Fostering intercultural dialogue through religious education in primary education in Spain

Abstract

This article is part of a multiphase research project funded by Erasmus Plus, which main objective is to analyze if religious education in Spanish primary schools helps the development of intercultural competence among the students. One of the main characteristics of the current Spanish society is its increasing diversity. Thus, the development of intercultural competence in education is key in the current Spanish context. This article focuses on a reflection about the subject of religion and how this subject can contribute to intercultural learning in primary education. Therefore, a qualitative methodology has been used to know the opinion and perspective that religion primary teachers have about this topic. The findings show that teachers positively value the need of an intercultural training and learning, and they consider that the subject of religion fosters the content and space to do it. Even though, the participants agree that the curriculum and schedule do not help in this matter.