This panel focuses on the research of religious education, which can take place both in the public space of schools (e.g. denominational, religious cooperative, religious studies and/or ethical forms of teaching) and in the protected spaces of churches and religious communities. The latter include religious and catechetical instruction of religious doctrine in churches, synagogues, mosques, Cem houses, Buddhist and Hindu temples etc. However, it is not the research object per se that is the focus of the panel, but rather the empirical methods used in the respective research to explore pedagogical concepts, religious type formation, religious literacy, etc. Regardless of whether quantitative and/or qualitative methods are used, the following questions will be asked for the panel: Which methods are best suited for new insights in certain research areas of religious education? What should be kept in mind when dealing with the various methods and what are their pitfalls? What do empirical methods contribute to religious understanding? Which methods can best be used to gather tacit knowledge and/or reflect on one’s own attitudes?Chair: Antje Roggenkamp (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität MünsterSpeakers:Graeme Nixon (University of Aberdeen), Withdrawing from Religious Education – researching the views of teachers?Antje Roggenkamp (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster), Positioning and Positionality in Interreligious Discourse: Methodological ConsiderationsHannah J. Visser (VU Amsterdam), Empirical Challenges and Opportunities in the Evaluation of Interreligious Initiatives: Insights from the Evaluation of Interfaith Leadership Program ‘Emoena’Georgeta Nazarska and Svetla Shapkalova (University of Library Studies and Information Technologies (SULSIT)), Combining Survey and Fieldwork Methods in Non-Confessional Religious Education in Bulgaria: Best Practices of the University of Library Studies and Information Technologies in SofiaMichael Kramer (Universität Graz), Sociological Analysis of Law in the Research of (Islamic) Religious Education: Necessity or Dispensability?Jonas Kolb (Universität Innsbruck), The Role of Empiricism in Islamic Religious Education and Potentials of Specific Empirical Research MethodsEszter Kodácsy-Simon (Evangelical-Lutheran Theological University), Methodological possibilities of a qualitative research based on interviews and questionnaires to explore the views of church school studentsRebecca Meier (Universität Paderborn), Reflected Curiosity and the Interplay of Theory and Practice Grounded Theory Methodologies as research tools for Matters of Religious EducationLars Unstad (Norwegian University of Science and Technology), Design-Based Research and RE