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This case study outlines the impact of research investigating the character of a legitimate contribution to schools by religious believers. The impact is twofold. Firstly, it has stimulated considerable public debate by offering an influential alternative to those who object to religious contributions in schools. Secondly, it has influenced the classroom work of teachers in church schools by offering a positive rationale and practical model for developing a distinctively Christian approach to pedagogy. The main beneficiaries are Anglican and Roman Catholic dioceses, their schools and teachers.
Research by Dr Hiroko Kawanami into the religious and social standing of nuns in Myanmar has helped to empower women in that country by guiding the work of what is now Myanmar's most prestigious Buddhist nunnery school, [text removed for publication], which Kawanami co-directs. By raising the standing of nuns in Myanmar, the school has expanded opportunities for the country's women and girls. Since 2008 the school has grown to provide a model of indigenous development, a space for civil society discussions, and a feature in Myanmar's emerging tourist itinerary. The school is informing the community-level capacity-building work of major non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as ActionAid, Oxfam, and UNICEF. Representatives of 20 NGOs convened at the school in 2013; thus, Kawanami's impact is spreading internationally.
This case study contains politically sensitive material given the still-volatile situation in Myanmar. For this reason, Lancaster University prefers that Kawanami's impact not be publicised widely.
Professor Richard Norman's research has led to an improvement in the public awareness of humanist thought and value, both at national and international level. This impact was generated through articles written for a non-academic audience; public lectures and conference presentations; a report on humanist issues as the centrepiece of parliamentary debate in the House of Lords; and an appearance to discuss humanist perspectives on BBC Radio 4's The Moral Maze.
Dr Matthew Nelson's research challenges superficial accounts of the relationship between religious education and political violence in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Rooted in extensive fieldwork, in-country interviews and a careful study of religious/non-religious, elite/non-elite, primary/secondary education, as well as extracurricular religious groups targeting upwardly mobile university students, Nelson debunks numerous myths regarding the sources of `religious extremism' in South Asia. His research shows how religious ideas and political action (both peaceful and violent) are related, underpinning advice to governments and other organisations concerned with countering Islamic radicalisation through educational reform and targeted allocations of development aid.
University of Glasgow research into Religious Education (RE) in the UK significantly informed public and political debate on the place of RE in UK Schools. The findings received widespread coverage in radio, print and digital media outlets. The research provided an evidence base for the Religious Education Council's Review of RE in 2012 and was used in the development of a myriad of national CPD events for teachers and education policy-makers and professionals.
Adam Dinham's work on religious literacy in secular contexts plays a substantial role in challenging and enabling policy makers, educators and publics to engage with religion and belief identity and plurality. He established the Religious Literacy Programme (RLP) to address the poor quality of conversation about religion and belief amongst policy-makers and professionals which his work has observed. It began with substantial funding from HEFCE to research and respond to approaches to religion and belief in universities in the context of extremism. This drew attention to religion and belief as significant but poorly understood and addressed identities. The programme then translated findings into practice-focused training which has been extensively delivered. RLP now also works with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the Government Equalities Office (GEO) on religious literacy for employers, trades unions, and service providers, following the same intentional cycle of research translated in to training, and is part of a very senior initiative, led by EHRC, to review law and policy at a strategic level. The RLP entered in to partnership with Cambridge University in 2011 and the Coexist Foundation (based in London and Washington) in 2012 with the goal of founding a permanent public home in a purpose built centre in London. This is being taken forward in ways described below.
The estimated annual cost of addiction to drugs and alcohol in the UK is £37 billion, of which £1.2 billion is spent on treatment. Twelve-Step Programmes (TSPs) and Fellowships (TSFs) are proven to be as effective in the short term and more effective in the long term than other interventions (Project Match, 1997). The Higher Power Project (HPP) maps the spiritual and transformational experiences of those in TSPs. As governmental emphasis shifts from `harm reduction' towards `recovery', HPP's findings offer policy-makers, professionals and service-users a greater understanding of the `spiritual dimension' of TSPs and Fellowships, thereby informing policy and influencing practice.
Research into more effective ways of teaching about religions has been used to develop and implement European education policy by providing advice to policy makers, schools and teacher trainers across Europe, and to create teaching/teacher-training resources. Jackson and the WRERU team have collaborated with major international organisations including the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, UN Alliance of Civilizations, and the Tony Blair Faith Foundation to promote using interpretive and dialogical approaches to teaching about religions. As a result, students benefit from improvements to religious and intercultural education, and teachers benefit from substantial training programmes and resources developed to support these approaches. Impact is recognised through an international award from the Religious Education Association (USA), to be presented in Boston, November 2013.
Professor Julian Stern was one of the lead organisers of, and contributors to, a series of eleven research-oriented seminars (between 2004 and 2010), bringing together teachers, advisors, and higher education professionals working on, and interested in, religious education research in UK schools and internationally. This impact case study identifies the influence of those seminars on the 161 participating professionals, on pupils, and on schools. Evidence is provided of the widespread and long-term impact of the research, particularly on the participants and on pupils, both directly through the seminars and through the various seminar-related publications.
LSE research has contributed to institutional capacity building and to the renewal of the study of religion in the former Soviet Union. More specifically, the LSE anthropologist Mathijs Pelkmans has contributed to the training of a new generation of local scholars in Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia; he has helped introduce these scholars to contemporary research and to innovative methodologies, and has mentored them in critical social science. As stated in one of the testimonials: "the ultimate value of Mathijs' engagement has been to intensify dialogue between different research, educational, and broadly scholarly traditions, and thereby to facilitate our own efforts to develop a discipline which is relatively new in Central Asia".