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University of Warwick institutional repository: http://go.warwick.ac.uk/wrap A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of Warwick http://go.warwick.ac.uk/wrap/3122 This thesis is made available online and is protected by original copyright. Please scroll down to view the document itself. Please refer to the repository record for this item for information to help you to cite it. Our policy information is available from the repository home page. A comparative study of religious education in state schools in England and Norway by Oddrun M. H. Bråten A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education University of Warwick, Institute of Education September 2009 1 Contents List of illustrations and tables............................................................................................7 Acknowledgments...............................................................................................................8 Abstract.................................................................................................................................9 Abbreviations.....................................................................................................................10 Chapter 1 Introduction........................................................................................................................13 A comparative study of religious education in state schools in England and Norway.......13 Scope and limitations........................................................................................................20 Main research question.....................................................................................................24 Methodology ....................................................................................................................25 Conclusion........................................................................................................................27 Chapter 2 Towards a Methodology for Comparative Religious Education....................................................................................28 Introduction.......................................................................................................................28 Comparative studies in related fields................................................................................29 Pioneering work in the field...............................................................................................40 National imaginaries and supranational processes...........................................................53 Three dimensions in comparative studies.........................................................................57 The supranational dimension............................................................................................63 A template for comparative studies in RE.........................................................................74 Conclusion........................................................................................................................78 Chapter 3 Societal level: Themes within academic debates about Religious Education in England and Norway..................................................................81 Introduction.......................................................................................................................81 2 The contribution of ‘secular’ religious studies to the development of multifaith approaches to RE in England and Norway ..........................................................................................83 Can we talk about ‘traditions’ for pedagogy of RE?..........................................................97 The reading of two ‘power texts’ by looking for characteristics of academic debate in England and Norway.......................................................................................................103 The supranational dimension in academic debates on RE today....................................123 Summary and conclusion ...............................................................................................127 Chapter 4 Institutional level: Recent Legal and Policy Developments in England and Norway....................................................................................................130 Introduction.....................................................................................................................130 The Legal Framework.....................................................................................................131 Law regulating RE in state schools.................................................................................132 Laws regulating the right to opt out.................................................................................137 Religion in laws regarding schooling in general..............................................................141 Comparative discussion on legal issues.........................................................................145 Introducing QCA 2004 and UD 2005..............................................................................153 QCA 2004.......................................................................................................................157 UD 2005..........................................................................................................................160 Comparative remarks regarding layout and structure.....................................................163 The place in the school curricula ....................................................................................165 Comparative points.........................................................................................................167 Structure and content of RE in England and Norway exemplified through QCA 2004 and UD 2005..........................................................................................................................169 Comparative discussion regarding structure and content...............................................178 Concluding discussion ...................................................................................................181 Conclusion......................................................................................................................190 Chapter 5 Religious Education in Practice: Introduction to Case Studies from England and Norway.............................................192 3 Introduction.....................................................................................................................192 Representation and national imaginaries .......................................................................193 Different styles of civility in the school systems...............................................................198 Characteristics of the schools.........................................................................................208 Location of the schools and characteristics of the school populations ...........................212 Are classroom activities reflecting different national styles? Reflections on and interpretations of observations in the schools.................................................................215 National styles and civil enculturation.............................................................................230 Reflecting on the empirical studies in the methodology..................................................231 Conclusion: What is compared and why?.......................................................................234 Chapter 6 Instructional level: Teachers' perspectives...................................................................236 Introduction.....................................................................................................................236 The teachers and their contexts......................................................................................238 Describing their school and its RE..................................................................................240 Aims of RE......................................................................................................................244 The importance of RE.....................................................................................................246 National aims and local adjustments...............................................................................253 Textbooks and schemes of work.....................................................................................257 Content of teaching.........................................................................................................261 Learning about and from religion....................................................................................266 Reflecting on multifaith RE as integrative RE..................................................................272 Summary and conclusion................................................................................................280 Chapter 7 Experiential level: Pupils’ perspectives.........................................................................286 Introduction.....................................................................................................................286 The pupils and their context............................................................................................288 Which modernities?........................................................................................................294