| dc.description.abstract | Some curriculum developers consider Bible Education / Religious Education to be one of the most controversial subjects in the school curriculum. Issues concerning the place, nature and content of the subject in the new South Africa, are presently being debated. The researcher trusts that this study will contribute to the current debate. In this study a situation analysis was executed in order to determine the nature of the subject content for Bible Education in the new South Africa. Accepted curriculum determinants, namely the demands of the subject discipline, the needs of the child and the demands of society, were considered. Apart from its educational function, the curriculum also has problem-solving and remedial functions. Therefore the situation analysis was aimed at establishing problems and deficiencies and furthermore to make proposals to remediate them in a new Bible Education curriculum. As total objectivity in research concerning religious matters is not possible, presuppositions of the researcher were disclosed and such presuppositions were accounted for. In the execution of the literature study, methods which are consistent with the framework of the Christian philosophy of Education were used, namely the describing and the trancendental-critical methods. In order to eliminate overlapping and duplicating empirical research, no new empirical research was undertaken, but ample use was made of the findings of a broad variety of recent empirical researches - including those from related disciplines. In the light of the findings, subject matter for the different phases of the child's religious and moral development which meets with the present requirements, was identified. The result of the research is stated in the final chapter. | |
