Leslie Francis’ scale of attitudes towards religion and its utilization in Greek Religious Education

Abstract

Religiosity has been the subject of researchin Religious Education (RE) since the 1970s, and in recent years it hasoccupied the interestofRE in Greece. The purpose of this article is to highlight both the factors contributing to religious development and attitudes towards religion and, on the other hand, the appropriate ways of measuring them. For this purpose, religiosity and the context that shapes it in childhood and adolescence have been studied, with particular reference to the research work of Leslie Francis, who is the pioneer in the measurement of attitudes towards religion. The results of research suggest that the formation of religiosity and attitudes towards issues such as religion, RE, and religious diversity are mainly related to the influence of the family and religious environment and little to RE. This confirms the role of RE as a literacy subject and highlights the value of measurement scales in religious research. In addition, the study of results leads to useful suggestions regarding RE in the Greek school, especially if one takes into account the lack of relevant research and literature.