This article reports on research undertaken between July 2014 and November 2015 in secondary schools (for young people aged 11-16) across England to ask what young people need to know about religion and belief in schools in order to increase 'religious literacy' when they go in to the workplace and wider society. The research arises in the context of an urgent debate which has been underway in England about the future of Religious Education (RE), a subject which remains compulsory in England under the Education Act 1944, but which gives rise to widespread confusion about its purposes, content and structure, as reflected in growing criticisms of the policy muddle that frames it. The key findings are: that there is an appetite for review and reform of teaching and learning about religion and belief in schools, inside and outside the RE space, in order to clarify confusion about its purposes, content and structure; that the key perceived purposes which are emerging are the ability to engage with diversity, and personal spiritual (but not religious) development; and that stakeholders want to learn about more religions and beliefs, and ways of thinking about them, which reflect a much broader and more fluid real contemporary religion and belief landscape of England and the world than education has reflected.
This article reports on research undertaken in 2011-2012 into the role of religion and belief in one British university. In this indicative qualitative case study, we observed six important features in relation to religion and belief: a clear divide in attitudes to the place of religion and belief between operations and curriculum; a lack of knowledge and understanding of the religious landscape within the institution; differing and localized responses to religion and belief within and between departments; variation in the approaches of different academic disciplines; very strong desire to promote a good student experience, which included a recognition that some students identify as religious; and that religious and non-religious perspectives are widely conceived of as binary, meaning either 'secular' or religious. We conclude that these findings demonstrate, at this institution, a struggle to think and act strategically and consistently on religion and belief, and suggest that, because of their influential educational positions, this reflects and reproduces muddled thinking and acting about religion and belief in wider society. Keywords: religious literacy; higher education; religion; universitiesThe research reported in this article is intended to explore what ideas of religious literacy might look like in practice, using the example of one British university. A case study undertaken in 2011-2012 was designed to consider how religion and belief play out across a wide range of front-line staff and student settings, both academic and administrative and, by extension, to draw out the implications for other sectors and settings in wider society.The study is presented in four parts. First, the idea of religious literacy is introduced and explored in relation to higher education. Second, the methods of the case study are set out. Third, the findings are presented. Fourth, the article sets out key reflections and conclusions.
This article reflects upon a process of developing an approach to measuring faith-based contributions to social action, examining the problems and challenges involved. A systematic review of research arising in regional faith-based settings in England [Dinham (2007) Priceless, Unmeasureable: Faith-based Community Development in England in the 21st Century, FbRN, London] shows the considerable extent to which faith groups are engaged in social action in communities. It also identifies the diversity of language used to describe those activities, and of research approaches to capturing them. We examine how this poses challenges to demonstrating the value of faith-based activities to funders and policy-makers and argue that more important are the difficulties posed to discussing and comparing faith-based activities in ways which might be helpful to faith groups' own reflective practice. We link this to how power accrues around what is measured and therefore valued and discuss the possibility of broadening measurement by rooting it in community development. We propose balancing in measurement the demands of accountability and demonstrability with the values of community development, to produce a 'bottom up' reflective praxis which can support and empower local faith communities to be heard on their own terms whilst at the same time defining and refining those terms. In these ways, the article is intended both for practitioners engaging in faithbased social action and its evaluation, and for policy-makers and funders wishing to engage with its value and contribution.
A formalized orientation program for experienced nurses was modeled after a program for new graduate nurses. Within a year, experienced nurses rotated through teaching stations, including simulations of shock and respiratory failure. Participants completed pre- and postsurveys and scored self-confidence on a Likert scale. Surveys showed a significant increase in participants’ confidence related to elements in their new role. Future plans include a retention rate comparison of participants in this program versus nonparticipants.
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