Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Complicated confessionality: How the concept of ‘confessionality’ could serve the debate on religious education better?

  • Published:
Journal of Religious Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

An Erratum to this article was published on 01 July 2016

Abstract

Among concepts concerning religious education, confessionality is one of the most frequently used. In a pluralistic setting it has been contested (but also defended) as it is linked to identity, culture and worldviews and their transmission. There is not, however, a clear agreement on the definition of what is meant by ‘confessional’. The concept seems to be important for two different functions, first, for describing and comparing the character of religious education in different contexts, and second, for defining what methods or aims are legitimate in a religious education class in a certain context (e.g. public vs. denominational school). Without a proper definition the concept does not serve these functions very well. This article attempts to develop the concept by dividing it into four dimensions, including contents, teaching methods, aims of education and identity assumption. Furthermore, issues concerning evaluating confessionality of a certain teaching process are reflected on with the help of a didactic model of teaching and learning.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. The standard translation of elämänkatsomustieto is ‘ethics’, which in the Finnish school context means different philosophies, cultures, and worldviews.

References

  • Alberts, W. (2012). Integrative religious education in Europe: A study of religions approach. Berlin: Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berglund, J. (2009). Teaching Islam: Islamic religious education at three Muslim schools in Sweden. Uppsala: Uppsala universitet.

    Google Scholar 

  • Board of Education (2004). National core curriculum for basic education. Retrieved from http://www.oph.fi/download/47673_core_curricula_basic_education_4.pdf.

  • Board of Education (2006a). Muistio: Perusopetuslain muutoksen vaikutukset uskonnon ja elämänkatsomustiedon opetukseen sekä koulun toimintaan [Memorandum: The effects of the change in the basic education act on religious education and ethics classes and school activities]. Retrieved from http://www.edu.fi/download/130016_Tiedote_19_2006.pdf.

  • Board of Education (2006b). Perusopetuksen muiden uskontojen opetussuunnitelmien perusteet [National Core Curriculum for Other Religions within Basic Education]. Retrieved from http://www02.oph.fi/ops/perusopetus/netpkuskontojenopsit06.pdf.

  • Davie, G. (2000). Religion in modern Europe: A memory mutates. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Durham, W. C, Jr. (2013). Introduction. In D. H. Davis & E. Miroshnikova (Eds.), The Routledge international handbook of religious education (pp. 1–12). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans, C. (2008). Religious education in public schools: An international human rights perspective. Human Rights Law Review, 8(3), 449–473.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fancourt, N. (2007). The ‘dialogical’ teacher: Should teachers express their commitments in the classroom? In C. Bakker & H.-G. Heimbrock (Eds.), Researching RE teachers: RE teachers as researchers (pp. 53–67). Münster: Waxmann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fancourt, N. (2015). Re-defining ‘learning about religion’ and ‘learning from religion’: A study of policy change. British Journal of Religious Education, 37(2), 122–137. doi:10.1080/01416200.2014.923377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hanks, P., & Fox, G. (1987). In J. Sinclair (Ed.), Collins cobuild english language dictionary. London: HarperCollins Publishers.

  • Hull, J. M. (2001). The contribution of religious education to religious freedom. Religious education in school: Ideas and experiences around the world. International Association for Religious Freedom. Retrieved from https://iarf.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Religious-Education-in-Schools.pdf. pp. 4–11.

  • Kallioniemi, A. (1997). Uskonnonopettajien ammattikuva. Helsinki: Helsingin yliopiston opettajankoulutuslaitos.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kallioniemi, A. (2007). Näkökulmia europpalaiseen uskonnon opetukseen—oppiaineen kehittämisen haasteita Norjassa ja Suomessa. In A. Kallioniemi & E. Salmenkivi (Eds.), Katsomusaineiden kehittämishaasteita: Opettajankoulutuksen tutkinnonuudistuksen virittämää keskustelua (pp. 55–76). Helsinki: Soveltavan kasvatustieteen laitos.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kallioniemi, A., & Ubani, M. (2012). Religious education in Finnish school system. In H. Niemi, A. Toom, & A. Kallioniemi (Eds.), Miracle of education: The principles and practices of teaching and learning in Finnish schools (pp. 177–188). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Khir, B. (2000). Religious education for Muslims in Birmingham: The case for faith-based provision in state schools. In N. G. Holm (Ed.), Islam and Christianity in school religious education: Issues, approaches and contexts (pp. 85–108). Turku: Åbo Akademi.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kimanen, A. (2014). Measuring confessionality by the outcomes? Islamic religious education in the Finnish school system. British Journal of Religious Education,. doi:10.1080/01416200.2014.984582.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lloyd, I. (2007). Confession and Reason. In M. Felderhof, P. Thompson, & D. Torewell (Eds.), Inspiring faith in schools: Studies in religious education (pp. 25–34). Aldershot: Ashgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moulin, D. (2011). Giving voice to ‘the silent minority’: The experience of religious students in secondary school religious education lessons. British Journal of Religious Education, 33(3), 313–326.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ODIHR (2007). Toledo guiding principles on teaching about religions and beliefs in public schools. Retrieved from www.osce.org/odihr/29154.

  • Plesner, I. T. (2002). Religio-political models and models for religious and moral education. Panorama, 14(2), 111–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Puolimatka, T. (1996). The concept of indoctrination. Philosophia Reformata, 61, 109–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pyysiäinen, M. (1982). Tunnustuksellinen, tunnustukseton ja objektiivinen uskonnonopetus: Opetussuunnitelma-analyysi Suomen ja Ruotsin peruskoulun uskonnonopetuksen tavoitteista ja sisällöstä. Helsinki: Kirjapaja.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pyysiäinen, M. (1998). Koulun uskonnonnopetuksen luonne. In M. Pyysiäinen & J. Seppälä (Eds.), Uskonnonopetuksen käsikirja (pp. 41–68). WSOY: Helsinki.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rambo, L. R. (1993). Understanding religious conversion. New Haven: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rissanen, I. (2014). Negotiating identity and tradition in single-faith religious education: A case study of Islamic religious education in Finnish schools. Münster: Waxmann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sakaranaho, T. (2006). Pienryhmäisten uskontojen opetus ja monikulttuurisuuden haasteet. In A. Kallioniemi & E. Salmenkivi (Eds.), Katsomusaineiden kehittämishaasteita: Opettajankoulutuksen tutkinnonuudistuksen virittämää keskustelua (pp. 3–16). Helsinki: Soveltavan kasvatustieteen laitos.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sakaranaho, T. (2013). Religious education in Finland. Temenos, 49(2), 225–254.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schreiner, P. (2002). Religious education in the European context. In L. Broadbent & A. Brown (Eds.), Issues in religious education (pp. 86–98). London: RoutledgeFalmer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skeie, G. (2001). Citizenship, identity politics and religious education. In H.-G. Heimbrock, C. T. Scheilke, & P. Schreiner (Eds.), Towards religious competence: Diversity as a challenge for education in Europe (pp. 237–252). Münster: Lit.

    Google Scholar 

  • Statistics Finland. (2014). Religious affiliation of the population, share of population, % 1950–2013. SVT Population. Retrieved from http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/til/vaerak/2013/vaerak_2013_2014-03-21_tau_002_en.html.

  • Statistics Finland. (2015). Peruskoulun oppilaiden ainevalinnat. SVT Koulutus 2015. Tilastokeskus: Helsinki.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thiessen, E. (2007). Religious education and committed openness. In M. Felderhof, P. Thompson, & D. Torewell (Eds.), Inspiring faith in schools: Studies in religious education (pp. 35–46). Aldershot: Ashgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Uljens, M. (1997). School didactics and learning: A school didactic model framing an analysis of pedagogical implications of learning theory. Hove: Psychology Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Vermeer, P. (2010). Religious education and socialization. Religious Education, 105(1), 103–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walsh, S. (2006). Investigating classroom discourse. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wardekker, W. L., & Miedema, S. (2001). Religious identity formation between participation and distantiation. In H.-G. Heimbrock, Ch Th Scheilke, & P. Schreiner (Eds.), Towards religious competence: Diversity as a challenge for education in Europe (pp. 23–33). Münster: Lit Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watson, B. (2012). Why religious education matters. In L. P. Barnes (Ed.), Debates in religious education (pp. 13–21). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Willaime, J.-P. (2007). Different models for religion and education in Europe. In R. Jackson, S. Miedema, W. Weisse, & J.-P. Willaime (Eds.), Religion and education in Europe: Developments, contexts and debates (pp. 57–66). Münster: Waxmann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wood, P. (1990). Indoctrination and religious education in infant schools. British Journal of Religious Education, 12(3), 160–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, A. (2004). Religion, education and post-modernity. London: RoutledgeFalmer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Zilliacus, H. (2013). Addressing religious plurality—A teacher perspective on minority religion and secular ethics education. Intercultural Education, 24(6), 507–520.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zilliacus, H., & Holm, G. (2013). ‘We have our own religion’: A Pupil perspective on minority religion and ethics instruction in Finland. British Journal of Religious Education, 35(3), 282–296. doi:10.1080/01416200.2012.750707.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Teacher Education, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Anuleena Kimanen

Authors
  1. Anuleena Kimanen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anuleena Kimanen.

Additional information

An erratum to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40839-016-0031-3.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kimanen, A. Complicated confessionality: How the concept of ‘confessionality’ could serve the debate on religious education better?. j. relig. educ. 63, 129–140 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40839-016-0023-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40839-016-0023-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation