Faith on the Home Front: Aspects of Church Life and Popular Religion in Birmingham, 1939-1945

The nature of religion on the domestic front in Britain during the Second World War has, hitherto, been relatively unexplored. This study focuses on Birmingham and describes wartime popular religion, primarily as recounted in oral testimony. The difference the War made to people’s faith, and the consolation wrought by prayer and a religious outlook are explored, as are the religious language and concepts utilised by the wartime popular media of cinema and wireless. Clerical rhetoric about the War and concerns to spiritualise the war effort are dealt with by an analysis of locally published sources, especially parish magazines and other religious ephemera, which set the War on the spiritual as much as the military plane. A final section of the study is devoted to measuring the extent of the influence of the churches in the creation of a vision for post-war Britain and Birmingham.

Enriching the Historiography of Religious Education: Insights from Oral Life History

This article seeks to exemplify the extent to which oral life history research can enrich existing historiographies of English Religious Education (RE). Findings are reported from interviews undertaken with a sample of key informants involved in designing and/or implementing significant curriculum changes in RE in the 1960s and 1970s. The interviews provided insights into personal narratives and biographies that have been marginal to, or excluded from, the historical record. Thematic analysis of the oral life histories opened a window into the world of RE, specifically in relation to professional identity and practice, curriculum development, and professional organizations, thereby exposing the operational dynamics of RE at an (inter-)personal and organizational level. The findings are framed by a series of methodological reflections. Overall, oral life histories are shown to be capable of revealing that which was previously hidden and which can be confirmed and contrasted with knowledge gleaned from primary documentary sources.

Narratives of Variation in Teacher-Pupil Relationships Across a Career

This paper reports on the findings of a research study focused on teacher perceptions of their relationships with pupils over three phases of a career. Data collected from thirty primary school teachers using a critical event narrative approach were coded and compared across the three groups of teachers at different points in their careers; 0-7 years, 8-23 years, and over 24 years. The study, based in the United Kingdom, highlighted a complex development amongst teachers which centres on five key areas identified as differentiating between the three career phases; interaction, behaviour, expectations, proximity and control. Results indicate that teachers go through a series of relationship transitions in relation to these five areas, and that these transitions can often confront teachers with conflicting views of what positive teacher-pupil relationships are and create personal dissonance as they try to make sense of their role in these relationships. Based on empirical evidence, this paper argues that positive relationships with pupils are not necessarily associated with experience and that the transitions teachers experience through their career is of concern given the centrality of teacher-pupil relationships to effective teaching.