Conflicts at Japanese Christian School:

Focusing on the Narratives of Religious Studies Teachers

Abstract

Religious schools face contemporary challenges. In Japanese Christian schools, religious education has been weakening, and the number of Christian teachers is decreasing. This study aims to clarify how religious studies teachers shape their Christian educational practices and secure their teacher autonomy when their school curricula strictly regulate their practices. Specifically, it focuses on the conflicts that religious studies teachers experience in exercising their education. In this study, Ando’s framework (2005) for teachers’ conflicts and conflict coping styles was used to analyze the teachers’ narratives. Data were collected from two Christian schools conducting semi-structured interviews with ten religious studies teachers. The analysis revealed that the religious studies teachers tended to face three types of conflicts, related to either 1) religion classes, 2) student guidance, or 3) relationships with fellow teachers. Further, the religious studies teachers were attempting to cope with these conflicts by recognizing and distinguishing some self-images: the professional self as a member of their school, and the personal self described as “clergy” or “believer.” Hence, religion studies teachers may face multiple facets of conflict. These conflicts among religious studies teachers are found to be associated with structural factors, including negative connotations of religious matters in Japanese society, school systems and rules imposed on teachers, and the distinctive nature of religious education at schools in Japan.