The Centrality of the Concept 'Faith Development' in Catholic School Religious Education

The development of students' religious faith within the context of the Catholic faith tradition has long been, and rightly remains, a fundamental aim of Catholic school religious education. However, interpretations of what this means in practice have been problematic, especially with reference to use of the construct 'faith development'. After a brief introduction to show how the construct entered into Catholic religious education, this chapter will consider how it enhanced religious education while at the same time creating difficulties for theory and practice.