Religious sensitivity

Problem context

Professionals in the helping professions work in a social context that is characterized by religious and ideological diversity. In recent years, researchers have increasingly pointed out that although culturally sensitive and diversity-related approaches have been established, the focus on religious and ideological aspects of everyday professional life has not. It is largely unclear how professionals perceive situations in which religion and ideology could play a role, what significance they attach to them and how they deal with them in their day-to-day work.

Research question

The study investigates whether and in which everyday professional situations religious and ideological aspects play an independent role in professional practice in the helping professions and influence professional action. It investigates how professionals perceive such situations, how they classify them and how they deal with them in their everyday work.

Method

The study is conducted as a quantitative online survey among professionals in the helping professions (throughout Germany with a focus on the welfare sector in NRW). It combines standardized assessments with realistic, vignette-based everyday situations in order to be able to record both attitudes and concrete professional actions in a differentiated manner.

Significance of the project

The study provides systematic empirical insights into the role of religious and ideological aspects in the everyday working life of helping professions. For the scientific debate, it creates a basis for further research into religious sensitivity by developing and testing a quantitative measuring instrument for this construct for the first time. For institutions and providers, it enables a differentiated assessment of the areas in which corresponding topics are relevant in practice and where there is a concrete need for support and further training. It can thus provide a basis for personnel development, quality development and organizational development.

University of Siegen: Ulrich Riegel & Lucas Döbel

Protestant University of Hesse: Tobias Klünker

Catholic University of Applied Sciences NRW: Werner Schönig

Department of Dialogue in the Archdiocese of Cologne: Uli Thomas