Project information
Doctoral student
Nicole von Rost Biedron
Supervisor
Stefan Arvidsson
Assistant supervisor
Torsten Löfstedt
Participating organisations
Linnaeus University
Timetable
2020 –
Subject
Study of religion (Department of Cultural Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Humanities)
Knowledge Environment
Linnaeus Knowledge Environment: Education in change
More about the project
Popular culture is deeply embedded in today´s society, shaping our worldviews, social interactions, and ways of understanding the world. In today´s Swedish classrooms, popular culture is used both as a pedagogical tool and teaching material, while also being part of students’ frames of references. Previous research also shows that students acquire knowledge in many different contexts, including those influenced by popular culture.
In religious education, popular culture can serve as a bridge between students’ experiences and the subject’s theoretical perspectives. By linking teaching to a shared frame of references, popular culture can increase engagement and facilitate understanding. Research on the role of popular culture in education can thus contribute to adapting teaching methods to better suit students’ interests and experiences. This is also valuable for teacher education, where future teachers can gain tools for a reflective use of popular culture. However, the use of popular culture in the classroom can also lead to difficulties, such as the risk of reinforcing stereotypes and existing power structures. Additionally, there are practical challenges, such as a lack of suitable material, time constraints for preparation and implementation, and variations in students’ language skills and basic knowledge of the subject.
The project investigates how religion, popular culture, and teaching interact in upper secondary school religious education. Focusing on teachers’ motivations, it analyzes why popular culture is used, the pedagogical opportunities it offers, and the challenges it presents. Teachers’ motivations are critically and constructively examined and set in relation to didactic theory and previous research. The goal is to contribute to nuanced understanding of the educational potential and limitations of popular culture, as well as its role in the modern classroom.
The project is part of the research in Linnaeus Knowledge Environment: Education in change
