Motivation in Religious Education: A Collaborative Investigation with Year Eight Students

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Abstract
This article reports research undertaken in a comprehensive (11‐16 year old) school in Sheffield, England. The religious education (RE) lessons of one Year Eight (12‐13 year old) class were studied over a period of four months. The main aim of the study was to find ways to motivate the students’ learning in RE. The research methods were based on ethnography and action research, and the students were encouraged to act as collaborative researchers with their teacher. The article shows how motivation and engagement increase when students’ own questions and concerns are taken seriously as material for RE, especially when the students are included in topic and lesson planning. It is argued that the RE teacher should primarily be concerned to engage students personally, rather than to present religious traditions systematically. It is suggested that drama activities can provide a successful form of experiential learning to the same end. Finally it is considered that learning in RE can begin either from students’ questions or from items of religious significance.