Meaning-making in religious education: a critical discourse analysis of RE departments’ web pages

Abstract

This paper explores what some have described as a 'crisis in meaning' in religious education (RE). One region, Northern Ireland, is chosen as a focus for exploring the question of meaning-making as it provides an example of 'agreed ambiguity'-where a common syllabus for RE is believed to be ascribed different meanings by different schools. The webpages of RE departments were used as a data source, and a critical discourse analysis (CDA) method was employed to investigate how a sample of departments construct meaning in RE. The findings identify three dominant discourses in relation to RE in the sample: Christian Community, Cultural Hegemony and Personal Quest. It is noted that when giving meaning to RE, schools show commonality and difference across three key areas: 'stake and interest'; 'pupil agency'; and 'dealing with difference'. In conclusion, it is noted that, where freedom is given to schools to construct meaning in RE, it is possible to sustain a common curriculum across schools with very different views of the subject, however, this flexibility has implications for issues of power, identity, autonomy and difference which may require mitigation. It is suggested critical education may be a valuable partner in this work.

The Application of Schneider’s Critical Discourse Analysis Framework for a Study of Spirituality in Nursing

“…Applying Schneider’s (2013) 10 work steps was useful in examining the social and political context of the study participants and revealing underlying power relations and concealed assumptions relating to spirituality within the interview texts (Gee, 2014; Nelson, 2017). Furthermore, it enabled the examination of the structure of language used by the participants and how this language was used to create contextualized meanings (Gee, 2014; Mogashoa, 2014) relating to spirituality.…”

“…The limitation of using Schneider’s (2013) 10 work steps to conduct a critical discourse analysis found in analyzing the data in this study, was that some of the steps provided a limited overview of what was required at that particular stage of analysis. This led to the need to draw on the work of other authors such as Strauss and Feiz (2014), Gee (2014), Nelson (2017), and Schofield et al (2012) to augment understanding of these steps. These additional references helped to explain the concepts and processes required to conduct a critical discourse analysis, and the studies assisted in illustrating the application of these concepts and processes.…”

“…This theoretical approach has the potential to reveal valuable insights into the political and social contexts in which discourses about nursing and health occur (Yazdannik et al, 2017). Several nursing studies have used a critical discourse analysis approach to guide their investigations (Dixon, 2013; Nelson, 2017; Schofield et al, 2012). In keeping with the critical constructionist tradition, the critical discourse analysis approach assumes that there are powerful interests within the context of health care that influence how nurses practice (Strauss & Feiz, 2014).…”

World Religions in Religious Education in Northern Ireland: A Policy Implementation Analysis using Strategic Action Field Theory

“…Furthermore, the subject itself remains exempt from formal inspection by local inspection authorities, 15 so little is known about how the policy has been implemented. We already know that the different socio-religious contexts within Northern Ireland have a strong influence on schools and the way in which RE is characterized 16 -different types of school (Catholic; Controlled; Integrated) espouse different religious outlooks and educational purposes. 17 Briefly, Catholic schools aim to cultivate students in the Christian faith 18 while Controlled schools have a Protestant non-denominational heritage, but are not explicitly concerned with faith development.…”