Empirical Science of Religious Education

Mandy Robbins is Reader in the Psychology of Religion at Glyndŵr University, UK. She is also an associate fellow in the Centre for Education Studies, University of Warwick, UK.Leslie J. Francis is Professor of Religious Education and Director of the Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit at the University of Warwick, UK.

• ContentsPrefaceForewordAcknowledgementsIntroducing the empirical science of religious educationPart 1. Ethnographic fieldwork1.1 Bridging the gap between young people’s experience of their religious traditions at home and school: The contribution of ethnographic research Eleanor Nesbitt1.2 Issues in the delivery of religious education to Muslim pupils: Perspectives from the classroom Julia IpgravePart 2. Practitioner research and community of practice2.1 Researching religious education pedagogy through an action research community of practice Kevin O’Grady2.2 ‘I’m less intolerant’: Reflexive self-assessment in religious education Nigel FancourtPart 3. Educating religious educators3.1 Becoming an RE teacher: A life history approach Pat Sikes and Judith Everington3.2 The experience of Black African religious education trainee teachers training in England Nick MeadPart 4. Students imaging beginnings and endings4.1 Children’s concepts of an afterlife Sandra Frangoulis, Netta Jordan and Richard Lansdown4.2 Insights from children’s perspectives in interpreting the wisdom of the biblical creation narrative Howard WorsleyPart 5. In search of meaning and purpose5.1 Weaving the threads of meaning: A characteristic of children’s spirituality and its implications for religious education Brendan Hyde5.2 Exploring the role of religion and spirituality in the development of purpose: Case studies of purposeful youth Kirsi Tirri and Brandy QuinnPart 6. Life world and life interpretation6.1 Islamic nature and identity management: The lifeworld of Pakistani children in Norway Sissel Östberg6.2 Life interpretation and religion among Icelandic teenagers Gunnar J. GunnarssonPart 7. Religious schooling7.1 Islamic schools in The Netherlands: Compromising between identity and quality? Geert Driessen and Pim Valkenberg7.2 The case of the Jewish high school in Berlin: A denominational school dealing with diversity Christine MuellerPart 8. Developing scales and measures8.1 The Loman Index of Biblical interpretation: Distinguishing between literal, symbolic and rejecting modes among 11 to 14 year olds Susan E. Loman and Leslie J. Francis8.2 Internal consistency reliability and construct validity of the Attitude toward Muslim Proximity Index (AMPI): A measure of social distance Adrian Brockett, Andrew Village and Leslie J. FrancisPart 9. Shaping and testing theories9.1 Promoting positive attitudes towards science and religion among sixth-form pupils: Dealing with scientism and creationism Jeff Astley and Leslie J. Francis9.2 Personality, conventional Christian belief and unconventional paranormal belief: A study among teenagers Leslie J. Francis, Emyr Williams and Mandy RobbinsPart 10. Large scale surveys10.1 A nine-country survey of youth in Europe: Selected findings and issues William K. Kay and Hans-Georg Ziebertz10.2 The teenage-religion and values survey in England and Wales: An overview Mandy Robbins and Leslie J. FrancisContributors

Brian Gates:‘The book is a well-focussed collation of some 20 articles selected from an available 100. This is sufficiently manageable in number not to be ‘swamping’ but sufficiently varied to be enticing of interest. The 10 organising themes are also well-chosen to be indicative of the ground represented. There is no comparable resource available, save for the journal itself. Any weaknesses are external to the proposal and relate to market predictability and affordability by individuals.Leslie Francis is a senior authority in this field and recognised internationally as such. This is true with regard to his own research and publications, and also in regard to his direct association with both the BJRE and the Warwick RE Research Unit. Mandy Robbins has collaborated closely with him over the last decade and has gained recognition in related national and international associations. The choice of contributors is entirely apposite for the focus of the book – they cover the field under scrutiny and themselves come from a range of international backgrounds.Gloria Durka, Ph.D, Professor at the Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education, Fordham University, USA:‘I believe that this work will be a significant addition to the literature on research in religious education. It deserves to be on the reference shelf of each college and university library.… I believe this work could be a required reading in graduate level courses. In addition to Research Methods courses, the book would be valuable for courses in Special Issues in Religious Education and courses in the Religious Education of Children and Youth.… I like the title and think my students would appreciate it as well. It is focused and appropriate, in my view. I appreciate the clarity of designating that the articles have been published in the British Journal of Religious Education. The title is very specific and this makes the work more attractive to graduate students who are doing their own research.’