Escola e religião: um olhar sobre o papel da espiritualidade no Ensino Fundamental – Anos Finais.

Abstract

This research analyzes the presence of Religious Education (RE) in the Final Years of Elementary Education in the state school system of Paraná. It is justified by debates surrounding its continued presence and its relationship with issues such as religious diversity, proselytism and secularism. RE has been present in Brazilian education since the colonial period, remaining predominantly confessional until the second half of the 20th century. With the 1988 Federal Constitution and the amendment to the Law of Guidelines and Bases of National Education (Law No. 9.394/1996), proselytism was prohibited and RE came to be understood as an integral part of the citizens’ basic education. Therefore, given the need to investigate the role of Religious Education in the Final Years of Elementary Education in the state of Paraná in promoting citizenship, this work aims to understand the extent to which this curricular component is relevant to citizens’ basic education and whether its continued presence in the curriculum is justified. To this end, the study proposes: to review and analyze the academic literature on the relevance of RE in Basic Education; to examine, through document analysis and interviews, the objectives of this curricular component in the State of Paraná and how it should be taught; and to investigate, also through interviews, how the subject is currently taught and what the educational background of the teachers responsible for it. The study is based on Viktor Frankl’s phenomenological anthropology, in which spirituality is understood as a constitutive dimension of the human being, oriented towards the search for meaning and self-transcendence, distinguishing itself from religiosity and institutionalized religion, being a relevant element for the integral formation of the subject. The methodology included document analysis and interviews with 70 students, 8 teachers, 9 pedagogical coordinators and a specialist from SEED/PR. Bardin’s (2021) Content Analysis was used to analyze the data, which were categorized into: Sociocultural Challenges, Religious and Cultural Diversity, Integral Education, Structural Limitations and Curricular Relevance. The results indicate that RE has followed historical transformations in Brazil and highlight challenges related to teacher training and religious pluralism. The interviews reveal its potential to promote ethical values and respect for diversity, but also highlight resistance associated with prejudice. Thus, RE, by addressing the religious phenomenon from a cultural and historical perspective, provides space for the development of students’ spirituality and, therefore, can contribute to civic and ethical education, grounded in pluralism, collaborative secularism and practices that value scientific knowledge and respect for differences. For this to occur, investments in continuing education, teaching materials and the valorization of the subject are necessary.