The Perceptions of Early Career Teachers Regarding the Teaching of Religious Education in Catholic Schools in Western Australia

Abstract

This study explored the perceptions of early career teachers (ECTs) regarding the teaching of Religious Education in Catholic schools in Western Australia. The study used a constructivist epistemology and an interpretivist theoretical perspective to explore participant perceptions. The methodology underpinning the study was an instrumental case study. Data were collected through an online survey of 91 ECTs. The results highlighted reasons motivating participants to teach Religious Education, the enjoyable aspects and challenges they experienced, the personal and professional support they received in their teaching of Religious Education, their perceived relevance of university training, and how they believed their university helped improve their confidence in teaching Religious Education.

1. Introduction

Early career teachers (ECTs) appear to lack confidence in teaching Religious Education (Buchanan 2022; Hackett 2009; Law-Davis and Topliss 2022). For instance, Hackett (2009) commented that beginning Religious Education (RE) teachers face multiple personal and professional challenges. These challenges include lacking confidence in teaching the curriculum due to their perceived lack of experience and/or training. More recently, Challinor et al. (2022) highlighted that while many ECTs of RE expected to teach in the learning area, teaching RE was one of the most “challenging aspects” of the role due to not being “appropriately equipped to answer the questions asked by their students in Religious Education lessons” (p. 129). Similarly, Law-Davis and Topliss (2022), found a number of key factors associated with ECTs’ confidence in teaching RE. These factors included the offering of quality RE and Theology courses at university, the influence of family religious background, and whether the ECT had experienced a Catholic education while growing up. The purpose of the research project is to explore the perceptions of ECTs in their first and second years with respect to teaching RE in Catholic schools in Western Australia (WA). Considering the purpose of the research, there was one research question: What are the perceptions of early career teachers regarding the teaching of Religious Education in Catholic schools in Western Australia? There are seven sub questions linked to the research question:

• What motivates early career teachers to teach RE?
• What do early career teachers perceive as the enjoyable aspects of teaching RE?
• What do early career teachers believe are the challenges of teaching RE?
• What personal support do early career teachers receive in teaching RE?
• What professional support do early career teachers receive in teaching RE?
• What do early career teachers believe is the relevance of their university training?
• How has their university training helped improve early career teachers’ confidence in teaching RE?

2. Review of Literature

There appears to be a paucity of literature specifically about the perceptions of ECTs regarding teaching RE in Catholic schools in WA. This dearth of literature, however, highlights the significance of this study. Initially, the terms ‘Religious Education’ and ‘Teacher Accreditation to Teach Religious Education’ are explored in the context of this study, followed by a review of literature related to challenges experienced by ECTs of RE. Finally, there is a focus on the need for support given to ECTs in the areas: content knowledge, teaching methods, and faith formation.

• Religious Education

Religious Education refers to a specific learning area in Catholic education. The governing body, Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA 2024) emphasised that it is the central aim of the Religious Education programme delivered in a Catholic school to “help students learn the teachings of the Gospel as proclaimed by the Catholic Church” (para. 1). All students in attendance at Western Australian Catholic schools undertake RE as a part of their study. Religious Education is considered an academic subject and as such comprises a curriculum and is timetabled into the teaching and learning undertaken in the school setting. In the early years of school, “RE is provided at the level of raising children’s religious awareness. This approach to RE is not uncommon, with other Australian and international diocese adopting RE as a learning area focused on content delivery” (Robinson 2023, p. 3). In the primary system, RE is taught by a primary generalised teacher, whereas in the secondary school, RE is taught by a specialist teacher.

Religious Education teachers are called to teach the content of this important subject in Catholic education. The Western Australian Bishops (CECWA 2009), however, strongly emphasised the integral notion of vocation, calling on the lay faithful to be “to be inspiring models of the Christian vocation in the world” (para. 41). A sense of vocation is defined for Catholics as a calling from God (NCEC 2017). The term originates from the Latin word ‘vocare’ meaning ‘to call’ (CECWA 2009). In 2017 the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) elaborated the importance of vocation indicating that the purpose of a Catholic School is dependent on the Christian vocation of educators and teachers. The late Pope Francis (2013) stated that vocation “is a response to a call and to a call of love” (p. 4).

• Teacher Accreditation to Teach Religious Education

Regardless of the age of the children they teach, all Western Australian teachers of RE in Catholic education are required to undertake Accreditation to Teach Religious Education (CEWA 2023, p. 11). So too, leaders in Catholic schools are required to gain Accreditation for Leadership (CEWA 2023, p. 12) which is inclusive of accreditation to teach the learning area of RE. Catholic education in other Australian states and territories have similar accreditation policies to ensure that teachers are competent in the delivery of scriptural and theological principles embedded in RE curriculum, as well as faith formation opportunities (NCEC 2017).

All teachers in Catholic education are expected to uphold the Catholic ethos through their teaching and example, so as to aid in the harmonising of faith, life and culture in the school environment (NCEC 2025, para. 4). Accreditation policies pertaining to the area of teaching RE in a Catholic school are grounded in The Code of Canon Law and the vision of the Church (NCEC 2025, para. 5). The NCEC (2025) stated that Catholic school RE teachers, as well as leaders in the Catholic school setting, require specific skills and knowledge. The NCEC (2025) stipulated that RE educators, as well as leaders in Catholic schools, “require additional professional competence in scripture, theology, religious education and faith formation and a developed sense of confidence in their delivery” (para. 4).

• Challenges for ECTs of RE

Gaining this professional competence and confidence presents a challenge for many early career RE teachers. Their confidence, or lack thereof, in teaching RE is perceived as a significant challenge by some scholars (Buchanan 2022; Hackett 2009; Law-Davis and Topliss 2022; Whitworth 2020), perhaps because they do not feel they possess the richness of knowledge and understanding of theological principles and scripture that their more experienced RE teaching colleagues may exhibit. Whitworth (2020) proposed that extensive training is needed to help early career RE educators develop a deep understanding of the complex nature of their specialist subject.

Initial research by Hackett (2009) identified that ECTs of RE face multiple personal and professional challenges. These challenges included lacking confidence in teaching the curriculum due to their perceived lack of experience and/or training. Further, some newly assigned RE teachers felt there was a personal dissonance with the curriculum due to their perceived personal or religious character (Hackett 2009). This longitudinal research of Hackett (2009) foregrounded the need to provide newly assigned RE teachers with holistic and ongoing formation as a means of fostering their faith, as well as building their knowledge and sense of efficacy in RE teaching. More recently, Law-Davis and Topliss (2022) highlighted similar findings in their research.

• Content knowledge, teaching methods and faith formation

Recent research reveals that participation in comprehensive teaching methods and tertiary theology courses, in conjunction with extensive practical classroom teaching experience, helps pre-service teachers and ECTs gain and develop rich pedagogical practices (Law-Davis and Topliss 2022). In turn, these practices foster student learning of the RE curriculum. Meanwhile, formal and informal mentoring of pre-service teachers and ECTs of RE is seen to benefit their confidence in teaching the subject (Law-Davis and Topliss 2022; Topliss 2020). The ongoing faith formation of ECTs of RE is seen as integral (Hackett 2009; NCEC 2024) and complementary to their vocation as RE educators. There are various challenges faced by ECTs of RE (Buchanan 2022; Cullen 2019; Hackett 2009; Law-Davis and Topliss 2022; Topliss 2020). More research in this field is warranted to add to the literature to the field.

3. Significance of the Research

The significance of the research is threefold. First, there appears a lack of research on the perceptions of ECTs of RE. Second, the results of the research may provide guidelines for Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA) to support more effectively ECTs of RE. Third, the research may inform universities in ways to prepare preservice teachers more effectively to deal with the challenges they may face in teaching RE.

4. Methods

The research methods underpinning this study include a constructivist worldview and an instrumental case study methodology.

5. Constructivism

Within a constructivist approach, meaning is associated with the mind and is constructed, rather than discovered. People, moreover, can construct meaning in different ways. A person’s view is generated by their response to, and linked with, a subject and an object (Crotty 1998). The goal of constructivist research is to rely as much as possible on the participants’ views on the situation being studied (Creswell and Creswell 2018). That is, the goal is to understand what is meaningful or relevant to the people being studied from their standpoint (Neuman 2011). In light of this constructivist approach, participants were given the opportunity to explore their perceptions of teaching RE in their own words.

6. Instrumental Case Study

An instrumental case study uses a case to gain insight into a phenomenon where the case is not the focus (Universal Class 2025). In this instance, the case entails early career teachers of Religious Education in Catholic schools in Western Australia. The phenomenon under review is the experiences of these teachers of Religious Education. It just happens that these early career teachers are in Western Australia.

7. Ethical Considerations

Ethics approval was sought from the Human Research Ethics Committee at The University of Notre Dame Australia and from the Catholic Education of Western Australia Research Review Panel (2024-062F). Following approval, participants were provided with an information sheet outlining the purpose and scope of the research, the process involved and their right to choose whether to participate or not. They were informed of the data collection method (survey) and provided with a link to the survey. Written consent to participate in the research took the form of participants completing the survey.

8. Research Participants

A total of 91 first and second year CEWA ECTs completed the survey. Of this number, 18 indicated they taught early childhood, 43 taught primary and 29 taught secondary, with one participant not answering that question. Most participants were under 30 years of age, female, held a Bachelor of Education degree, taught in metropolitan Perth and were in their first year of teaching.

Table 1. Demographic Information.

Category	Demographic Information
Teaching Area	Early childhood: 18 (20%) Primary: 43 (48%) Secondary: 29 (32%)
Age Range (years)	20–24: 50 (55%) 25–29: 20 (22%) 30–34: 9 (10%) >34: 12 (13%)
Gender	Female: 72 (79%) Male: 19 (21%)
Qualification	Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary): 74 (81%) Master of Teaching: 16 (18%) Other: 1 (2%)
School Location	Metropolitan: 68 (75%) Regional: 21 (23%) Remote: 2 (2%)
Teaching Experience	1st Year: 77 (85%) 2nd Year: 14 (15%)

provides an overview of participant demographic information.

9. Data Collection

A survey was completed by first- and second-year teachers of RE in WA who attended six CEWA sponsored gatherings of ECTs in Term 3, 2024. The survey was administered with the support of CEWA personnel. Four of these meetings occurred in metropolitan Perth and two in regional Western Australia. In each case, a member of the research team addressed the participants, provided the information sheet, the link to the survey and answered any questions.

The survey underwent a three-stage development prior to it being administered. First, the research team brainstormed potential questions in the light of the purpose of the study, the research question and current literature on early career Religious Education teachers. Second, two CEWA personnel responsible for supporting ECTs were consulted and their suggestions incorporated into a first draft.Third, two university colleagues who teach Religious Education pedagogy to preservice teachers, were asked to review and comment on the survey.

The survey was in two parts. The first part contained demographic quantitative questions relating to teaching area, age, gender teaching qualification, school location and teaching experience. Part 2 contained qualitative open-ended questions designed to elicit participants’ perceptions of teaching RE. These questions explored participants’ experiences as to why they were teaching RE, the enjoyable aspects of teaching RE, the challenges of teaching RE, the personal and professional support they received to teach RE, relevance of university training, and how their university helped improve their confidence in teaching RE.

10. Data Analysis

The data from the quantitative survey questions were analysed using descriptive statistics. Two of the researchers undertook this analysis, which was subsequently scrutinised by the other two researchers. The data from the qualitative survey questions were analysed using thematic analysis. Thematic analysis is an approach applied in qualitative research to identify, analyse, and interpret patterns or themes within the data (Clarke and Braun 2017). It entails several steps which include familiarisation with the data, generation of initial codes, searching for themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes, and producing the report. Specifically, all four researchers reviewed the qualitative responses from the survey and independently identified promising themes. The final themes were established following several iterative reviews.

11. Results

The results present the qualitative participant responses to the seven open-ended survey questions which reflect the sub questions in this study. These questions explored participants’ experiences as to why they were teaching RE, the enjoyable aspects of teaching RE, the challenges of teaching RE, the personal and professional support they received to teach RE, relevance of university training, and how their university helped improve their confidence in teaching RE.

Participants indicated two central reasons why they taught RE. Many felt strongly about religion and Catholic education and perceived teaching RE as a vocation. For example, one participant explained, “I have always wanted to teach RE and teach in a Catholic school because it aligns with my values. I feel this is my vocation”. Another participant wrote, “It is something I am super-passionate about. The values and lessons it teaches not only kids, but adults too, is amazing”. A third participant indicated, “I chose to teach in a CEWA school as I liked the idea of a Christ-centred education”. A fourth participant stated, “I was offered a prac at a Catholic school and I fell in love with the culture. Upon finishing my prac, I applied for a position at the school”. Many participants emphasised their Catholic background as a reason why they taught RE. Comments included “I am Catholic myself and have always enjoyed learning about religion”, “because I am Catholic”, “personal experience, family background”, “born into a Catholic family, living a Christian life and attending Church”.

Participants enjoyed teaching RE. First, they pointed to the quality conversations and interactions that teaching RE enabled them to experience with their students. The words ‘conversations’ and ‘discussions’ were frequently mentioned in participant responses. As an example, one participant wrote, “the conversations we have as a class when we dive into the teachings from the Bible. We have amazing discussions. Teaching religion makes me so happy”. Another participant indicated, “getting to talk more openly. Children open up and describe their connection with God and how they feel”. A third participant indicated, “students discussing their thoughts and feelings about the world and their faith”. Second, participants enjoyed making the course content relevant to students. Comments included “hearing students use what they are learning to make sense of the world”, “the real-life teachings that come from the parables”, “about making Jesus real”, “hearing students apply their learning to everyday social situations and linking gospel stories to life-skills”, and “helping my students become the best versions of themselves through the lessons of the Bible”. Third, participants enjoyed developing the Catholic faith, values, spirituality and morals in their students. One participant wrote, “I enjoy how RE fosters students’ spirituality and holistic approach to life”. Another participant noted, “passing on the values and beliefs of Catholicism to my students and creating an environment where my students feel supported and cared for”. A third participant stated, “connecting and exploring topics of faith with students. Sharing my experiences”.

Participants raised five challenging aspects of teaching RE: the number of students in the class who were not Catholic, not having enough teaching background on the course content, student questioning that goes into content beyond their knowledge, concerns with the curriculum and the level of student engagement. Some participants raised challenges over the fact that some students in their RE class were not Catholic. As one participant stated, “minimal students are Catholic, so having full engagement can be difficult”. Another participant noted “the diverse range of backgrounds and beliefs in the class” with another participant highlighting the challenge of “making the learning inclusive and relevant to these students”. A few participants raised the challenge of their own insufficient content knowledge. As one participant explained, “not having enough teacher background, not understanding the material or how to make it more relatable”. Linked with this challenge was the associated challenge, of, in the words of one participant, “student questioning that goes into content beyond teacher knowledge”. Another participant expressed this concern as follows, “I wasn’t brought up religious so it’s hard when they have questions”.

The RE curriculum provided various challenges to the participants. Comments included, “some of the topics are a little dry”, “curriculum is slightly dated. A lot of the resources are not applicable anymore”, “kindy—no set curriculum—quite vague”, “at times it is difficult for primary aged students to understand, comprehend”. Finally, participants raised challenges regarding student engagement. The word ‘engagement’ occurred quite frequently in participants’ responses to this question. Comments on engagement included “some students resent religion, which I find permeates into their behaviour”, “behaviour issues in RE”, “no support from parents”, “justifying why it needs to be taught”, and “student stigma that it will be their least favourite subject and that it won’t be fun”.

The participants indicated three forms of personal support: key personnel, their own Catholic background and Catholic Education Western Australia. Key personnel included mentors, Religious Education coordinators, “a heavily involved parish priest”, the principal as well as “friends and partners”. Participants’ own Catholic background provided a sense of support for many. Comments included “being Catholic myself”, “involvement in my church and teaching children’s liturgy”, “my family is Catholic”, and “religious family around me”. Finally, participants commented on the personal support they received from university preparation, CEWA through such avenues as the RE curriculum and prepared lessons, CEWA website and professional development. When asked about professional support, participants again identified school mentors, CEWA personnel and professional learning opportunities as the main forms of professional support they could access.

Participant responses varied considerably when questioned on the relevance of their university teacher training as preparation to teach RE. Many found “it was great”, “appropriate”, “very relevant” and provided “good basics”. Others believed it was “adequate” or “somewhat” relevant. There were those who believed “it was not relevant enough”, “not very”, “not appropriate at all”, “not super relevant and didn’t help me teach RE”. Participants were generally positive in their responses to how their university helped their confidence in teaching RE. For example, one participant stated, “provided me with information on the CEWA units of work, learning programmes and prayer assemblies”. Another participant noted, “it gave me the skills to teach RE”. A third participant observed, “I wouldn’t know where to start if I didn’t have the training”. A fourth participant wrote, “it gave me good teaching skills and strategies on the content”. However, some participants were less complimentary: “it hasn’t”, “not much”, “slightly”, and “it hasn’t done much”.

12. Discussion

Participants highlighted two key reasons as to why they were teaching Religious Education: a sense of vocation; and their Catholic background. These two reasons are evident in research about what motivates teachers to teach Religious Education (Hackett et al. 2017; Law-Davis and Topliss 2022; Topliss 2020). First, in considering how one’s teaching can impact the lives of their students, it is clear the word vocation may have an active and positive impact on Religious Educators (Francis 2013). Without a love for teaching Religious Education, or indeed teaching one’s students with love, or exhibiting a love for God, a calling for Religious Educators would otherwise just become another aspect of one’s work.

Second, participants mentioned the importance of their own Catholic family background on their teaching of Religious Education. Pope Francis (2016) highlighted the importance of family influencing one’s vocation and the importance of family on one’s faith background may also affect the confidence needed to teach RE (Law-Davis and Topliss 2022).

In this study, participants strongly affirmed their enjoyment of teaching RE. They suggested reasons such as quality interactions with their students; making course content relevant to the lives of the students; and developing Catholic faith, values, spirituality and morals in their students. Delicata (2019) reflected the notion of enjoying quality interactions with students. She suggested the role of a Religious Educator was to display “…compassion, of sacrifice, of patient waiting, to accompany the child along every step of the way” (p. 97). Cullen (2019) also advocated the value of quality interactions that RE teachers have with their students and how this can then affect their confidence in teaching RE.

The ECTs highlighted the challenge of a lack of student and parent engagement in RE. Franchi and Rymarz (2017) importantly observed this trend in stating, “What needs to be brought to the forefront of the discussion of cultural context is that this pattern of socialisation is no longer a factor in the lives of most Catholics” (p. 3). The NCEC (2018) defined this challenge as “Increasingly Australians and other western societies experience an erosion of tradition…In this cultural setting, being Catholic or being religious effectively becomes one choice among many” (p. 8). Mixa (2021) further termed this challenge as one of ‘pre-evangelisation’. The research highlighted the importance families played in engaging their children in faith experiences and considered it vital for ECTs to consider this reality and to look at ways of addressing this challenge as part of their school’s Religious Education and Evangelisation planning. The results also raised the importance of creating quality interactions in RE for students through modelling biblical storytelling strategies to ECTs that deepen theological and sacramental knowledge. As supported by multiple authors, biblical storytelling is a significant teaching strategy in RE (Hyde 2010; Irwin 2018; Robinson and Fic 2021). Similarly, Cullen (2019) raised how biblical storytelling may also assist with a student’s connection with God.

Multiple personal and professional supports including mentors, colleagues, principals, a Catholic background, and the support of the system authority, CEWA, were cited as significant to the ECTs. Topliss (2017) promulgated the requirement for system-based training for mentors that may better provide more direct feedback to ECTs when teaching Religious Education. Black et al. (2023) highlighted the importance of the system authority in supporting school leaders working with ECTs and raised concerns about an apparent lack of support faced by ECTs. System authority planning for ongoing personal and professional support, including faith formation opportunities, may assist ECTs of Religious Education. Hicks (2025) noted the importance of spiritual growth in the deepening of a person’s spirituality and connection with God. However, a realisation from the ECT study is that the role of parents has changed from one where students previously attended Mass with parents on a Sunday to where the school is seen as the modern representation of ‘Church’ (Sultmann et al. 2021). This fact elevates the importance needed for the ongoing development of system faith-formation programmes for ECTs, training for the ECTs’ mentors who accompany the ECT pastorally on their teaching journey and ongoing system support through professional development for all leaders of Religious Education in Catholic schools (Poncini 2024; Topliss and Leber 2023).

ECTs also appeared ambivalent on the value of their university preparation. Some participants believed their university preparation was not sufficient to prepare them to teach Religious Education. Others also found that their university training in RE was quite useful to improve their confidence in teaching RE (Poncini 2024). This area is worthy of further research and will be discussed in the concluding section.

13. Limitations to the Research

There was one potential limitation to the research. Not all CEWA ECTs were able to attend the six gatherings when the data were collected. This fact may have an impact on the generalisability of the results.

14. Conclusions

This study set out to explore the perceptions of early career RE teachers in their first and second year of teaching. Survey responses from the ECTs served to provide insights into their perspectives on the teaching of RE. Six themes emerged from the data about the ECTs teaching of RE: the enjoyable aspects of teaching RE, the challenges of teaching RE, the personal and professional support they received to teach RE, relevance of university training, and how their university helped improve their confidence in teaching RE. These themes suggest that whilst pre-service teachers and ECTs enjoyed teaching RE, they faced challenges in this teaching which included teacher content background knowledge, concerns with the curriculum and level of student engagement.

Future research may involve a longitudinal study with the present cohort over the next five years to see if they are still involved in the profession and their perspectives on teaching RE. Further research opportunities could entail a national study exploring ECT RE teachers in different Australian states and territories. Finally, a study could be undertaken that examines the perspectives of principals and leaders in Catholic schools for the best approaches to support ECTs who are teaching RE.

Three recommendations are presented from the research: first, that Catholic Education Western Australia explore ways to promote and develop trained mentors for ECTs of RE; second, that universities preparing teachers of RE look to have both contemporary and appropriate theological and pedagogical content as a way of preparing RE teachers to be classroom-ready; and finally, that Catholic Education Western Australia, The Catholic Institute of Western Australia and The University of Notre Dame Australia develop closer links to prepare teachers of RE in Western Australia. This combined systemic approach may foster a newly accredited mentor training formation programme in RE to assist ECTs with their ongoing formation, system accreditation, and fast-track them from their participation in the programme with a Master’s degree credit (NCEC 2017). Part of this training may consider the potential to offer system-wide access to continuous spiritual direction support for mentors, RE leaders and principals (Buchanan 2022).

Early career teachers of RE need teaching experience and ongoing formation to develop their knowledge and understanding. Put simply, early career teachers should not be expected to arrive at their first teaching post with exemplary knowledge, skills and pedagogy. Rather, they should have foundational knowledge and skills that are developed with classroom teaching experience, mentoring, professional development and opportunities for ongoing faith and spiritual nourishment and development.