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Teaching Religious Education in Schools and Adolescents’ Social and Emotional Development. An Action Research on the Role of Religious Education and School Community in Adolescents’ Lives

Citation:

Koukounaras-Liagkis, M. (2016). Teaching Religious Education in Schools and Adolescents’ Social and Emotional Development. An Action Research on the Role of Religious Education and School Community in Adolescents’ Lives. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(2), 121-133. Doi: 10.17265/2328-2177/2016.02.004 .
teaching_religious_education_in_schools_and_adolescents_social_and_emotional_development._an_action_research_on_the_role_of_religious_education_and_school_community_in_adolescents_lives.pdf180 KB

Abstract:

The presentation of the findings of this article is based on an action research focused on the supportive role of the school in adolescents’ lives, whereby Religious Education’s contribution to the social and emotional development of adolescents (11-15) is combined with the evaluation of the potential offered by a constructivist approach to the learning process. The research commenced in 2012 and is now in its third year. The project is based on an intervention at a high school in an impoverished suburb of Athens and researches educational practices through interpretative-ethnographic methods. The researcher has attempted to answer the question of whether the design of the learning environments is effective not only in the learning process, but also on inter-communication and “connectedness” between the members of the learning community. The findings so far indicate a correlation between adolescents’ emotional and social wellbeing and the school’s approach to knowledge and learning methods, specifically in Religious Education classes. It is fair to say, however, that there exist ethnic, social and family components that are negatively related to a sense of “connectedness” within the school although at the same time Religious Education as a subject is, however, found to be positively related to learning community atmosphere.