Understanding the Interplay: A New Methodology for Education, Religion, Worldviews and Lived Citizenship

Overview & Synopsis

In an increasingly polarised world, in which religion/worldview is a growing marker of difference, an inclusive understanding of citizenship is crucial. We report on a project with secondary schools in England to explore young people's lived citizenship and its relationship to religion/worldview. Religion/worldview does not always feature within citizenship education, and the potentially generative space between Religious Education (RE) and Citizenship for exploring issues of identity, belonging and participation, is underused, under-theorised and under-resourced. At this interface, 'Understanding the Interplay' introduces an innovative methodology that is both a creative and inclusive form of data generation and a pedagogical model grounded in "praxis." Findings and analytical themes are shared to reflect how the project design contributes to both educational research and curriculum development in the pursuit of more inclusive education within plural democracies.