The challenges of teaching the religion component of the ethics and religious culture program: a study of secondary teachers in the Montreal area

In 2008, the Ministry of Education (MEERS) instituted the new program entitled Ethics and Religious Culture (ERC). The program is now compulsory in elementary and secondary education, in both public and private schools. The advent of the ERC program marks a significant change in the history of religious education in Quebec. Prior to 2008 courses in religion were primarily designed as either Catholic or Protestant. The introduction of this secular non-confessional program was met with a great deal of resistance, controversy and debate, including court battles, criticisms in the media, and discussions in the scholarly literature. One of the most frequent concerns expresses in the scholarly discussion relates to the expedited implementation of the program and the impact of this on teachers. Here teachers' lack of preparation to teach the religion competency is particularly underscored. In spite of this concern, there has been almost no empirical research to date which focusing explicitly on the experience of teachers, studies which provide a voice to those who are primarily responsible for the implementation of the program, and hence, in the end, responsible for its success. This study investigates the experiences of secondary school ERC teachers. It focuses on the challenges they face, particularly with respect to the religion component. The study also contains an auto ethnographic component which considers my own experience teaching ERC. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and a focus group to answer four questions: 1) "How do teachers understand their role and responsibilities as teachers of religion in secondary public schools? 2) What challenges does teaching the religion competency pose for the secondary school ERC teachers? 3) How do teachers view the program's commitment to neutral teaching as the preferred professional posture? 4) What types of professional support would assist in addressing the challenges they face? The responses from the teachers interviewed served as points of reference for my reflection on the challenges I face with the program. There are four conceptual themes emerging from the findings. The first theme relates to administrative and systemic support. The teachers in the study are very frustrated with the lack of importance given to the program, in terms of both workload allocation and professional development. The participants are very positive about the religion component of the program. At the same time, they yearn for greater knowledge about religious culture. The second theme, Pedagogical Resilience and Support, addresses how the teachers manage given the absence of professional training and resources. The teachers in the study are animated by a sense of professionalism which reflects a deep concern for the well-being of their students. The third theme, the need for professional development, further highlights the pedagogical resiliency of the participants and the overwhelming need for in-service training. The first three themes relate to concerns over implementation as discussed in the scholarly literature. The last theme, the professional postures of teachers, highlights how adopting an appropriate professional posture is complex and far from obvious. The ERC program's preference for teacher neutrality generated a great deal of critical reflection, questioning, nuancing and contextual considerations. My own position on this issue, which was highly assured at the beginning of the study, evolved significantly through my interactions with the teachers in the study.

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