Communication Models of Adolescent Religious Education on the Internet in a Global Age

Abstract

This study explores the relevance and effectiveness of communication models of adolescent religious education on the Internet in a global age. In doing so, this study critically examines communication models used in traditional religious education and explores alternative communication models from several academic fields. On the basis of the interdisciplinary literature review, it develops an analytical tool to investigate adolescent religious education on the Internet. The analytical tool consists of six dimensions from two communication models: the transmission model and the constructivist model. The model recognises the multidimensional complexity and dynamics of religious education as a special kind of communication. Using this device, this study explores communication models preferred by contemporary adolescents and analyses existing adolescent religious educational websites. The web survey of 464 adolescent users of religious educational websites shows that most respondents prefer the constructivist model to the transmission model with a few exceptions. In other words, most of them prefer more active, interactive, holistic, democratic, collaborative, and open ways of interaction on the web. By contrast, the content analysis of 143 adolescent religious educational websites reveals that the majority of these use the transmission model with a few constructivist features. This means that most of them use one-way, authoritative, cognitive, individualistic, and closed ways of interaction on the web. The differences between the two results are dramatic in some areas. This study discusses those areas in detail with suggestions for further research. It considers some implications and concludes with recommendations for future theory and practice of adolescent religious education on the Internet in a global age.