Female Teachers' Experiences of Teaching Abortion within GCSE Religious Studies: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

The centrality of controversial issues in contemporary education is particularly evident and pronounced within the context of Religious Education (RE). The nature of the subject means that students are confronted with complex questions about life, meaning, reality, belief and ethics. With so many differences of opinion, and an increasing diversity of worldviews, the occurrence of controversy seems axiomatic. With this in mind, the Commission on Religious Education (CoRE), as part of the National Entitlement to the study of Religion and Worldviews, specify that pupils are entitled to be taught by teachers who are capable of handling controversial issues (9c, 2008:13). However, whilst there is vibrant scholarly debate on the nature of controversial issues, and which criteria should be used to determine such an issue, less emphasis has been placed on the experience of teachers themselves. Therefore, this thesis examined practitioners’ attitudes towards teaching one particular controversial issue, namely abortion, within the context of GCSE Religious Studies. The research utilised Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and explored how female teachers perceived the nature and purpose of teaching abortion in RE, their role in approaching the subject matter, and their readiness in dealing with such issues. The findings suggest that the experience of women in this study were complex, balancing significant moral, legal, social, historical, and professional considerations, alongside promoting student development, and wellbeing. In order to best facilitate learning regarding abortion, participants frequently occupied and navigated between a series of roles or personas in the classroom requiring significant self-awareness and reflexivity. They placed high value on teacher autonomy in making professional judgements that were decidedly personal and contextualised to their own preferences and knowledge of their classes. Participants also frequently prioritized skills that would be useful for students’ ongoing and lifelong development including preparation for when students might encounter abortion for themselves. However, participants also perceived the classroom environment as authentic and built upon strong teacher-student relationships; one where students could speak honestly, having their views received seriously and positively by others. Therefore, part of the conceptualisation of participants’ role included helping students to have a greater understanding of their own positioning and the positions of others. The findings also revealed teachers’ intense commitment to their students, wanting to see them thrive and succeed both inside and outside of the classrooms. Such findings are important in establishing how a number of women conceive of their own identity and role as a religious education teacher tasked with exploring controversial issues such as abortion, how they navigate their own positioning and influences, and how they approach strategies and frameworks for teaching and learning. These insights have provided a suitable bases for recommendations and implications for practice that are helpful for the wider teaching community.