Religious Education and Prejudice among Students Taking the Course Studies of Religion

This article examines a study of a sample of Australian final year students who completed the New South Wales 1 (NSW) Higher School Certificate (HSC) course Studies of Religion. It compares the attitudes of these students towards religion and religions with a similar sample of students who completed other final year religion courses. All the students in the sample were attending religiously affiliated schools for their senior years of study. This study was developed from an initial pilot study and the students completed an initial survey in the first term of their Year 11 and a second survey at the end of their third term in Year 12. The data were analysed using both SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) and the qualitative data analysis solutions for research professionals, NUDIST 2 (Non-numerical Unstructured Data: Indexing, Searching and Theorizing). The article discusses the effect of formal study of religion on the attitude of students towards religion and other religions. 1 In Australia the education system is the responsibility of each State or Territory. In New South Wales (at the time of the study) the syllabus for all years of schooling was the responsibility of the Board of Studies. The final years of High School, Years 11-12, are the post-compulsory years but more than 75% of students complete these years. In New South Wales there is an external examination for all Board units of study at the end of Year 12 and the results of their best ten units are scaled and give the students a tertiary entrance score (TER). Students must complete a set number of units, each of which is worth 50%. Most subjects are offered as two-unit courses although there are some in Maths and the Sciences which are at three or four-unit level and some, including Studies of Religion, which are at one-unit. The TER is used by universities and other tertiary providers as the basis of entry into various courses. Schools may also offer units that are locally developed but approved or endorsed by the Board; these Other Endorsed Studies are included on the students' certificates but do not contribute towards their TER. 2 A computer package designed to aid users to manage, explore and search the text of documents; it allows the user to develop sets of categories and to cross-index text items and then to explore and develop reports for cross referencing and for linkage of ideas.