Recognised, Accepted, Celebrated? Exploring Students’ Experiences of the Inclusion of their Religion or Belief System in a Catholic Post-Primary School in Ireland

Abstract

Ireland has undergone rapid social change in the past two decades. Multiculturalism and the decline of the influence of the Catholic Church have resulted in Catholic post-primary schools striving to cater for the needs of their student populations given their increasingly diverse religious faiths and secular world views. Facilitating diversity and inclusion have become burning issues in what were formerly homogeneous faith school communities. Much has been written about the inclusive nature of Catholic schools, not least by the Catholic Church itself, whose documents and statements are consistent in emphasising the message that their schools welcome all, with a special significance placed on the Catholic perspective. The aim of this quantitative case study is to explore student experiences of inclusion of their religion or belief system in a Catholic secondary school in Ireland. The urban, mixed school has 740 students. A quantitative research design and post-positivist paradigm were employed for the study. The chosen research method was a questionnaire completed by 115 students. The main findings show most students feel their faith or belief system is recognised and celebrated in the school. Students reported that they felt their faith was included and respected to varying degrees. The vast majority of respondents valued and wanted more interbelief dialogue, whereas a few questioned the need for it. There was strong recognition of the school’s confessional identity. A sense of apathy emerged regarding religion and belief in general among approximately one fifth of participants. A small number of participants, primarily those belonging to religious minorities, communicated their experiences of religious prejudice and stereotyping. The thesis concludes by offering some recommendations for stakeholders to promote the inclusion of other faiths and belief systems in Catholic schools and suggestions for further research.