Marian De Souza

Year 12 Students' Perceptions of Their Religious Education Programs: Implications for Curriculum Development Marian De Souza

This research study aimed to explore and describe students' and teachers' perceptions of religious education programs for Year 12 students in Catholic schools in the State of Victoria, Australia, in light of theoretical concepts of religious education. It sought to discover how appropriate these programs were in meeting the needs of today's students and achieving the aims of religious education for senior secondary students in Catholic schools in Victoria. The findings indicated that, in the perceptions of a majority of students, the religious education programs were not meeting their needs. This raised the question of the relevance of the curriculum documents upon which the programs were based for senior secondary students in a contemporary world. The findings, therefore, suggested a need for a review of such programs in Catholic schools. The study concluded with the proposal of thirteen guiding principles that could inform the development, implementation and evaluation of future Year 12 religious education programs in Catholic schools in Australia.