Is the teaching of religion in Maltese primary schools a case of indoctrination?

Abstract

The attempt is to identify and reflect on the teaching of religion in Maltese primary schools. The main objectives of this dissertation was to provide a clear definition of what indoctrination means and analyse if it a case of indoctrination. The study was conducted between January - March 2002 and it was carried out in 2 state, 2 private and 2 church schools. The research was done by means of 12 interviews and 12 questionnaires in each category. In addition, approximately 80 hours of observations and using triangulation were necessary to avoid bias and give more an accurate answer to our research question. Questionnaires were designed with both, open and close-ended questions in order to get as honest and diverse result as possible. Interviews were identical as questionnaires and gave us background information of our respondents. On the other hand, observations carried out in the classroom provided us with the hand on experience with classroom environment. Through the data analysis it was revealed that there are rarely isolated cases of indoctrination. Mainly, teachers limit to give facts.