Reconstruction of the Religious Pedagogical Habitus of Islamic Religious Teachers

This contribution focuses on the key outcomes derived from the analysis of the religious pedagogical habits of Islamic religious educators within the Austrian educational system. This involves tracing the professional self-conception and fundamental thought and action structures in the context of (inter)religious teaching and learning processes of these educators. To accomplish this, a qualitative empirical methodology was employed, involving 41 Islamic religious educators from various Austrian regions who participated in eight group discussions. These discussions aimed to extract insights of their experiences, convictions, and orientations. The gathered empirical data underwent analysis using Ralf Bohnsackʼs Documentary Method. The results were then interpreted in terms of reconstructing the collective habitus of these educators. The findings are presented as central components within a collective religious pedagogical orientation framework, delineated across six comparative dimensions during a comprehensive analysis. These dimensions include: challenges in religious education within the societal framework (1), subject orientation as a religious pedagogical aspiration (2), the roles and attributions of Islamic religious educators (3), the institutional and structural framework as prerequisites for effective teaching (4), the significance and potential of (inter)religious teaching and learning processes (5), and the discourse on recognition and the presence of othering structures in intercultural or interreligious engagements (6).