Speelruimte voor dialoog en verbeelding. Basisschoolleerlingen maken kennis met religieuze verhalen. Een narratief ontwikkelingsgericht onderzoek

The two primary schools participating in this research face the issue of constructing philosophical or religious education in the context of a recently changed climate in the multicultural and multi-religious Dutch society. These schools are situated in a context in which knowledge and understanding of a philosophical or religious tradition cannot be taken for granted. This situation questions existing formats of philosophical and religious education with regard to capacities to elicit the interest of children with different backgrounds to familiarize with philosophical and religious themes and sources in a creative and open manner. In consultation with the schools involved in our research project, a theoretical and empirical research was initiated. Ultimately, children of grade six of both schools were observed during the process of familiarisation with religious stories, in a powerful learning context. The central research question is: “In which way do dialogue and imagination, as identifiers of a powerful learning environment, stimulate sixth grade primary school children in their personal interpretation of the metaphoric language of religious stories and, subsequently, in the process of meaning making and sense giving?”. The theoretical part of this study focuses on the creation of new concepts beneficial for the development of a new practical application, in this case a method of philosophical and religious education. The theoretical chapters are based upon an extensive literary review, covering different disciplines, and elaborating on four core concepts namely: dialogical responsiveness, metaphorical sensitivity, inventive imagination and creative interpretation. These concepts and their respective translations into children’s capabilities are central in the design of the research instruments and of the analysis of children’s (N=18+26) expressions and creations in their response to religious stories. Several research instruments were used in this research project like document analysis, observations and interviews. Additionally, a new instrument was developed for a better understanding of meaning making and sense giving among primary school children during the process of familiarizing with religious stories. The verbal, non-verbal, dramatized, reflective and interactive responses of sixth grade children in the process of familiarizing with the narratives of ‘Ester’ and ‘Joseph’ are described, analysed and interpreted. In two multiple case studies the process of meaning construction and sense giving is described with regard to two religious stories by eight pupils (N=4+4). The outcomes of these analyses allow for the formulation of characteristics and patterns in children’s interpretations of the religious stories. The results of the analysis allow for the following conclusions and answer of the main research question. Sixth grade primary school pupils appear to be capable to construct meaning and give sense - both individually and collaboratively – to religious stories. First of all, preconditional for the construction of meaning and sense giving of six grade pupils is a powerful learning environment. A second precondition points to the frequently activated imagination of pupils and to their involvement in dialogues with each other, their teacher and with the characters in the religious story.