Models of religion-related education in Germany, Switzerland and Austria and the topic of Islam.

Abstract

Regionality as a formative characteristic of religion-related education in Germany, Switzerland and Austria is the focus of the current project 'Models of Religious Education and the topic of Islam' ('MORE'). The project compares four different regional variants of religion-related education that are assigned to two competing models, denominational RE and non-denominational RE, by investigating how each of them presents the topic of 'Islam'. The comparison is carried out on the basis of qualitative research through interviews with teachers and pupils as well as lesson observations. Comparing regional variants of RE calls for a study design that is, on the one hand, attentive to regional characteristics while also reaching a degree of standardisation that allows for comparisons, on the other hand. Following trends in comparative education, the article describes the architecture of the MORE project as a type of collaborative cross-border research.