Conversations about understandings of life : Is there a place for them within the religious education in school?

In this study I have used action research to analyse my own teaching in religious studies in two classes from upper secondary school. The study is based on seminars where students discuss the meaning of life. The purpose is to investigate whether conversations of that kind can be used as a basis for assessment, or whether they can be motivated in another way. Previous research shows that the objective religious didactics tends to create a distance between the students and the religions they study, and that a secular discourse can often be discerned in many Swedish classrooms. Intercultural religious didactics has an inclusive ambition and the aim is to create both understanding and tolerance for religious expressions. In my study, I see that it is difficult to combine conversations about one's own understanding of life with the knowledge requirements, on the other hand, there are other goals that could motivate such conversations though. The reliability of the study is characterized by the fact that the result is a consequence of my professional skills and the relationship between me and the students