著者

濱谷 佳奈

出版者

日本カリキュラム学会

雑誌

カリキュラム研究 (ISSN:0918354X)

巻号頁・発行日

no.17, pp.59-71, 2008-03-31

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The purpose of this paper is to clarify the characteristics of the curricula in the subjects of 'religion' (Religionslehre) and 'practical philosophy' (Praktische Philosophic), through the example of gymnasium in North Rhine-Westphalia in the Federal Republic of Germany. According to German Basic Law, religious instruction in state schools is provided as a part of the regular curriculum. The Basic Law also grants parents and guardians the right to decide whether their child shall receive religious instruction. With this regulation, 'ethics' (Ethikunterricht) was established as a substitute for 'religion' in each state. In this paper, we are focusing on the program of 'practical philosophy', an example for 'ethics', as it was introduced in North Rhine-Westphalia. In both catholic and protestant 'religion' as well as 'ethics', curricula are being re-examined. This trend shows that new educational contents have been developped in all subjects, as a reaction to the challenges raised by the coexistence of various cultures and confessions in a pluralized society. The aim of this paper is to analyze the effect that the curricula of 'religion' and 'practical philosophy' have upon the individual student. The study is based on a questionnaire survey done among students, with special emphasis on the coexistence of different cultures and confessions. The data for this research was collected by the author in four schools in North Rhine-Westphalia in June/July 2005. A total of 531 students from 9^<th> and 10^<th> grade, who attended catholic, protestant 'religion' or 'practical philosophy' participated in the survey. This paper first examines the general characteristics of the aims, methods, and contents of catholic and protestant 'religion' and 'practical philosophy'. Then, an analysis of the results of the questionnaire survey follows. Through the analysis, the following three points became evident. Firstly, the contents of the curricula are in several ways in the interest of the students. By securing the right to choose which subject to attend, the curricula are composed variously by parallel instruction. As a result, students are learning actively, supported by their own confessions and interests. Secondly, concerning the understanding of various cultures and confessions, the self-evaluation of students attending 'religion' is better than the one of students attending 'practical philosophy'. This shows that curricula based on confessional or religious learning enhance the interest and awareness of students in that respect. It would be necessary for each subject to consider how to organize the correlated curricula on their own level. Thirdly, the teaching and learning methods of each subject influence the way students shape their own values in life. This shows that 'religion' and 'practical philosophy' give a different sense of value to students at the secondary education level. In addition to the original teaching and learning methods of each subject, a steady use of common teachings seems necessary and should be devised.