Irreligious Educators? An Empirical Study of the Academic Qualifications, (A)theistic Positionality, and Religious Belief of Religious Education Teachers in England and Scotland

Abstract

This paper, based on 355 survey responses from secondary Religious Education (RE) teachers in England (n = 238) and Scotland (n = 117), explores the background of these educators in terms of qualifications, personal (a)theistic belief, and religion. This research seeks to establish the degree backgrounds of RE teachers, what religion they belong to (if any), and the range of theistic, agnostic, and atheistic teachers currently within the RE profession. This paper, acknowledging the similar and contrasting natures of England and Scotland in terms of the history, status and purpose(s) of the subject, demonstrates that RE teachers in these countries come from diverse academic backgrounds, and that most RE teachers in England and Scotland do not believe in God(s). Nearly half of RE teachers in England and more than half in Scotland have no religion. The granulation to England and Scotland allows us to make tentative links with national census and social attitudes research, and with literature, which posits nuanced secularisation trajectories. Furthermore, the data allow us to cross-tabulate (for example, between degree background and religious beliefs), as well as with the data in extant research about the risks of sanitised and essentialised approaches to teaching religion in schools.

Religious Values and Educational Norms among Catholic and Protestant Teachers in Hungary

“…This ratio is high. For example, in England and Scotland, almost half of the RE teachers have no religion (Nixon et al 2021). While all the Catholic schools of our sample have been run by monastic orders for several years, the Protestant institutions are rather diverse in this respect.…”

Science and RE teachers' perspectives on the purpose of RE on the secondary school curriculum in England

“…There could be various explanations for this finding. Policy reforms take time to filter through to teaching practice; differences may exist in the subject community, as RE teachers are graduates of a broad range of subjects (Nixon et al, 2021). Although purpose is more complex than these statements suggest, the critical argumentation inherent within the subject is clearly of great value to RE teachers.…”

Measuring competences for democratic culture: teaching human rights through religious education

“…The paper focuses on RE teachers, the measurement of their 'competences for democratic culture' (CDC), and how these impact on teaching and learning democracy within the curriculum. The faith and beliefs of RE teachers, as well as their secular and non-religious positions, seem to play a role in how 'otherness' is experienced in the classroom; it is important that these teachers examine themselves and their own stereotypes and prejudices (Everington, 2013;Lundie & Conroy, 2015;Franken & Loobuyck, 2016;Kittelmann Flensner, 2018;Vince, 2020;Mpisi, Groenewald, & Barnett, 2020;Nixon, Smith, & Fraser-Pearce, 2021).…”