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WRERU Presentations at the Religious Research Association Conference, Washington DC, Sunday15th October 2017

Tania ap Sion, David W Lankshear and Leslie J Francis presented three stands of their WRERU research to an audience concerned with applying research findings for the ongoing professional education of church leaders

• Tania is drawing out the educational implications of research into the prayer spaces developed in churches
• David is drawing out the educational implications of research into the faith trajectory of churchgoers in their seventies and eighties
• Leslie is drawing out the educational implications of research into work-related psychological wellbeing for church leaders themselves.

The audience included national officers from mainline American denominations concerned with the applying research to church practice. They are members of the Religious Research Association.
You can read Professor Francis' Abstracts here:

'I hate them with perfect hatred'

'Assessing clergy work-related psychological health'

The Boar,'s award-winning students’ newspaper, has published an article about the Islamic Education Research Network in CES. Headed up by and funded by the DCD Family Trust charity, the network has evolved from the University’s popular Islamic education Summer Schools. Now in their second year, the Summer Schools, run by the ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵ Islamic Education Project, bring Muslim teachers, faith leaders, and community and youth workers together with academics to discuss current research and share ideas on teaching and learning Islam within the context of an increasingly plural and diverse contemporary world. 

Insights from the prayer board within a Christian Ethos school: A qualitative perspective  

This study emerges from the qualitative strand of the Ten Leading Christian Ethos Schools project at Canterbury Christ Church University and the University of ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵ. Following the identification of the school prayer board and intercessory prayers within school Eucharists as offering a significant contribution to the Christian ethos of one of the schools, this study set out to offer a critical evaluation of these prayers composed by students. Taking a sample of almost 300 prayers, the study employs an established analytic framework for the analysis and classification of intercessory prayer (distinguishing between prayer intention, prayer reference, and prayer objective) that has been employed previously by ap Siôn in a series of studies concerning prayers posted in churches, in cathedrals, in hospitals, and online. The findings draw attention to the distinctive profile of the prayers offered within the particular school in terms of the issues for which prayers are offered, and the religious language and themes that shape these prayers. Suggestions are made regarding how these themes and linguistic forms may be shaping the spiritual and religious lives of the students. On the basis of these analyses suggestions are offered for the development of the ministry of intercessory prayer within Christian ethos schools and for further research within other Christian ethos schools.

We are proud to be ranked 75th in the world for the subject of Education. You can see the full list and more rankings from The Times Higher Education World University Rankings https://tinyurl.com/yawalovf

Professor Robert Jackson Honorary Doctorate Norwegian School of Theology

. Professor Jackson is an Emeritus Professor in the Centre for Education Studies at ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵ, former Director of ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵ Religions and Education Research Unit, which he founded in 1994 (and in which he remains active), and currently Visiting Professor in Education at Stockholm University. The degree was awarded to Professor Jackson for his contributions to the development of religious education in Norway, and for his international work in this field, including developing research links between ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵ and Scandinavian universities.

MF Norwegian School of Theology (founded 1908) is an accredited Specialized University focusing on Theology, Religion, and Social Studies, located in Oslo, and is Norway’s largest University dealing with theology, studies of religions and social sciences. With three departments (the Department of Theology, the Department of Religious Education and Pedagogical Studies, and the Department of Religion and Society), MF educates scholars, teachers, ministers, and other professionals at undergraduate and postgraduate levels for leadership and service both nationally and internationally.

Professor Linda Woodhead of Lancaster University also received an honorary doctorate at the same ceremony. Professor Woodhead led the Religion and Society Programme, Britain’s largest research programme in the field (with over 75 research projects), funded jointly by the AHRC and ESRC. Professor Jackson was on the Steering Committee of the programme and co-ordinated the research projects concerned with religion and education, as well as leading ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵ’s own project on Young People’s Attitudes to Religious Diversity. The findings of the ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵ Diversity project were published this year (E. Arweck [ed.] Young People’s Attitudes to Religious Diversity, London: Routledge 2017).

Professor Jackson was also awarded an honorary doctorate by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in March 2017 for his contributions to European research and policy development related to the religious dimension of intercultural education, associated with the Council of Europe, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), and the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations programme.