An Investigation into Teachers’ Attitudes to Religious Education in North Macedonia Primary Schools
Keywords:
diversity, religious education, secularism, teacher attitudes
Abstract
Religious Education (RE) in North Macedonia holds a significant place in the country's diverse educational landscape, reflecting the coexistence of various faiths within this Balkan nation. This paper aims to investigate teachers’ attitudes toward the impact of Religious Education on students’ behavior, knowledge, and attitudes, considering factors like gender and school type. The study involved 217 primary school teachers from multiethnic regions in North Macedonia. The Teachers' Attitude Questionnaire (TAQ) was employed for data collection. The findings provide insights into teachers' perspectives on the effects of RE. Overall, teachers express positive attitudes towards RE, with a notable percentage acknowledging its positive influence on students’ attitudes towards various aspects of diversity. However, there is variability in opinions regarding its impact on students’ sense of responsibility and behavior. Teachers also diverge in their views on its role in moral development and tolerance promotion. Regarding demographic factors, there is no statistically significant difference in teachers’ attitudes based on gender. However, teachers in multicultural schools exhibit notably more positive attitudes compared to their counterparts in monocultural schools, suggesting that school environment and diversity play a role in shaping perceptions of Religious Education.
References
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Çupi, X. (2019). The contribution of religious communities in promoting tolerance in the Republic of North Macedonia. JUSTICIA–International Journal of Legal Sciences, 7(12), 161-171. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=954388
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Ene, I., & Barna, I. (2015). Religious education and teachers’ role in students’ formation towards social integration. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 180, 30-35.
Everington, J., Ter Avest, I., Bakker, C., & Van Der Want, A. (2014). European religious education teachers' perceptions of and responses to classroom diversity and their relationship to personal and professional biographies. In Religion, Education, Dialogue and Conflict (pp. 133-147). Routledge.
Gaitanos, G. (2019, October 1). Definition of Religion [PowerPoint Slides]. Department of Theology and Culture. http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.12358.22085
Gholami, A., Maleki, H., & Rizi, C. E. (2011). Studying the effectiveness degree of active teaching methods on religious and moral education of students at fifth grade of primary school in Shiraz from teachers’ point of view. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 15, 2132-2136.
Githaiga, P. W. (2003). An Investigation on the Attitudes of Teachers and Students towards Christian Religious Education in Selected Secondary Schools in Nakuru District (Doctoral dissertation, Egerton University).
Green, Z. A. (2021). Strengthening career adaptation among school teachers in Pakistan: Test of strengths-based career intervention imparted through emotionalized learning experiences. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 1-33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-021-09502-2
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Hannam, P., Biesta, G., Whittle, S., & Aldridge, D. (2020). Religious literacy: A way forward for religious education?. Journal of Beliefs & Values, 41(2), 214-226. https://doi.org/10.1080/13617672.2020.1736969
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Kimanen, A. (2015). Complicated confessionality: How the concept of ‘confessionality’could serve the debate on religious education better?. Journal of Religious Education, 63, 129-140.
Koceva, D. (2017). Religious Education in Multicultural Societies with a Focus on Macedonian Society. Štip: Goce Delčev University.
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Meehan, A., & Laffan, D. A. (2021). Inclusive second level Religious Education in Ireland today: what do teachers say?. Journal of Religious Education, 69, 439-451.
Mojzes, P. B. (2017). Fourth World Conference on Dialogue among Religions and Civilizations in Macedonia 2016. Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe, 37(1), 4. https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree/vol37/iss1/4
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National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), Ireland. (2019). Junior Cycle Religious Education. Dublin: NCCA.
Pajaziti, A. (2019). Spirituality and tolerance: the case of North Macedonia. KNOWLEDGE-International Journal, 31(6), 1959-1964. https://doi.org/10.35120/kij31061959p
Putkonen, N., & Poulter, S. (2023). Balancing Differences through Highlighting the Common: Religious Education Teachers’ Perceptions of the Diversity of Islam in Islamic Religious Education in Finnish State Schools. Religions, 14(8), 1069.
Sabbe, E., & Aelterman, A. (2007). Gender in teaching: A literature review. Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 13(5), 521-538. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540600701561729
Saoke, V. O., Musafiri, C. M., Ndwiga, Z. N., & Githaiga, P. W. (2023). The christian religious education teachers’ attitudes toward the five-stage lesson plan framework in Kenya: A gender-based analysis. Heliyon, 9(8).
Sargeant, M. A., & Berkner, D. (2015). Seventh-Day Adventist teachers’ perceptions of inclusion classrooms and identification of challenges to their implementation. Journal of Research on Christian Education, 24(3), 224-251. https://doi.org/10.1080/10656219.2015.1104269
Schreiner, P. (2013). Religious education in the European context. HERJ Hungarian Educational Research Journal, 3(4), 4-14.
Schweitzer, F., Riegel, U. & Ziebertz, H.-G. (2009). Europe in a comparative perspective – religious pluralism and mono-religious claims. In H.-G. Ziebertz & U. Riegel (Eds.), How teachers in Europe teach religion. An international empirical study in 16 countries (pp. 241–255). Berlin, Münster: Lit.
Schweitzer, F., Riegel, U. & Ziebertz, H.-G. (2009). Europe in a comparative perspective – religious pluralism and mono-religious claims. In H.-G. Ziebertz & U. Riegel (Eds.), How teachers in Europe teach religion. An international empirical study in 16 countries (pp. 241–255). Berlin, Münster: Lit.
Smyth, E., Lyons, M., & Darmody, M. (2013). Religious education in a multicultural Europe: Children, parents and schools. Palgrave MacMillan.
Vilà Baños, R., Freixa Niella, M., Sánchez-Martí, A., & Rubio Hurtado, M. J. (2020). Head teachers’ attitudes towards religious diversity and interreligious dialogue and their implications for secondary schools in Catalonia. British Journal of Religious Education, 42(2), 180-192. https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2019.1584742
Weisse, W. (2011). Reflections on the REDCo project. British Journal of Religious Education, 33(2), 111-125. https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2011.543589
Ziebertz, H. G., & Riegel, U. (Eds.). (2009). How teachers in Europe teach religion: An international empirical study in 16 countries (Vol. 12). LIT Verlag Münster.
Bećirović, S., Brdarević-Čeljo, A., & Dubravac, V. (2018). The effect of nationality, gender, and GPA on the use of reading strategies among EFL university students. Sage Open, 8(4), 2158244018809286. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018809286
Byrne, G., & Sweetman, B. (2019). CPD and RE: What Do RE Teachers in Irish Catholic Schools Say They Need?. Global Perspectives on Catholic Religious Education in Schools: Volume II: Learning and Leading in a Pluralist World, 231–243.
Ceka, O. (2018). Islamophobia in North Macedonia: National Report 2018. In E. Bayraklı & F. Hafez (Eds.), European Islamophobia Report: 2018. (pp. 623-640). Seta
Ceka, O. (2019). Islamophobia in North Macedonia: National Report 2018. In E. Bayraklı & F. Hafez (Eds.), European Islamophobia Report: 2019. (pp. 565-589). Seta
Census (2021). Total resident population, households and dwellings in the Republic of North Macedonia. https://www.stat.gov.mk/PrikaziPublikacija_1_en.aspx?rbr=861
Conroy, J. C., Lundie, D., Davis, R. A., Baumfield, V., Barnes, L. P., Gallagher, T., ... & Wenell, K. J. (2013). Does religious education work?: A multi-dimensional investigation. A&C Black.
Çupi, X. (2019). The contribution of religious communities in promoting tolerance in the Republic of North Macedonia. JUSTICIA–International Journal of Legal Sciences, 7(12), 161-171. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=954388
Davies*, G. (2004). Gender and attitudes towards religious education in the primary school. British Journal of Religious Education, 26(1), 85-94. https://doi.org/10.1080/0141620032000149944
Ene, I., & Barna, I. (2015). Religious education and teachers’ role in students’ formation towards social integration. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 180, 30-35.
Everington, J., Ter Avest, I., Bakker, C., & Van Der Want, A. (2014). European religious education teachers' perceptions of and responses to classroom diversity and their relationship to personal and professional biographies. In Religion, Education, Dialogue and Conflict (pp. 133-147). Routledge.
Gaitanos, G. (2019, October 1). Definition of Religion [PowerPoint Slides]. Department of Theology and Culture. http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.12358.22085
Gholami, A., Maleki, H., & Rizi, C. E. (2011). Studying the effectiveness degree of active teaching methods on religious and moral education of students at fifth grade of primary school in Shiraz from teachers’ point of view. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 15, 2132-2136.
Githaiga, P. W. (2003). An Investigation on the Attitudes of Teachers and Students towards Christian Religious Education in Selected Secondary Schools in Nakuru District (Doctoral dissertation, Egerton University).
Green, Z. A. (2021). Strengthening career adaptation among school teachers in Pakistan: Test of strengths-based career intervention imparted through emotionalized learning experiences. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 1-33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-021-09502-2
Halstead, J. M., Davis, A., & Barnes, L. P. (2015). Religious education. Religious Education, 1-176.
Hannam, P., Biesta, G., Whittle, S., & Aldridge, D. (2020). Religious literacy: A way forward for religious education?. Journal of Beliefs & Values, 41(2), 214-226. https://doi.org/10.1080/13617672.2020.1736969
Haynes, C. C. (2001). Religious Liberty and the Public Schools. Fastback 479. Phi Delta Kappa International, PO Box 789, Bloomington, IN 47402-0789.
Ipgrave, J. (2012). Relationships between local patterns of religious practice and young people’s attitudes to the religiosity of their peers. Journal of Beliefs & Values, 33(3), 261-274. https://doi.org/10.1080/13617672.2012.732805
Jäggle, M., Rothgangel, M., & Schlag, T. (Eds.). (2013). Religiöse Bildung an Schulen in Europa. V & R Unipress.
Joshi, A., Eberly, J., & Konzal, J. (2005). Dialogue across cultures: Teachers' perceptions about communication with diverse Families. Multicultural Education, 13(2), 11-15.
Kimanen, A. (2015). Complicated confessionality: How the concept of ‘confessionality’could serve the debate on religious education better?. Journal of Religious Education, 63, 129-140.
Koceva, D. (2017). Religious Education in Multicultural Societies with a Focus on Macedonian Society. Štip: Goce Delčev University.
Koceva, D., & Petrovski, V. (2015). Challenges and dilemmas in the introduction of religious education in the educational system of the Republic of Macedonia. Proceedings of the Scientific-Professional Forum "Competencies and Professional Development of Teachers in the 21st Century," 137-141.
Meehan, A., & Laffan, D. A. (2021). Inclusive second level Religious Education in Ireland today: what do teachers say?. Journal of Religious Education, 69, 439-451.
Mojzes, P. B. (2017). Fourth World Conference on Dialogue among Religions and Civilizations in Macedonia 2016. Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe, 37(1), 4. https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree/vol37/iss1/4
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), Ireland. (2017). Background Paper and Brief for the Review of Junior Cycle Religious Education. Dublin: NCCA. https://ncca.ie/media/2785/backgroundpaper_religiouseducation_en.pdf
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), Ireland. (2019). Junior Cycle Religious Education. Dublin: NCCA.
Pajaziti, A. (2019). Spirituality and tolerance: the case of North Macedonia. KNOWLEDGE-International Journal, 31(6), 1959-1964. https://doi.org/10.35120/kij31061959p
Putkonen, N., & Poulter, S. (2023). Balancing Differences through Highlighting the Common: Religious Education Teachers’ Perceptions of the Diversity of Islam in Islamic Religious Education in Finnish State Schools. Religions, 14(8), 1069.
Sabbe, E., & Aelterman, A. (2007). Gender in teaching: A literature review. Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 13(5), 521-538. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540600701561729
Saoke, V. O., Musafiri, C. M., Ndwiga, Z. N., & Githaiga, P. W. (2023). The christian religious education teachers’ attitudes toward the five-stage lesson plan framework in Kenya: A gender-based analysis. Heliyon, 9(8).
Sargeant, M. A., & Berkner, D. (2015). Seventh-Day Adventist teachers’ perceptions of inclusion classrooms and identification of challenges to their implementation. Journal of Research on Christian Education, 24(3), 224-251. https://doi.org/10.1080/10656219.2015.1104269
Schreiner, P. (2013). Religious education in the European context. HERJ Hungarian Educational Research Journal, 3(4), 4-14.
Schweitzer, F., Riegel, U. & Ziebertz, H.-G. (2009). Europe in a comparative perspective – religious pluralism and mono-religious claims. In H.-G. Ziebertz & U. Riegel (Eds.), How teachers in Europe teach religion. An international empirical study in 16 countries (pp. 241–255). Berlin, Münster: Lit.
Schweitzer, F., Riegel, U. & Ziebertz, H.-G. (2009). Europe in a comparative perspective – religious pluralism and mono-religious claims. In H.-G. Ziebertz & U. Riegel (Eds.), How teachers in Europe teach religion. An international empirical study in 16 countries (pp. 241–255). Berlin, Münster: Lit.
Smyth, E., Lyons, M., & Darmody, M. (2013). Religious education in a multicultural Europe: Children, parents and schools. Palgrave MacMillan.
Vilà Baños, R., Freixa Niella, M., Sánchez-Martí, A., & Rubio Hurtado, M. J. (2020). Head teachers’ attitudes towards religious diversity and interreligious dialogue and their implications for secondary schools in Catalonia. British Journal of Religious Education, 42(2), 180-192. https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2019.1584742
Weisse, W. (2011). Reflections on the REDCo project. British Journal of Religious Education, 33(2), 111-125. https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2011.543589
Ziebertz, H. G., & Riegel, U. (Eds.). (2009). How teachers in Europe teach religion: An international empirical study in 16 countries (Vol. 12). LIT Verlag Münster.
Published
2023-12-01
How to Cite
Adili, B., Ameti, M., & Zenki-Dalipi, A. (2023). An Investigation into Teachers’ Attitudes to Religious Education in North Macedonia Primary Schools. Dinamika Ilmu, 23(2), 291-302. https://doi.org/10.21093/di.v23i2.7302
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