This episode features an interview with Dr Jennifer Bleazby, a Senior Lecturer at Monash University’s School of Education, about her newly published research into the teaching materials used in religious instruction – or ‘scripture’ – programs in Australian public schools. Earlier this year, her research paper ‘Operationalizing the concept of indoctrination: a content analysis of religious curricula taught in public schools’ was published in the Journal of Curriculum Studies. In the article, she reported high prevalence of indoctrination teaching methods in the materials used for the Special Religious Education (SRE) program in New South Wales and the Religious Instruction (RI) program in Queensland.
This episode features an interview with Dr Jennifer Bleazby, a Senior Lecturer at Monash University’s School of Education, about her newly published research into the teaching materials used in religious instruction – or ‘scripture’ – programs in Australian public schools. Earlier this year, her research paper ‘Operationalizing the concept of indoctrination: a content analysis of religious curricula taught in public schools’ was published in the Journal of Curriculum Studies. In the article, she reported high prevalence of indoctrination teaching methods in the materials used for the Special Religious Education (SRE) program in New South Wales and the Religious Instruction (RI) program in Queensland.
For disclosure: Several years ago, Dr Bleazby received some funding from the Rationalist Society of Australia (RSA), as part of our Research Grants program, to undertake her research. Late last year, she became a board member of the RSA.
You can read her research paper in the Journal of Curriculum Studies here.
The RSA is actively lobbying to have scripture programs removed from normal class time in public schools. Follow our campaign here.
In July, we also reported on Dr Bleazby’s research here.
The host of The Secular Agenda podcast is Si Gladman, who is Executive Director of the Rationalist Society of Australia. The theme music of the podcast is called 'Curiosity', and it's by Shimmer.