Researching Non-Formal Religious Education in Europe

The traditional focus on Religious Education at school can no longer be the only guiding principle for religious education research if this research is to do justice to the reality of religious education in general. The awareness of the meaning and scope of education outside of school has clearly grown. However, systematic research on non-formal religious education still remains rare, especially on an international level.

It is the intention of this volume to strengthen the awareness of educational settings outside of school by bringing together research results and research perspectives from different European countries and by discussing the question what non-formal education means in terms of religious education.

The book includes presentations on specific research projects carried out by the authors themselves as well as summary accounts of the pertinent research from different countries. The chapters take up general questions of researching non-formal religious education as well as specific references to different programs such as youth work, Sunday School, kindergarten, confirmation work.

Please note the following correction: In the first print of the book one line has accidentally not been printed:
(cf. European Commission and Council of Europe 2004, 6) This line refers to the characteristics of non-formal (religious) education and links to the publication from 2004 (cf. p. 129).
In a reprint of the book, this mistake will be corrected.