Synnøve Markeng

• Aschim, Anders; Kjørven, Ole Kolbjørn; Kleive, Hildegunn Valen & Markeng, Synnøve (2026). Islam lernen in norwegischen Moscheen und Schulen. Zeitschrift für Pädagogik und Theologie (ZPT). ISSN 1437-7160. 78(3), s. 227–238. doi: 10.1515/zpt-2026-3015. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Zusammenfassung Viele Kinder und Jugendliche aus muslimischen Familien in Norwegen lernen den Islam in zwei unterschiedlichen Bildungskontexten kennen: im formalen, verpflichtenden und nicht-konfessionellen Religionsunterricht an öffentlichen Schulen sowie in außerschulischen Bildungsangeboten in Moscheegemeinden oder islamischen Kulturzentren. Dieser Artikel untersucht, wie sie diesen doppelten Bildungskontext erleben. Die Studie basiert auf qualitativen Methoden, vor allem auf Unterrichtsbeobachtungen in Moscheeschulen sowie auf Interviews mit Schüler:innen, Lehrer:innen und Eltern. Das Konzept des Perspektivenwechsels steht im Mittelpunkt der aktuellen norwegischen religionsdidaktischen Diskussion und wird hier als analytisches Instrument verwendet. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass muslimische Schüler:innen, die in beiden Kontexten aktiv sind, sowohl Innen- als auch Außenperspektiven auf ihre eigene Religion sowie auf die Weltanschauungen anderer erleben und verarbeiten. Gleichzeitig deutet die Analyse darauf hin, dass der Religionsunterricht an öffentlichen Schulen von einem besseren Verständnis der außerschulischen religiösen Lernaktivitäten dieser Schüler:innen profitieren könnte.

• Kleive, Hildegunn Valen; Markeng, Synnøve; Larssen, Marianne Friisberg; Erdal, Marta Bivand & Horsfjord, Vebjørn (2026). Exploring Muslim and Catholic Faith Edcation in Norway. Transnational Ties, Role Modeling, and Socialization. I Aschim, Anders; Berglund, Jenny; Erdal, Marta Bivand & Schweitzer, Friedrich (Red.), Minorities, Migration, and Religion: New Perspectives on Religious Education in Faith Communities and Schools in Europe. Waxmann Verlag. ISSN 9783818851392. s. 63–83. doi: 10.31244/9783818851392. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  This chapter draws on fieldwork and interviews in mosques and Catholic churches in Norway, exploring faith education. We ask how Muslim and Catholic minority communities in Norway organize and structure their faith education, how teachers function as role models, and how transnational ties are reflected in teach‍ ing approaches and materials. First, we focus on teaching materials and teaching approaches used and adopted by the volunteer teachers, including how transnational ties emerge. Second, we discuss the teachers’ understanding of role modeling in a faith education setting. Third, drawing on the above, we apply Biesta’s concepts of qualification, socialization, and subjectification to discuss the purpose and broader relevance of faith education in Muslim and Catholic faith communities in Norway.

• Erdal, Marta Bivand; Kjørven, Ole Kolbjørn; Markeng, Synnøve; Aschim, Anders & Brottveit, Ånund (2026). Navigating superdiversity in Catholic and Muslim religious education in Norway. British Journal of Religious Education. ISSN 0141-6200. s. 1–16. doi: 10.1080/01416200.2026.2648575. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  This article explores how superdiversity is navigated in non-formal religious education in minority religious settings in Norway, focusing on Catholic and Muslim contexts, both shaped by immigration. First, drawing on survey data on Muslims and existing data on Catholics in Norway, we delineate and explore what superdiversity among Catholics and Muslims in this context entails. We then turn to our qualitative data based on fieldwork in eight Catholic and Muslim religious education settings. We find that linguistic, cultural, national and generational superdiversity is navigated in often pragmatic ways, while teaching methods and languages used are mobilised to address participants’ needs, within limited available resources. Thus, everyday pragmatism – anchored in shared faith and collective purpose – can enable participants to navigate difference without erasing it and may foster cohesion through practice rather than prescription. The insights from Catholic and Muslim experiences discussed in this article, we suggest, can contribute to contemporary debates in religious education research, highlighting how cooperation, flexibility, and shared meaning can sustain community and learning in superdiverse societies.

• Markeng, Synnøve (2025). Læringsmetaforer og undervisning om Bibelen: Betydning for lærere og forskere. I Krogevoll, Aleksander; Nygaard, Mathias & Sæther, Knut-Willy (Red.), Bruk av Bibelen i fellesskap. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 9788202898656. s. 51–73. doi: 10.23865/cdf.276. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  In this chapter, I use the Bible as an example to explore how different metaphors for learning (learning as knowledge acquisition, participation, and knowledge creation) might shape and influence our approaches to teaching religious scripture. This chapter employs three metaphors for learning as an analytical framework to examine how the Bible might be perceived in education through examples from textbooks, teacher interviews, and religious education approaches. I discuss the relationship between learning metaphors and the three dimensions of learning about, learning from, and learning how in religious education (RE). I ask whether theories on learning are somewhat overlooked or implicit in discussions of RE in Norway, and suggest that connecting subject-specific didactic concepts with broader pedagogical perspectives might provide new insights into discussions of how religious scriptures should be taught, and what knowledge is considered relevant and meaningful.

• Markeng, Synnøve; Kleive, Hildegunn Valen & Horsfjord, Vebjørn (2025). Metoder, organisering og læremateriell i moskéskoler i Norge. I Aschim, Anders; Kjørven, Ole Kolbjørn & Kleive, Hildegunn Valen (Red.), Hvor skal du i helga? En bok om religionsmangfold, trosopplæring og skole. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 9788202882259. s. 113–131. doi: 10.23865/cdf.248.ch6. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  This chapter explores the teaching approaches and materials in mosque schools in Norway, highlighting how Islamic supplementary education is organized and adjusted to the specific context where it is arranged. Drawing on observations and interviews from four mosques, the study shows how diverse teaching approaches are taking place in mosque schools: from Quranic recitation and memorization to interactive and context-sensitive methods influenced by Norwegian educational practices. Teachers adapt transnational pedagogical traditions while addressing local challenges, such as limited resources, mixed prior knowledge among students, and the need for culturally relevant, yet legitimate teaching materials. The findings reveal mosque schools as dynamic spaces where Islamic traditions are negotiated within a Norwegian context, fostering religious competence, ethical understanding, and a sense of belonging among Muslim youth. Mosque schools act as hubs of cultural transmission, where teachers help students navigate both Islamic tradition and Norwegian context.

• Kjelling, Anne Grethe & Markeng, Synnøve (2025). ‘Because I have knowledge’: young Muslims’ experiences of moving between the mosque and the public school. British Journal of Religious Education. ISSN 0141-6200. doi: 10.1080/01416200.2025.2524035. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  In the research on mosque-based education, there is still little evidence that Muslim pupils benefit from this instruction in their regular school education, except for a transfer of skills, such as memorisation. This study investigates whether and in what ways Norwegian Muslim youth regard mosque-based education as capital transferable to the mainstream school context and vice versa. We examine the pupil perspectives through interviews with young Muslims (n = 18) aged 13–24 years. While some informants point to the significance of Islamic education as devout Muslims, knowledge also carried importance when meeting critique from secular classmates. Possessing a strong knowledge of Islam appeared to be crucial both to challenge prevailing notions of Islam when encountering secular pupils and to negotiate stances with other Muslim pupils expressing more ‘radical’ interpretations of Islam. We explore the importance of knowledge by connecting the examples from the Muslim youth to the concepts of cultural capital and agency. Our findings suggest that while knowledge from the mosque seems to provide our informants with agency to challenge both secular and Muslim stereotypes, there is still an essential need for more teacher support and acknowledgement for religious pupils in public schools.

• Markeng, Synnøve & Berglund, Annika Jenny Viktoria (2023). In the Child’s Best Interest: Analyzing Pedagogical Approaches among Teachers of the Qur’an in Norway. Religion & Education. ISSN 1550-7394. s. 1–21. doi: 10.1080/15507394.2023.2286166. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  In this article, we explore pedagogical approaches in Islamic Supplementary Education (ISE) in Norway by presenting the narratives of two Qur’an teachers. Drawing inspiration from narrative research and microhistory, we examine their stories and experiences of teaching ISE in the context of an increasingly multireligious society. When we employ Watts’ dimensions of religious scripture and Rosowskys concept of faith literacy, we find that the teachers advocate for various dimensions of the Qur’an in relation to the knowledge deemed most beneficial for Muslim children in Norway. Finally, we explore the potential implications of our findings for teachers in mainstream education.

• Markeng, Synnøve (2023). Teaching about the Qur’ān in public schools in Norway. Tidsskrift for Islamforskning (TIFO). 18(2), s. 62–87. doi: 10.7146/tifo.v17i2.142372. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  This article discusses what teachers in Norwegian public schools have to say about teaching their pupils about the Qur’ān. Exploring what teachers find important or challenging is relevant to what both Muslim and non-Muslim pupils learn about the Qur’ān, since religious education (RE) in Norway is non-confessional and compulsory. The empirical material consists of four semi-structured interviews with RE teachers. Following James Watts’ model (2013, 2019), which suggests that religious scripture is ritualized along three dimensions, this study finds that the interviewed teachers emphasize working with content and meaning (the semantic dimension) rather than recitation (the expressive dimension) or any special treatment (the iconic dimension) of the Qur’ān. Another finding is that the teachers are reluctant to address Qur’ān recitations in their classes. The article examines this uncertainty in relation to the teachers’ perceptions of what pupils should learn about religious scriptures in general, pedagogical considerations about how to teach RE, and overarching RE-specific aims and concerns in relation to debates about Muslims and Islam in Norwegian society.

• Markeng, Synnøve (2023). Arbeid med religiøse skrifter i mangfoldige klasserom. En undersøkelse av religionsdidaktiske innføringsbøker. Prismet. ISSN 0032-8847. 74(1-2), s. 5–19. doi: 10.5617/pri.10360. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Denne artikkelen undersøker hvilken kunnskap om og forståelse av religiøse skrifter som presenteres i syv religionsdidaktiske innføringsbøker, utgitt mellom 1997 og 2021. Artikkelens teoretiske rammeverk bygger på James Watts’ begreper som beskriver ritualisering av det han omtaler som ikoniske skrifter. Analyser av innføringsbøkene viser en vektlegging av arbeid med den semantiske dimensjonen, det vil si det tekstlige meningsinnholdet. Bøkene beskriver også forslag til arbeid med en ekspressiv dimensjon, som vil si visuelle, lydlige eller grafiske uttrykk av tekstene (for eksempel kunst, resitasjon og filmatiseringer). En ikonisk dimensjon, altså en særskilt behandling av skriftene, er ikke diskutert i arbeidet med religiøse skrifter i innføringsbøkene. Imidlertid er oppfordringene til varsomhet noe ulik i møte med en semantisk og en ekspressiv dimensjon. Artikkelen diskuterer hvordan en protestantisk forforståelse av religiøse tekster, hensyn til et økende religionsmangfold og en tydeligere vitenskapelig forankring av metodene kan belyse hvorfor disse forestillingene er videreført i innføringsbøkenes beskrivelser.

• Stubø, Ingebjørg & Markeng, Synnøve (2016). Dialoger om verdier i grunnskolens formålsparagraf : med minnematerialet fra 22. juli som læremiddel. Prismet. ISSN 0032-8847. 67(3), s. 171–184. doi: 10.5617/pri.4492. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv

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• Aschim, Anders; Markeng, Synnøve; Kjørven, Ole Kolbjørn & Berglund, Jenny (2026). Bokpresentasjon Minorities, Migration, and Religion: New Perspectives on Religious Education in Faith Communities and Schools in Europe. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Mølstad, Christina Niemi; Løfblad, Åse Wedø; Brønstad, Odin Thune; Sønsthagen, Sigrun; Laski, Alona & Bergseth, Kristin Kathinka Due [Vis alle 50 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2026). Skroting av lærernormen – basert på forskning? doi: https:/www.utdanningsnytt.no/barnehage-klasseledelse-laerernorm/skroting-av-laerernormen-basert-pa-forskning/469012?fbclid=IwY2xjawQ54sJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe5-ESejbAANeW9iL_Yi5PFe-M92Cok76QgWJztVKEVMpy9_jpymhzgRro7ls_aem_NkB3gbl0zcVLQ8D6kE2ejQ. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Forslagene om å skrote lærernormen og fjerne øremerkede midler til toppbemanning i barnehage er på kollisjonskurs med profesjonsutøvernes fortellinger om knappe ressurser, og med forskningsbidrag i feltet.

• Markeng, Synnøve (2026). Vettug viten: Religion i klasserommet - Hvorfor er det vanskelig å snakke om tro? Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Løfblad, Åse Wedø; Buseth, Jill Tove; Mølstad, Christina Niemi; Vestby, Stian; Kjørven, Ole Kolbjørn & Markeng, Synnøve [Vis alle 38 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2025). Støtte til lærerne fra lærerutdannere ved Universitetet i Innlandet. doi: https:/www.h-a.no/stotte-til-larerne-fra-larerutdannere-ved-universitetet-i-innlandet/o/5-139-1873013?fbclid=IwY2xjawQ557pleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeTSA5OfTw61ApyWbm7JXXcExAT-H4uI9U7ndr8v2lF02OUZ0xBQLC61mOAGg_aem_B1VQaG05Q8KC3_Qx3F8fVw. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Kjørven, Ole Kolbjørn; Markeng, Synnøve; Aschim, Anders; Brottveit, Ånund & Erdal, Marta Bivand (2025). Navigating Superdiversity in Muslim and Catholic Religious Education in Norway . Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Superdiversity due to international migration is transforming societies, but also religious communities, across Europe. These developments have implications for both formal and non-formal religious education. This article examines how Muslim and Catholic communities in Norway navigate superdiversity within the educational setting of non-formal faith-based education. Drawing on inclusive pedagogy and a resource-oriented perspective on diversity, we integrate Vertovec’s (2007, 2023) concept of ‘superdiversity’ as both a descriptive and conceptual tool to analyse complexity and difference. Our empirical foundation consists of a representative survey of Muslims in Norway (n = 821/1095) and fieldwork in Catholic and Muslim faith education settings across eight rural and urban contexts, including 55 classroom observations and 99 interviews. First, we outline patterns of superdiversity among Muslims in Norway based on survey data. Second, drawing on fieldwork and interviews, we analyse how superdiversity manifests in rural compared to urban Muslim and Catholic faith communities. Third, we examine how faith-based education deals with superdiversity within, including national, ethnic, racial, linguistic, and generational dimensions. Finally, we discuss the extent and nature of the potential for cross-fertilisation between non-formal faith education and religious education in public schools, highlighting how faith communities’ engagement with superdiversity might inform inclusive pedagogical approaches.

• Kjørven, Ole Kolbjørn; Markeng, Synnøve; Erdal, Marta Bivand; Aschim, Anders & Brottveit, Ånund (2025). Navigating Superdiversity in Muslim and Catholic Religious Education in Norway . Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Markeng, Synnøve (2025). Teaching in the Islamic supplementary education in Norway: Educating Muslim Youth for citizenship? Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Markeng, Synnøve & Aschim, Anders (2025). Fagparallell KRLE: Elevmangfold. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Aschim, Anders; Kjørven, Ole Kolbjørn; Kleive, Hildegunn Valen; Skrefsrud, Thor Andre; Hustvedt, Marianne & Erdal, Marta Bivand [Vis alle 12 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2025). Boklansering: Hvor skal du i helga? En bok om religionsmangfold, trosopplæring og skole. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Markeng, Synnøve (2024). Religiøs identitet i skolen: Utfordringer og muligheter fra elev- og lærerperspektiv. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Kjelling, Anne Grethe & Markeng, Synnøve (2024). Mosque education and mainstream schooling: Young Norwegian Muslim’s faith literacies in public schools. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Within the European context, there is an increasing focus on Islamic Supplementary Education (ISE) as a leisure activity that provide students with valuable resources and knowledge, often referred to as faith literacy (Rosowsky, 2015). In this paper, we ask whether and in what ways students’ faith literacies from ISE might be relevant for teaching and learning in Norwegian public schools. By bringing forward the perspectives of young Muslims who have participated in both learning arenas, we suggest that the challenges and opportunities associated with bringing students pre-existing competencies from ISE is also a question of how religion is perceived in the Norwegian public school.

• Markeng, Synnøve (2024). Ramadan i klasserommet: Dette må du som lærer vite. [Journal]. https://forskning.no/. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  https://www.forskning.no/hogskolen-i-innlandet-kultur-partner/ramadan-i-klasserommet-dette-ma-du-som-laerer-vite/2338605

• Markeng, Synnøve (2024). The Qur’an in formal and non-formal religious education in Norway: Comparing a teachers’ perspective through ‘mirroring’. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Kleive, Hildegunn Valen; Markeng, Synnøve & Kjelling, Anne Grethe (2024). Fasten før festen, mer enn mindre mat. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Markeng, Synnøve (2024). Koranen "her inne" og "der ute": KRLE- og koranlæreres perspektiv på undervisning. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Kjelling, Anne Grethe & Markeng, Synnøve (2024). Knowledge as capital? Young Muslims’ experiences with Mosque Education and public schooling. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Markeng, Synnøve & Berglund, Annika Jenny Viktoria (2023). What is best for the child? Educational strategies among teachers of the Qur’an in Norway. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Markeng, Synnøve (2023). Religiøse skrifter i religionsfaget i Norge: Koranen i komplekse undervisningskontekster. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Markeng, Synnøve (2023). Teaching about the Qur’ān in public schools in Norway. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Markeng, Synnøve (2022). Sacred texts and practices in RE: What approaches are found in teacher training textbooks from 1997-2021? Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Markeng, Synnøve (2022). KRLE-læreres oppfatninger om undervisning om Koranen. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Markeng, Synnøve (2022). The negotiation of text practices in non-formal Quranic education in rural parts of Norway. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Markeng, Synnøve (2021). Utforsking av religiøse skrifter: Religionsdidaktiske innføringsbøker om konkurrerende tekstpraksiser. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Markeng, Synnøve (2021). Tekstpraksis og religiøse skrifter. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Markeng, Synnøve (2019). Approaching Sacred Scripture: RE-teachers and Christian and Muslim Parents. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Markeng, Synnøve; Horsfjord, Vebjørn; Berglund, Jenny & Aschim, Anders (2024). Koranen «her inn» og «der ute»: En kvalitativ undersøkelse av tilnærminger til religiøse skrifter i formell og ikke-formell opplæring. Universitetet i Innlandet. ISSN 9788283804843. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Abstract English: Students who engage in religious education as leisure activity in Norway may learn about religious scriptures in both a religious context and in the mandatory, non-confessional subject in public school. They will thus encounter the same scripture, but within distinct frameworks and through different approaches to what they should learn, how they should learn it, and for what purpose. This article-based thesis investigates approaches to religious scriptures in three different educational settings in Norway: teacher education, the non-confessional Religious Education subject called Christianity, religion, worldviews, and ethics (KRLE), and Islamic Supplementary Education (ISE). The thesis aims to provide insight into what constitutes relevant knowledge about religious scriptures in the aforementioned educational context by contrasting the study of religious scriptures in formal and non-formal education. The overarching research question of the thesis is “what tensions exist between the approaches to religious scriptures in public schools, teacher education, and non-formal Qur’an education?” and “In what ways can we understand the pedagogical challenges and opportunities that emerge from such tensions?” The research questions are investigated through three smaller studies presented in the dissertation’s articles. Each study sheds light on perceptions of religious scriptures within one of the three mentioned educational contexts. The first study examines how religious scriptures are described in introductory textbooks for teacher education. The second study investigates four KRLE teachers’ perceptions of religious scriptures through semi-structured interviews. The third study explores two Quran teachers' pedagogical approaches related to ISE through semi-structured interviews. All articles employ the conceptual framework of James Watts to describe which dimensions of religious scriptures are being emphasized in the different contexts. The findings show that the expressive dimension (oral, visual, and auditive aspects of performances or presentations of religious scriptures) can be of great importance in non- formal education, in this case exemplified through Qur’an recitation in particular. However, there are few traditions for working with this dimension in public school since approaches to religious scripture in KRLE mainly emphasize the semantic dimension (the textual meaning). There is a lack of evidence for the iconic dimension (the distinct treatment that is expected when approaching religious scriptures) in the material. However, this dimension is associated with a call for caution and respect when engaging with religious scriptures, found in both introductory books for teacher education and among the KRLE teachers, and is discussed further in the dissertation’s introductory chapter. In this introductory chapter (Norwegian: “kappa”), the findings from the different articles are discussed in relation to each other to illuminate the relationship between the knowledge conveyed in formal, non-confessional religious education and the non-formal ISE. For instance, the thesis discusses how differences can present challenges for teachers, especially when facing students who are expressing different expectations when it comes to approaching religious scriptures. These tensions are discussed in the context of the academic traditions of religious education, the recontextualizing of subject knowledge, and the students' prior knowledge in KRLE. Thus, examining teachers’ perspectives in non-formal ISE is found to be relevant for shedding new light on taken-previously for-granted perspectives on religious scriptures in the KRLE school subject.

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