Coordinators

Theo van der Zee

Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands
t.v.d.zee@iko.ru.nl

 

Terence Lovat

The University of Newcastle, Australia
terry.lovat@newcastle.edu.au
                                                

                                            Jure assistant coordinator: Arniika Kuusisto

                                                      University of Helsinki, Finland

Mission Statement 

Religious and spiritual education is an interdisciplinary field of research into education, learning, development, and socialization at various levels at schools, universities, families, or communities with respect to religion and spirituality. Religion and spirituality are closely related fields of interest. Spirituality can be perceived as an ability to transcend to something (someone) which is greater than the self, and religion as a set of practices for establishing relationship to a transcendent reality, for the sake of obtaining human good or avoiding harm.
The Religious and Spiritual Education SIG brings together researchers from various backgrounds as theology, religious studies, psychology, pedagogy, educational studies, and philosophy. The SIG 19 is advocating empirical research that includes cognitive, social and emotional components.

The SIG 19 will focus on the following topics and themes:

  • schools, families and communities as contexts for religious and spiritual learning and instruction
  • constraints and affordances for religious and spiritual development in schools, families and communities
  • educational and formation goals and practices of schools with respect to values, beliefs and worldviews
  • religious and spiritual socialization within families and communities
  • new ways of understanding religion and spirituality as educational fields

 

Activities

SIG 19 conference

Took place: 23-25 August 2012 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands
Theme: "What is Religious and Spiritual Education good for?"
Website: http://www.ru.nl/theology/research/what-religious/

 

Newsletters

Please find a list of the sig 19 newsletters here.