Beyond belief? Pre-service teachers’ perspectives on teaching RE in Ireland

This article overviews the contemporary context for teaching Religious Education (RE) in Ireland and profiles changing religious demographics an increasingly secular context. It presents findings of a two-year mixed-methods study undertaken two third-level Catholic colleges Ireland, investigating four hundred Initial Teacher (ITE) students’ perceptions religiously unaffiliated. The research data reveals complexity ambivalence ITE attitudes to RE primary schools rapidly Irish society where one ten is unaffiliated (Central Statistics Office, 2017). Several challenges emerge students as they begin Ireland’s denominational school convictional perspectives sample group are profiled reveal that participants’ personal worldviews impact on their understandings future professional roles educators. Data from this mixed methods suggest while view important duty, disconnect between own beliefs curricular content required teach sacramental programmes creates climate uncertainty.