Grön religionskunskap : En kvalitativ och teoretisk tvärsnittsudie om religionslärares integration av miljö- och hållbarhetsfrågor i religionsundervisning

Sammanfattning

In an era characterized by the climate crisis, the role of education has expanded to address theexistential and moral dimensions of sustainability. This study is grounded in the framework ofGreen Religious Education (GRE), which suggests that the unique resources of religiousstudies, such as myths, rituals, and the concept of the sacred can provide a deeperunderstanding of sustainability as a complement to secular ethics. The aim is to investigate thedocumented discrepancy between the theoretical potential of the subject and its practicalimplementation in the classroom. Using a qualitative cross-sectional design, the studyanalyzes the perspectives of nine Swedish religious education teachers through digital surveysand thematic analysis. The analysis focuses on the extent of sustainability integration, thepedagogical methods prioritized by teachers, and the structural barriers hindering subjectspecific implementation. The findings reveal a notable discrepancy among the participatingteachers: despite high personal motivation regarding environmental issues, actual integrationinto teaching remains limited, typically accounting for less than 10% of lesson time.Furthermore, the results indicate that secular perspectives dominate the classroom, as teachersprioritize ethical models to ensure objectivity and fulfill formal assessment requirements.These findings suggest a trend toward the secularization of subject content, where theexistential uniqueness of religious education is marginalized in favor of instrumental ethicalanalyses. Structural factors, such as chronic time constraints and a lack of subject-specificmaterials, emerge as significant barriers to deeper integration. In conclusion, the studyindicates that for religious education to serve as an existential orientation for students, there isa need for development in both teacher training and curriculum support. By incorporatingspecific religious perspectives, the subject has the potential to bridge the gap between naturalscience facts and students' existential questions, providing essential perspectives on meaningand hope.