‘Who do you say I am?’: Young people’s conceptions of Jesus

Submitted by Karen (Walshe) Aylward, to the University of Exeter as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Research in Education, May 2009. 

This thesis is available for Library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement.

I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University.

Signature………………………………………..

Dedication

For my father, James Walshe (1939-2004)

Acknowledgements
There are a number of people whom I would like to thank for their help and support. 

I would like to thank most especially my supervisors, Professor Terence Copley (Emeritus Professor, University of Exeter), and Professor Keith Postlethwaite (University of Exeter) for their patience, wisdom and encouragement.

I would also like to thank the trustees of the Jerusalem Trust for financially supporting the research project upon which this thesis is based and the students and teachers who participated in the study. In addition, I would like to thank both Geoff Teece and John Keast for providing me with access to the collection of agreed syllabuses held at the Regional RE Centre, Westhill College Birmingham, and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, London, respectively. 

My thanks also to Professor Robert Jackson (Editor, British Journal of Religious Education) and Dr Marian de Souza (Editor, Journal of Religious Education, Australia) for the opportunity to publish two peer reviewed papers from this thesis. 

I am particularly grateful to a number of colleagues and friends who have offered encouragement and critical feedback during the writing of this thesis, in particular: Professor Debra Myhill (University of Exeter); Dr Rob Freathy (University of Exeter); and Dr Jill Cadorath (University of Exeter). Special thanks also to Professor Liam Gearon (University of Plymouth) for keeping me focused.

Finally, I would like to thank my family. Without their support and understanding this thesis would never have been written. Above all, I would like to thank Jamie – for everything. 

Abstract

‘When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the Prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said, ‘who do you, say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ 

(Matthew, 16: 13-16).

This thesis reports the findings of an empirical study conducted in England investigating young people’s conceptions of Jesus. The study, which adopted a qualitative approach, employed an open ended questionnaire completed by over five hundred students, and follow up semi-structured interviews with twenty four of those students. 

Findings from this study confirmed those of previous studies in the field (Alves, 1968; Astley & Francis, 1996; Claerhout & Declercq, 1970; Cox, 1967; Francis & Astley, 1997; Hyde, 1965; Loukes, 1961; Madge, 1965, 1971; Savin-Williams, 1977). As in previous research, the majority of young people in this sample expressed generally favourable views towards Jesus; emphasised Jesus’ humanity rather than his divinity; and expressed reservations regarding the miracles of Jesus and the reliability of the Gospel accounts.  In addition, this study extended the findings of previous studies by demonstrating that the conceptions of Jesus held by participants were largely determined by their predominantly scientific world-views. Moreover, responses from young people participating in this study indicated that students were often unaware that the views they held were contingent and grounded in particular ontological and epistemological assumptions. So whilst religious beliefs were subject to critical scrutiny, the assumptions underpinning the students’ own positions were not. Consequently, this thesis argues that to engage fully with the beliefs of others, students need to be more cognisant of the principles underlying their own beliefs, religious or otherwise. Furthermore, this thesis proposes that commitment to genuine dialogue should be at the heart of contemporary religious education. Finally, this thesis concludes by making recommendations for future research in religious education. 

Table of Contents
1	Introduction
1.1	Introduction to the study:
1.2	The significance of the current study for religious education in England and Wales:
1.3	The research problem
1.4	The research objectives:
1.5	The research questions:
1.6	The scope of the study:
1.7	Summary
2	The background to the study
2.1	Researcher’s background:
2.2	The wider context:
2.3	Religious Education in England and Wales in the 21st century:
2.4	Current research in religious education:
2.5	Implications for the current study:
2.6	Summary
3	Literature Review
3.1	Previous studies examining young people’s understanding of Jesus:
3.1.1	Young people’s attitudes towards Jesus
3.1.2	Young people’s knowledge and understanding of the life and teaching of Jesus
3.1.2.1	The divinity of Jesus
3.1.2.2	The miracles of Jesus
3.1.2.3	The validity of the Gospel accounts
3.1.3	Young people’s conceptions of Jesus:
3.1.4	Factors contributing to young people’s conceptions of Jesus
3.1.4.1	Gender
3.1.4.2	Age
3.1.4.3	Education
3.1.5	Summary of key findings from previous studies:
3.1.6	Summary of key conclusions in previous studies:
3.2	Critique of previous studies:
3.2.1	Young people’s attitudes towards Jesus:
3.2.2	Young people’s knowledge and understanding of the life and teaching of Jesus
3.2.2.1	The divinity of Jesus
3.2.3	Young people’s conceptions of Jesus:
3.3	Implications for religious education:
3.4	Implications for the current study:
3.4.1	The research problem
3.4.2	The research questions:
3.5	Summary
4	Research Design
4.1	Research questions:
4.2	Research method:
4.3	The Sample
4.4	Procedures
4.5	Research Instruments
4.5.1	The Questionnaire
4.5.1.1	Construction of the pre-pilot questionnaire
4.5.1.2	Revision of the pre-pilot questionnaire
4.5.1.3	Revision of the pilot questionnaire
4.5.1.4	The main study questionnaire
4.5.1.5	Coding of the questionnaire data
4.5.1.6	Analysis of the questionnaire data
4.5.2	The Interviews
4.5.2.1	Interview sample
4.5.2.2	Interview schedule: The pilot study
4.5.2.3	Interview schedule: The main study
4.5.2.4	Coding and analysis of the interview data
4.6	Validity and reliability of the research instruments:
4.6.1	To what extent did the questionnaire measure what it purported to measure?
4.6.2	To what extent did answers to questionnaire items reflect those expressed in the interviews?
4.6.3	To what extent does the data feel credible?
4.6.4	To what extent does the data feel authentic?
4.7	Summary:
5	The Results
5.1	Questionnaire data
5.1.1	Information about the respondents
5.1.2	Section A
5.1.2.1	Questions 1 and 2: The birth of Jesus
5.1.2.2	Question 3: The baptism and temptations of Jesus
5.1.2.3	Question 4: Miracles
5.1.2.4	Question 5: Parables
5.1.2.5	Questions 6 and 7: The arrest and death of Jesus
5.1.2.6	Questions 8-10:  The resurrection
5.1.2.7	Summary of results for section A:
5.1.3	Section B
5.1.3.1	Question 14: Christian belief in Jesus as the Son of God
5.1.3.2	Question 15: The Muslim Jesus (‘Isa)
5.1.3.3	Question 16: Students’ responses to statements about Jesus
5.1.3.4	Question 17: Difficulties in understanding
5.1.3.5	Question 18: Jesus’ message
5.1.3.6	Question 19: Jesus’ significance for people today
5.1.3.7	Question 20: What friends and family think about Jesus
5.1.3.8	Question 21: Sources of influence
5.2	Interview Data:
5.2.1	Jesus as a rebel
5.2.2	Jesus as Son of God
5.2.3	Jesus did not exist
5.2.4	Jesus as a prophet
5.2.5	Jesus as a con-man (fake)
5.2.6	Jesus is/was not important
5.2.7	Jesus saved people from sin
5.2.8	Jesus as a magician
5.2.9	Jesus healed many people
5.2.10	Jesus was a special person
5.2.11	Jesus always tried to help people
5.2.12	Sources of influence
5.2.13	Issues raised in interviews
5.3	Summary of key findings:
5.4	How does the data answer the research questions?
5.4.1	How do Year 8 students conceptualise Jesus?
5.4.2	How do year 8 students make sense of Christian beliefs concerning:
5.4.2.1	The divinity of Jesus?
5.4.2.2	The miracles of Jesus?
5.5	Preliminary conclusion:
5.6	Summary
6	Discussion
6.1	Comparison of findings with previous studies
6.2	Comparison of findings with more recent studies
6.2.1	Predominantly human conception of Jesus
6.2.2	Religious language
6.2.3	Alternative explanations for miraculous elements in the Bible:
6.3	How does this study extend the findings of previous studies?
6.3.1	Science versus religion
6.3.2	Understanding as believing
6.3.3	The nuanced nature of ‘understanding’
6.3.4	Relationship between knowledge, understanding and believing
6.3.5	The signs of understanding
6.3.6	Distinction between belief and understanding
6.3.7	The goal of religious education: dialogue between self and other
6.3.8	The goal of understanding
6.3.9	A hermeneutical model for religious education
6.4	Implications for teaching and learning about Jesus in religious education:
6.5	Summary
7	Conclusion
7.1	Implications for current practice in religious education:
7.1.1	Understanding in RE
7.1.2	Understanding of ‘self’
7.1.3	Understanding of the ‘other’:
7.2	Implications for further research in religious education:
7.2.1	Understanding in RE:
7.2.2	Understanding of self
7.2.3	Understanding of the other:
7.3	Limitations of the current study
7.4	Conclusion:
8	Appendices
8.1	Appendix 1:  Conclusions and Recommendations
8.2	Appendix 4:1  Participating Schools
8.3	Appendix 4:2  Letter to Heads of RE
8.4	Appendix 4:3  Letter to Headteachers
8.5	Appendix 4: 4  Pre-Pilot Questionnaire
8.6	Appendix 4: 5 Letter to Heads of RE
8.7	Appendix 4:6  Pilot Study Questionnaire
8.8	Appendix 4:7  Pre-pilot student statements about Jesus
8.9	Appendix 4:8  Coding Book Pre-Pilot Study
8.10	Appendix 4:8  Coding Book Pre-Pilot Study
8.11	Appendix 4: 9  Coding Book Pilot Study
8.12	Appendix 4: 10  Main Study Questionnaire
9.1	Appendix 4: 11  Coding Book Main Study
9.2	Appendix 4: 11  Coding Book Main Study
9.3	Appendix 4:12a Letter to Heads of RE suggesting dates for Interviews
9.4	Appendix 4:12b Letter to Heads of RE with names of Interviewees
9.5	Appendix 4: 14  RESPONSE SHEET
9.6	Appendix 4:15 Interview Schedule Main Study
9.7	Appendix 4: 16a Comparison between questionnaire and interview data 1
9.8	Appendix 4: 16b Comparison between questionnaire and interview data 2
9.9	Appendix 4:17: Interview Transcripts
9.10	Appendix: 4:18  Jesus was a con-man
10	Bibliography

Index of Tables
Table 1: Previous Studies into young people’s understanding(s) of Jesus
Table 2: Attitudes towards Jesus (Alves, 1968)
Table 3: Attitudes towards Jesus (Cox, 1967)
Table 4: Attitudes towards Jesus (Francis, 1992)
Table 5: Knowledge and understanding of the life and teaching of Jesus (Alves, 1968)
Table 6: Knowledge and understanding of the life and teaching of Jesus (Alves, 1968)
Table 7: Understanding of the teachings of Jesus (Alves, 1968)
Table 8: School sample
Table 9: QCA Scheme of Work: 
Table 10: Question 17	“One thing I don’t understand about Jesus is….”
Table 11:  Interview sample: Gender, religious affiliation and ability
Table 12: Student sample: Religious affiliation
Table 13: LEA religious demographic
Table 13: Establishing initial categories and themes
Table 14: Reasons given by students for saying that Jesus was not a con-man
Table 15: Defining the construct
Table 16: Comparison between QCA scheme of work and questionnaire
Table 17: Responses to question 16 from pilot and main studies
Table 18: Comparison between pilot and main studies – statements about Jesus
Table 19: Responses to question 17 in pilot and main studies
Table 20: Research questions and method of data analysis
Table 21: The sample
Table 22: Religious background of the respondents
Table 23: Attendance at a place of worship
Table 24 : The temptations of Jesus most frequently cited by respondents
Table 25: The miracles of Jesus most frequently cited by respondents
Table 26: The parables of Jesus most frequently cited by respondents
Table 27: Reasons for conflict most frequently cited by respondents
Table 28: Resurrection appearances most frequently cited by respondents
Table 29: Most popular interpretations of the title Son of God
Table 30: Responses to statements about Jesus
Table 31: Item-Total Statistics
Table 32: Inspection of the R-matrix revealed the following clusters
Table 33: Component Matrix(a)
Table 34: Pattern Matrixa
Table 35: Component Correlation Matrix
Table 36: Descriptive Statistics
Table 37: Different ‘Christian’ perspectives on Christian beliefs about Jesus
Table 38: Gender * Factor 1 Crosstabulation
Table 39: Gender * Factor 2 Crosstabulation
Table 40: Family and Friends’ thoughts about Jesus
Table 41: Sources of influence
Table 42: Most frequently selected statements for discussion during interview
Table 43: Sources of Influence
Table 44: Issues raised by interviewees
Table 45: Naturalistic explanations for the miracles
Table 46: Understanding ‘that’ and understanding ‘of’
Table 47: PLTS Framework (QCA, 2008)