ERIC Number: EJ1004749
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0034-4087
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Zone of Proximal Development, Liminality, and Communitas: Implications for Religious Education
Junker, Debora B. Agra
Religious Education, v108 n2 p164-179 2013
This article seeks to understand religious education as a process of communal endeavor that prioritizes and considers the learning experience intrinsically connected to its social and cultural contexts. Two authors will be of help to develop this pursuit: Lev Vygotsky, whose work emphasizes learning as constructed through interactions and in collaboration with members of a community, and Victor Turner who identifies the potential for creativity and transformation within the concepts of "liminality" and "communitas". The article concludes by suggesting that when a community acknowledges the multiple zones of proximal development--which creates opportunities of mutual support and democratic participation--"communitas" surfaces as a sign of liminal vitality, openness, and solidarity. (Contains 4 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Religious Education, Learning Experience, Cultural Context, Social Environment, Sociocultural Patterns, Creativity, Democratic Values, Cooperation, Social Change, Interpersonal Relationship, Values, Learning Theories
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A