Religious Positionings in Teaching World Religions : A Survey based Research study done on First to Sixth grade Teachers' View of the Attitudes towards Religious Education of Students with a Religious Background

Sweden is said to be one of the most secularized countries in the world, which means that as a religious person in Sweden, you are part of a minority. This is why, in the school system, it is of great importance to ensure that the religious students are given the same prerequisites as the students who are part of the norm. This paper takes root in a number of studies treating students with a religious background, the role they play and their attitudes towards religious education. Primarily considering the education of world religions. The research studies that I have used to create the theory for this paper states that students with a religious background have a more negative attitude towards religious education. Through a web-based survey, I have been examining teachers teaching first to sixth grade trying to find out whether the previous research made with older students is in line with those who are younger. A total of 114 teachers from the lower grades has participated in the web survey that forms the empiricism of this paper. Based on the results of the web survey the teachers involved did not find students of a religious background to have a more negative attitude towards religious education than those students who are non-religious. Approximately half of the teachers stated that they saw a difference in attitude of the students with a religious background but the majority of those meant that the religious students were of a more positive attitude towards religious education. The result also showed that when the students get to act as representatives for their religion in the classroom, they do it happily and of their own accord, unlike previous research that shows that students find this problematic. Finally, the result of the survey showed that this group of teachers mainly use three different approaches to create a meaningful education in world religions for all students, no matter their previous knowledge of religions. They demonstrate similarities and differences between religions, use a variety of teaching approaches and demonstrate the importance of the subject and why it is taught