A study-of-Religion(s)-Based Religion Education: Skills, Knowledge, and Aims

Oct 15, 2026

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The article examines religion education in public schools through a study-of-religion(s) approach, addressing debates over whether pupils should learn about religion and also learn from religion. It summarizes and discusses core principles, drawing on critical theories about education. It argues that analytical-critical skills can be central, illustrated through Sweden’s national curriculum for religion education and Denmark’s history curriculum, using a modified “map of history” framework and three categories: attitudes, skills/concepts, and knowledge.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Core principles of a study-of-religion(s) approach

Three framework categories: attitudes, skills and concepts, knowledge

doi: 10.26529/cepsj.678 A study-of-Religion(s)-Based Religion Education: Skills, Knowledge, and Aims Karna Kjeldsen1 • Different approaches to religion education have been in place for a longtime or developed more recently to meet growing religious and cultural plurality in European countries and schools. In this article, I summarise and discuss basic principles for a study-of-religion(s) approach to religion education, adding arguments and perspectives from critical theories about education in general. I shall also argue that national curricula for, respectively, religion education in Sweden and History in Denmark indicate that analytical-critical skills can be a central part of religion education in elementary and lower secondary public schools. The structure of the article is based on a modified version of the ‘map of history’ developed by the scholar of education and history education Rosie Turner-Bisset who has formulated principles for teaching History in primary schools. The model will be used as a framework, for systematising and discussing key principles of a study-of-religions approach to religion education with reference to three categories: 1) attitudes, 2) skills and concepts, and 3) knowledge. Keywords: citizenship education, learning about/learning from religion, religion education, study of religions 1 Centre for Teaching and Learning, Absalon University College, Denmark; [kakj@pha.dk](kakj@pha.dk). 12 a study-of-religion(s)-based religion education: skills, knowledge, and aims Na religiologiji temelječe religijsko izobraževanje: veščine, znanje in cilji Karna Kjeldsen • Različni pristopi k religijskemu izobraževanju so prisotni že dolgo časa ali pa so se razvili pred kratkim v luči rastoče religijske in kulturne pluralnosti v evropskih družbah in šolah. V prispevku povzemamo temeljnanačela na religiologiji temelječega pristopa k religijskemu izobraževanju in o njih razpravljamo, dodajamo pa tudi argumente in perspektivesplošnih kritičnih teorij o izobraževanju. Zagovarjamo tezo, da nacionalna kurikuluma za religijsko izobraževanje na Švedskem in zgodovinona Danskem dokazujeta, da so lahko analitično-kritične veščine osrednji del religijskega izobraževanja v javni osnovni šoli. Struktura članka temelji na modificirani različici ‘zemljevida zgodovine’, ki ga je razvilastrokovnjakinja za edukacijo in poučevanje zgodovine Rosie Turner Bisset in v njem oblikovala načela za poučevanje zgodovine v osnovni šoli. Model uporabimo kot okvir za sistematiziranje in razpravo oključnih načelih na religiologiji temelječega religijskega izobraževanjaglede na tri kategorije: 1) stališča; 2) veščine in koncepti; 3) znanje. Ključne besede: državljanska vzgoja, učenje o religijah/od religij, religijsko izobraževanje, religiologija Introduction In national and international discussions on religion education (RE) in public schools, the questions of whether and how RE should focus on various extra-academic aims remain central. Questions are often formulated in terms of whether the pupils should learn not only about religion but also from religion. What is less clear, however, is what these categories mean and how learning from religion is different from learning religion/education into religion, sometimes used as categories for confessional RE (Alberts, 2008; Kjeldsen, 2016; Teece, 2008, 2010) . Many politicians, RE researchers, and teachers still argue that the overall aims also of, in principle, non-confessional RE in public schools should involve various kinds of extra-academic aims and thus include learning from religion. Over the previous two decades, these discussions have been related to political discourses on citizenship education and intercultural/interreligious dialogue as means of meeting challenges such as intolerance, discrimination, and lack of social cohesion due to the increasing religious and cultural plurality in European countries and schools (Council of Europe, 2002; Jackson, 2009, 2014; W

FAQs

What central question does the article address in religion education debates?

It focuses on whether and how religion education should include extra-academic aims, particularly whether pupils should learn not only about religion but also from religion.

How does the study define and structure learning in a study-of-religion(s) approach?

It uses a framework organized around three categories: attitudes, skills and concepts, and knowledge, to systematize and discuss key principles.

Which curricula are used to support the argument about analytical-critical skills?

The article refers to Sweden’s national curriculum for religion education and Denmark’s history curriculum as indicators that analytical-critical skills can be central in elementary and lower secondary public schools.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by kopisore