Is inherited faith enough? Transforming generation Z through outcome-based catholic education

In an era of rapid digital transformation, the reliance on traditionally inherited faith is increasingly challenged, necessitating adaptive, student-centred pedagogical approaches such as Outcome-Based Education (OBE). Despite its growing implementation, the effectiveness of OBE in fostering genuine spiritual growth remains under-explored, particularly regarding the subjective lived experiences of students. This study employs Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore how twelve Generation Z students navigate their faith transformation within an OBE-based Catholic Religious Education (CRE) framework. Data were gathered through open-ended questionnaires and semi-structured, in-depth interviews with these twelve participants, subsequently analysed to identify patterns of meaning-making and reflective processes. The findings reveal a significant transition from ‘inherited faith’ – rooted in family tradition – to a ‘personal faith’ forged through reflection on authentic life experiences. Furthermore, while the digital natives value technology as a supportive ecosystem, they regard physical, in-person interaction as the primary catalyst for spiritual development. Conceptually, this research contributes to a humanist-reflective model of OBE that integrates technology as a supplementary tool, rather than a primary indicator of spiritual growth, within the contemporary Catholic educational landscape.