Från läroplan till individ och vidare ut i världen : En didaktisk analys av elevers perspektiv på religionskunskapens roll och funktion genom linsen av världscentrerat lärande

Religious education is one of the most debated school subjects in Swedish upper secondary education, primarily from an outside perspective where the secular and scientific norms of modern society often prompt questions about its relevance from politicians, media, and the public alike. This study investigates the relevancy of religious education from a student perspective, based on the aims and goals stated in the curriculum and through the theoretical lens of Gert Biesta’s theory on world-centred education. The main focus of this study has been to find out to what extent students find the subject relevant on a personal and societal level, how they perceive that it relates to other scientific and pedagogical areas in school, and how their attitudes towards the subject affect their ability to put the knowledge gained to use as democratic citizens of a multi-cultural world. The methods used to conduct this investigation has been a small-scale student survey followed by more in-depth interviews with two smaller focus groups and one semi structured interview, with questions based on the results from the survey. The results have then been analysed using the theory of world-centred education as an interpretive tool, backed up by previous research on the subject of attitudes towards religious education, attitudes towards religion and multiculturalism, and research on subject and curriculum integrated didactics. The results of this study reveal a more positive outcome on how relevant religious education is thought to be, in the context of Swedish schools and society from a student point of view, than the starting point suggested. Though far from all students rated the subject as very important, most of them expressed a good understanding and acceptance of the aim and purpose of the subject. Furthermore, many of them could apply the knowledge gained from the subject on life, relations, history, and society. Though this study is based on limited data, the outcome paired with the theoretical framework and backed up by larger scale research provides a didactic toolkit for navigating a global and multicultural society