Intercultural Competence in Catholic Religious Education
According to European organizations, intercultural competence is considered a prerequisite for achieving social cohesion. Even though its development calls for a lifelong learning approach, the formal education system has a primary task in its development through all school subjects, i.e., the entir...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| author | Marija Jurišić Marija Žagmešter Kemfelja |
| author_facet | Marija Jurišić Marija Žagmešter Kemfelja |
| author_sort | Marija Jurišić |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | According to European organizations, intercultural competence is considered a prerequisite for achieving social cohesion. Even though its development calls for a lifelong learning approach, the formal education system has a primary task in its development through all school subjects, i.e., the entire school curriculum. In the last twenty years, international and European organizations have emphasized the importance of religious education in developing students’ intercultural competence. The Republic of Croatia has applied European recommendations in its educational documents and defined intercultural competence as one of the fundamental competencies in the national educational curriculum. The question arises of how religious education in the Republic of Croatia helps students achieve and develop intercultural competence concerning knowledge of other religions and worldviews. This paper is focused on Catholic Religious Education in primary and secondary education. Data are collected using semi-structured interviews among nine Catholic RE teachers in Zagreb County, Republic of Croatia. Qualitative research is based on findings of a quantitative survey conducted among Catholic religious education teachers in 2022. The research questions are: (1) Why are guest lectures and visits to religious communities less represented forms of learning in confessional Religious Education? (2) Which methods are used to develop specific dimensions of intercultural competence (conflict resolution, analytical and critical thinking, attitudes)? (3) Does interreligious learning lead to changes in students’ behaviour, and what are the obstacles to interreligious learning? This paper aims to examine the methodical approaches of RE teachers in the development of intercultural competence, as well as the obstacles they encounter in the process of imparting knowledge about other religions and worldviews within Catholic religious education. Results have shown that the teaching process remains at an informational level; the development of attitudes, critical thinking skills, and conflict-resolution skills is lacking. The absence of experiential learning can largely be attributed to external factors, such as administrative obstacles and teacher’s/parents’ attitudes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ed5ee1e429ca439583702561ab343aee |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj-art-ed5ee1e429ca439583702561ab343aee2025-01-24T13:47:25ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442025-01-011614710.3390/rel16010047Intercultural Competence in Catholic Religious EducationMarija Jurišić0Marija Žagmešter Kemfelja1Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Zagreb,10000 Zagreb, CroatiaDepartment of Sociology, Catholic University of Croatia, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaAccording to European organizations, intercultural competence is considered a prerequisite for achieving social cohesion. Even though its development calls for a lifelong learning approach, the formal education system has a primary task in its development through all school subjects, i.e., the entire school curriculum. In the last twenty years, international and European organizations have emphasized the importance of religious education in developing students’ intercultural competence. The Republic of Croatia has applied European recommendations in its educational documents and defined intercultural competence as one of the fundamental competencies in the national educational curriculum. The question arises of how religious education in the Republic of Croatia helps students achieve and develop intercultural competence concerning knowledge of other religions and worldviews. This paper is focused on Catholic Religious Education in primary and secondary education. Data are collected using semi-structured interviews among nine Catholic RE teachers in Zagreb County, Republic of Croatia. Qualitative research is based on findings of a quantitative survey conducted among Catholic religious education teachers in 2022. The research questions are: (1) Why are guest lectures and visits to religious communities less represented forms of learning in confessional Religious Education? (2) Which methods are used to develop specific dimensions of intercultural competence (conflict resolution, analytical and critical thinking, attitudes)? (3) Does interreligious learning lead to changes in students’ behaviour, and what are the obstacles to interreligious learning? This paper aims to examine the methodical approaches of RE teachers in the development of intercultural competence, as well as the obstacles they encounter in the process of imparting knowledge about other religions and worldviews within Catholic religious education. Results have shown that the teaching process remains at an informational level; the development of attitudes, critical thinking skills, and conflict-resolution skills is lacking. The absence of experiential learning can largely be attributed to external factors, such as administrative obstacles and teacher’s/parents’ attitudes.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/1/47intercultural competenceRE teachersreligious educationinterreligious learning |
| spellingShingle | Marija Jurišić Marija Žagmešter Kemfelja Intercultural Competence in Catholic Religious Education Religions intercultural competence RE teachers religious education interreligious learning |
| title | Intercultural Competence in Catholic Religious Education |
| title_full | Intercultural Competence in Catholic Religious Education |
| title_fullStr | Intercultural Competence in Catholic Religious Education |
| title_full_unstemmed | Intercultural Competence in Catholic Religious Education |
| title_short | Intercultural Competence in Catholic Religious Education |
| title_sort | intercultural competence in catholic religious education |
| topic | intercultural competence RE teachers religious education interreligious learning |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/1/47 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marijajurisic interculturalcompetenceincatholicreligiouseducation AT marijazagmesterkemfelja interculturalcompetenceincatholicreligiouseducation |