THE ROLE OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN THE PROMOTION

OF CIVIC, MORAL AND SPIRITUAL VALUES AMONG

LEARNERS IN SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN LUSAKA
CITY

BY

CHRISITNE KAMAI CHILUMBU MILINGO

A Dissertation submitted to the University of Zambia in partial

fulfilment of the requirement for the award of the degree of
Master of Education in Religious Studies

University of Zambia
Lusaka
2020
 DECLARATION

I, Christine Kamai Chilumbu Milingo, hereby declare that this piece of work is my
own and that all the authors of the books and publications I have made reference to
have been duly acknowledged, and that the work has not been previously presented at
this university or any other institution for a similar purpose.

Student’s signature: …………………………..

Date:.....................................................................

i
 APPROVAL

The dissertation of Christine Kamai Chilumbu Milingo has been approved in partial
fulfilment for the award of the degree of Master of Education in Religious Studies
(M.Ed. RS) at the University of Zambia.

Examiner 1

Name: Dr. F. Hambulo

Signed: ………………………………………… Date………………………………

Examiner 2

Name: Dr. G. Muleya

Signed: ………………………………………… Date………………………………

Examiner 3

Name: Dr. J.L.I. Ziwa

Signed: ………………………………………… Date………………………………

Chairperson Board of Examiners

Name: Dr. G. Masaiti

Signed:……………………………… Date:………………………………

Supervisor

Name: Dr. M. Simuchimba

Signed:………………………………….. Date:……………………………

ii
 COPYRIGHT

All rights reserved. No part of this dissertation may be reproduced, stored, or

transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, including
photocopying and recording without the written permission of the author, application
for which should be addressed to the University of Zambia.

© Christine Kamai Chilumbu Milingo 2019.

iii
 DEDICATION

I dedicate this piece of work to my late parents, Mr and Mrs Chilumbu Milingo; my late
brother, Augustine Kamuzu; my grandfather, Dr Emmanuel Milingo Chilumbu; my
parents, Prof. Kaulule and Dr Milingo- Kaulule; my brothers, Peter and Martin; my
sisters, Lumbiwe, Chimwemwe, Betty and the entire family for their unwavering
support.

iv
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

May I start by expressing my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. M. Simuchimba,

for his valuable advice, guidance and influence on this thinking as I worked on this
study. To all other members of the Department of Religious Studies, Prof. A. Cheyeka,
Dr J.L.I. Ziwa, Dr T.L.C Milingo - Kaulule, Mr. L.B. Chanda, Mr N. Hambokoma, Dr
F. Hambulo, Mrs N.M. Chita, Mr J. Chita, Mr G, Kamanga, Mrs N, Mayembe. I highly
treasure your mentorship and inspiration.

Furthermore, I am indebted to all the participants in this study for their valuable
contributions. All colleagues from the Master of Education in Religious Studies (M.Ed.
RS) 2016 cohort, who made this academic journey an interesting one.

My special thanks also go to my bosses and workmates at Libala Secondary School, Mr

F. Kaite and Mrs A. Chomba (late) for always supporting me during this journey.

v
 ABSTRACT

The role of RE in the promotion of civic, moral and spiritual values among secondary
school learners in Lusaka and ascertain whether the values promoted by the three
Zambian secondary school syllabuses were in line with the attainment of the aims of
modern RE. The research objectives were to: to evaluate the role of RE in the
promotion of civic, moral and spiritual values among learners; to establish the moral
and civic values taught in secondary school RE; to establish the spiritual values found
in the secondary RE syllabus. The research design used in this study was a Descriptive
design which used the qualitative approach in order to address the problems raised by
the research questions. The methods of data collection included in-depth semi
structured interviews, document analysis guide and focus group discussion guide. The
target population consisted of nine (9) RE teachers, thirty (30) learners in the selected
schools and one (1) RE Curriculum specialist from CDC. Purposive sampling
techniques were used to select the respondents. The study established that RE is a
highly influential subject in Secondary schools; which helps learners to be morally
upright. It further helps them to understand ideas about governance and human rights
and how to tolerate other Religions in Zambia. The study also established that civic,
moral and spiritual values, were itemized in the syllabuses with explanation in teaching
and learning materials. The values discussed in class work and learning materials are
recognized as civic, moral and spiritual items by both learners and teachers. The
findings also show that learners are exposed to more of Christianity than other
religions. Based on the findings above, the study recommends that: RE should be
revised as to make the subject more modern in content and materials especially in
topics like Leisure and Success. A topic on Emotions should be introduced in the
syllabus and religious passages should be explained in details. RE should be a
compulsory subject regardless of career pathways.

Key Words: Civic Values, Moral Values and Spiritual Values

vi
 ACRONYMS

ATR African Traditional Religion

CDC Curriculum Development Centre

GRZ Government of the Republic of Zambia

MESVTEE Ministry of Education, Science Vocational Training and Early Education

MOE Ministry of Education

MOGE Ministry of General Education

NCSS United States of America National Council for Social Studies

OFSTED Office for Standards in Education

RE Religious Education

RE 2044 Religious Education Syllabus 2044

RE 2046 Religious Education Syllabus 2046

RI Religious Instruction

SCAA School Curriculum and Assessment Authority

vii
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION ............................................................................................................. i

APPROVAL ....................................................................................................................ii

COPYRIGHT ............................................................................................................... iii

DEDICATION ............................................................................................................... iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................... v

ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... vi

ACRONYMS.................................................................................................................vii

LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................xii

LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................... xiii

LIST OF APPENDICES ............................................................................................. xiv

CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................. 1

INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Overview………….. .................................................................................................. 1

1.2 Background to the study .......................................................................................... 1

1.3 Statement of the Problem ......................................................................................... 2

1.4 Research Objectives ................................................................................................. 3

1.5 Research Questions .................................................................................................. 3

1.6 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................. 3

1.7 Significance of the Study.......................................................................................... 3

1.8 Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................ 4

1.9 Limitations ............................................................................................................... 6

1.10 Delimitations .......................................................................................................... 6

1.11 Definitions of key terms ........................................................................................... 6

1.12 Structure of the whole Dissertation ........................................................................ 7

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1.13 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 7

CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................................................ 8

LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................................. 8

2.1 Overview ……………………………………………………………………………8

2.2 Civic, Moral and Religious Values Education: The Global Perspective .................. 8

2.3 Civic, Moral and Religious/ Spiritual Values Education: The Zambian
Perspective .............................................................................................................. 14

2.4 Promotion of Spiritual and Moral Values among Secondary School Learners ........ 20

2.5 Promotion of Civic Values among Secondary School Learners .............................. 23

2.6 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 25

CHAPTER THREE...................................................................................................... 26

METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................... 26

3.1 Overview …………………………………………………………………………..26

3.2 Research Design ....................................................................................................... 26

3.3 Population ............................................................................................................... 27

3.4 Sample Size .............................................................................................................. 27

3.5 Sampling Technique ................................................................................................. 27

3.6 Data Collection Procedures ...................................................................................... 28

3.7 Data Analysis............................................................................................................ 28

3.8 Ethnical Considerations ............................................................................................ 29

3. 9 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 29

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CHAPTER FOUR ........................................................................................................ 30

PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS ............................................................................. 30

4.1 Overview …………………………………………………………………………..30

4.2 Civic Values taught in Secondary School RE .......................................................... 30

4.3 Moral Values taught in Secondary School RE ......................................................... 34

4.4 Spiritual/ Religious Values in Secondary School RE .............................................. 38

4.5 Civic Values Promoted in Secondary School RE..................................................... 44

4.6 Moral Values Promoted in Secondary School RE ................................................... 48

4.7 Spiritual Values Promoted In Secondary School RE ............................................... 53

4.8 Conclusions .............................................................................................................. 56

CHAPTER FIVE .......................................................................................................... 57

DISCUSSION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS ............................................................. 57

5.1 Overview …………………………………………………………………………..57

5.2 Civic Values taught in Secondary School RE .......................................................... 57

5.3 Moral Values taught in Secondary School RE ......................................................... 59

5.4 Spiritual/ Religious Values in Secondary School RE .............................................. 60

5.5 Civic Values promoted in Secondary School RE ..................................................... 61

5.6 Moral Values promoted in Secondary School RE .................................................... 63

5.7 Spiritual Values promoted in Secondary School RE .............................................. 64

5.8 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 67

CHAPTER SIX ............................................................................................................. 68

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................... 68

6.1 Overview …………………………………………………………………………..68

6.2 Conclusions .............................................................................................................. 68

6.3 Recommendations .................................................................................................... 69

x
6.4 Suggestions for further research ............................................................................... 69

REFERENCES ............................................................................................................. 70

APPENDICES............................................................................................................... 77

xi
 LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Graphical representation of the conceptual framework .................................... 5

xii
 LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Sample size ....................................................................................................... 27

Table 2: Civic Values ..................................................................................................... 33

Table 3: Moral Values .................................................................................................... 37

Table 4: Spiritual Values ................................................................................................ 43

Table 5: Topics and Values in junior, 2044 and 2046 RE Syllabuses ........................... 44

Table 6: Topics Values in Junior, 2044 and 2046 RE Syllabuses .................................. 49

Table 7: Topics in Junior, 2044 and 2046 RE Syllabuses .............................................. 51

Table 8: Topics in Junior 2044 and 2046 RE Syllabuses ............................................... 53

xiii
 LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix I: CONSENT FORM ..................................................................................... 77

Appendix II: Focus Group Discussion Guide for Pupils ................................................ 78

Appendix III: Interview Guide for Religious Education Teachers and Head of ...............
Section..................................................................................................................... 79

Appendix IV: Interview Guide for RE Curriculum Specialist ....................................... 80

xiv
 CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION

1.1 Overview

This chapter presents the background to the study, statement of the problem, research
questions, objectives and the purpose of the study, it further explains the significance of
the study, its conceptual framework, it also defines some key terms used in the study
and outlines the structure of the dissertation and conclusion.

1.2 Background to the study

Zambia is a liberal, multi-cultural and multi-faith country. Christianity, Zambian

Traditional Religion(s), Islam, Hinduism and the Baha‟i Faith are among the main
religious traditions in the country. Although Religious Education (RE) is a school
subject like any other, it has for a long time been considered different by many
including those in the teaching fraternity because the religious outlook of the country
has greatly influenced the education sector.

The growth and development of RE in Zambia is usually divided into three phases: the
denominational, the interdenominational and the educational stages. During the
denominational stage, RE was taught as Religious Instructions (RI) in Church affiliated
schools; it was time-tabled and taught like any other subject. During the ecumenical
(interdenominational) stage, and in the educational stage, new multi-faith RE syllabuses
were introduced as part of the educational reforms of the 1970s and early 1980s.

In line with the 1977 education policy document, Educational Reforms (MoE, 1977),
the main aim of RE was later stated as follows:

To enable pupils to appreciate spiritual, moral and religious

values and behaviour based on them. The appreciation is
drawn from four main religious traditions in Zambia (namely:
Christianity, Hinduism, Indigenous Zambian Beliefs and
Islam) and from the religious elements of the Zambian
philosophy of Humanism (MoE, 1983:3).

1
The new RE syllabuses were designed to prepare all learners for life in Zambian
society, regardless of their religious background. The syllabuses were intended to help
pupils use religious beliefs and values as instruments for actual evaluation of their own
beliefs and values. While this would involve pupils in learning about religion, it would
also involve them in learning from religion about themselves (Henze, 2003).

Currently, the policy which underpins education in Zambia is Educating our Future
(MoE, 1996). It reaffirmed the 1980s aim of RE by stating the first goal of the
education system as “to produce a learner capable of being animated by a personally
held set of civic, moral and spiritual values” (MoE, 1996: 5). Learning RE was
supposed to lead to acquisition of understanding of spiritual, religious and moral values
and appreciation of traditions within which learners were growing up (Simuchimba,
2012). A learner of RE at secondary school level of education was expected to
demonstrate adequate knowledge and understanding, and appreciation of civic, moral,
spiritual and religious values found in Zambian society.

It is against this background that this study was carried out with the aim of evaluating
the role of RE in the promotion of civic, moral and spiritual values among learners in
selected secondary schools in Lusaka city.

1.3 Statement of the Problem

Since independence, Zambian RE has developed from being confessional and

denominational in the 1960s, through being ecumenical and interdenominational in the
1970s, to being educational and multi-faith from the 1980s (Simuchimba, 2015).
Currently, the main goal and aim of the subject is the development of a personally held
set of civic, moral and spiritual values among learners (MoE, 1996 and MESVTEE,
2013). Although several studies on Zambian RE have been done, none has focused on
the role of the subject in the promotion of civic, moral and spiritual values. So, at the
moment we do not know whether secondary school learners of the subject acquire the
knowledge of religious traditions that could lead to awareness and appreciation of civic,
moral and spiritual values. It is this knowledge gap that the study sought to fill.

2
1.4 Research Objectives

The specific objectives of the study were to:

1. Establish the civic and moral values taught in secondary school RE.
2. Examine the religious or spiritual values found in the secondary RE syllabus.
3. Evaluate the role of RE in the promotion of civic, moral and spiritual values
among learners.

1.5 Research Questions

The study was guided by the following key questions:

1. What are the civic and moral values taught in secondary school RE?
2. What are the religious or spiritual values found in secondary school RE
syllabuses?
3. How does RE promote civic, moral and spiritual values among secondary
school learners?

1.6 Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the role of RE in the promotion of civic,
moral and spiritual values among learners in selected secondary schools in Lusaka city.

1.7 Significance of the Study

The findings of this study might contribute to the attainment of the aims of Religious
Education in Zambia as brought out in the national education policy document,
Educating Our Future. The study may be helpful to curriculum developers of RE, in
selecting suitable religious subject materials and concepts that are appropriate to
secondary school level, and in addressing the insufficiencies in the syllabuses which
seem to have led to the gap between knowledge and practice or behaviour in schools.
The findings may also help teachers and practitioners of RE to adopt appropriate
strategies in inculcating moral values in the learners and evaluating the affect and
behaviour outcomes of the subject. Furthermore, the study may provide related

3
information for scholars and researchers interested in religious studies, civic, moral and
spiritual education.

Additionally, since research studies relating to civic, moral and spiritual or religious
values education seem to be scanty, the study report will add to the existing literature in
this area of education.

1.8 Conceptual Framework

This section explains the conceptual framework for the study. It discusses variables
underlying the study and their relationship. According to Chalmers (1982), a conceptual
framework contributes to a research study because it identifies research variables, and
clarifies relationships among the variables. It is also important in that it sets the stage
for presentation of the research questions that drive the study. The conceptual
framework for this study focuses on the role of RE in the promotion of civic, moral and
spiritual values among learners in selected secondary schools in Lusaka city. The
values have been divided into three categories; civic, moral and spiritual. Civic values
include respect for human rights, civic duties and respect for leadership and authority.
Moral values include: respect for elders, respect for societal values and code of
conduct. As for spiritual values, they consist of religious knowledge, religious literacy,
respect for others religious beliefs and traditions. These values are partly acquired
through RE.

Due to variations in the emphasis placed on what is taught and how the value of
essentials is explained during RE lessons, learners show different levels of civic, moral
and spiritual understanding and behaviour towards others. Their understanding of civic,
moral and spiritual values is consistent with their levels of development and the quality
of education received during RE. Therefore, the independent variables considered here
significantly determine the nature and occurrence of learners who are upright and
acquire civic, moral and spiritual values for the betterment of society and school
environment.

The conceptual framework is important to this study as it presents variables which are
required in the research investigation; it aids the researcher to have an understanding of
how the various variables in the study are related to each other. The conceptual
4
 framework was also useful as a research tool to support research and therefore, to assist
the researcher to make meaning of subsequent findings. Further, the conceptual
framework structured the design of the research and helped the researcher to assess and
refine the goals, develop realistic and relevant research questions, select appropriate
methods, and identify potential threats to the conclusion. This was because the main
things to be studied, being, the key factors, concepts or variables and the presumed
relationship among them were explained.

Figure 1: Graphical representation of the conceptual framework

THE ROLE OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

CIVIC VALUES MORAL VALUES

SPIRITUAL VALUES
Respect for human rights Live by code of conduct
Religious knowledge
Civic duties- paying tax, Respect for elders
Religious literacy
Cleaning the environment Respect for cultural and
society values Respect for other religious
Respect for leadership and beliefs and traditions
authority

Learners and school leavers with developed civic, moral and spiritual values in society

5
1.9 Limitations

The research study used the descriptive study design and was restricted to selected
secondary schools in Lusaka city. This factor might limit the generalisation of the
research findings. Another limitation was lack of adequate literature for review. The
area of civic, moral and spiritual values education was still a relatively new field of
study and research in Zambia and even beyond. As such, very little research and
writing on the subject area has been done. This factor may also subtract from the
generalisability and validity of the study. However, the researcher did everything
possible to ensure that the findings of the study would remain not only generalisable
but also adequately valid.

1.10 Delimitations

This study was confined to Lusaka inner city. The names of the selected schools have
been withheld for ethical reasons and the schools are hereafter referred to as school A
and School B.

1.11 Definitions of key terms

Civic values:

Generally civic values refer to the standards and norms that every society or community
holds. In this study, civic values will refer to respect for human rights, respect for
leadership and authority.

Moral values:

These are a set of principles that guide an individual on how to evaluate issues of right
and wrong. In this study, moral values refer to the principles of right and wrong
behaviour that a learner encounters and may acquire during interaction with the school
environment, particularly through RE.

Spiritual values:

These are the integrative values of a human soul consisting of altruistic, personal,
divine, and affective values leading to spiritual growth of personality. In this study,

6
spiritual values will refer to religious knowledge, religious literacy and respect for other
religious traditions and beliefs.

1.12 Structure of the whole Dissertation

The dissertation is divided into six chapters. Chapter one provides and explains the
background to the study, the statement of the problem, the research objectives, research
questions, and purpose of the study. It also gives the significance of the study, the
conceptual framework of the study, limitations,delimitation or scope of the study, the
limitations encountered and the operational definitions used in the study. Chapter two
discusses the literature relevant to the study. Both foreign and local studies which
supported, refuted or bridged the gap in the study were reviewed.
Chapter three discusses the methodology of the study, particularly the research design,
study population, study sample, sampling techniques, instruments used for data
collection, procedure for data collection and data analysis. Chapter four presents the
findings of the research study. Chapter five will discuss the findings of the study.
Lastly, chapter six states the conclusion of the study and gives recommendations based
on the findings of the study.

1.13 Conclusion

Chapter one has presented and explained the general introduction to the study in terms
of background to the study, statement of the problem, specific objectives, research
questions and purpose of the study, significance of the study, the conceptual
framework, limitations, delimitations, operational definitions and the structure of the
whole dissertation. The next chapter discusses the literature reviewed for this study.

7
 CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Overview

This chapter aims at reviewing literature related to the role of RE in the promotion of
civic, moral and spiritual values among learners in secondary schools. As explained by
Kombo and Tromp (2006), literature review is an account of what has been published
on a topic by other scholars and researchers. The study begins the review by
highlighting the global and Zambian contexts of civic, moral and spiritual values in the
school curricular, followed by the promotion of human rights and civic values among
secondary school pupils. Finally, the study will look, at the promotion of morality
among school pupils.

2.2 Civic, Moral and Religious Values Education: The Global Perspective

According to Kohlberg, cited in Dombeck and Wells-Moran (2008), infants have little
or no moral sense, because they are not born with an understanding of the nature of
human relationships. As children reach elementary school age, they enter into the first
major stage of moral understanding known as the pre-conventional stage. Pre-
conventional children are essentially selfish in orientation. They do not think about
what behaviours would serve the greater good, but rather think in terms of what will
most benefit them. They respond primarily and think of morality as a matter of
following rules so as to avoid punishment.

Kohlberg‟s work is important to this study because it explains the moral development
among learners in elementary school which is the foundation for later secondary school
level which this study focused on.

MCphail (1982) contends that, the teaching of morals in school had become a serious
concern in the world. This concern was due to the increasing evidence of socially and
morally irresponsible behaviour on the part of individuals. An example of this
irresponsible behaviour could be seen in the rise of indecent acts such as defilement,
incest, gender-based violence and religious extremism. Gay (1975) observes that there

8
is a moral crisis in the world which makes it clear that schools should not avoid the
responsibility of teaching of moral education.

MCphail‟s work is important to the current study as it supports the need to teach
morals in the school as a way of preventing irresponsible behaviours. However, the
difference between the works is that MCphail‟s did not indicate whether the teaching
of morals should be includedin all school subjects or it should be an independent
subject. While,this study on the other hand, looks at the role RE plays in transmitting
moral values among learners. As for Gay paper, it provides a brief but good
background on which this study will build.

Tritter and Taylor (1992) observed that RE played an important part in ensuring the
transmission of moral values into children in high schools in the USA. They argued
that it was the acquisition of appropriate norms, attitudes and values which was
perhaps more essential for success than the actual knowledge. The USA National
Council for Social Studies (NCSS) asserted that knowledge about religion was not
only a characteristic of an educated person, but was also necessary for understanding
and living in a world of diversity. The teaching of religion in schools encouraged
children to be responsible and spiritually sound adults. According to Eric (1994), one‟s
education cannot be complete without the study of religion and its relationship to the
advanced civilization. Thus RE is important in any education system.

The study by Tritter and Taylor reaffirms the point that RE is an important subject in
the school curriculum and was greatly influential in the transmission of moral and
spiritual values among learners. Similarly, the study by Eric (1994), established the
relationship between religion and civilisation. These studies are important to the
current study as they indicate that RE is a promoter of moral and spiritual values
among learners and would therefore lay the foundation for the current study.

According to Armon (1984), moral values can be divided into five categories, the
deontic, teleological, aretaic, intrinsic and extrinsic. The deontic values are concerned
with the moral right issues of justice, fairness, rights and responsibilities. The
teleological values relate to issues of moral good or concern over the welfare of others.
Aretaic values involve judgment about the moral worth of individuals and institutions.
They include motives and character qualities such as generosity, empathy and loyalty,
9
and are often characterised as motivators for moral action. Intrinsic values are those
end values for their non-moral good; they include such quality as autonomy,
consciousness, intelligence and knowledge. Extrinsic values are those means that have
the potential to produce goods such as education, money, art and travel.

This categorisation of values by Armon was important to this study as it enable the
researcher to ascertain what categories of values were more pronounced and taught in
the school through RE.

A study by Bull (1969) asserted that a child was not born with built-in moral
conscience but with natural, biologically purposive capacities that make him or her
potentially a moral being. Moral concepts are taught to a child who learns what is right
and wrong, and what is acceptable in society through various domains including home,
school, church, other people‟s homes, clubs and societies.

The foregoing views by Bull are clear and significant to this study which aims to assess
the role of RE in promoting civic, moral and spiritual values among learners in selected
secondary schools in Lusaka city.

Wilson et al (1967) observed that a child needs to accept a certain code of behaviour,
parental commands and traditional rules. On their part teachers and parents should
confront the child with their own moral codes in a very clear and definite manner, so
that whether he or she accepts or rejects the code, at least he or she will know what is
acceptable or rejectable.

The research by Wilson et al has relevance to this study, as the behaviour of learners is
conditioned by the moral teaching they receive. The response of the learners to the
variables being used to test their appreciation of acquired values will reflect the type of
moral code they have been subjected to at school and home.

Kombo (2005) observed that through RE, students acquired the desired beliefs, values
and practices of their society which enabled them to live in harmony with other
members. Similarly, according to Harding (2005), the aim of RE was to facilitate
desirable changes in an individual since it encompasses theoretical, practical, moral,
spiritual, human and divine aspects. These views by Kombo (2005) and Harding

10
(2005) affirmed the importance of RE to learners and were in line with what the
current study is trying to establish, that RE is a promoter of morals among learners.

Wainaina (2007) posits that many nations of the world have realised the importance of
religion and have included it as a subject of study in schools. In Europe for example,
the main aim of teaching RE is building and maintaining a national identity. Grove
(2009) noted that RE in England had been mandated by the 1944 Education Act as the
subject consisted of different religious teachings and moral themes. However, the state
requested that more of Christian content than that of other faiths was taught. Eric
(1994) noted that many states in the United States of America (USA) viewed RE as an
important subject. This was because it enhanced the moral and spiritual growth of the
learner. Several state agencies and local school districts created mandates and
guidelines regarding teaching about religion.

The relevance of Wainaina (2007) work to the current study was that it gave a brief
background of RE in Europe and its importance in schools, which is similar to what
this study explains about RE in Zambia. The current study goes further by examining
the role RE plays in the promotion of civic, moral and spiritual values among learners
in secondary schools. Similarly, Grove (2009) work raises important issues affecting
RE in England, which are similar to Zambian RE. This current study would therefore
use it as a background in explaining the values that our learners acquire from RE. This
study would also try to go beyond Eric (1994) work about RE in the USA by
discussing Zambia‟s RE syllabuses and how they enhance moral and spiritual values
among the learners.

A study called „Restoring Local Spiritual and Cultural Values in Science Education:
The Case of Ethiopia,‟ by Faris (2012), examined the incorporation of local spiritual
and cultural values to improve science education in the country. This ethnographic
research used in-depth interviews, supplementary observations, focus group
discussions and biography to identify the perception and practice of common and
unique spiritual and cultural values. The study examined whether the spiritual and
cultural values were included or excluded in the school curriculum and explored the
possibilities for incorporating them in science education. The anticipated tensions
resulting from the inclusion of the values indicated that belief in and fear of God

11
animated and sustained the Ethiopian way of life. Although spiritual teachings derived
from sacred writings were the initial foundation for Ethiopian cultural norms, the two
merged together later, creating a mosaic pervading every aspect of life in Ethiopia.
Education was sustained on this merger of spiritual and cultural norms and values. It
was also shown that the now century old system of formal education did not
incorporate those local spiritual and cultural values. Current science education also had
little relationship to Ethiopian spiritual and cultural norms and was, therefore, in need
of restoration.

This study by Faris is important to this research study because it stresses the
importance of spiritual values in the whole school curriculum whether in RE or science
based subjects. However, the research study focused more on spiritual values in science
while, this study focuses on civic, spiritual and moral values in the secondary school
RE syllabus.

A study on holistic primary education done in Kenya by Kowino (2013), showed that
holistic education helped to develop learners morally, spiritually, intellectually and
physically, intellectually competent. Spiritual competence enabled learners interpret the
meaning of RE in their present and future lives, developing in them a sense of purpose,
wonder and mystery. It also enabled them to understand the importance of believing in
God, with the conviction that there was a spiritual solution to their day today life
challenges. Spiritual competence made learners more caring, tolerant and actively
engaged in the spiritual quest. Holistic education cultivated the spiritual, moral and
emotional areas of growing up children. This type of education was based on the
premise that each person finds identity, meaning and purpose in life through
connections to spiritual and moral values, the community and the natural world.

Although this study by Kowino was important to RE it did not provide evidence that
learners‟ moral and spiritual competence was as result of acquisition and practice of
spiritual and moral values learnt through teaching and learning. However, its results
have shaped up this study, in that for one to be spiritually and morally upright one must
have acquired some of these values through the learning process. The current study
aims at evaluating the role of RE plays in the promotion of civic, moral and spiritual
values among learners in selected secondary schools in Lusaka city.

12
The study by Klemenovic and Zukovic (2013) paper analysed the purpose of
democratisation of education and of the introduction of Civic Education and RE classes
in the education system of the Republic of Serbia. They observed the idea that
education may serve as a generator of social change that school was an important
support pillar in promoting and accepting the values of the community, as well as in the
personal growth and development of every individual. The theoretical concepts in the
paper are supported by a summary of results of empirical studies that focused on the
analysis of the pedagogical aspects of the implementation and teaching of these
subjects at the secondary level of education, from the perspectives of teachers, pupils
and parents. Based on the insights from the paper, the authors recommend searching for
a “common tangent” in Civic Education and RE via an open and tolerant dialogue of
participants of both subjects, which would enable the exchange of experiences, attitudes
and opinions. This would lead to permeating of spiritual and democratic values as a
foundation for further democratisation of schools in general.

This study by Klemenovic and Zukovic provides an understanding of how both Civic
Education and RE could be used to develop civic values in pupils. However, while the
focus of their study was on searching for a common tangent for the two subjects, this
study focused on using RE in promoting civic values among learners.

In a journal article entitled „Raising Submissive and Dependent Citizens: The Case of
Egyptian schools‟, Abdulhameed (2013) observed that Civic Education in the Egyptian
public schools was integrated in social studies and taught from the Islamic point of
view, while religion was used to explain the concepts of human rights, citizenship and
democracy. In his article, the author emphasised the role of religion in the promotion of
civic values in schools and treated it as a separate subject from social studies. This
work by Abdulhameed is relevant in that it partly explains the role of religion (Islam) in
Egyptian public schools. However, it differs from this study because of its emphasis on
teaching of civic values found in a multi-faith RE syllabus for secondary schools.

Sulayman (2012) presented a paper entitled „Impact of Teaching Civic and Religious
Values in the National Curriculum on Improving Social Responsibility in Tanzania:
The Analytical View.‟ The paper analysed the values rooted in religious curricula,
Christianity and Islam, in the National Curriculum of Tanzania, and it also examined

13
their effectiveness in imparting the social responsibility spirit in civil servants which
was essential in addressing moral challenges facing the nation. It was indicated that the
curricula taught the youth principles, ideas and beliefs which were general guides to
their behaviour and as points of reference in life that contributed to the wellbeing of
Tanzanian society at large. Moreover, the curricula entailed values that were closely
connected to personal integrity and identity of Tanzanians with the hope that these
values would influence decisions they made as adults in future.

Sulayman further discussed the integration of moral values in the Tanzanian national
curriculum as the country used two curricula because of the two main religions
practiced in the country. It was suggested that moral values should not be taught as a
subject in the traditional sense, but rather be integrated in all school subjects in what
was called a „correlation design curriculum.‟ Such a curriculum would make it possible
to include a variety of activities embracing enrichment, personal development,
community service, recreation and nurturing as learning within and from different
angles of the existing curricula. In this way, moral values would be integrated in the
whole school policy as well as academic disciplines. This would help to impart
confidence in students and build their self-determination to resist immoral practices
when encountered in life.

The foregoing study by Sulayman was largely a report on how moral and civic values
should be integrated in all subjects of the school curriculum, however, it also shows
how countries with more than one religious tradition can use two syllabuses and still
attain their main goals for RE. However, while the study emphasised the need for civic
and moral values to be integrated in all subjects, it fails to emphasise that RE is the
promoter of these values. This is the gap this research hopes to fill by showing how
RE promotes moral and civic values in schools so that society benefits from the well-
rounded person shaped by the subject.

2.3 Civic, Moral and Religious/ Spiritual Values Education: The Zambian
Perspective

Kamanga (2013) conducted a study entitled „RE in Zambia: Towards Religious

Literacy, Religious Pluralism and Liberalism.‟ The study sought to ascertain whether
the values promoted by the two Zambian senior secondary school RE syllabuses were
14
in conformity with the promotion of religious pluralism and liberalism, and whether
they could promote the attainment of religious literacy, which was a tenet of modern
RE. The objectives of the study were: to explore the teaching methods and approaches
used in RE; to ascertain whether religious literacy is attainable through the current
Zambian RE syllabuses; and to establish the values promoted by RE in the light of
increasing religious pluralism and liberalism in the country. The findings of the study
were that Zambian RE continued to be poorly handled, and teachers mostly employed
teacher-centered methods. The findings also indicated that pupils were exposed to
Christianity and to some aspects of Islam, Hinduism and Zambian Traditional
Religions. Consequently, the current Zambian RE syllabuses were deficient in attaining
religious literacy. The study further revealed that the Zambian RE syllabuses promoted
values related to religious pluralism and liberalism, such as respect for others, love,
awareness, and tolerance. Based on these findings, the study recommended that RE
should be revised so that the subject could become more liberal, critical and
educational. Therefore, RE teachers should go beyond teaching for examinations if the
subject was to contribute to the promotion religious literacy.

Kamanga work was an important contribution to the study of RE in Zambia as it spells

out the importance of religious literacy, religious pluralism and liberalism. However,
this work is generally different from this study as it focuses on whether religious
literacy, religious pluralism and liberalism could be attained through current Zambian
syllabuses while this study focuses on the role RE plays in the promotion of civic,
moral and spiritual values among learners.

A study by Chizelu (2006) focused on the teaching of RE in Zambian multi-religious

secondary schools. According to Chizelu, the problem of RE in secondary schools was
that the subject was being taught with a single religious approach by the RE teachers,
instead of a multi-religious perspective as directed by the MoE. So the aim of his study
was to find out why RE teachers tended to be reluctant to respond to the MoE directive
of applying a multi-religious approach to the subject. The research study revealed that
the RE teachers‟ reluctance was due to their different perceptions which were mostly
influenced by their religious affiliations and the syllabuses they used. For example, the
majority of the teachers of RE in secondary schools were Christians; they were
therefore reluctant to teach syllabuses that also included non-Christian religions; they
15
felt that this would compromise their consciences and their own faiths. As a result, they
preferred to teach the subject from a Christian standpoint. This approach differed from
the MoE directive to teach RE from a multi-religious perspective. Finally, the study
concluded that the teaching of RE should be firmly placed in an educational context by
making no assumptions or preconditions from the personal religious commitment of RE
teachers. The role of RE teachers was that of educators and not anything else.

The above study by Chizelu is different from the current study because it looked at
approaches to the teaching of RE in Zambian multi-religious secondary schools while
the latter looks at the content of RE and how it promotes the teaching and learning of
civic, moral and spiritual values in secondary schools. However, the former is still
important as it is a general background to this work.

Njobvu (2015) conducted a study in which she sought to test Ronald Goldman's theory
of children's religious thinking in the Zambian context with particular attention to the
methods of teaching, materials used and content for primary school RE. Goldmans‟
theory can be summed up as “no Bible teaching” to children under the age of thirteen
(13) because concrete operational stage children struggle to comprehend Biblical
concepts. Therefore, the objectives of the study were, to test Ronald Goldman‟s theory
on children‟s religious thinking in Zambia, to explore the methods used in the teaching
and learning of primary school RE, to examine the relevance of content for primary
school RE children, to assess the appropriateness of materials used to teach primary
school RE. The study concluded that primary school children struggled to comprehend
Biblical issues. The teacher-centered methods of teaching the subject were
inappropriate and the content was advanced with abstract Biblical quotations. The study
also revealed that the materials used to teach the subject were abstract and inappropriate
for children.

The study by Njobvu provides a good background to the situation of primary RE in

Zambia. Therefore, Njobvu‟s study is different from the current research study analyses
the role RE plays in promoting civic, moral and spiritual values among secondary
school learners without a theory.

Simuchimba (2005) conducted a study entitled, „Religion and Education in Zambia

1890-2000 and Beyond,‟ in which he explained that the relationship between religion
16
and education through RE in Zambia had passed through different stages of
development. After the educational reforms of the 1990s, progressive development of
RE as a curriculum subject seems to have been negatively affected by the State‟s self-
contradictory declaration of Zambia as a Christian Nation in 1991. Thus the subject
continues to be partly confessional and partly phenomenological during the Third
Republic and up to-date. While the State through the Ministry of Education see RE as a
curriculum subject with educational aims like any other. Since the country is pluralistic
and democratic, RE in Zambia should continue developing in line with the
constitutional values of religious and cultural freedom, and the liberal national
education policy provisions for spiritual and moral education. Thus the subject should
go beyond its current unclear state of being largely confessional and partially
phenomenological and become more educational; it should take the religious literacy
and critical understanding of religion seriously. To ensure this, a special national policy
which broadly outlines the nature and form of RE in schools needs to be put in place as
a guide to all interest groups.

Thus Simuchimba is important in that it has provided the historical background to RE

in Zambia which my study will refer to. However, his study is also different from this
study which looks at the secondary school syllabus content and how it promotes civic,
moral and spiritual values among learners of the subject.

Kanyimba (2016) conducted a study entitled, „An Assessment of Learners‟ appreciation

of Spiritual and Moral Values in Social and Development Studies in selected primary
schools in Kafue District of Zambia.‟ Her study findings were that only a few spiritual
and moral value items were mentioned without explanation in the teaching and learning
materials; the few moral and spiritual values mentioned in the teaching and learning
materials were not recognised as such by both the teachers and learners. In other words,
the upper primary school Social and Development Studies syllabus content contained
spiritual and moral education but teachers did not know that they were spiritual and
moral education topics. The researcher recommended that the syllabus should clearly
state that particular topics were under spiritual or moral education to enable teachers
have a better understanding of the various composite RE topics they were teaching.

17
Kanyimba‟s research study is important as it shows how the integration of primary
school RE into Social and Development Studies has negatively affected the attainment
of the spiritual and moral values which RE promotes. However, the difference between
Kanyimba‟s study and the current study is that her study focused on primary school
RE. This work focuses on secondary school RE and how it promotes the same values at
that level of education.

According to Educating our Future (MoE, 1996), the mission of the Ministry of
Education was to guide the provision of education for all Zambians so that they could
be able to acquire knowledge and skills, manifest excellence in performance and moral
uprightness, defend democratic ideals, and accept and value other persons on the basis
of their personal worth and dignity, irrespective of gender, religion, ethnic origin, or
any other discriminatory characteristic. However, the broad aim of high school
education was the integrated and comprehensive development of each pupil's
potential. On completion of the programme, pupils should be well-educated persons
who should adequately prepare for the furtherance of their education, through full-time
or part-time study, or for becoming self-supporting workers. At the same time the
pupils should also be responsible persons, capable of making a useful contribution to
society and adequately qualify for the adoption of adult roles. In the light of what has
been said, the Ministry of Education had set for itself the goals of producing a learner
capable of being animated by a personally held set of civic, moral and spiritual values.
In order to achieve this goal, an integrated teaching of RE, Civics, History and
Geography would be required.

The significance of Educating our Future, the national education policy document, to
this study is that it spells out the goals, aims and principles of secondary school
education which secondary school RE should adhere to. These educational goals and
aims are generally in line with what this study is likely to establish. It will try to show
that RE is the promoter of these values among learners in the schools.

In his book entitled, Readings for Religious Education Teachers (Henze, 2000),
discussed the attitudes and skills of learners promoted in RE. Pupils were encouraged
to develop:

18
 “a sense of mystery and fascination about the world, willingness
to acknowledge the needs, feelings and aspirations of others,
respect for others, willingness to learn from their insights, respect
for the freedom to practice or not to practice religion, willingness
to recognise that beliefs and ideas may be expressed in a variety
of ways, willingness to acknowledge the controversial and
ambiguous nature of many issues about beliefs and values,
confidence in their sense of identity and willingness to value
diversity in religion and culture.”

An analysis of these attitudes and skills acquired showed that they could be
in groups of civic, moral and spiritual values.

Henze work is important to this study as it generally outlines the attitudes and skills
promoted in the RE syllabuses and their importance in the life of the learners during
and after school. However, the current study will go beyond Henze‟s work by
categorizing the values and skills into civic, moral and spiritual values.

Muleya (2015) explored the teaching of Civic Education in Zambia. The study
examined pedagogical practices in relation to the teaching of Civic Education in
schools. He argued that following right pedagogical practices in the teaching of the
subject could lead to social change and transformation of society. As such, the purpose
of his study was to ascertain the extent to which Civic Education was enhancing or
impeding social change and transformation in Zambian society. To realise the
objectives of the study, an exploratory research design was used. The study found that
Civic Education in schools was not modelled on practices that could lead to social
change and transformation of society; service learning approaches were rarely
promoted in the lessons; teaching approaches in colleges and the university with
respect to Civic Education were greatly lacking. Additionally, teaching and learning
materials in Civic Education were not readily available in schools and teachers of
Civic Education were not grounded in the key theoretical and pedagogical perspectives
underpinning Civic Education. The study therefore concluded that with correct
pedagogical practices and approaches, Civic Education could lead to social change and
transformation of society.

19
The study by Muleya provided a good brief survey on the historical and current issues
affecting the teaching of Civic Education in Zambia. The current research study is
however different as it looks at aspects of Civic Education found in the secondary
school RE syllabuses.

2.4 Promotion of Spiritual and Moral Values among Secondary School Learners

In study called „Exploring Spiritual Values among School Children Aligarh City in
India,‟ Nazam and Husain (2016) explained that spiritual values were integrated in the
spiritual development of children. The objectives of the study were: to identify
spiritual value among school children, to find out percentage of endorsement for a
particular spiritual value by school children, and to find out the difference between the
percentage of male and female school children endorsing spiritual values. Twenty-eight
spiritual values were identified by children themselves with regard to their formation of
personality. They include: courage, charity, creativity, cheerfulness, caring, discipline,
equality, faithfulness, goodness, honesty, humility, happiness, helping, hard-work,
humorous, kindness, mannerism, obedience, punctuality, peace, polite, social, sharing,
sacrifice, sincerity, simplicity, truthfulness, and the value of being understanding.
Significant differences were found between percentages of female and male school
children on the following spiritual values: caring, discipline, sincerity, and punctuality.
Significant differences were not found between the percentages of female and male
school children on the remaining spiritual values. Thus, it could be concluded that the
spiritual values were responsible for the personality and spiritual development of
children. The aim of education should be towards the cultivation of spiritual values at
the primary and secondary levels and to develop spiritual individuality.

This study by Nazam and Husain provides a good background to the study on spiritual
values in the educational system. It is important and relevant, as it is in line with what
would be established, built on and expanded. The difference with this study is that the
latter analyses the role of RE in the promotion of civic, moral and spiritual values
among learners in selected secondary schools in Lusaka, Zambia.

According to School Curriculum and Assessment Authority (1996), schools that were
encouraging learners‟ spiritual development were likely to be doing the following:

20
giving learners the opportunity to explore values and beliefs, including religious
beliefs, and the way in which they affect people‟s lives; where learners already have
religious beliefs, supporting and developing religious beliefs in ways which are
personal and relevant to learners; encouraging learners to explore and develop what
animates them and others; encouraging them to reflect and learn from reflection;
giving learners the opportunity to understand human feelings and emotions, the way
they affect people and how an understanding of them can be helpful; developing a
climate or ethos within which all learners can grow and flourish, respect others and
be respected; accommodating differences and respecting the integrity of individuals;
and monitoring, in simple, pragmatic ways the success of what is provided.

According to SCAA, on a more personal level, RE teachers have a significant

responsibility for moral education. They inevitably define for their pupils, standards
of behaviour in the classroom and around the school. They engage pupils in thinking
about their responsibilities when issues such as keeping promises, telling the truth, or
dealing with unfairness and injustice arise. They provide for pupils, whether
consciously or unconsciously, a moral framework of values which guide their
relationships with others. Teachers face moral dilemmas and demonstrate to pupils
how they can be addressed. Therefore, teachers‟ attitudes and interactions provide
powerful role models to pupils.

The publication by SCAA provides a good background and foundation on what the
current study is likely to establish. The RE syllabuses in Zambia adequately provide
for moral and spiritual education of learners. Additionally, many Zambian teachers of
RE are role models for pupils in the way they conduct themselves and prepare the
learners for life after school.

The Qualification and Curriculum Authority (1999) explains that spirituality focuses
around the aspects of life and it seeks to answer questions about the meaning and
purpose of life. Therefore, learners‟ spiritual development is shown by their
acquisition of:

a) beliefs, religious or otherwise, which inform their perspective on life and their
interest in and respect for different people‟s feelings and values;

21
 b) senses of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and
the world around them, including the intangible;
c) use of imagination and creativity in their learning, and
d) willingness to reflect on their experiences.

The publication by QCA, was important to this study as it tried to explain spiritual
development in the lives of learners. The study is similar to this study as they both
focus on spiritual development among learners in the school. However, the two
studies differ slightly in nature because the current study looks at RE as the promoter
of spiritual values in the secondary school system, while QCA looks at the
development of spirituality in general.

Every society, primitive or modern, has established means of inculcating in the young
ones, its acceptable values. Falade (2010) argues that the Yoruba, like other
communities in Africa, adopted multi-dimensional approaches in inculcating morals
and values that were cherished in their society. The teaching of spiritual and moral
values in the school system has become an important area of focus in recent times in
Nigeria and some other parts of the world,a living education as a lifelong process, and a
tool for human moral development. In trying to curb the negative trend of immorality
among children in society, the home and school Falad (ibid) posts that education had a
strong influence on the learners. People were not born understanding their society‟s
morals, instead, these understandings developed and matured over time.

The work by Falade is generally in line with what the current study would hope to
establish. It further shows that society needs moral and spiritual values inculcated in the
learners as a way of trying to curb the negative trends of immorality in Zambian
society.

Al-Hooli (2010) conducted a study on teaching and learning of moral values through a
kindergarten curriculum for children aged between five to ten years, which revealed
that teachers played a vital and effective role in teaching and guiding children in moral
values. Al-Hooli study focused on the following areas to assess the morality levels of
children: truthfulness, honesty, gratitude, loyalty, reasonability, fairness, and patience.
Done through observation, the study further suggested that teachers frequently did not

22
appear to have a broad collection of strategies at their disposal for addressing moral
values.

The study by Al-Hooli is important to the current study because most of the core
variables in his study are similar to what was examined in this study. However, the
difference is that Al-Hooli‟s study focused on Kindergarten curriculum of moral
education while the current study focuses on secondary school RE syllabuses.
Additionally, the work by Al- Hooli did not reveal the effect of teaching the moral
values found in the curriculum on learners while this study tried to reveal such effects.

2.5 Promotion of Civic Values among Secondary School Learners

According to the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) (2012), human
rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever their nationality, place of
residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status.
Human rights are inherent in mankind‟s nature and without them people cannot live as
human beings. They are the foundations of human existence and co-existence.
Examples of human rights are, right to life, education, food, health and personal liberty.
Human rights help people to fully develop and use their human qualities, intelligence,
talents and conscience and to satisfy their spiritual and other needs (Mwiinga, 2009).
Human rights are therefore, rights like protection of freedom of conscience, expression
and protection from discrimination on grounds of race, age, sex, ethnicity or anything
else. No other qualifications are required for one to be entitled to human rights.

The UNHRC and Mwiinga‟s works provide a brief but good background and definition
of human rights which this research study has used and built on.

In a study entitled, „Two Views of Education: Promoting Civic and Moral Values in
Cambodian Schools,‟ Tan (2008) looked at the Cambodian government‟s attempt to
promote civic and moral values in the schools through the subject “civics and morals”.
He encouraged the policy makers to promote the effective teaching and learning of
civic and moral values with the support of the local community and religious
institutions in Cambodia. While Tan (ibid) emphasized the need to promote moral and
civic values through policy makers, local communities and religious institutions, the
current research study has emphasised the need to promote these values through RE.
23
However, both studies recognise the need for civic and moral values to be imparted in
the learners.

Falade (2015) examined civic education in Nigeria‟s one hundred years of existence.
The paper pointed out that Civic Education equipped the citizens with democratic
skills that strengthened the civil society. The paper further gave the historical account
of Civic Education in Nigeria and emphasised training for civic responsibility as it was
one of the major goals of traditional education in Nigeria. Before the introduction of
Western education in Nigeria, the existing traditional education was concerned with
training the children for social responsibility and political participation. The paper
posited that Western education had not given enough attention to character and civic
training in Nigeria. Some of the problems confronting Civic Education in Nigeria
included, a disorganised and duplicated curriculum unstable programme, lack of
adequate human resources for Civic Education, recitation and rote learning of civic
value and skills, and none implementation of social studies at the senior secondary
school level. The paper concluded that if Civic Education was well taught in Nigerian
schools, it would help in engineering sustainable value-reorientation which could
break the vicious circle of socio-political and economic problems in the country.

The study by Falade is important to this study as it stresses the importance of civic
values in the development of a nation, a point which the current study also makes.
However, the difference between the two studies is that Falade‟s study emphasised the
need for civic education in Social Studies, the current study emphasises the role RE
plays in the promotion of civic values among learners in the schools.

Musongole (2012) investigated the role of RE in the promotion of girls‟ educational

rights in the peri-urban schools of Chingola District in Zambia. The study evaluated
the RE curriculum at primary, secondary and college levels of education in terms of its
relevance to the promotion of girls‟ education. Furthermore, contributions by some
Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and RE towards gender equity in education
and the Zambian government policy on gender were highlighted. The findings of the
study were in four categories, namely, cultural beliefs and practices that hinder girls‟
progress in education, other problems affecting girl-child education besides cultural
norms, freedom to enable girls to make their own constructive decisions, and topics in

24
RE which had the potential to promote self-confidence and self-esteem among the
girls. The study identified and explained the RE topics or units which had relevance
towards the promotion of girls‟ educational rights despite the influence of cultural
beliefs and practices in the community.

The study by Musongole clearly showed that RE was an important player in the
promotion of human rights among learners in schools. However, the study focused on
girls‟ rights only and left out the boy-child‟s rights. This study, on the other hand, is
inclusive as it examines the role of RE in the promotion of human rights among
learners of both sexes.

2.6 Conclusion

In this chapter a review of mainly related literature on the promotion of civic, moral,
spiritual values‟ and religious values through education in RE has been presented. From
the global perspective some scholars acknowledge that moral and spiritual values are
important for the holistic development of learners and the school systems. They also
acknowledge that RE plays an important role in imparting civic, moral and spiritual
values in secondary school learners. However, other scholars do not recognise RE as
the promoter of civic, moral and spiritual values but only as a minor player in the
acquisition of these values by the learners. This was where the researcher
acknowledged the gap that the study sought to fill, hence the research tried to show that
RE is not only an important player in the promotion of civic, moral and spiritual values
but the major player or subject in the acquisition of these values by secondary school
learners.

From the Zambian perspective scholars have largely focused on the historical
development of RE as a school curriculum subject, and how the education policy and
curriculum reforms have affected the subject. The studies done have barely touched on
the aims of RE, including the promotion of civic, moral and spiritual values. This has
therefore created a knowledge gap which this study sought to fill by focusing on
evaluating the role of RE in the development and promotion of civic, moral and
spiritual values among learners. The next chapter will discuss the methodology used in
the study.

25
 CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY

3.1 Overview

In this chapter, the research design and methods used in the study are described. Apart
from the research design and data collection methods and instruments, the population
and sample size, data analysis, and ethical considerations are also discussed.

3.2 Research Design

Orodho in Kombo (2013) defined research design as the scheme, outline or plan that is
used to generate answers to research problems. Similarly Bless and Achola (1988)
defined it as a plan of any scientific research from the first to the last step. In this wide
sense, it is a programme to guide the researcher to collect, analyse and interpret the
participants views about the topic under investigation.

This study was qualitative in nature. Bryman (2001), states that qualitative research is a
strategy that usually emphasises words rather than quantification in the collection and
analysis of data. In the same vein, Creswell (2009) states that qualitative researchers
endeavour to understand the context of the participants by making visits to the context
and gathering information personally. The research design adopted for this study was a
descriptive study. Awoniyi, Aderanti and Tayo (2011) explains that the descriptive
design is concerned with practices that prevail, points of view, and collection of data
for the purpose of describing and interpreting an existing condition. Thus the use of the
descriptive design enabled the researcher to establish the role of RE in the promotion
of civic, moral and spiritual values among learners in selected secondary schools in
Lusaka city. It was used to get the RE Curriculum Specialist, section heads, teachers‟
and learners‟ views and opinions. The design enabled the researcher to describe and
explain the respondents‟ views and opinions in detail for the purpose of full
understanding.

26
3.3 Population

Population is a group of individuals, objects or items from which samples are taken for
measurement. This could be an entire group of persons or elements that have at least
one thing in common (Kasonde, 2013). Similarly, according to Churchill (1987),
population is the totality of cases that conform to some designated specifications.
Specification defines the elements that belong to the target group and those that are to
be excluded. In this study, the population comprised of two secondary schools in
Lusaka District, with two RE Section heads, seven teachers of RE, fifteen pupils of RE
and one RE Curriculum Specialist at the Curriculum Development Centre (CDC).

3.4 Sample Size

A sample is a group of subjects selected from a larger population (White, 2008). So not
all pupils and teachers of RE could be involved in the research. Therefore, the sample
comprised two (2) secondary schools; school A, a Church run girls secondary school
offering 2044 and school B, a government secondary school offering 2046. Thirty (30)
learners, seven (7) teachers, two (2) heads of the RE Section, and the RE Curriculum
Specialist at CDC. The distribution of these respondents is shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Sample size

SCHOOL HoSs TEACHERS LEARNERS RE

CURRICULUM
SPECIALIST
Male Female Male Female Boys Girls 1
A 0 1 3 1 0 15
B 0 1 0 3 15 0
Sub-total 0 2 3 4 15 15 1
Grand total 40

3.5 Sampling Technique

Sampling is a process by which a researcher gathers people, artifacts or places for study
(McMillan and Schumacher, 2006). In this study purposive sampling was used in the
27
selection of participants. Therefore, two secondary schools and the RE Curriculum
Specialist at CDC in Lusaka District were purposively selected because of their
disposition to RE. According to Kombo and Tromp (2006), purposive sampling is
where the researcher purposely targets a group of people believed to be reliable for the
study. Similarly, Punch (2011) explained that purposive sampling means sampling in a
deliberate way, with some purpose or focus in mind. Purposive sampling involves
choosing participants considered to be knowledgeable and well informed or because of
their rich background knowledge on the topic under study. Therefore, targeted were the
RE Curriculum Specialist, section heads and teachers of RE. the learners were
randomly picked by the HOS‟s in the two schools from classes that took RE.

The participants also fitted well with each other as they had an internal consistence and
coherence since they all belonged to the same department and they dealt with the same
subject, RE. This ensured that only rich and relevant information was gathered for the
study, which would not be possible if the number of participants was large and diverse.

3.6 Data Collection Procedures

Primary data was collected from the RE Curriculum Specialist and heads of RE
sections through interviews, and from teachers of RE and learners through focus group
discussion. Secondary data was collected through document analysis. Hence,
permission from the school administrations was sought before any steps were taken
towards data collection in the two selected secondary schools. At school A and B,
interviews of HOS‟s were conducted first followed by teachers interviews and focus
group discussions with the leaners. At CDC an interview was conducted with RE
curriculum specialist.

3.7 Data Analysis

Kerlinger (1973) defined data analysis as categorisation, ordering, manipulation and

summarising of data to obtain answers to research questions. Similarly, according to
Kombe and Tromp (2013), data analysis is the critical examination of coded data and
making inferences. The data in this study were analysed through content analysis which
involved the three secondary curriculums. There are many analysis methods that can

28
be used. Currently, research studies generally use either narrative or statistical strategies
or both. However, the type of analysis method used is heavily dependent on the
research design and the method by which the data were collected or measured (Moore
and McCabe, 1989).

In our study, data was collected through interview guides, focus group discussions and
secondary data. Following Brymans (2008) approach to qualitative data analysis, the
text produced from the material was subjected to data coding which involved a
systematic examination of the text in order to identify certain ideas, phrases, sentences
and passages that represents certain phenomena and shows what has been happening in
the data (Kitchen and Tate, 2002; Langdridge, 2004).

3.8 Ethnical Considerations

Before going in the field for data collection, consent was sought from relevant
authorities. Permission was requested from The University of Zambia‟s Ethics
Committee and an introductory letter from the Assistant Dean (Post Graduate) in the
School of Education was obtained. Also permission was sought from the authorities of
the selected schools and the purpose of the study made known to all the participants
beforehand. In addition, the names of the respondents were not revealed in the data.
The respondents were informed well in advance of their right to withdraw from the
study at any time. They were further requested to sign informed consent forms
(Appendix I). No coercion was exerted on the respondents and if they didn‟t want to
answer any questions they were free to remain quite. In this way, their rights to
privacy, dignity and informed consent were guaranteed and respected.

3. 9 Conclusion

In this chapter the researcher discussed the research methodology of the study which
comprised the following elements: research design, population, sample size and
sampling techniques, and data collection methods and instruments as well as data
analysis, data collection instruments, reliability and validity of data, and ethical
considerations. The next chapter presents the findings of this study

29
 CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS

4.1 Overview

In this chapter, the findings of the research study on the role of RE in promoting civic,
moral and spiritual values in secondary schools are presented. The findings will be
presented under the following themes: civic values taught in secondary school RE,
moral values taught in secondary school RE, spiritual or religious values found in
secondary school RE, and promotion of civic values in secondary school RE,
promotion of moral values in secondary RE and promotion of spiritual values in
secondary school RE.

The research objectives were as follows: to establish the civic and moral values taught
in secondary school RE. To examine the religious or spiritual values found in the
secondary RE syllabus, and to evaluate the role of RE in the promotion of civic, moral
and spiritual values among learners.

4.2 Civic Values taught in Secondary School RE

In order to establish, if any civic values were taught in secondary school RE, the RE
Curriculum Specialist, RE heads of section, teachers of RE and learners were
interviewed and consulted through focus group discussions, respectively. The findings
are as presented below.

The participants were asked whether civic values were taught in secondary school RE.
The participants responded that civic values were taught in the subject and gave
examples of the civic values taught as follows: commitment to responsibilities, positive
attitude to work, respect for workers, respect for life, respect for leadership and
authority, appreciating justice and liberty, freedom, patriotism, honour, co-operation,
tolerance, loyalty, and respect for human rights. Learners were taught to respect human
rights because they reflected the Ten Commandments from the Bible. RE encouraged
learners to exercise their political rights, and obey authority.

30
The RE Curriculum Specialist further explained that these civic values in the schools
were taught in line with the main aim of the subject which was to “enable pupils to
appreciate spiritual, moral and religious values and behaviour based on them as drawn
from four main religious traditions in Zambia (namely: Christianity, Hinduism,
Indigenous Zambian Beliefs and Islam), and from the religious elements of the
Zambian philosophy of Humanism.”

On the question, „What topics teach civic values in RE,‟ It was established that the
content of the junior secondary school 2044 and 2046 syllabuses promoted civic values
in the learners from grade eight to twelve. The Curriculum Specialist said:

Competition, Cooperation and Trust in grade eight prepared

the learners to accept competition, cooperation and trust in
society as the key elements of development in every country. In
2044, work in a changing society, justice in society and service
in society while 2046 topics like ministry and death of John the
Baptist, judgment and Jesus attitudes to people.

One teacher recognised the role of RE in imparting of civic values in learners, while
other teachers said that they were able to notice the values in the content during lessons.
For example, civic values like respect for leadership and authority helped learners to
appreciate leadership in society, respect others, obey school rules and have respect for
human life. One teacher said:

It is through the teaching of RE that pupils are taught to be

good citizens. The subject empowers the pupils to have a wider
view of society and not to see it as beneficial to themselves and
their family alone. Pupils become utilitarian, a belief which
advocates for the value of a wider society.

During the interviews with the heads of sections and teachers, it was revealed that there
were a number of topics in the senior secondary syllabuses 2044 and 2046 that
enhanced learner development and growth. Thus, one head of section said: „through
working in a changing society,‟ „service in society,‟ „justice in society,‟ and „order and
freedom in society life,‟ the learners are equipped with skills needed for a good leader,
31
and they are helped to be aware of good leadership styles and the application of
leadership styles.‟ She added that the subject helped the learners to analyse the use of
authority by leaders.

The teachers of RE syllabus 2046 agreed that civic values were found in topics like:

a. Jesus attitudes to people

b. Opposition to Jesus: reactions to criticism in Zambia, Jesus teaching about
opposition.
c. The Early Church: relationships between different people, overcoming
language barriers racial and cultural barriers.
d. Christian Witness: witnessing in the face of opposition.

The teachers were also asked how RE promoted civic values among learners. The
teachers from school A which offered 2044 syllabus responded that, RE imparted civic
values on the learners and that RE promoted civic values among secondary school
learners through the practical nature of the subject in that what was seen in society was
what learners learnt in class. Teachers of 2044 syllabus held the view that the following
were some of the values promoted by RE:

Equality, respect for authority, liberty, freedom, patriotism

and responsibility, co-operation, tolerance and loyalty. While
the moral values are: humility, mutual respect, truthful, honest
and gratitude, consideration, self- control.

Responding to the same question on how RE promoted civic values among learners,
teachers from school B which offered 2046 syllabus responded that RE: syllabus was of
huge importance to the learning system in the acquisition of civic values which were
promoted by RE.

One learner said: “The lessons on authority and leadership helped the prefects treat
their fellow learners with respect.” One learner acknowledged that RE gave the learners
an opportunity to be aware of the civic values like respect for human life, order and
freedom. Some learners said that RE taught them to think before they acted. The

32
learners explained that RE gave them understanding of what society expected of them
after school and how to treat people with different opinions from theirs.

Explaining further on examples of civic values learned from RE, the learners from
school B which offered syllabus 2046 said that: RE had made them tolerant of other
learners and other people‟s opinions. They further said that the subject taught them to
respect other learners and all other people in general and their human rights. They also
stated that RE had encouraged them to associate with other people of different races,
tribes, beliefs and customs.

Responding to the question on whether RE gave the learners enough knowledge to

understand different problems related to civic values, some learners held this view that:
“civic values allowed the learners to explore other cultural beliefs, appreciate honesty,
faithfulness and the dos and don‟ts of society. The learners added that RE helped them
to appreciate leadership and its importance in the school, home and community. They
also said that through the application of civic values in everyday life they were able to
analysis situations at school and at home.

The foregoing findings are summarised in Table 2.

Table 2: Civic Values

RESPONDENTS DATA (CIVIC VALUES)

RE Curriculum Specialist Commitment to responsibilities, positive attitude to work,
respect for workers, respect for life, respect for leadership
and authority, appreciating justice and liberty, freedom,
patriotism, honour, co-operation, tolerance, loyalty,
respect for human rights.
HOSs Respect for leadership and authority, appreciation of
leadership in society, respect for others, obedience of
school rules and respect for human life.
Teachers of RE Equality, respect for authority, liberty, freedom,
patriotism and responsibility, co-operation,
tolerance and loyalty.

33
Learners Respect for life, respect for leadership and authority,
appreciation of work and co-operation, respect for
democracy, tolerance of others, loyalty and honesty,
respect for human rights, patriotism.

4.3 Moral Values taught in Secondary School RE

In order to establish what, if any, moral values were taught in secondary school RE, the
RE Curriculum Specialist, RE heads of section, teachers of RE and learners were
consulted through interviews and focus group discussions, respectively. The findings
were as presented below.

Responding to the question on what moral values were taught in secondary school RE,
the participants seemed to agree that moral values were present in the RE syllabuses
and illustrated the moral values as follows: respect for elders in the society, homes and
school. Other moral values include: honest, integrity and respect for others, how to
contribute to the well-being of society, what is right or wrong, tolerance towards each
other‟s different beliefs and values, love, trust, social justice and respect for sacred
elements in community, humility and obedience.
The RE Curriculum Specialist observed that the first topics in the syllabuses looked at
morality and values. The respondent said that the RE syllabuses looked at how the
learners were expected to behave towards their duties and contribution to the
development of their nation. He added:

RE is anchored on moral values, like how learners are

taught to behave towards elders in society, homes and
school. The subject also teaches honesty and integrity.
Respect is a very important aspect of moral values which
are taught in school in RE.

The Curriculum Specialist was also asked if there was any religious tradition that was
more pronounced in the teaching of moral values to learners. His response was that the
morals taught in the Zambian RE syllabuses could not be specified or classified as
Christian, Muslim or Hindu but just religious and based on Zambian society. The
34
researcher further probed the Curriculum Specialist as to which topics enforced moral
values among learners in secondary school RE. He responded that there were numerous
RE topics in syllabuses 2044 and 2046 that enhanced moral values. For example, in
syllabus 2046, covered were; Christian attitudes to work, sex before marriage, Christian
attitudes to money and possessions, Judgment and Pray. The Curriculum Specialist
pointed out that 2046 listed topics above were out of 24 Units. He further said the
syllabus 2044 offered topics like: Living in a changing society, order and freedom in
society life. Man and woman man‟s response to God through faith.

The researcher asked both the heads of section and the subject teachers what moral
values were taught in secondary school RE. In response both the heads of section and
the teachers from the two secondary schools reported that some topics in the syllabuses
from grade eight to twelve taught about moral values. The respondents further
acknowledged the presence of moral values in the Zambian RE subject content. The
two heads of section from the two schools were asked how RE promoted moral values
among learners. In response the HOS from school A said that: 2044 syllabus promoted
good moral behaviour values like, respect for elders, respect for people of different
races, cultural beliefs and show kindness to strangers. Still responding to the question
above the heads of section from school B said that: 2046 syllabus promoted moral
values like respect for old people, caring for the sick; learners are encouraged to be
polite and respectful towards anyone in life.

The heads of section were asked which topics promoted moral values among learners
in RE syllabuses. The heads of section at school B said moral values were found in the
following topics: Jesus Attitudes to People, Opposition to Jesus: Reactions to criticism
in Zambia, Jesus teaching about opposition. The Early Church: Relationships between
different people, overcoming language barriers, racial and cultural barriers. Christian
Witness: witnessing in the face of opposition. Life in the early Church: causes of
conflict among people, resolving disagreement among Christians in Zambia today, are
solving problems in Traditional Zambia. Christian attitudes to work: goals, dreams and
values, reasons why people work, conflicts over work values. Christian attitudes to
money and possession: Christian attitudes to leadership, Christian attitudes rules.
Husband and wife relationship: relationship between parents and children, attitudes to

35
family life in Zambia, the Christian Home, duties of children to their parents, loyalty to
God comes first in the family.

Responding to the question above, the heads of section at school A said that moral
values were promoted through topics like morality and values, growing up and
friendship, love and marriage in the junior RE syllabus while syllabus 2044 had topics
like leisure in a changing society, happiness, unending life, courtship and marriage and
family life.

Teachers were asked how RE promoted moral values among learners. The research
established that the teaching of RE in schools enhanced moral values among learners.
Some teachers at school B which offered 2046 responded as follows:

RE 2046 teaches respect for elders in the family, community

and the school environment. It also teaches the learners on how
to respect the sacred elements in community. The RE subject
also imparts learners with good moral values, humility.

Responding to the above question, one teacher said: „Some learners come from homes
where respect for elders is not taught and come with the same attitude to school,
disrespecting teachers and fellow learners but once the values on morality are taught
you see change in the learners.‟ Similarly, other teachers from school said that:

Syllabus 2044 and junior syllabus are sufficient in imparting

civic and moral values in learners. For example, these civic
and moral values complement each other as they both support
and promote the same values in the syllabuses.

The researcher then asked the learners if they applied any of the moral values learnt in
RE in their personal lives. In response, some learners acknowledged that the moral
aspect of the subject had helped them to respect society values like traditional values,
obedience to authority, tolerance of others, respect of elders, their teachers and fellow
learners. Learners from school A reported that, RE gave them understanding of what
society expected of them after school and how to treat people with different moral
values from theirs. Similarly, learners from school B indicated that:

36
 Moral values in the RE syllabuses make us to understand other
learners and people‟s cultures. The subject also teaches us to
treat people with respect and fairness. It also teaches us to
become tolerant of other traditions in society.

Learners acknowledged that moral values helped them improve their moral behaviour.
For instance, one learner from school B reported that before taking RE, „he had no
respect for fellow learners but because of RE he was able to respect others.‟ Similarly, a
few learners from school A acknowledged that RE made them respect the societal
values like traditional values where they were coming from. However, one learner from
school A of Indian origin specifically said, „RE has helped me to associate with people
of different races, tribes, beliefs and customs.‟

In responding to the question whether moral values were helpful, the learners from the
two sampled schools agreed that RE had helped them appreciate moral values. The
learners further explained that:

The moral aspect of the subject has helped us to respect elders,

respect our teachers and fellow learners. It gives us an
understanding of what society expects of us after school and
how to treat people of different moral values and beliefs.

The foregoing findings can be summarised in Table 3.

Table 3: Moral Values

RESPONDENTS DATA (MORAL VALUES)

RE RE is anchored on moral values. For example, respect for
Curriculum elders in the society, homes and school. Other moral values
Specialist include: honest, integrity and respect for others.
HoSs Learners learnt respect for elders, how to contribute to the well-
being of society, what is right or wrong, tolerance towards each
other‟s different beliefs and values, love, honesty, social justice
and integrity.

37
 Teachers of RE teaches learners respect for elders in the family, community
RE and the school environment. It also teaches them to have
respect for the sacred elements in community and humility.
They are further taught to be obedient and humble.
Learners Respect for elders, respect for societal values like tolerance of
others, obedience to authority, honesty and trust.

4.4 Spiritual/ Religious Values in Secondary School RE

In order to establish what, if any spiritual values were taught in secondary school RE,
the RE Curriculum Specialist, RE Hods, teachers of RE and learners were interviewed
and consulted through focus group discussions, respectively.

The findings are as illustrates as follows: faith commitment, patience, hope, love, truth
and forgiveness, mercy, prudence and peace, reverence, unconditionally love,
obedience and submission to God‟s word, accountability, sincerity and honesty. Prayer,
exercising patience, humility and perseverance in prayer, importance of prayer, faith
and religious tolerance, respect for God, being prayerful, obedient to God, faithfulness
to God and respect for other religious beliefs. Tolerance to other prayer life, other
religions and appreciation of the teachings of the Bible.

Responding to the question on what ideas should RE promote, the Curriculum

Specialist responded that:

Zambian RE syllabuses, aimed at developing a holistic view

and knowledge of spiritual and religious values which are
relevant to the learner‟s awareness of life. The learner should
demonstrate synthesis and assimilation of spiritual and
religious values and behaviour based upon them.

The Curriculum Specialist was asked what topics in the RE syllabuses 2046 and 2044
enforced spiritual values among learners. In response, he said that Spiritual values were
contained in topics like, „the relationship between God and Man,‟ and „The relationship
between God, man and Christianity‟ in 2046 syllabus. He further said in 2044, the
syllabus had topics like „Man‟s evasion from God and „the search for God.‟ According

38
to the Curriculum Specialist, the topic „Temptations in Christianity and Other
Religions,‟ 2046 equipped the learners with spiritual values. He further explained:

The RE syllabus brings out many aspects such as firm

resistance, repentance and confession of sin in Christianity as
well as Islam. The syllabus also makes the learners think of the
Day of Judgment. On the Zambia Tradition part, syllabus 2044
brings out knowledge on the fear of offending the ancestral
spirits.

The RE Curriculum Specialist acknowledged this role for RE and noted that it could
enable the child develop spiritual and religious values and to come to a knowledge of
God.

Responding to the same question (on what the spiritual values found in the Zambian
RE syllabus were), the head of the RE section at school B said, „Obedience and
submission to God`s words, accountability, sincerity and honesty, appreciating the
importance of prayer, exercising patience, humility and perseverance in prayer.‟

Both heads of the RE sections were of the view that Zambian RE syllabuses had
spiritual content that helped develop religious knowledge, religious literacy and
respect for other religious beliefs found in Zambia and the world at large. According
to the head of RE section at school A: „RE has helped learners develop an
understanding of the beliefs in Christianity, African Traditional Religion, Islam,
Hinduism and Buddhism.‟

In response to the question on what topics enforced spiritual values among learners, the
heads of section from school A said the following:

RE syllabuses from grade eight to grade twelve were meant to

help learners develop understanding and appreciation of
spiritual values. In other words, all the topics in the RE
syllabuses were aimed at developing and creating
understanding of spiritual values among learners. Through the
topics taught in the RE syllabus, learners should be able to

39
 demonstrate understanding of spiritual issues in their lives and
demonstrate tolerance and appreciation of other religious
beliefs in the country.

Similarly, the heads of section from school B said, „All these topics help and prepare
the learners to self-discover and develop a deeper understanding of God and the beliefs
about God; the scriptural content of the syllabuses helps the learners develop a better
understanding of Christianity.‟

During the interviews teachers from the two secondary schools were asked what
spiritual values found in the secondary school RE syllabuses were. One teacher from
school A answered that:

The junior RE syllabus is sufficient in the preparation of the

learners on spiritual values. In the grade eight (8) syllabuses
there are topics like the Bible, Division, Sin and Forgiveness.
The grade nine syllabus also has Suffering and Death, Prayer
and sub-topic Hope. All these topics help learners develop a
deeper understanding of God and the world. From the
understanding of God in the lessons learners may begin to
grow spiritually and practice the spiritual values they learn in
RE.

In responding to the question on the spiritual values found in the RE syllabuses, the
teachers from school A agreed that, the topics in syllabus 2044 and the junior
syllabuses taught learners the importance of prayer, faith and religious tolerance, how a
learner searched for God and prepared for life out of school. Syllabus 2044 also
prepared learners on the importance of spiritual life. The composition of the contents in
2044 encouraged learners to have a balanced life between prayer life and society.

Another teacher from school B explained:

RE prepares the learners for religious life from the Christian

point of view and other religions in Zambia. Learners are

40
 taught about judgment day and how God expects them to live.
All these teachings give hope to learners.

A second teacher from school A said that the spiritual values found in the RE
syllabuses were as follows:

Respect for God, love for God, being prayerful and obedient to
God, faithfulness to God and respect for other religious beliefs
found among leaners.

Commenting on the spiritual values found in the RE syllabuses, a third teacher from
school A said that spiritual values in the syllabus gave meaning and religious identity.
The teacher believed that when learners developed spiritually, it became easy for them
to identify themselves; learners learnt how to deal with other religious affiliations in
society and also this helped the learners not to condemn or misjudge other learners
based on the different religious beliefs.

Similarly, teachers from school B were of the view that RE imparted religious tolerance
in the learners. The teachers said that syllabus 2046 helped learners to understand what
„repentance‟ was and its importance. Below is the response from one of the teachers
from school B:

Syllabus 2046 learners are taught to tolerate different

religious beliefs, respect the traditions of that particular
religion. The learners are encouraged to understand the
importance of repentance and helped to change their
behaviour. Topics like Temptation, Testing and Sin and the
Kingdom of God, prepare learners on the trials one needs to
go through to have eternal life. The values learnt are:
Understanding, Obedience, Faithfulness Appreciating the
existence of God‟s kingdom in life.

In separate focus groups, the thirty learners drawn from the two secondary schools were
asked what the religious or spiritual values taught in RE were. Five learners from
school A (syllabus 2044) said that:

41
 Some of us come from homes with backgrounds which do not
offer us much on religious life and teaching on what society
expects of us. RE helps us to develop a relationship with God
and understand other religious traditions found in Zambia.

One of the learners further explained:

Through RE we have developed spiritually. The reading of

Bible passages in and out of class has helped most of us to
develop a relationship with God.

Learners from school B (syllabus 2046) were also asked what spiritual values were
taught during RE. In response they said:

From grade eight to grade twelve RE has helped us to have a

close relationship with God, through topics like prayer, faith,
sin and death, and many more. These topics have helped us
understand the nature of God, His importance in our lives. RE
has also helped us improve on scripture reading in the class.

One Boy said RE helped him understand the role of the Bible in his life as a Christian.
The Bible passages in the syllabus helped him grow in faith. Similarly, some boys
further explained that topics like life, suffering and death prepared them for life after
death.

The learners from school B were also asked about their views on the RE syllabus and
the spiritual values it contained. One learner said that he grew spiritually as a result of
being exposed to RE. Another learner gave the following response:

„As a pupil, I appreciate the spiritual growth I have acquired

as a result of RE. It has helped me to cope with the death of
this mother through such topics like suffering and death.‟

The researcher asked the learners whether they found the spiritual values helpful and
some of them expressed gratitude for learning how to respect other religions like Islam.

42
Some learners responded that, the religious or spiritual values in the syllabuses helped
them respect Islam; treat Muslims with respect despite the different religious beliefs.

Three learners explained that:

RE helped us appreciate the role of ATR in our lives which

removed the misconception we had about ATR. RE also taught
us how to respect the role of spirits in the spiritual realm.

Another learner said: RE encouraged him to love God, do what is right in the eyes of
God, and obey His commandments as well as to love one another.

Some learners explained that RE taught them about forgiveness, care, service in the
community, hope, acceptance and faith.

The religious or spiritual values found in the RE syllabuses were summarised in Table
4.

Table 4: Spiritual Values

RESPONDENTS DATA (RELIGIOUS/ SPIRITUAL VALUES)

RE Curriculum Faith, commitment, patience, hopes, love, truth and forgiveness,
Specialist mercy, prudence and peace, unconditionally love.
HOSs Commitment, faith, trust, forgiveness, peace and reverence.
Obedience and submission to God`s word, accountability,
sincerity and honesty. Prayer, exercising patience, humility and
perseverance in prayer.
Teachers of RE Importance of prayer, faith and religious tolerance,
respect for God, love for God, being prayerful and
obedient to God, faithfulness to God and respect for
other religious beliefs.
Learners Faith, spiritual growth, obedience sincerity. and submission to
God‟s word.

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4.5 Civic Values Promoted in Secondary School RE

In order to establish how RE promoted civic values among secondary school RE, the
RE Curriculum Specialist, RE heads of section, teachers of RE and learners were
consulted through interview and focus group discussions, respectively. The findings
were as presented below.

The RE Curriculum Specialist was asked how RE promoted civic values among
secondary school learners in Zambia and his response was as follows:

The senior secondary RE syllabuses 2044 and 2046 promote

civic values among learners. The two syllabuses prepare
learners on the various challenges they would face in life. On
the principles of democracy taught in the schools, their origins
are the Ten Commandments from the Bible. The syllabuses
promote well-rounded development of learners. The RE subject
ensures that a learner is able to handle civic related problems
in society and in the school. The learners should be able to
discuss issues of governance such as leadership, corruption,
civic duties of citizens and human rights. The content in the
junior secondary school syllabus also promotes similar civic
values among learners.

When asked to give examples of the civic values promoted in the three syllabuses, the
RE Curriculum Specialist response is shown in Table 5.

Table 5: Topics and Values in junior, 2044 and 2046 RE Syllabuses

SYLLABUSES TOPICS VALUES

Junior Competition, co-operation Team-work
and trust

Authority and Leadership Respect for authority

Appreciation of good leadership styles

44
 Competition, co-operation Team-work
and trust

2044 Work in a changing in Positive attitude to work

society Respect for workers
Justice in society Respect for justice
Appreciation of justice and injustice in
society

Service in society Commitment to service

Courtship and marriage Respect for customs and traditions

Rights of man and woman in marriage

2046 Parent and Child conflict Conflict resolution

Opposition to Jesus Exercising self-control, humility and

perseverance

The Early Church Harmony

Christian witness Courage

Life in the Early Church Tolerance

Christian attitudes to work Respect for workers and fairness

Christian attitudes to Patriotism, selflessness in leadership

leadership Positive attitude to rulers

The RE Curriculum Specialist further explained the role the Zambian RE syllabuses
play in inculcating civic values in the learners. According to him, other than the
syllabuses containing the civic values, the teachers also helped to inculcate some values
in the learners in the process of teaching.

The RE Curriculum Specialist said:

RE promotes civic values among secondary school learners

through the topics taught. These topics are never expected to
45
 convert learners but equip them with critical thinking skills.
RE promotes civic values through some of teaching
approaches used in the class, for example, child centeredness
and teaching from known to the unknown. This helps the
learners develop personal identity as teachers are never to
impose their identities on learners but should allow them to
develop their own.

When asked, how RE promoted civic values among learners in secondary school, the
head of the RE section at school B which offers syllabus 2046, said the topics contained
in the RE syllabus promoted good governance, which was key to the development of
good political behaviour. She added that the RE syllabus 2046 promoted civic values
among school learners as it was full of living content which reflected the lives of the
learners in the school and community. Referring to the Ten Commandments as an
example, the head of section at school B said: „The ten Commandments in the Bible
reflects some of the topics on civic values and are responsible for the self-actualisation
of civic values among learners.‟

The two heads of the RE section from the two schools A and B, were of the view that
the RE syllabuses had the potential to promote and inculcate civic values such as
respect for leaders and authority generally among learners. They added that RE had the
potential to encourage the learners to participate in political activities. The two heads of
section further explained as follows:

Civic values promoted by RE are respect for leadership as the

subject teaches that all leaders are from God. Learners are
taught to respect human rights because they reflect the
meaning of the Ten Commendations in the Bible. RE also
encourages learners to exercise their political rights and obey
authority.

The two heads of RE section concluded that as a subject RE had a lot to contribute
towards the promotion of civic values among learners.

46
Some teachers at school A said that the RE syllabuses were both inclusive and
promoted civic values among learners. However, one teacher said:

Learners learn civic values as a way to encourage them to

actively participate in civic affairs of the nation. The 2044
syllabus has real life situations to educate the learners and this
helped in the promotion of civic values.

One teacher from school A explained that:

The grade nine topics like Freedom and Community equipped

the learners with skills in decision making positions, the ability
to make right decisions for oneself or the school. These topics
laid the foundation for good governance and leadership roles
in the learners, Authority and Leadership, explained the roles
of leaders, and helped the learners appreciate authority.
Learners were able to identify leadership qualities in their
fellow learners and applied them in society during elections.
RE also created awareness about laws and the rules found in
different communities.

Teachers at school A explained that the senior secondary syllabus 2044 promoted civic
values through topics like „Working in a changing society,‟ which helped learners
develop a positive attitude to work at school and in the society, and to appreciate the
value of work. They further said that the syllabus also taught learners to respect the
rights of workers by employers. It emphasised the commitment to service, paying of
taxes to government as it was a duty of every working citizen to do so. According to the
teachers, the topic „Justice in Society‟ educated the learners on the various forms of
injustices in the community. These topics were taught together with „Service in
Society‟, where learners are equipped with skills needed for a good leader, and it also
helped the learners to be aware of good leadership styles and the application of
leadership skills. The topic clearly helped the learners to analyse the use of authority by
leaders. The topic „Courtship and Marriage‟, educated the learners on the rights of a
husband and wife in the home.

47
Responding to the question how RE promoted civic values among learners, some
teachers of RE from school B held the view that, the content of the RE syllabuses, the
junior 2044 and 2046 promoted civic values among learners from grade eight to twelve.
Some of the topics like Competition, to Co-operation and Trust in grade eight prepared
the learners to accept competition, co-operate with others, and to trust in others society
as key elements of development. According to the learners, trust is a vital element for
good governance, the citizens trusting the government, it is this trust that learners had
in their leaders, teachers and classmates.

In separate focus groups, thirty learners drawn from the two secondary schools were
asked how RE promoted civic values in school. In response the learners mentioned that
RE brought out the value of respecting the political leaders as learners were taught to
respect and accept leadership since it comes from God.

Some learners from school A said they were able to tolerate different religious beliefs
in society and at school, and this enhanced respect for different religions and others‟
faiths. Similarly, learners from school B explained that, the civic values they learnt
from RE were respect for other people‟s religious beliefs, respect for others, fairness,
justice and respect for authority and leadership.

Learners acknowledged that RE helped them to become better citizens through their
appreciation of human rights learnt at school. The learners also learnt how to behave
towards others, and how to respect the different cultures in society. This helped learners
to develop into good citizens. They further said RE imparted the learners with real life
civic values to make society better.

4.6 Moral Values Promoted in Secondary School RE

In order for the researcher to establish how RE promoted moral values among
secondary school learners, the RE Curriculum Specialist, RE heads of section, teachers
of RE and learners were consulted through interviews and focus group discussions,
respectively. The findings are presented below.

The RE Curriculum Specialist said as a result of being exposed to Zambian RE, a

learner would not only be informed but also be religiously tolerant. The RE Curriculum
Specialist further responded as follows:
48
 In both syllabuses 2044 and 2046 learners are helped to
develop respect for elders in society, at school and in the home
and learners are taught the moral values of society.

The researcher further probed the RE Curriculum Specialist to mention the topics that
enforced moral values among the learners in school.

In response the RE Curriculum Specialist mentioned the following topics presented in

Table 6.

Table 6: Topics Values in Junior, 2044 and 2046 RE Syllabuses

Junior Secondary 2044 2046

Morality and values Leisure in changing Ministry and death of

Competition, co-operation society John the Baptist
and trust Services in society Temptation
Learning about the truth Happiness Jesus power over disease
Growing Up Courtship and marriage and nature
Family life The Early Church

The researcher asked the heads of RE section how RE promoted moral values in
secondary schools. The heads of section held the view that RE promoted moral values
among secondary school learners through the practical nature of the subject. The head
of section at school B further explained as follows:

RE promotes moral values among secondary school learners

through the practical nature of the subject in that what was
seen in society was what learners learnt in class.

The head of section at school A explained that some topics in grade eight had content on
values, which taught the learners the appreciation of customs, and the teachers
encouraged the learners to practice what they learnt in class.

The heads of section from both schools further explained that moral values in the
syllabuses helped the learners change their behaviour because in some cases learners
49
reported for school with a bad behaviour but were reformed because of the moral values
RE imparted in them.

Further responding to the question on how RE promotes moral values among learners
in secondary school, the heads of RE section from both schools agreed that RE
syllabuses were all encompassing and aimed at creating an all-whole rounded learner,
who could actively participate in community activities which fostered moral growth
and emphasised the moral values learnt from school.

After the heads of section, teachers were also asked how RE promoted moral values
among learners. Responding to the question, one teacher from school B said:

From the way the syllabuses are designed, the first topic looks
at morality and values, it clearly explains what morality is, the
purpose of moral education, sources of morality and moral
dilemmas learners go through every day.

Similarly a teacher from school A said:

The topic Growing Up, deals with growth of the learners, the
different ways people develop, self-concept and self-esteem.
Learning about Religion and the Bible, Division, Sin and
Forgiveness, Learning and truth, suffering and death and
Prayer. These topics promote moral values in the school
through RE from grade 8-12. They prepared learners for life in
the community and life after death.

The teacher from school A further explained:

Syllabus 2044 is outlined in a manner that it lays a foundation

for the learners after school and how to live in society. Topics
like Happiness, Unending life, Family life enshrined moral
values in learners.

The researcher further probed the teachers from both schools on how RE promoted
moral values in secondary school. The teachers stated that almost of all the topics in RE
syllabuses made RE a living subject as it related to everyday life situations in the lives
50
of learners. They further stated that the subject had potential to produce a learner who
was tolerant of other religious beliefs, respectful of other races, traditions and above all
a learner who was vested in moral issues.

A teacher at school B further explained:

RE provides a code of conduct and expectation of how learners

are to behave at school and in society. Moral values remind
the learners of their duties to society, school and family and
encourage positive change among learners.

The teachers were asked which topics promoted moral values among learners in
school. In response the teachers from both schools mentioned the following
topics presented in Table 7.

Table 7: Topics in Junior, 2044 and 2046 RE Syllabuses

Junior Secondary 2044 2046

Morality and values Leisure in Ministry and death of John the Baptist
Competition, co- changing Right behavior in Zambia today
operation and trust. society Other people who suffered for their
Learning about the Services in beliefs
truth society Temptation
Growing Up Happiness Ways of temptation and examples of
Suffering and death Courtship and people who were tempted in the Bible
Division, Sin and marriage Temptations met by Christians in Zambia
forgiveness Family life and how to they can overcome them
Ambitions and hope Unending life Temptations in Christianity and other
religions
Jesus power over disease and nature
The early Church

51
The learners from both schools responded that RE promoted moral values
through the topics that were taught. The learners learnt the importance of
respecting elders in their communities as well as the need to appreciate the
different moral codes found in society. Some learners explained that it was
through RE that learners learnt how to handle emotions which are relevant to
the learner‟s awareness of life.

One learner from school B said:

As learners, we are able to demonstrate understanding and

appreciation of moral values and behaviour based on the
topics learnt in RE.

During their focus group discussion learners from school A school B taking RE 2046
were asked how RE promoted moral values in secondary school. One learner said:

Opposition is something I have faced every day in this life.

What I have learnt in RE helps me deal with it by
understanding the different backgrounds other learners come
from.

Responding to the same question, a learner from school A taking 2044 said the
following:

Topics like Judgment help us, the learners to apply the three
rules which are think, act and judge. In life we are presented
with many challenges, so before one can act he or she should
think about his or her actions and how they affect the next
person.

All the learners interviewed from the two secondary schools acknowledged that RE
promoted moral values in the school.

The researcher asked the learners how they applied the moral values learnt from RE in
their lives, they responded by giving examples of how the Early Church members
related with one another. The learners strongly condemned the tribalism of the days of
Christ on earth as it has contributed to the problems of tribalism in Zambia.
52
One learner from school B explained that:

„The topic Temptation has helped me develop self-control and

discipline in this life.‟

Similarly, another learner from school A said:

„Family life has taught me to appreciate the changes in family

situations and extended family system.‟

From the foregoing data, it is clear that it can be established that the Zambian RE
promotes the moral values in the secondary schools through the content itself, because
the syllabuses had topics that directly refer to moral values. The RE Curriculum
Specialist, heads of RE section, teachers of RE and learners agreed that there were
topics that directly related to moral values which dealt with morality issues. It has also
been established that RE prepared learners for life in the community while developing
in them the value of respecting other tribes and their traditions, respect for elders,
caring for the sick and the old people.

4.7 Spiritual Values Promoted In Secondary School RE

All the participants acknowledged that RE promotes spiritual values among learners. In
response to how RE promoted spiritual values among secondary school RE, the RE
Curriculum Specialist said that spiritual values like respect, other types of prayer lives,
tolerance of different modes of prayers or beliefs were taught in the RE syllabuses. The
researcher probed the RE Curriculum Specialist on which topics imparted spiritual
values in learners; in response he mentioned the following topics from both syllabuses
as summarised in Table 8.

Table 8: Topics in Junior 2044 and 2046 RE Syllabuses

Junior 2044 2046

Prayer Unending life Temptation
The Bible Man‟s evasion from Jesus attitudes to and rules about
Learning about God lepers
religion The search for God Jesus calms the storm and feeds
five thousand people
53
He further explained that RE syllabuses also taught learners how best to avoid
temptations, how persistence in prayer sustains the soul and how scriptures helped
learners to relate to the current and past problems in society, as well as how to
overcome them.

The researcher asked the heads of RE section how RE promoted spiritual values in
secondary schools. The head of section at school B highlighted how the scriptural part
of the RE syllabus encouraged spiritual growth in the learners. Below is what the head
of section from school B actually said:

RE provides learners with an overview of understanding of

scriptures. Learners are taught how to live a spiritual life and
it encourages learners to read the scriptures as a way of
enhancing their understanding of life challenges.

Similarly, the head of RE section from school A said:

The scriptural content of RE promotes spiritual growth among
learners. For instance, learners who never used to go to
Church start going after learning about of Man‟s search for
God, Happiness and Prayer, in the senior secondary school RE
syllabuses.
According to her, understanding RE by the learners developed in them a positive
change. She said the subject brought out a deeper understanding of God on the part of
the learners.

The teachers were asked how RE promoted spiritual values among secondary school
and according to the two teachers at school B, the RE topics laid the foundation for
spiritual development of the learners. The teachers further said:
Analysing the content of RE, one can say that the topics are
interdependent and that the moral and spiritual values in the
syllabuses help lay the foundation for practice of spiritual
values in society. The scriptural content of RE promotes
spiritual growth among learners. For instance, learners who
never used to go to Church begin going after learning the

54
 importance of (Man‟s search for God), (Happiness and
Prayer).
One of the teachers added:

The spiritual values are promoted through practice at school.

The learners are taught how to treat people of different
religious beliefs, tolerate others, love one another fear and
respect God.

Teachers form school A explained that:

The grade eight and nine syllabi promote spiritual values

through topics like Learning about God, Prayer and Suffering
and Death, which all highlight the importance of a spiritual
life and enhance the development of such a life in learners.

In responding to the question on how RE promoted spiritual values among learners,

both teachers at school A and B explained that the topics taught and the values learners
acquired at the end of the learning period helped learners develop into better citizens.
They further said that learners acquired and developed a holistic view and knowledge
of spiritual or religious values which were relevant to their full awareness of life. They
also added that learners also practiced what they learnt at school and at home.

Thirty learners drawn from the two secondary schools were asked how RE promoted
spiritual values in secondary schools and in response the learners from school B
responded that: some topics like prayer, faith and baptism had helped them to deal with
spiritual values in their lives. Learners also explained that after learning about the
spiritual values, most of them had improved their prayer life. Similarly, learners from
school A responded said that: RE taught them how to pray, respect different prayer
lives in society.

The researcher asked the learners to give examples of situations where they applied
what they learnt in RE. Some learners from school A explained that, the Bible readings
during RE class helped them get through the day and relate to the situations of life.
One learner from school A said the following:

55
 Prayer offers spiritual protection, it creates peace in this life,
and the content of RE gives me guidelines on how to pray and
the action of spiritual growth is prayer.

Two learners from school B said:

As learners, we are able to demonstrate understanding and

appreciation of moral values and behaviour based on the
topics taught in RE.

In addition, learners acknowledged that some topics like Prayer, Faith and Baptism
helped them deal with spiritual issues in their lives. The learners also admitted that
after learning about the spiritual values, most of them improved their prayer life. They
also said that prayers which were learnt in RE helped them get through each day.

From the foregoing data, it is clear it can be established that spiritual values of respect
towards other types of prayer lives, tolerance of different modes of prayers or beliefs
were taught in the RE syllabuses. RE syllabuses also taught learners how best to avoid
temptations, how persistence in prayer sustains the soul and how scriptures helped
learners to relate to the current and past problems in society and how to overcome
them. The research established that the Zambian RE promoted the spiritual values in
the secondary school through the content itself, because the syllabuses had topics that
directly referred to spiritual values.

4.8 Conclusions

In this chapter the findings of the study have been presented. The main findings were
that through different appropriate topics, the current secondary school RE syllabuses
teach some important civic, moral and spiritual values, respectively. Additionally,
through the teaching and learning of various topics of the RE syllabuses which are
mainly religious in nature and content, moral and spiritual values are naturally
promoted among the learners in schools.

The next chapter discusses the findings of the study.

56
 CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS

5.1 Overview

This chapter discusses the findings of the study. The main purpose of the study was to
evaluate whether the current secondary school RE syllabuses promote civic, moral and
spiritual values among learners. The discussion will be done under themes drawn from
the objectives, the research questions, and are informed by the conceptual framework.
The headings reflect the themes of the study and these are: civic values taught in
secondary school RE; moral values taught in secondary school RE and spiritual/
religious values in secondary school RE; civic values promoted in secondary school
RE; moral values promoted in secondary school RE; and spiritual values promoted in
secondary school RE.

5.2 Civic Values taught in Secondary School RE

The results of the study show that RE taught civic values in the secondary school. It
was established that RE was one of the functional subjects that enabled pupils to
appreciate civic values. This was done through the subject content and interactions
among learners during RE lessons. The findings gathered from the RE curriculum
specialists, heads of RE section and teachers, and learners show that RE played a
significant role in imparting civic values in the learners.

On the other hand, data collected from the participants indicate that civic values in the
syllabuses were itemised by the learners as follows; respect for life, respect for
leadership and authority, equality, liberty, patriotism, tolerance, honesty, civic duties
and respect for human rights, co-operation and honour. It was further revealed that civic
values were enriched through the teaching of RE and it was established that RE
enhanced the respect of leadership as it was said that leadership was God-given.
Learners were taught to respect human rights because they reflected the Ten
Commandments from the Bible. The civic values encouraged learners to exercise their
political rights, and obey authority.

57
It has also been revealed that RE promoted the development of an informed, effective,
and responsible citizenry. Democratic values are sustained by citizens who have the
requisite knowledge, skills, and civic values. It could be argued that a society which
lacks the principles of democracy, patriotism, respect for leadership and authority
cannot succeed in sustaining the fundamental values of democracy. It has been
established that the teaching of RE enabled pupils to be good citizens. The curriculum
when narrowed to syllabus empowered the learners to have a wider view of society and
not only to see society as benefiting themselves and their families alone. Learners
became utilitarian, a belief which advocates for the value of a wider society.

The above arguments are similar to the findings of Falade (2015) in his study which
examined civic education in Nigeria‟s one hundred years of existence. He defended the
importance of civic education in the school curriculum as it equipped the citizens with
democratic skills that strengthened the civil society. This shows that RE was important
in the imparting learners with civic values.

Based on the findings of the study, it is argued that civic values in RE are found in
different topics from grade 8 to 12, the norms of the subject itself set the first civic
values, the different religions incorporated in the syllabus taught the learners the
importance of community life which prepared them on how to live in communities,
behave and carry out their duties as responsible members of the community. This is
also consistent with Eric (1994) who explained that one‟s education could not be
complete without the study of religion and its relationship to the advanced civilisation.
RE was, therefore, important in any education system. It was discovered that, the
learners learnt the importance of authority and leadership, tolerance of others‟ opinions,
respect for other human rights, race and customs.

The study indicates that both RE syllabuses (2044 and 2046) enhanced the learner‟s
development and growth. Topics such as Working in a Changing Society, Service in
Society, Justice in Society, and Order and Freedom in Society, Life and Service in
Society were mentioned as the key topics which imparted civic values in the learners.
The learners were equipped with skills necessary for a good leader, and it also made
them be aware of good leadership styles and the application of leadership. In addition,
the topics Working in a Changing Society, helped learners to develop a positive attitude

58
to work at school and in society; the appreciation of work, and the rights of workers are
taught and that employers should respect the rights of the employees, whereas topics
like Order and Freedom in Society Life and Order in the Society, ensure that the tenets
of democracy are upheld. This means that the rule of law and freedom of man to
participate in free and fair elections are respected. For instant, the civic values that man
shall not kill his fellow man were enhanced through the above topic of Order and
Freedom in Society. Through interviews and focus group discussions it was
discovered, that RE played a vital role in shaping the behaviour of learners. The
findings above are supported by Abdulhameed (2013), who emphasised that, civic
education in the Egyptian public schools was integrated in social studies and taught
from the Islamic point of view, and through religion to explain and teach the concepts
of human rights, citizenship and democracy.

5.3 Moral Values taught in Secondary School RE

The study indicates that there are numerous topics that teach moral values in secondary
school RE. Thus, these are topics mentioned by heads of RE section and teachers:
Christian Attitudes to Work, Sex before Marriage, Christian Attitudes to Sex and
Marriage, Christian Attitudes to Money and Possessions, and Judgment. Through these
topics, it has been revealed that, love, affection, loyalty, honesty and perseverance were
all achieved in the learners. It was contended that once these listed characteristics were
manifested in the learners it was one of the greatest achievements a teacher in the RE
class would hope for. Thus these moral values play a vital role in everyone‟s life in
general. Wainaina (2007) supports the above findings as he states that many nations of
the world have realised the importance of religion and have included it as a study in
schools. Some of the moral values discussed by teachers promoted moral behaviour
among learners, and also encouraged them to respect elders, respect people of different
races, and show kindness to strangers, old people, and care for the sick. Learners were
encouraged to be polite and respectful towards anyone in life, show humility, love,
mutual respect, be truthful in their dealings, honest and show gratitude, be considerate,
and exhibit self- control. They were encouraged to acquire the above virtues.

The above arguments are similar to the findings of SCAA (1996) which emphasised the
role of RE among learners. The publication defended RE teachers as being significant
59
as they were responsible for the moral education. As they defined for their learners,
standards of behaviour in the classroom and around the school, the teachers engaged
learners in thinking about their responsibilities when issues such as keeping promises,
telling the truth, or dealing with unfairness and injustice arose. Teachers of RE
provided for learners, whether consciously or unconsciously, a moral framework of
values which guided their relationships with others. This shows that RE is an important
player in the transmitting of moral values among learners.

5.4 Spiritual/ Religious Values in Secondary School RE

The study reveals that the secondary school RE syllabuses were equipped with topics
that were meant to bring about spiritual/religious values in the learners. It has been
established that the content of the syllabuses was one that was anchored on the
promotion of values among human relationships; sharing of hope, interest and fear,
unity and charity in the early church. The study has established that tolerance of other
religious beliefs, respect of different religious opinions were enhanced through the
teaching of RE. This is in line with what scholars like Harding (2005) have already
argued that, the aim of RE is to facilitate desirable changes in an individual since it
encompasses theoretical, practical, moral, spiritual, human and divine aspects.

The study recognises that spiritual values are values that try to shape the behaviour of a
learner to be more like Christ like. Thus, it can be stated that spiritual values are of
huge importance for the development of every nation or generation. The spiritual values
are said to be associated with the process of growth and development of a learner as an
individual. According to the study, the spiritual values have been of particular
significance for religious education, a process which seeks to enable the child to grow
in faith, in knowledge of God and in love of God's word. The above findings are
consistent with Nazam and Husain‟s study (2016), that explained that spiritual values
were imparted in school-going children as a way to enhance spiritual development of
children.

The study further reveals that the term value was used to suggest judgments of right and
wrong, lofty and base, just and unjust, and more personal preferences, for things that
are useful to individuals as they happen to value them. It has been revealed that, there
are numerous topics that taught spiritual values in the learners, and the study establishes
60
that topics such as Faith and Prayer and Jesus Attitude to people, Judgment, Morality,
Courtship and Marriage enhance spiritual values in the learners, in that learners begin
to respect each other, live well with the neighbour in their communities, and also fear
and worship God.

According to Kowino (2013), holistic education helps to develop learners morally,

spiritually, intellectually and physically. Hence, holistic education produces learners
who are spiritually, morally, emotionally and intellectually competent. Spiritual
competence enables learners interpret the meaning of RE in their present and future
lives, developing in them a sense of purpose, wonder and mystery. It enables them to
understand the importance of believing in God with the conviction that there is a
spiritual solution to their day to day life challenges. Spiritual competence makes
learners more caring, tolerant and be actively engaged in the spiritual quest. In order to
achieve spiritual competence among our learners in Zambia, RE needs to be made
compulsory at senior level

5.5 Civic Values promoted in Secondary School RE

On the question whether RE promoted civic values in secondary school RE, the
findings of the study reveal that RE is one subject that is at the pinnacle of promotion
of civic values among secondary school learners. Through the topics presented in the
Bible, historical, religious and cultural situations, learners are able to pick out civic
values. Through civic values, learners are said to become better citizens who become
morally upright and better future leaders. The content of Junior and 2044 syllabuses
show intent to promote civic values in the learners from grade eight to twelve. Topics
like Competition, Cooperation and Trust in grade eight prepared the learner to accept
competition, cooperation and trust in society as the key elements of development in
every country. Respect of other people‟s opinions, respect of others, fairness, justice
and respect for authority and leadership, were the civic values promoted by RE among
learners. The grade nine topic Freedom and Community equipped learners with skills in
decision-making positions, the ability to make right decisions for oneself or the school.
This topic laid the foundation for good governance and leadership in the learners.
Authority and leadership taught the roles of leaders, it helped the learners appreciate
authority; learners were able to identify leadership qualities in fellow learners and
61
apply it in society during elections. It also created awareness about laws and the rules
found in different communities.

Findings above are supported by Klemenovic and Zukovic (2013) who observes the
idea that education may serve as a generator of social change, that school is an
important support pillar in promoting and accepting the values of the community, as
well as in the personal growth and development of every individual.

The senior secondary syllabuses 2044 and 2046 promote civic values through a topic
Working in a Changing Society. The topic help learners develop positive attitudes to
work at school and in society, the appreciation of work; and respect the rights of the
employees. The findings of the study emphases the commitment to service which is
either in army or teaching, paying of taxes to government as that is a duty of every
working citizen. Similarly, topics like Justice in Society and Service in Society, educate
the learners on the various forms of injustices in the community, how to be just in life
situations; and learners are equipped with the love for one another which characterises
the requirements of a good leader. The study has established that it helped the learners
to be aware of good leadership styles and the ability of exercising leadership. The
findings reveal that civic values helped the learners to analyse the use of authority by
leaders.

Courtship and marriage educated the learners on the rights of husbands and wives in
the home. In supporting the findings above, Simuchimba (2005), states that the
adequacy of RE syllabuses in Zambia should be defined in terms of conformity to
provisions and values of the country‟s constitution and principles of its national
education policy in general and national policy on RE in particular. This can be seen in
Article 19 of the Zambian Constitution; the constitutional values which come out
clearly are freedom, liberty, equality, fairness and pluralism. Simuchimba (ibid) further
says, these are values RE was supposed to reflect in the Ministry of Education Policy
Document called Educating Our Future (1996), „Zambia is a liberal democratic
society…(where) the values of liberal democracy…must guide the formation of
educational policies and their implementation.‟ Simuchimba (ibid) meant that Zambian
RE syllabuses were to be educationally adequate, democratic, pluralistic, multi-faith,
62
and broadly-based. As such, from the findings the views of the respondents in the
current study were that RE syllabuses in Zambia were adequate in nature.

5.6 Moral Values promoted in Secondary School RE

On the question whether RE promoted moral values among learners in secondary

schools. The study established that in the RE syllabus for grade eight the first topic
focused on morality and values, it clearly explained what morality was, the purpose of
moral education, sources of morality and moral dilemmas learners go through every
day. There are topics in the RE syllabuses (the junior syllabus) such as growing up that
deals with the growth of the learners, the different ways people develop, self-concept
and self-esteem. The findings reveal that RE, whether it is 2044 or 2046 or the junior
syllabuses, does promote moral values among learners. Therefore, RE plays a big role
in shaping the learners‟ lives and making them suitable members of society.

The findings also reveal that the role RE played in the lives of learners from grade eight
to twelve was visible in their actions. RE also gave learners a voice on issues that
affected them as they grew up, such as family problems, justice in society, religious
issues, and these helped them how to behave well in the various communities they
lived. This argument is in line with Kombe (2005), who argued that through RE,
students acquired the desired beliefs, values and practices of their society which
enabled them to live in harmony with other members.

The findings reveal that RE syllabuses were appreciated for being direct on sensitive
topics which learners felt ashamed to discuss with their parents in their homes. The
school system had also generally shown the learners how to treat each other with
respect regardless of the different backgrounds they come from. The RE syllabus
taught in schools provided learners with self-awareness, critical thinking and decision-
making skills in life situations. The above findings are supported by SCAA (1996),
which states that RE teachers played a vital role in ensuring that learners developed the
necessary significant moral education. The teachers inevitably define, for their pupils,
standards of behaviour in the classroom and around the school using the RE syllabuses
by engaging pupils and stimulating their thinking on some responsibilities, such as

63
keeping promises, telling the truth, dealing with unfairness as injustices arose. The
other significant factor highlighted by SCAA (ibid) includes the role the teachers play
in the provision of a moral framework of values which guide the pupils‟ relationships
with others. In their teaching, the teachers present moral dilemmas whilst at the same
time demonstrating to pupils how the dilemmas could be addressed.

The findings reveal that teachers‟ attitudes and interactions with the learners provide
powerful role models. Some of the moral values promoted in RE are; respect for elders,
appreciation of different moral codes found in society and the different types of moral
values found in other religious beliefs. Learners learnt how to handle emotions and
develop a holistic view of knowledge, spiritual, moral and religious values which are
relevant to the learner‟s awareness of life. It has been revealed that moral values taught
in RE syllabuses enhanced critical thinking in the learners. Also it is worth stating, that
through the topics taught in the RE syllabuses, the learners developed personal identity;
teachers were not supposed to impose their identities on learners but could allow them
to develop their own identities. Therefore, RE serves to be an important subject which
the government should look into making it a compulsory subject because of the
benefits accrued to it. The above findings are supported by the educational policy
Educating our Future (MoE 1996), which states that the aim of RE is to produce a
learner capable of being animated by a personally held set of civic, moral and spiritual
values.

5.7 Spiritual Values promoted in Secondary School RE

Relating the findings to the study objectives, the nature of the current RE is adequate
enough in the attainment of the specific goal of the MoE, that is, to shape the
development of learner‟s personally-held set of spiritual values. The classroom
teaching provided learners with learning experiences which related, as far as possible,
to the challenges of their everyday lives (Milner and Pedro, 2006). Classroom teaching
brought about personal change in learners, which could deepen learners‟ spirituality
and inculcate moral values in them.

The spiritual values were promoted through practice at school, inculcating in the
learners how to treat people of different religious beliefs, tolerate others, love for one
64
another, and generally promote the spiritual values. Fear and respect for God also
contributed to the promotion of spiritual values. In addition, junior syllabi promote
spiritual values through topics like Learning about God, Prayer, Suffering and Death,
which all highlight the importance of a spiritual life and enhance the development of
learners. While topics that deal with spiritual values are Prayer, Faith and Baptism.
Learners acknowledged that after learning about the spiritual values, most of them had
improved prayer life and prayer helped them get through their day to day lives. Prayer
offers spiritual counseling, which creates peace in one‟s life; thus the content of RE
gives learners‟ guidelines on how to understand different types of prayer and how one
would grow spiritually. The spiritual values discussed by the participants during the
interviews and focus groups discussions were respect towards other types of prayer
lives, tolerance to different modes of prayers or beliefs and religious literacy and
knowledge.

RE promoted spiritual values among learners through the topics taught and the values
learners acquired at the end of the learning period. Learners acquired and developed a
holistic view and knowledge of spiritual and religious values which are relevant to the
learner‟s awareness of life. The interpretation of the findings above show that, Zambia
has different religious traditions which are taught at school and enable learners to
tolerant different religious beliefs in society. This enhances respect for different
religions and one‟s faith. RE promotes these values in the learners to create a better
tomorrow and demonstrate a synthesis and assimilation of spiritual values. Findings on
how RE promoted spiritual values among learners reveal that learners appreciate and
practice the values they learnt at school.

However, the above findings are supported by Pekausky (1998) who revealed that
school had been identified as a vehicle of direct instruction. The school played a major
role in inculcating and deepening spiritual values in the learners. The study revealed
that specific values like religious knowledge in the curriculum were itemised by
teachers and learners. However, content analysis reveals that the spiritual values were
only mentioned in the specific topics that dealt with spiritual values. This entails that
RE in its current form, effectively promotes spiritual values among learners. Further,
in theory the government‟s aim states that RE at secondary school level of education is
to shape the development of personally-held set of civic, moral and spiritual values.
65
This aim has been attained by the schools and impacted comprehensive knowledge into
learners about spiritual values explained in the learning content.

With regard to how RE promoted spiritual values among learners, the study reveals that
learners from grade 8 to grade 12, acknowledged that RE had helped them have a close
relationship with God. Through topics like Prayer, Faith, Sin and Death, and many
more topics, learners understood the nature of God, and His importance in the lives of
people, additionally, scripture reading in the class helped them understand the role of
the Bible in the lives of a Christian and the Bible passages in the content helped them
grow in faith. Topics such as Life, Suffering and Death prepare them for life after
death. The content of learning material was delivered to learners by teachers whom by
nature and in terms of relationship are more influential in the lives of children. Learners
took more seriously what teachers said to them. In this context, the spiritual values
items embedded in the contents would be well understood and appreciated by learners,
who often idolise their teachers (Oladipo, 2009). Consistent with these findings, the
inclusion of spiritual values in the curriculum and ensuring its full implementation
contributed to the spiritual development of learners because teachers are often idolised
by learners, and who act as their models and are directly involved in conveying value
education.

Spiritual value tolerance of others‟ religious beliefs, respect of different religious

opinions, and relevance of spirits provided learners with an overview understanding of
scriptures. Learners were taught how to pray, live a spiritual life and encouraged to read
the scriptures as a way to enhance their understanding of life challenges. The study
established that RE was sufficient enough in the promotion of spiritual values among
learners.

Despite the pre-dominance of Christianity in the country, Zambian RE should not

indirectly promote and impose the Christian belief and moral system on learners at the
expense of other beliefs and moral systems, as the case is at present. The values of
rational and moral autonomy, and liberty, imply that RE teaching and learning in
Zambia should not deny the learner the right to be exposed to different beliefs and
moral values to live by (Simuchimba, 2005). He goes on to suggest that for RE to be
educationally adequate, the aims of RE in Zambia should be stated in such a way that

66
they are consistent with the legal provisions for the subject. The aims should reflect the
fact that all religions found in Zambian society are equal before the law and thus
deserve equal treatment in RE. Additionally, Simuchimba (2012),explains that learning
RE is supposed to lead to acquisition of knowledge and understanding of spiritual,
religious and moral values and appreciation of traditions within which learners are
growing up.

5.8 Conclusion

The chapter discussed all the three aspects of focus in this study according to the
objectives of this study. The main areas of concern were on the civic, moral and
spiritual/religious values taught in secondary school RE and how RE promoted civic,
moral and spiritual values in the secondary school RE. The study established that RE
was highly an influential subject in secondary schools, which helped learners to be
morally upright. It further helped them to understand ideas about governance and
human rights, and how to tolerate other religions in Zambia. The study also established
that civic, moral and spiritual values were itemised in the syllabuses with explanations
in teaching and learning materials. The values discussed in class-work and learning
materials are recognised as civic, moral and spiritual items by both learners and
teachers. The findings also show that learners were exposed to more of Christianity
than other religions.

The next chapter discusses the conclusions and recommendations

67
 CHAPTER SIX
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

6.1 Overview

The preceding chapter discussed the findings of the study while this chapter will
present the conclusions and the recommendations of the study on the role of RE in the
promotion of civic, moral and spiritual values among learners in selected secondary
schools in Lusaka city.

6.2 Conclusions

The study has shown the role of RE in the promotion of civic, moral and spiritual
values among learners in selected secondary schools in Lusaka city. However,
considering the participants‟ responses, the researcher established that civic values were
visible and practical among learners and teachers as evidenced by the syllabus itself.
They further helped them to understand ideas about governance and human rights, and
how to tolerate opinions from other people.
The study has established that RE was a highly influential subject in secondary schools,
which helped learners to be morally upright. The study has also established that moral
values were itemised in the syllabuses with explanations in teaching and learning
materials. The moral values discussed in class-work and learning materials were
recognised as moral items by both learners and teachers.

However, on the establishment of the spiritual values found in the secondary RE

syllabuses, we could conclude that the syllabuses were sufficient enough in teaching the
spiritual values to the learners. The findings also showed that learners were exposed to
more of Christianity than any other religions in Zambia; the syllabuses were biased
towards Christianity didn‟t give enough room to other religious traditions to be
mentioned.

With regards to the evaluation of the role of RE in the promotion of civic, moral and
spiritual values among learners, it is concluded that RE played a vital role in the lives of
learners and how teachers conduct themselves before learners had a great impact on the

68
learners. The syllabuses are well outlined and give room to the learner‟s development
of sets of civic, moral and spiritual values.

6.3 Recommendations

In view of the results of the study and the conclusions drawn, the following
recommendations are made:
1. RE should be revised as to make the subject more modern in content and
materials especially in topics like Leisure and Success.
2. A topic on Emotions should be introduced in the syllabus and religious passages
should be explained in details.
3. RE should be made a compulsory subject regardless of career pathways.

6.4 Suggestions for further research

There is need for further research to assess the impact of spiritual and moral values on
learners after school.

69
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 APPENDICES

Appendix I: CONSENT FORM

I Christine Kamai, Chilumbu Milingo, a postgraduate student of Religious Studies at

the University of Zambia, doing research on RE in schools. Is requesting for your
voluntary participation in this study. Please read the information below and ask
questions about anything you do not understand, before deciding whether to participate
or not.

1. There are no risks in taking part in this study. Actually, taking part in the study
will make you a contributor to the possible improvement of RE as a school
subject.
2. Please consult your parents, if you are less than 18 years of age, before you
decide on whether to participate or not.
3. If you do not want to be in this study, you do not have to participate. Remember,
participation in this study is voluntary and you have the right to discontinue if
you decide otherwise.
4. All the responses will be highly appreciated, treated confidentially and used for
academic purposes only.

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Appendix II: Focus Group Discussion Guide for Pupils

School:…………………………………………………………………………

Date:………………………………Time:……………………………………

I am a postgraduate student of Religious Studies at the University of Zambia doing

research on RE in schools. I am very glad that you have accepted to be part of this
study. May I further assure you that all the responses will be appreciated and treated
confidentially.

1. Why did you take the subject?

2. What civic values are taught in RE?
3. What moral values are taught in RE?
4. What spiritual values are taught in RE?
5. Mention the topics which mostly cover moral, civic and spiritual values in
your RE lessons.
6. How have you applied any of the civic and moral values learnt from RE in
your life?
7. How have you applied any of the spiritual values learnt from RE in your
life?
8. Explain what you find to be knowledge about these concepts.
9. Do you think RE gives you enough knowledge to understand different
problems concerning civic, moral and spiritual values?
10. What other important ideas do you learn from RE?
11. Give examples of situations where you have applied what you learn in
RE?

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Appendix III: Interview Guide for Religious Education Teachers and Head of
Section

School: ……………………………………

Date: ………………………. Time: …………………

I am a postgraduate student of Religious Studies at the University of Zambia doing

research on Zambian RE. I am very glad that you have accepted to be part of this
study. May I further assure you that all the responses will be appreciated and treated
confidentially.

1. What are your qualifications?

2. Where did you train from?
3. Kindly highlight what are some of the moral, civic and spiritual values found in
the syllabus.
4. How does RE promote civic, moral and spiritual values among learners?
5. How do you identify the content of moral, civic and spiritual values in the
syllabus?
6. What themes are covered in 2044/2046 which have civic, moral and spiritual
values?
7. What guides your choice of themes and topics to teach?
8. How do your pupils respond to the topics and the materials you teach?
9. What teaching and learning methods do you mostly use in teaching the
contents?
10. What are some of the topics in RE that could be of great help in solving
problems of civic, moral and spiritual values in the school?
11. Do the values promoted by RE conform to the promotion of co-existence
among people of different religious traditions and ethnic groups?

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Appendix IV: Interview Guide for RE Curriculum Specialist

Date……………. Time…………………

I am a postgraduate student of Religious Studies at the University of Zambia doing

research on Zambian RE. I am very glad that you have accepted to be part of this
study. May I further assure you that all the responses will be appreciated and treated
confidentially.

1. For how long have you worked as a RE subject specialist?

2. Have you ever taught RE before?
3. How long did you teach RE before taking up this office?
4. What is your academic qualification?
5. What are the civic, moral and spiritual values taught in the syllabuses?
6. What can you say about Zambian RE? Does it promote civic, moral and
spiritual values among learners?
7. Do you think the syllabuses are ideal for Zambia and how do you identify the
content of civic, moral and spiritual values in the syllabuses?
8. Which religious traditions are pre-announced in RE syllabuses on civic, moral
and spiritual values?
9. What topics enforced civic, moral and spiritual values among learners in
schools?

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION

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