across multiple databases and individual journals for publications dated from 1970 to 2019. Literature on the key areas of (1) early childhood, (2) story and (3) religious education were analysed to understand their unique perspectives and ways they overlap and connect, with an emphasis on seeking literature which connected all three areas. The study revealed the areas of religious education, the use of story and the field of early childhood as three distinct areas of research with connection points, and gaps in the literature connecting the pedagogical use of story for religious education in early primary education. The literature identifies the use of story as effectively engaging and connecting children to religious education in a pedagogically appropriate way for the early childhood age group. Further to this, benefits were found not only in faith development and biblical literacy, but also in learning, literacy development, empathy, and engagement with differing worldviews. The Australian context was a focus of the literature review providing insight for religious education in Christian schools which may be applied to other contexts in public schools, or internationally.

The inclusion of thinking skills in Religious Education as an intentional pedagogical emphasis encourages depth of understanding as students explore theological concepts in the curriculum. The aim of this research was to investigate the ways in which teachers of Years 4-6 incorporate a pedagogy of thinking skills into Christian Studies lessons, and explore their perceptions of the intended and unintended outcomes. Therefore, the literature review focused on research into the nature of thinking skills and their application in the classroom. Using a constructivist paradigm, the investigation involved interviewing four teachers in Australian Lutheran schools about their understanding of the skills involved in thinking, which in turn, provided insights on their practice. Responses to questions were analysed in terms of language specific to pedagogy of thinking skills [skills and strategies]. The findings suggest that teachers found benefits from the intentional inclusion of a pedagogy of thinking skills in Religious Education lessons as a way of building empathy and developing a deeper understanding of the curriculum. Whole school practices and professional development supported the inclusion of these initiatives across key learning areas. The findings in this paper provide an opportunity for collegial discussion and reflection on current teaching practice with the recommendation of intentional use of a pedagogy of thinking skills in Religious Education in a Lutheran setting, with possible application in other contexts.