<i>‘&I/&you’</i> An Innovative Research Instrument for Youngsters to Explore Their Life Orientation

Abstract

In this contribution, we explore youngsters’ positionality regarding religion and present an example to facilitate them to ‘research’ their own beliefs and their affective commitments to their faith. We start with a short general introduction in Fowler’s theory of faith development. This is followed by findings from research in England, Estonia, Ghana, the Netherlands, and Malawi. From these findings, we conclude that youngsters need to be guided in their exploration of religious and secular worldview traditions. For this, we developed an instrument in particular for Muslim youngsters ‘at risk’ for radicalization: ‘&I/&you’. It is along the lines of religious tradition(s), citizenship, discrimination, and environmental concerns that students explore their convictions, broaden their horizons, and further develop their own (religious or secular) life orientation. Our innovative and explorative instrument (‘&I/&you’)—part of the PIREd (PIREd: Playful Islamic Religious Education) module of seven lessons—is described in detail. Preliminary results of pilot studies are promising. Students see this instrument as a ‘space’ for dialogue and love to share their ideas and sharpen their mind ‘in the presence of the other’.

Keywords

• faith development
• radicalization
• religious positioning
• international research
• self-analysis
• dialogical self theory (DST)