A Small Number of Student Teachers Reflect on the Role of Religion in Schooling

Abstract

This research project explores the reflections of a small cohort of postgraduate student teachers on the role of religion in schooling in Ireland. All participants are postgraduate students at Marino Institute of Education, and are due to graduate in the autumn of 2018. Participants were purposively targeted to achieve a balance between those who had and had not undertaken a school placement in an Educate Together National School (ETNS). Using a qualitative method of semi-structured interviews to gather data, and an anti-positivist paradigm of analysis, several key themes emerged. These included teacher integrity and authenticity, faith formation, initial teacher education, and knowledge of the primary education sector.

The omnipresent nature of religious ethos in primary schools was found to constitute an obstacle to teacher authenticity and integrity. Faith formation was found to be extremely time consuming, with a prevailing view that parents should play a more active role in their children's faith formation. Experiences of the shared ITE experience were extremely rich and varied. Despite generally positive dispositions towards alternative school patrons such as Educate Together (ET), widespread uncertainty of what teaching in such a context would entail prevailed. Although not prevalent, negative and vicarious experiences were cited as the root of reservations at the prospect of teaching in ET settings.