Religious and professional beliefs of school teachers

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Stephan Kröner; Professor Dr. Manfred L. Pirner; Professorin Dr. Annette Scheunpflug
• Subject Area: General and Domain-Specific Teaching and Learning
• Term: from 2018 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 401806581

1. IntroductionResearch evidence indicates that teachers’ personal beliefs (e.g. worldview; anthropology; ethical convictions) are in correlation with their professional thinking and acting. The following reasons suggest that this is true especially for religious beliefs.- In the psychology of religion, religious beliefs are conceived of as particularly significant beliefs for religious persons that potentially shape their whole lives.- Normatively, educational operators with religious background (e.g. churches, Christian welfare organizations) expect that teachers integrate their spirituality into their professional activity. This is why, for instance, teachers at Christian schools are demanded to be church members.- In sociopolitical discourse on schools religious aspects become relevant again and again (e.g. headscarf debate, crucifix controversy, dispute on ritual prayer in schools). - In empirical research, studies from the USA in particular have been able to demonstrate effects of religious beliefs on teachers’ thinking and acting. However, because there are significantly more religious people among the US population, these findings cannot simply be applied to Germany. For Europe and Germany there is a blatant research deficit concerning this topic.2. Research question / hypothesesAre there correlations between teachers’ religious and professional beliefs at German schools? Our hypothesis is that indeed there are such correlations and that they can be empirically recorded. Furthermore, we assume that such research can substantially support the advancement of schools and teacher education, because- religiosity can be a personal resource of teachers that helps them in their professional tasks;- religiosity can, especially in fundamentalist forms, be an impairment and a disturbing factor for fulfilling their professional tasks;- normative allegations about the influence of teachers’ religiosity on their professional thinking and acting should be empirically elucidated. We advocate the objective that (future) teachers should critically reflect on their religious beliefs and worldviews as well as on the potential relationships of these beliefs with the teaching profession so that teachers are able to deal with them in a professional and productive way. This seems even more important, as the increasing number of migrants in Germany (and thus also more teachers and pupils with migration background) show a higher degree of religiosity than those from German origin. To reach this objective, empirical findings are essential as a basis.3. Research designIn a hypothesis testing design we intend to conduct an online survey among teachers at general schools in two exemplary regions of the Federal Republic of Germany. The evaluation of the data will employ correlation and path analyses as well as structural equation models.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants