Bridging the research–practice gap on Facebook: a study of online communication between RE teachers and researchers

Abstract

In this article I explore the research–practice gap in RE with a unique dataset: The communication by teachers, and between teachers and researchers in a Norwegian Facebook group for RE teachers. Posts and comments in the group reflect that teachers largely communicate a practical form of knowledge with little engagement with research. At the same time, there are instances where members bridge the research– practice gap through interactions between teachers, and between teachers and researchers, especially through dissemination efforts. I discuss various institutional constraints contributing to the research–practice gap revealed in the data. Analysing three interactions between RE teachers and researchers, I argue that there are RE specificities tied to the challenges and possibilities in bridging this gap, including the question of how to relate insights from the study of religion to classroom teaching. Finally, I reflect on a striking absence, not only in the data but also academic descriptions of the theory–practice gap in RE: In stark contrast to teachers, researchers do not refer to their own practical knowledge from teaching on campus. Why is that?