Researching religious education as social practice

Viac o knihe

This book aims to enhance understanding of research in religious education (RE) as a practice, focusing on the interplay between RE research and teaching. The author explores the evolving nature of education as a research discipline and the role of educational theories, questioning whether these theories differ from those in other social and human sciences. A central inquiry is whether educational theories are "practical" or "normative," aimed at improving practice. Such questions are vital for the identity and self-perception of religious education research. The term "religious education" in English encompasses both the school subject and the research discipline, and the author emphasizes the need to differentiate between these two practices. Understanding the school subject does not inherently clarify the research discipline. The book is structured in two parts: the first establishes a theoretical framework for the discussions in the second part, which analyzes the nature of research on religious education in relation to its practice, informed by social scientific research. The chapters advocate for a hermeneutically empirical approach to RE research and highlight the dialectical relationship between RE research and practice.