Dissertations / Theses: 'Children’s spirituality'

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Hobby, Kristen Jaye. "An exploration of the dimensions of children’s lived experience of spirituality on “The Walk”." Thesis, Australian Catholic University, 2018. https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/download/99cd983037ab870f7cdd5ab0b1a44a4c564e16a690784b5b7f5176e6244be185/4834204/HOBBY_2018_An_exploration_of_the_dimensions_of.pdf.

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Over the past three decades, the term “spirituality” has been included in the Aotearoa New Zealand early childhood curriculum Te Whāriki (Te Whariki, 2017), the Australian Government’s Belonging, Being and Becoming: Early Years Learning Framework (Belonging, Being and Becoming: Early Years Learning Framework, 2009), and the Welsh Foundation Phase Framework (Early Years Team Department for Educations and Skills, 2015). Despite the use of the term in these countries’ early childhood curriculum documents, little to no pedagogical assistance is given to early childhood educators in describing or defining spirituality that recognises children’s lived experience of spirituality, or further nurturing it once it is recognised. Due to this lack of guidance and support, many early childhood educators tend to ignore spirituality and focus on more easily identified and measurable aspects of education such as physical and mental development. In order to address this issue and explore the expressions of spirituality in young children, this research set out to identify and analyse children’s lived experience of spirituality within an early learning setting informed by the philosophical framework of Reggio Emilia and situated in a natural outdoor environment. This qualitative case study drew upon the sociocultural theory of Lev Vygotsky, which posits that meaning arises and is constructed from interactions between individuals. A new framework of spirituality for early childhood education is proposed that draws upon Vygotsky’s (1998) concept of perezhivanie, a process of reflection and awareness following an event that can lead to transformation and growth in the child. Perezhivanie, combined with the practices of Reggio Emilia philosophy and the stimulated-recall process (Thomson, 2008), creates a robust and productive process with which to recognise and nurture the lived experience of young children’s spirituality in early childhood settings in ways that help educators meet curriculum requirements. This thesis argues that spirituality is an important aspect of children’s growth and development and, when nurtured, can assist them in building increased levels of awareness of themselves, others, and the outside environment as well as help them to make meaning of and negotiate their identity.

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Hyde, Brendan, and res cand@acu edu au. "Identifying Some Characteristics of Children’s Spirituality in Australian Catholic Primary Schools: A study within hermeneutic phenomenology." Australian Catholic University. School of Religious Education, 2005. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp82.04092006.

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This qualitative research study aimed to identify, through classroom observation and conversation, some characteristics of children’s spirituality in Australian Catholic primary schools. In the context of this study, spirituality was described as an essential human trait. While much of the recent literature in the field describes spirituality in terms of connectedness and relationality, in this study spirituality was described as a movement towards Ultimate Unity (de Souza, 2004a, 2004b), whereby at the deepest and widest levels of connectedness, an individual’s true Self may experience unity with Other. Spirituality was also described as the outward expression of such unity in terms of how one acts towards Other. Located within the constructionist epistemology, and in taking its philosophical stance from interpretivism, this qualitative study took its theoretical impetus from that stream of human science known as hermeneutic phenomenology. The videotaped life expressions of two groups of approximately six children in Year three (8-years-olds) and Year five (10-years-olds) in each of three Australian Catholic primary schools formed the texts that were reflected upon in order to gain insight into the spirituality of these children. The researcher met with each group on three occasions. Each group meeting, consisting of a semi-structured interview (conversation) and an activity (observation) was structured around the three categories of spiritual sensitivity – awareness sensing, mystery sensing and value sensing – as proposed by Hay and Nye (1998). van Manen’s (1990) lifeworld existentials were drawn upon as guides to reflection upon the life expressions of these children. Hermeneutic phenomenological reflection upon the texts of this present study identified four characteristics of these children’s spirituality – the felt sense, integrating awareness, weaving the threads of meaning, and spiritual questing. As well, two factors which appeared to inhibit these children’s expression of their spirituality were also identified – material pursuit and trivialising. Each of the four characteristics identified reflected the descriptions of spirituality drawn upon throughout this study, particularly the notion of spirituality as a movement towards Ultimate Unity (de Souza, 2004a, 2004b). In some instances, these characteristics also revealed the emergence of the Collective Self, in which the individual Self of each child became unified with every other Self among the group of children. It was argued then, that a movement towards Ultimate Unity may entail the emergence of a Collective Self, in which, at the deepest and widest levels of connectedness, Self and Other become one and the same. The two inhibiting factors indicated that such a movement was thwarted in that these factors prevented the children from moving beyond their superficial self towards deeper levels of connectedness. As the result of this investigation, this present study proposed some recommendations for learning and teaching in the primary religious education classroom which may nurture spirituality. These include the creation of appropriate spaces for nurturing spirituality, allowing children time to engage in the present moment of their experience, the use of tactile experiences in religious education, and the need to begin with the children’s personally created frameworks of meaning. A learning model for addressing the spiritual, affective and cognitive dimensions of the curriculum has also been offered as a means by which to realise these recommendations for learning and teaching. As well, recommendations for the personal and professional learning of teachers and leaders in Catholic primary schools who seek to nurture the spirituality of their students have also been proposed in light of the characteristics of children’s spirituality that were identified. These include the formation and professional learning for teachers of religious education, and the possibility of revisioning the curriculum to explore where spiritual development might be addressed across the curriculum.

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Mountain, Vivienne, and res cand@acu edu au. "Investigating the Meaning and Function of Prayer for Children in Selected Primary Schools in Melbourne Australia." Australian Catholic University. School of Religious Education, 2004. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp51.29082005.

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Prayer is a central element of all religions (Coleman, 1999; Engebretson, 1999). Alongside the sense of the theological importance of prayer there has been increased recognition of the psychological function and personal benefit of prayer for adults (Pargament, 1997). This thesis reports on research that investigated the theological and psychological perceptions of prayer held by children, shown through their understanding of the meaning and function of prayer. This thesis contributes to the research field of children’s spirituality. As there is little existing research literature on children and prayer, the findings of this study provide valuable new understanding and propose new aspects of theory with implication for professionals involved in the education and the welfare of children. The research reported in this thesis represents the first Australian research on children’s perception of the meaning and function of prayer. The choice of participants reflects the diverse philosophical and religious traditions found in the Australian, multifaith society. Semi-structured interviews were video-recorded with 60 participants from primary school Year Five (10-12 years). Five male and five female participants were selected from each of six different schools in the Melbourne metropolitan area. These were: the Catholic, Independent (Christian), Christian (Parent-Controlled or Community School), Jewish, Islamic and the Government schools. Students completed a drawing exercise and a written sentence completion exercise as part of the interview, and the three sources of data were analysed qualitatively using the method of Grounded Theory. The data was interpreted in the light of a detailed literature review on the nature and function of prayer as part of children’s spirituality. The review also examined relevant sections of the literature of religious education and literature on contemporary Australian life. This study has provided Australian data on the meaning and function of prayer for children as part of children’s spirituality. Considerable agreement has been observed through the data, between children educated in a variety of school systems which embraced different philosophical and faith traditions. In the multicultural Australian community said to be secularized, prayer for these children has been shown as a valued aspect of life. The personal experiences of prayer for many were seen to be associated with the community of faith to which the participants belonged, and for others, prayer was learnt eclectically and practised in a private individualistic manner. All participants indicated that they had prayed and all contributed ideas about prayer through the interviews. All participants perceived prayer to function as an aid in life. Prayer was used by participants at significant moments in their life, and the words or thoughts in prayer helped to clarify and articulate deep feelings. Eight elements of theory (in accord with the literature on Grounded Theory ) have been generated through this research which are presented as recommendations for professionals engaged in religious education and student welfare.

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Nye, Rebecca. "Psychological perspectives on children's spirituality." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 1998. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/11177/.

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There have been very few attempts to understand the nature of children's spirituality which have undertaken a study of children themselves. More often this topic has been examined through the various perspectives provided by religious, moral, educational and generally adult agenda. This thesis offers a study of children's spirituality drawing on perspectives from developmental psychology. Its intention is to make a distinctive theoretical contribution towards an understanding of children's nature. The methodological approach is that of an empirical, qualitative investigation and analysis. The main data presented are interviews conducted with six and ten year old children in which the opportunity to discuss potentially spiritual experiences, feelings, and issues was encouraged. Chapter 1 explores the history of interest in spirituality reflected in education policy documents, as well as a selective review of the scholarly education literature this has increasingly inspired. Chapter 2 explores the nature of a psychological contribution. Although the spiritual has rarely found an established place in psychology's research agenda, I offer a compilation of relevant exceptions to this neglect. These are drawn both from explicit attempts by psychologists to investigate discrete aspects of children's religious lives, as well as from psychological models of development in which the nature of children's spirituality is more implicitly suggested. The development of a provisional conceptual framework specifically for children's spirituality (particularly the empirical study of it) is outlined in chapter 3. A variety of psychological scholarship is used to inform this framework, as is a discussion of the complexities affecting the definition of spirituality in a contemporary context. Since few empirical studies have been conducted in this area, the methodological approach devised for this study is described in detail. Considerable attention is given to the foundational issue of the researcher's perspective, as well as the procedural stages from piloting to data analysis. Chapters 5 and 6 offer my interpretative analyses. I describe how repeated qualitative analysis was essential to uncovering layers of meaning in the data, and how this gradually gave way to an interpretative account of children's spirituality expressed in broadly psychological terms. I propose that much of the nature of children's spirituality may be described in terms of a demonstration of a particular kind of consciousness, referred to here as 'relational consciousness'. This core category is further explored in terms of its contributory dimensions, drawing on a coding paradigm suggested by grounded theory methodologists. The final chapter considers additional psychological parallels which this new description of children's spirituality affords, and the more general implications of this work for children's education. It is suggested that the conduct of the study as a whole in terms of its literature research, method, data and analytical framework, demonstrates the potential of pursuing a psychologically informed approach in this area.

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Giesenberg, Anna. "The phenomenon of preschool children's spirituality." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2007. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/16519/1/Anna_Giesenberg_Thesis.pdf.

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Spirituality is discussed as seen in literature from the disciplines of psychology, religion, education, nursing, politics and philosophy. Special emphasis is placed on how spirituality is viewed in regard to young children. From the disciplines mentioned, an overall definition of spirituality - at least for adults - is derived: "Spirituality is an innate ability to show awareness or consciousness of the surrounding world shown through wonder, a sense of compassion, and love towards this world and everything in it, and for some people a relationship with a transcendent being, who can also be immanent in the individual." Findings are described from a field study of 12 months duration where 56 children, aged 3-7 years, from 4 different early childhood settings were followed on a fortnightly basis. The children were able to express aspects of spirituality in their play, discussions and artwork, such as paintings and drawings. The children were asked to paint and draw their experiences of selected pieces of chamber music, of a beautiful day, of love, and of dreams. In addition children were observed in their interactions with peers. The data were analysed using a combination of Grounded Theory methodology and Phenomenology. The main finding is that young children "live in" their spirituality, and that young children are very aware of their surroundings and are able to express abstract concepts such as love, beauty, wonder and compassion. Young children's spirituality differs from adults in one major aspect: that they do not express a relationship with a transcendent being. It appears that spirituality may be innate as described by Montessori (1949), Hegel (1807) and Descartes (in Luria & Vygotsky, 1998). Suggestions for dealing with young children and their spirituality are made for the early childhood educator. Suggestions for further studies related to young children's spirituality are also made.

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Giesenberg, Anna. "The phenomenon of preschool children's spirituality." Queensland University of Technology, 2007. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/16519/.

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Spirituality is discussed as seen in literature from the disciplines of psychology, religion, education, nursing, politics and philosophy. Special emphasis is placed on how spirituality is viewed in regard to young children. From the disciplines mentioned, an overall definition of spirituality - at least for adults - is derived: "Spirituality is an innate ability to show awareness or consciousness of the surrounding world shown through wonder, a sense of compassion, and love towards this world and everything in it, and for some people a relationship with a transcendent being, who can also be immanent in the individual." Findings are described from a field study of 12 months duration where 56 children, aged 3-7 years, from 4 different early childhood settings were followed on a fortnightly basis. The children were able to express aspects of spirituality in their play, discussions and artwork, such as paintings and drawings. The children were asked to paint and draw their experiences of selected pieces of chamber music, of a beautiful day, of love, and of dreams. In addition children were observed in their interactions with peers. The data were analysed using a combination of Grounded Theory methodology and Phenomenology. The main finding is that young children "live in" their spirituality, and that young children are very aware of their surroundings and are able to express abstract concepts such as love, beauty, wonder and compassion. Young children's spirituality differs from adults in one major aspect: that they do not express a relationship with a transcendent being. It appears that spirituality may be innate as described by Montessori (1949), Hegel (1807) and Descartes (in Luria & Vygotsky, 1998). Suggestions for dealing with young children and their spirituality are made for the early childhood educator. Suggestions for further studies related to young children's spirituality are also made.

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Moore, Kelsey. "Diverse voices: childrens' perceptions of spirituality." Thesis, McGill University, 2011. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=104841.

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Children (N = 64; 6-11 years, 50% boy) from different religious and cultural backgrounds were interviewed using open-ended questions concerning their spiritual thoughts, beliefs, and experiences. Additionally, parents completed a demographic questionnaire and reported children's religious affiliation. Regardless of children's religious background, eighteen overarching themes emerged in the transcripts and include: 1) Feeling Good/Happy/Better when Praying/Thinking about God, 2) God's Location , 3) God Helps, 4) God the Creator, 5) God Listens, 6) Different People have Different Beliefs, 7) Soul and Spirit, 8) Prayer Location, 9) Description of God, 10) Thanking God, 11) God Watches, 12) Praying to God when Feeling Bad (sadness, loneliness, death), 13) God and Nature, 14) Body and Prayer, 15) Description of Faith, 16) God and Miracles, 17) God Grants Wishes, 18) Belief and Non/Belief. Children's understandings of the role of the divine and the purpose of prayer may influence social-emotional development, adjustment, and coping. In future research, the participants' coded responses will be developed into items for a children's spirituality measure. Keywords: spirituality, children, diversity
Les enfants qui ont participé à la présente étude (N=64; 6 à 11 ans, 50% de garçons) proviennent de milieux culturels et religieux variés. Pour cerner l'affiliation religieuse des participants, leurs parents ont complété un questionnaire à caractère démographique. Par l'entremise de questions ouvertes, nous avons pu recueillir leurs pensées, croyances, et expériences spirituelles. Après avoir analysé les données d'entrevues, 18 grands thèmes énumérés ci-dessous font surface, et cela, sans corrélation avec l'appartenance religieuse identifiée : 1) Prier/penser à Dieu pour améliorer leur bien-être/humeur, 2) où Dieu se trouve, 3) Dieu aide, 4) Dieu est créateur, 5) Dieu écoute, 6) différentes personnes ont des croyances différentes, 7) esprit et âme, 8) endroits de prière, 9) description de Dieu, 10) remercier Dieu, 11) Dieu nous surveille, 12) prier à Dieu quand triste, seul, ou à cause de la mort, 13) Dieu dans la nature, 14) Corps et prière, 15) description de la foi, 16) Dieu et les miracles, 17) Dieu exauce les vœux, 18) croyance ou non croyance en Dieu. La compréhension des enfants sur le rôle de la prière et du divin dans leur vie pourrait vraisemblablement avoir une influence marquée sur leur développement socio-affectif, ainsi que sur leurs ajustements et comportements d'adaptation. Afin d'explorer davantage le sujet, l'étude aura comme objectif futur d'utiliser les réponses codées des participants pour les catégoriser et enfin développer une méthode qui permettra de mesurer la spiritualité des enfants. Mot Clés : la spiritualité, les enfants, la diversité

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Miesse, Colette A. "Religiosity and spirituality in African American children." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2005. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4761/.

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An exploratory study was conducted to augment the current literature on religiosity and spirituality by identifying and systematically measuring the salient variables and underlying constructs regarding spirituality and religion in African American families and their children between the ages of 7 to 12. The study examined psychosocial correlates, such as self-esteem and ethnic identity, and their impact on religiosity and spirituality. This study sought to validate the Age-Universal I/E Scale for use with African American children occurred with this study and pilot the African American Children's Ethnic Identity Scale (ACHEIDS). Through qualitative and quantitative research this study found multiple correlations associated with religion, spirituality, age, gender, aspects of self-esteem, and ethnic identity. Regression analyses were also conducted to identify predictive variables associated with the I/E.

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Goodliff, Gill. "Young children's expressions of spirituality : an ethnographic case study." Thesis, Open University, 2013. http://oro.open.ac.uk/54686/.

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Historically the fostering of children's spirituality or spiritual development has been embedded in English education legislation. The underpinning principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework (DC SF, 2008), for children from birth to five years, made explicit reference to a spiritual dimension of young children's wellbeing. Yet spirituality receives scant acknowledgement in practice and there is little research focusing on exploring young children's spirituality in pre-school contexts. Located within an interpretive paradigm, this ethnographic case study of children aged two and three years in a day nursery, explores the language(s) of spiritual expression. A socio-cultural (Vygotsky, 1978) perspective of the child underpins the study that recognizes children's agency (Dahlberg et aI., 1999) in constructing meanings about the spiritual through their relationships and participation in everyday activities and interactions. Multi-layered data collection methods for listening to young children were chosen including direct observation, participant and non-participant observation, audio recording and digital photographs. A hermeneutic approach underpins the analysis and interpretation of the data. Findings reveal the multi-dimensional nature of young children's spirirual languages expressed in relational and imaginative spaces through creativity, reflection and embodied meaning making. This thesis argues for a broader situating of spirituality in English early childhood education that recognises the cross-curricular potential for learning imbued with the spiritual. A model of the multi-dimensional language of spirituality is presented to support practitioners in recognising young children's expressions of the spiritual separate to any association with religion or a belief system.

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Hyde, Brendan. "Identifying some characteristics of children's spirituality in Australian Catholic primary schools: a study within hermeneutic phenomenology." Thesis, Australian Catholic University, 2005. https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/download/d0ba7402e4cd9d02ee8a5de1fc85c39c4becf489b4731f90e35b0cc8874dfa97/8445668/64924_downloaded_stream_149.pdf.

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This qualitative research study aimed to identify, through classroom observation and conversation, some characteristics of children's spirituality in Australian Catholic primary schools. In the context of this study, spirituality was described as an essential human trait. While much of the recent literature in the field describes spirituality in terms of connectedness and relationality, in this study spirituality was described as a movement towards Ultimate Unity (de Souza, 2004a, 2004b), whereby at the deepest and widest levels of connectedness, an individual's true Self may experience unity with Other. Spirituality was also described as the outward expression of such unity in terms of how one acts towards Other.

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Quick, Molly. "Replicating Predictors of Spirituality and Happiness in Children." Thesis, Seattle Pacific University, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3581561.

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Positive psychology provides the theoretical framework for this replication and extension study of Holder, Coleman, and Wallace (2010). Their results indicated that spirituality (especially the domains of communal and personal) predicted students' (N = 307) happiness (across three dependent measures), even after controlling for temperament (Faces Scale (communal, r = .45, personal, r = .44; p < .05), Oxford Happiness Questionnaire-Short Form (communal, r = .44, personal, r = .48; p < .05), and the Subjective Happiness Scale (communal, r = .34, personal, r = .38; p < .05). The present study used archival data drawn from students in grades 4 through 6 (approximately 8 to 12 years old) attending private (faith-based) schools in Western Washington. Similar to the Holder et al. results, this study revealed positive correlations between spirituality and happiness, even after controlling for gender, grade level, and temperament. Extending the work of Holder et al., participant grade level was included in the regression model in order to account for developmental differences among children, but grade level did not contribute significantly to the overall prediction of students' happiness levels. Gender was also of little predicative value. Implications for theory, research, and practice are included.

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Wallace, Judith Maureen. "The contributions of spirituality and religious practices to children's happiness." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/19996.

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The relations between happiness and spirituality and religious practices in children aged 8-12 years were examined. Participants included 320 students in Grades 4-6 in both public and private (faith based) schools in Western Canada and their parents. Children rated their happiness using the Subjective Happiness Scale and the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, Short Form, their spirituality using the Spiritual Well-Being Questionnaire, and their religiousness using the Religious Practice Scale adapted from the Brief Multidimensional Measurement of Religiousness/Spirituality. In addition, parents rated their children’s happiness using the Faces Scale, a single-item measure. Bivariate correlations indicated religious practices were not related to children’s happiness. Multiple regression analyses indicated that spirituality accounted for between 5-25% of the variance in children’s happiness, depending on the person rating happiness (i.e., parents vs. children), and the happiness measure utilized. The Personal domain of spirituality accounted for a unique amount of the variance in children’s happiness over and above the combined effect of all spirituality variables, again depending on the person rating happiness (i.e., parents vs. children), and the happiness measure utilized. Children who reported higher levels of meaning, purpose, and values in their own life reported higher levels of happiness as rated by themselves and their parents. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that spirituality accounted for between 6-28% of the variance in children’s happiness, depending on the person rating happiness (i.e., parents vs. children), and the happiness measure utilized when gender and school were controlled for. Gender did not explain any of the happiness variance but school (public vs. private) did. The results of the current study parallel research investigating the relation between happiness and spirituality and religion in adolescents and adults. Limitations of the current study and future direction for research in spirituality and happiness are discussed.

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Burgman, Imelda M. "Reflections on being spirituality within children's narratives of identity and disability /." Connect to full text, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/1171.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 2006.
Title from title screen (viewed 12 February 2009). Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Occupation and Leisure Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print form.

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Eaude, David Anthony. "Beyond awe and wonder : a study of how teachers understand young children's spiritual development." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.270069.

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Johnson, Peter. "Spirituality in the primary school : a study of teacher attitudes." Thesis, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.683286.

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Stimpson, Helen Rosalinde. "Spiritual guides : supporting adults who nurture the spirituality of children." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2016. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/7349/.

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This research considers the role of those who support voluntary youth leaders in their responsibility to nurture spiritual development in children and young people. It discusses particularly those who work in organisations with an ethos of supporting such spiritual development and at the same time of welcoming members of many faiths and encouraging their full participation in their various faith traditions. The specific context of the research is the work of the Guide Movement and, in particular, of Girlguiding in the United Kingdom. The research addresses the current challenges but also the enormous value of providing for young people a multi-faith space in which it is genuinely ‘OK to do God’. It discusses the issues which leaders are raising and some suggestions which trainers have made for addressing these.

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Clay, Megan. "Dancing in the cosmos : towards liberating theological models for children's spirituality and sexuality." Thesis, University of Winchester, 2012. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.681536.

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This thesis is born out of my own experiences of abuse and of the liberating energy of the divine within this process. There was a struggle and I did not have a language to name my own pain. Both society and the church left me voiceless in relation to my particular experiences but I found a voice in art. From these beginnings I developed a passionate desire to find a new model for our female children, one of empowered embodiment and radical connection, as I realise I was not alone in my experience of voiceless vulnerability. It is my hope that the model I develop will make the girl child less vulnerable to patriarchal systems while not losing the strength of mutual vulnerability of which theologians speak. Therefore, I examine what Christianity offers the girl child in the areas of sexuality and spirituality and then move on to ask if the interdisciplinary mingling of the new cosmology with feminist theology, which gave me my voice, offers bigger, bolder and more creative spaces in which to grow empowered and passionate girl children. The new cosmology builds on the embodied opportunities that feminist and radical sexual theology open up for us by exploring the place of the body in the widest possible sphere that of the cosmos itself while not losing the intimacy of that task. This can be demonstrated in the work of Rupert Sheldrake and Judy Cannato who explore the resonance of energetic fields yet link this with human reality. Further, the work of Peter Levine and Maggie Klein, Linda Hartley and Luce Irigaray in the area of breath demonstrates the scientific and also theological significance of this fully embodied activity. Part of my work is a set of painted panels illustrating our Universe story from the Big Bang to the creation of our planet. These are the backbone of the art work from which I develop a series of other art works which demonstrate my interpretation of the interplay between embodied narrative of the internal world of the feminine and that of the external environment of theology, society, religion and culture. My art work shows the artist as present as it weaves its way in the written narrative of my thesis.

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Rezek, Robin R. Rezek Robin R. "Young Children in Worship." Thesis, Concordia University Chicago, 2013. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3573703.

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Westerhoff (2000) reminds Christian congregations that children become members of the Christian Church from the moment they are baptized. Therefore, infants and young children should be present during congregational corporate worship services. It is through mentoring and modeling of the Christian faith that young children have optimal opportunity to grow in their relationship with God.

The goal of this qualitative case study was to look at what happens during corporate worship from the perspective of young children. Data were gathered from thirteen worship participants (ages five-nine) from two Lutheran congregations in order to determine the elements of corporate worship that help them encounter God.

The findings reveal that intergenerational corporate worship provides an opportunity for the mentoring/modeling dynamic that is central to Westerhoff's (2000) theory. The participants in this study report having meaningful encounters with God during church through various elements. Future research should replicate this inquiry in Christian congregations of other denominations.

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Schafer, Keri A. "Child of Wonder: A Resource for Christian Caregivers Leading Children in Spiritual Practice." Ashland Theological Seminary / OhioLINK, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=atssem1596709931654317.

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Moriarty, Micheline Wyn. "An investigation of the spirituality of children in Victorian state primary schools." Thesis, Australian Catholic University, 2010. https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/download/48148d4e94100e97e6ec51098bbbc27825c2819fad15c916f57162807ff21567/4578767/65012_downloaded_stream_237.pdf.

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The aim of this research was to investigate aspects of the spirituality of children in Victorian state primary schools. The researcher's experience as a teacher of Christian Religious Education (CRE) in Victorian state primary schools motivated her to investigate the spiritual experiences of contemporary children in this secular, and largely unexplored, context. The objective was to enhance the teaching of Christian Religious Education in these schools. The theoretical framework for this research was hermeneutic phenomenology, drawing on Gadamer's (1975) 'fusion of horizons', and Ricoeur's (1974, 1985) methods of textual interpretation and his concept of 'narrative identity'. A review of the literature of recent research into children's spirituality suggested to the researcher that children's spirituality can be expressed in four dimensions: 1) consciousness and 2) relationships, 3) identity and 4) roadmap, with an integrating central concept of worldview. This conceptualization became the basis for the research method. The research method consisted of three semi-structured interviews, two group interviews and one with individual children. These interviews were conducted in three Victorian state schools, with a total of 24 children aged eight to ten years (grades three and four). The group interviews explored the children's experiences relating to heightened consciousness (for example, awe and wonder) and their relationships with the Transcendent, other people and the natural world. The individual interviews explored the meaning-making dimensions of identity (self concept), and roadmap and worldview (values and aspirations). These interviews were video-taped, and transcribed. Profiles were prepared on each child based on Champagne's (2003) spiritual modes of being. There were four major findings of the research.;Firstly, the children demonstrated their capacity to 'reach out' with a heightened consciousness to explore their understanding of, and relationship with the natural world, the Transcendent, and other people (Hay & Nye, 2006). Secondly, the children demonstrated innate spiritual resources within themselves (Hart, 2003). The different environments in which the children were living seemed to have an impact of the development of their values, and their 'sense of meaning and connectedness' (Hyde, 2008). For most of the children the social context was non religious. This meant that the children used contemporary resources other than religion to express meaning and values. Finally, the children's sense of identity seemed to grow out of all these factors, as they tried to construct a meaningful 'story' of their lives (Ricoeur, 1985). These findings led the researcher to revise the initial conceptualization of children's spirituality to a more dynamic construction culminating in a sense of self identity and meaning. Based on this study the researcher recommends that the teaching of CRE in state schools attempts to enhance this sense of self-identity by providing the children with Biblical language and stories as vehicles for expressing their innate spiritual awareness through their own story. This may also encourage a meaningful relationship with Other. Furthermore, introduction to Christian values can both enhance the positive and critique the negative values of the society in which these children are developing their sense of self-worth and connectedness.

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Soell, Kurt D. "Spirituality and Depression in Parents with Children in Oncology or Hematology Treatment." ScholarWorks, 2011. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/938.

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The psychological burden of cancer treatment affects not only child patients but also their parents. There is extensive literature on the positive influence of spirituality on the cancer patient. But there is a gap in the literature on the potential healing influence of spirituality on the parent of the cancer or hematology patient. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between spirituality and parents' levels of depression and anxiety during their child's hematological or oncology treatment. Using the transtheoretical model of change, a purposive sample of 48 parents of children undergoing cancer or hematology treatment completed a demographic form and the Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (DSES), which was used to divide participants into two groups, spiritual and nonspiritual, based on their median scores. Participants then completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), which were used as indices of psychological resiliency. These data were analyzed using independent samples t tests and ANOVA to determine if scores on the DSES predicted a difference between groups on both the BDI and the BAI. No significant effects were found. In order to clearly identify the role spirituality plays in mediating resiliency for coping with a life-threatening illness, more precise operational definitions and measures for the construct of psychological resiliency are needed. Implications for positive social change include a better understanding of the role spirituality plays in improved psychological resilience in times of medical crisis. Implementing such programs will lead to social change in the manner in which we counsel and approach parents facing this crisis.

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Renault, Caroline Anne. "Little angels." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.364741.

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Sauln, Cynthia S. "In my dreams I am the hero I wish to be| A mixed-methods study of children's dreams, meaning making, and spiritual awareness." Thesis, Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, 2013. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3596835.

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This study of children's dreams used a mixed method to examine the dreams of 32 English-speaking children, ages 6-12 from the San Francisco Bay Area. The primary purpose of this research was to investigate dreams identified by the children as significant or meaningful, explore children's interpretations and meaning making, and to find if there was support for the hypothesis that some dreams might be connected to children's spiritual awareness, or influenced by their spirituality, beliefs, and practices, areas that have had little attention in previous dream research. Using a semi-structured interview protocol, participants were asked to tell the dream while drawing a picture of the dream. Major dream themes were identified, and the resulting dream data were correlated to participants' spiritual awareness, as measured by the Feeling Good, Living Life instrument (FGLL), specifically designed to measure spiritual health in children, and the Practice and Beliefs Scale for Children (PBSC) a 10-item instrument designed to assess connections between spirituality and religiosity. The FGLL was developed to measure four domains of spiritual well-being: Personal, Communal, Environmental, and Transcendental. The PBSC used a sentence-completion format to reflect the individual's language and assessed children's belief in the God of their definition as well as the importance and the role of the child's spiritual beliefs in coping in everyday life. Findings from the qualitative and quantitative results showed evidence of children's spiritual awareness in all domains, reflected their spirituality in the areas of awareness-sensing, value-sensing, and mystery-sensing, and found correlations between some of the dreams, meaning making, and their spiritual understanding. Implications are noted for therapists, spiritual directors, researchers, parents, and other adults who work with children regarding the benefits and challenges of dream work with children in this age group as a way of recognizing and nurturing their spirituality.

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McCreery, Elaine. "Promoting children's spiritual development in education : a review of the literature and an exploration of teachers' attitudes." Thesis, Roehampton University, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.326828.

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au, Glenn Cupit@unisa edu, and Christopher Glenn Cupit. "Spiritual development and the public educative care of children: a critical evaluation of biblical and dynamic systems perspectives." Murdoch University, 2002. http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browse/view/adt-MU20051129.114720.

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A useful model of spiritual development in the public educative care of children must: specify the meaning and nature of spirituality; clarify its relationship to an underlying ontology; identify in what sense spirituality is developmental; be consistent with a justifiable paradigm of human development; explain the role and status of such spiritual development with a secular system of educative care; and specify practical implications flowing from these matters. Using narrative criticism within an evangelical framework, the biblical descriptions of spirituality and childhood were critically examined as a basis for such a model. Biblical spirituality was developmental and was identified with encounters, usually naturally mediated, between human spirits and God's Spirit, and spirits which alienate from God's Spirit. All children, without qualification of belief, community, rite or age, were identified as spirits who share a special relationship with God's Spirit both ontologically and experientially. Biblical childhood was not defined chronologically but functionally by inability to take responsibility for one's own spiritual life because of openness to God's and other spirits. Principles of 'magician systems' in Dynamic Systems Theory parallel phenomena of human development and those commonly designated as spiritual. Consequently, a dynamic model of spiritual development is proposed which is consonant with biblical teaching and grounded in an established scientific paradigm. This indicates that spirituality is an inescapable aspect of any educative care setting or system and need not be introduced as though children lack it. Spiritually salient aspects of educative care will lead children to spiritual encounters which are derivative of a positive life affirming principle or fundamentally destructive and alienating. These aspects encompass the spiritual ontology of the setting, the children, the personnel, the physical environment, the nature and quality of relationships, the curriculum, religious activities, the nurture provided, and the wider context, all of which are of spiritual moment.

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Deadrick-Boone, Karima Aisha. "The perceived influence of spirituality in adolescent residential group homes." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2004. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2647.

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This qualitative study explores the perceived influence of spirituality on ethnic minority adolescent's outcomes in faith-based residential group homes. Study results offer a deeper understanding of the influence and implementation of spiritual practices among children impacted by child welfare.

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Mahon, Mary Kathleen. "Todo lo puede| Promoting agency in poor children in Costa Rica." Thesis, Biola University, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3666734.

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This study was conducted to contribute a qualitative inquiry regarding the role of teachers in the education of children who were born into the Intergenerational Transmission of Poverty (ITP) cycle in Latin America. Education is key to help students pull themselves out of poverty and yet the drop-out rates in primary school among children born into poverty in Latin America remains high. The purpose of the case study was to discover and describe how teachers can foster agency in students born into poverty. Agency is ability to initiate and carry out activities on one's own. The research focused on teachers' beliefs and assumptions about their students, the teachers' methodologies, the students' expressions of agency, and the construction of a Christian identity in the students.

Data were collected through focus groups interviews with 3^rd and 4^th grade students, teacher interviews, and observations in a Christian elementary school affiliated with Latin America ChildCare and Fundación PIEDAD located in a zone of social vulnerability in San José, Costa Rica.

Four practices within the educational community emerged from the data as promoting agency within students: (a) the use of adaptive constructivism techniques in education, (b) a focus on agency in the identity development of the students, (c) the use of narrative for meaning making in the lives of the students, and (d) the fostering of an experiential spirituality among the students, teachers, and staff.

Recommendations for further research include longitudinal studies of students born into poverty, the role of agency in fostering school retention in secondary school, and studies of intrinsic motivations of students born into poverty.

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Saunders, Janine Michelle. "Exposure to chronic community violence : formal kinship, informal kinship, and spirituality as stress moderators for African American children /." Digital version accessible at:, 1999. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/utexas/main.

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Hoopes, Marva L. "The power of story in the spiritual development of children." Thesis, Biola University, 2013. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3589727.

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In a child's life, the church has minimal time to make a maximum impact. The time children are in church must not be wasted, but should be spent in valuable and life changing ways. Stories have long been included in Christian education, but is the practice of telling stories something that is continued merely because "we've always done it this way," or is there merit in continuing their use? Story is a wildly popular theme in Christian education today and children love stories, but there is more to a story than mere amusement? Parents and Christian educators wrestle with questions such as "How do stories have lasting meaning and life changing influence on children's lives?" "How can stories be used to affect children's spiritual growth?" "What kinds of stories should be included?" These are important questions to consider as Christian educators set pedagogical goals and specific methodology is followed.

This research attempts to address these questions by investigating empirical, theoretical, and theological literature related to two domains: (a) what characterizes the spiritual life and development of children, and (b) how story can be used by Christian educators and parents to benefit the instruction and spiritual growth of children. Beginning with an analysis of the spiritual life of children, it will then be shown how story affects the whole person, rendering it a very powerful medium. Using Luke 10:27 as an organizing principle, story is analyzed as to how it affects the heart, the affective realm; the soul, the spiritual realm; strength, the behavioral realm; the mind, the cognitive realm; and loving neighbor as oneself, the social realm. These realms, together, comprise a faith that involves a totality of commitment. Recommendations are then made as to how parents and Christian educators can use the power of story to benefit the instruction and spiritual growth of children. The use of story can be a spark for children's spiritual growth and holds great potential benefit for the church and for the children who are a part of the community of faith.

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Fox, Liza. "How Waldorf early educators teach parents to parent their children during the first seven years." Thesis, California Institute of Integral Studies, 2015. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3712312.

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This dissertation explores how Waldorf early childhood educators use the theories and practices embedded in Waldorf early childhood education (WECE), which are based on the psycho-spiritual-biological model of development developed by philosopher Rudolf Steiner, to help parents care for their children during their first 7 years. While there is a large body of writing on Waldorf early childhood theory and practice from within the Waldorf community, little has been written in scholarly and academic circles. Seeking to bridge this divide, 12 senior Waldorf early childhood educators who are acknowledged experts in their communities were interviewed. The study gathered information from senior Waldorf early childhood educators through qualitative, semi-structured interviews aimed at understanding the nature of teaching parenting skills that accord with Waldorf early childhood principles. Interview questions were informed by the literature review, which focuses on Steiner’s (2003) developmental theory, Susan Howard’s (2006) outline of early childhood education essentials, and the historical contexts in which these teachings are embedded. All interviews were analyzed using an adaptation of grounded theory methods. Results illuminated 11 major themes to describe how parent educators use the environment and their “being” to offer parent-centered, experiential practices rooted in Anthroposophy that “protect childhood” from impinging cultural conditions and contemporary parenting challenges. Through modeling and relationship with parents and children, parent educators offer a set of parenting skills that support health for families as understood through an Anthroposophical developmental lens. Additionally, parent educators help foster community and attachments such that parents can integrate their learning and begin a path of inner transformation. The study is designed to provide an empirical base to discussions of how Waldorf early education of parents works at the beginning of the 21st century.

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Parfaite, Brianna M. "Children of Light." Kent State University Honors College / OhioLINK, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ksuhonors1556927069337704.

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Harari, Sarah Hobson 1959. "Relationship of social support and spirituality to the coping effort of mothers of critically ill children." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/558126.

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Pang, Alfred Kah Meng. "Called Forth By The Child To Teach: Lasallian Mysticism Of Faith and Teaching For Children's Liberation." Thesis, Boston College, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:108943.

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Thesis advisor: Hosffman Ospino
There is a pressing need to re-awaken in teaching the prophetic call to serve the liberation of children, whose complex humanity remains systemically marginalized. This proposal is grounded in a study of the Lasallian tradition of education, which originates from John Baptist de La Salle (1651-1719), founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in seventeenth century France and the patron saint for Christian teachers of the young. From a Lasallian perspective, the prophetic call to teach for children’s liberation is rooted contemplatively in a Christian mysticism of faith, which energizes an incarnational mission of education in zeal, shaped by a preferential option for children as the poor and marginalized. This preferential option for children is a hermeneutical key that reads the Lasallian mission of education forward into the twenty-first century. I develop this idea of a preferential option for children, locating it in an interpretive study that critically synthesizes a Lasallian theology of child with literature in childhood studies, spirituality, critical pedagogy and participatory action research. Building on the Lasallian imagination, this study contributes to a Christian spirituality of education as it examines how contemporary theological perspectives on children and childhood serve as a lens that deepens the interconnection between Christian mysticism, liberation, and child in teaching as a prophetic vocation. To teach for children’s liberation is to promote their flourishing as full human beings created in the image and likeness of God. It attends to conditions that protect children in their social marginalization while engaging and developing their social participation as responsible agents in our common belonging to God as God’s children and siblings-in-Christ. It demands just presence in teaching, which begins with listening as receptivity to the mystery of the child as graced irruption. The prophetic call to teach for children’s liberation is mystically rooted in contemplative wonder at the Incarnation. Such wonder must also open the teacher to being disturbed by the scandalizing action of God, who steps out of God-self not only to be with the poor, but also in the least as a human child in Jesus Christ. It is this recognition of God’s presence in each child and with children that calls forth the responsibility of teachers, making an ethical claim on them to be courageously present in ways that prioritize the human dignity of children in education
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2020
Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry

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Goodwin, Denise Anne Carmel. "Exploring the spirituality and religiosity of Dinka Children in Catholic Schools in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria." Thesis, Australian Catholic University, 2011. https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/download/770291ba45bc18daf4771abb3edd00362c2c2dd4c472a46339cfacbc88087040/29160404/64885_downloaded_stream_110.pdf.

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This research explored the religiosity and spirituality of newly arrived Catholic Dinka children in Catholic schools in the western suburbs of Melbourne. In particular, the study focused on Dinka children's spirituality borne of their experiences of war and trauma and sought to understand their perceptions of God, Jesus, Church and prayer. A disparity was highlighted between the available literature on children's spirituality, (Hay & Nye, 1998; Hyde, 2005; Mountain, 2005), which presented findings from children who were 'untraumatised', with the predisposition of the Dinka children who were traumatised. The research aimed to identify incongruities between these and Catholic religious education assumptions in their schools. This qualitative research was guided by an epistemology of constructivism, which aimed at gathering a Dinka community narrative that was subjected to interpretive analysis, specifically phenomenological hermeneutics.

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Gary, Mallory Lynn. "Family Attitudes, Beliefs, And Practices Facilitating A Sense Of Purpose In Black American Children And Youth: A Grounded Theory." OpenSIUC, 2012. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/dissertations/463.

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i ABSTRACT Sense of purpose is strongly associated with positive health behaviors and academic achievement (Turner-Musa & Lipscomb, 2007, Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics FIFCFS, 2010). The purpose of this qualitative research study was to develop grounded theory by the exploration of sense of purpose by describing and interpreting attitudes, beliefs, and practices among Black American families participating in an outreach program in Southern, IL. Grounded theory was used to explain the phenomenon of sense of purpose, and the relationship among optimism, faith, hope, spirituality and sense of meaning. A non probability purposive sample was used for the study. The sample consisted of 10 families, which were comprised of 26 individual, seven Black American mothers, one Black American father, one Black American grandmother, one Caucasian guardian and 16 children. Data collection included audio-taping first order narratives derived through individual interviews, field notes and observations in the homes of the participating families. Findings included identifying common and less common categories. The common categories were God, relationships, education, communication, financial security, autonomy and independence, leadership qualities, perseverance, self efficacy, life lessons, cooperation and opportunities. Less common categories, appearing in at least one family, were discipline and structure, and celebration of life. The central category linking all the categories and constructs together was identified as communication. Some causal affects influenced the prevalence of certain categories and how they were connected to the five constructs. These causal affects were poverty, parental education levels, and illness.

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Blomquist, Jesper. ""Vem bryr sig?" - om fyra förskollärares perspektiv på, och arbete med, barns andlighet." Thesis, Malmö universitet, Fakulteten för lärande och samhälle (LS), 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-32192.

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The aim of this qualitative study is to investigate how educators in preschools with denominational components reflect upon, and work with children’s spirituality. In order to meet this aim, two research questions were posed concerning educators’ approach to, and teaching strategies of, children’s spirituality, and semi–structured interviews were conducted with four educators employed by preschools with denominational components. The findings of the study were then analyzed, and interpreted, using hermeneutic phenomenology as a theoretical tool. The research results recognize that the informants view spirituality as an innate human trait; an anthropological, intrinsic phenomenon that is highly individual yet can be explored together with others. Findings further include that the didactic strategies applied, involve educators’ attitude towards the phenomenon, as well as their inclination to explore “spiritual moments” or “ultimate questions” with children as the opportunity arises.

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Victor, Karin. "Psychological well-being, religiousness, and spirituality in the lives of adolescents from intact and divorced families." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/85681.

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Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2013.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Adolescence is a difficult life stage to navigate, and having to face a significant life crisis, such as the divorce of one’s parents, intensifies the already heavy burden of adolescence. Divorce, moreover, may have lasting detrimental ramifications for the individual. As a result, the individual seeks mechanisms and ways of coping with life’s stressors. Adaptive coping mechanisms, such as religiousness and spirituality, have positive effects on the individual, especially with regard to his/her psychological well-being (Wills, Yaeger, & Sandy, 2003). Against this background, the present study investigated the psychological well-being, religiousness and spirituality of adolescents from intact families and adolescents from divorced families. The aim was to determine whether there were differences in psychological well-being, religiousness and spirituality between these two groups of adolescents, and also to explore qualitatively how adolescents from divorced families utilise their religiousness and spirituality to cope with the divorce of their parents. The life span theory (Newman & Newman, 2009), pillars of psychological well-being (Ryff, 1989), faith development theory (Fowler, 1981) and Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological theory (1979) all contributed to the theoretical framework for this study. A mixed-methods research design was employed. The Ryff Psychological Well-Being scale (Ryff, 1989) was used to measure psychological well-being, and the Assessment of Spiritual and Religious Sentiments scale (Piedmont, 2005) was used to measure religiousness and spirituality. An open-ended question was utilised to explore significant life crises that the participants had faced, whether the participants believed that their religiousness and/or spirituality aided them during the crisis, and how they employed their religiousness and/or spirituality to cope with the significant life crisis. A total of ninety adolescents aged between 15 and 18 years from three schools in the Helderberg basin in the Western Cape participated in this study. The results show that there were some significant differences between genders with regard to specific dimensions of psychological well-being, religiousness and spirituality. These dimensions were personal growth, religiosity, prayer fulfilment and universality, and females tended to score higher on all of these dimensions. There were no significant differences with regard to type of household (intact or divorced) on psychological well-being, religiousness or spirituality. The qualitative results show that religiousness is a definite coping mechanism that participants use to navigate the crisis of divorce. This thesis contributes to research on adolescents, religiousness and spirituality, and the effects of divorce. Recommendations are made for future research into religiousness and spirituality.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Adolessensie is ‘n moeilike lewensfase om te navigeer, en om ‘n groot lewenskrisis, soos die egskeiding van jou ouers, die hoof te bied, vergroot die reeds swaar las van adolessensie. Egskeiding kan ook blywende en nadelige gevolge vir die individu inhou. Gevolglik poog die individu om meganismes en maniere te soek om die bykomende lewenstressors te hanteer. Gesonde hanteringsmeganismes, soos godsdienstigheid en spiritualiteit, het ‘n positiewe uitwerking op die individu, veral met betrekking tot sy/haar sielkundige welstand (Wills, Yaeger, & Sandy, 2003). Na aanleiding hiervan is hierdie tesis gerig op die ondersoek van verskille in sielkundige welstand, godsdienstigheid en spiritualiteit in adolessente uit getroude gesinne en adolessente uit geskeide gesinne. Hierdie tesis is daarop gemik om te bepaal of daar verskille in sielkundige welstand, godsdienstigheid en spiritualiteit is tussen hierdie twee groepe adolessente, en ook om kwalitatief te bepaal presies hoe adolessente uit geskeide gesinne hulle godsdienstigheid en spiritualiteit gebruik om die egskeiding van hulle ouers te hanteer. Die lewenspanteorie (Newman & Newman, 2009), pilare van sielkundige welstand (Ryff, 1989), faith development theory (Fowler, 1981) en Bronfenbrenner se bio-ekologiese teorie (1979) is as teoretiese raamwerke vir hierdie navorsing gebruik. ‘n Gemengde metode navorsingsontwerp is gebruik. Sielkundige welstand is met die Ryff Psychological Well-Being skaal (Ryff, 1989) gemeet, terwyl godsdienstigheid en spiritualiteit met die Assessment of Spiritual and Religious Sentiments (Piedmont, 2005) skaal gemeet is. 'n Oopeinde-vraag is ontwerp om die groot lewenskrisisse te verken wat die deelnemers ervaar het, om uit te vind of die deelnemers glo dat hulle godsdienstigheid en/of spiritualiteit hulle tydens die krisis gehelp het, en hoe hulle hul godsdienstigheid en/of spiritualiteit tydens die verwerking van die groot lewenskrisis gebruik het. ‘n Totaal van negentig adolessente tussen die ouderdomme van 15 en 18 jaar van drie skole in die Helderbergkom in die Wes-Kaap het aan hierdie navorsing deelgeneem. Die resultate het getoon dat daar 'n paar beduidende verskille tussen geslagte is met betrekking tot die spesifieke dimensies van sielkundige welstand, godsdienstigheid en spiritualiteit. Hierdie dimensies was persoonlike groei, religiositeit gebedsvervulling en universaliteit. Vroulike deelnemers was geneig om hoër tellings te behaal vir al vier hierdie dimensies. Daar was geen beduidende verskille met betrekking tot die tipe huishouding (getroud of geskei) op sielkundige welstand, godsdienstigheid of spiritualiteit nie. Die kwalitatiewe resultate het getoon dat godsdienstigheid 'n definitiewe behartigingsmeganisme is wat deelnemers gebruik om die krisis van hulle ouers se egskeiding te hanteer. Hierdie tesis dra by tot navorsing oor adolessente, godsdienstigheid en spiritualiteit, en die gevolge van egskeiding. Aanbevelings word gemaak vir toekomstige navorsing oor godsdienstigheid en spiritualiteit.

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Devenish, Anne P. "The lived experience of God and its evolution in children and adolescents." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2006. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/60.

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Children's and adolescents' spirituality is important, especially to those entrusted with their education. To effectively nurture children's spirituality, parents, teachers, and ministers would benefit in knowing how young people experience God, what they think about God and how they relate to God: in effect, their lived experience of God. Learning about these phenomena could help greatly in communicating with children and adolescents about God. This study aims to build on the work of those who have investigated elements of the spirituality of children and adolescents in a qualitative way.

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Legois, Jeanne-Marie. "De la quête de Dieu à l’ouverture d’écoles pour les enfants pauvres : Nicolas Barré (1621-1686), son œuvre spirituelle et scolaire." Thesis, Paris 4, 2010. http://www.theses.fr/2010PA040196.

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Né dans une famille bourgeoise, apparemment à l’abri des grands fléaux qui traversent sa région (guerres, épidémies, famines…), Nicolas Barré devient un excellent élève des Jésuites. Cependant, il choisit d’entrer au Couvent des Minimes d’Amiens en 1640 pour y poursuivre sa quête de Dieu dans une vie d’humilité, de pauvreté, de chasteté, d’obéissance, de carême perpétuel, dans le service des plus pauvres et suivre ainsi la devise du fondateur de l’Ordre : « Charitas ».Mais les Minimes de Paris, surtout ceux de la Place Royale, où il est envoyé, sont aussi de brillants intellectuels, appréciés des grands de ce monde. Nicolas Barré se dépense sans compter jusqu’à ce qu’il tombe malade. Rétabli, il est nommé à Rouen en 1659. Son désir de servir Dieu et de le révéler aux masses populaires qu’il côtoie, prend une dimension exceptionnelle. Nicolas Barré se démarque alors de son Ordre (tout en y restant) et suscite l’initiative d’écoles pour les enfants pauvres. Diverses rencontres avec des personnages influents lui permettent de donner corps à ses idées qui seront exécutées par des jeunes filles généreuses. Cependant, Nicolas Barré refuse obstinément les « fondations » pour ne dépendre que de Dieu et pour assurer à son Association une totale mobilité apostolique. Il se révèle un pédagogue hors pair et initie à l’enseignement des jeunes filles qu’il rassemble dans des séminaires de formation. Ce n’est qu’au 19ème siècle, pour répondre à l’appel missionnaire, que l’Association, des « Maîtresses Charitables », appelées aussi depuis le 17ème siècle « Sœurs de l’Enfant-Jésus », sera transformée en Institut religieux
Born in a bourgeois family, apparently preserved from the scourges which crossed his region, (wars, epidemics, famine), Nicolas Barré became an excellent student in a Jesuit school. However, he chose to enter the convent of Minims in Amiens in 1640 to continue his search for God through a life of humility, poverty, chastity, obedience and perpetual Lent in the service of the poorest, following the motto of the founder “Caritas”.But the Minims of Paris, especially those of the Place Royale where he was sent, were also brilliant intellectuals, greatly esteemed by the important people in society. Nicolas Barré worked without sparing himself until he fell ill. When he was recovered he was sent to Rouen in 1659. His desire to serve God and to reveal Him to the ordinary people he rubbed shoulders with took on an exceptional dimension. Nicolas Barré differentiated himself from his order (although he didn’t leave it) by opening schools for poor children. Encounters with influential people allowed him to give shape to his ideas which were carried out by generous young women. However, Nicolas Barré obstinately refused financial “foundations” in order to depend only on God and to give his Association complete apostolic mobility. He reveal himself to be an outstanding pedagogue and gathered young women into seminars to form them as teachers. It was only in the 19th century that, in answer to a missionary call, the “Maîtresses Charitables”, (who from the 17th century were also called “Sisters of the infant Jesus”) became a Religious Congregation

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Frödén, Sara. "I föränderliga och slutna rosa rum : en etnografisk studie av kön, ålder och andlighet i en svensk waldorfförskola." Doctoral thesis, Örebro universitet, Institutionen för humaniora, utbildnings- och samhällsvetenskap, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-22217.

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The aim of this study is to generate new knowledge of the educationalpractice of a pre-school and of how it may contribute to the understandingof doing gender. The ethnographic study examines the place and practiceof a Steiner Waldorf pre-school, and it focuses specifically on materiality,age, spirituality and the intentions of the pre-school teachers. Fieldworkhas been conducted for a period of one and a half years in one pre-school.The methods used are mainly participant observation and interviews withthe pre-school teachers. The results highlight the importance of the materialand spatial dimensions of the pre-school for the constitution of children’sgender. The concepts of performativity and ritualization have beenused as the main analytical tools. The study draws on the scope of theseconcepts as understood by Judith Butler and Catherine Bell. On the basis of the analysis of the empirical material, a theoretical concept,situated decoding of gender, is suggested. It is argued that what atfirst glance can be interpreted as a ‘female universe’, turns out to be a placewhere gender is made non-relevant through an unintentional, yet powerfulongoing process of naturalization. The situated decoding of gender is madepossible because of certain features in this pre-school. Firstly, a repetitivestructure characterizing educational practice has been observed. This isbased on a principle of rhythm reciprocally related to the alternations betweencontinuity and change. Secondly, there is a clear spatial and materialdemarcation that the study argues makes the pre-school an enclosed space,in the sense of being a place of nurturing and protection, where the boundariesbetween home and pre-school are maintained. Thirdly, the performativeforce of the ritualized preschool practices further enhances the decodingof gender. The ritualization highlights and supports the spiritual dimensionin the pedagogy, which sidelines the doing of gender. Fourthly, theteachers contributed to the decoding of gender through the consistency oftheir everyday actions.

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Leafgren, Sheri L. "Reuben's Fall: A Rhizomatic Analysis of Moments of Disobedience in Kindergarten." Kent State University / OhioLINK, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1196370620.

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Grant, Andrea Mariko. "Living under "quiet insecurity" : religion and popular culture in post-genocide Rwanda." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2015. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:83b2b3d3-f08e-4556-8d20-e832345fa25d.

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This thesis explores religion and popular culture in post-genocide Rwanda. In particular, I examine the rise of the new Pentecostal churches – the abarokore ("the saved ones") – and the reconstruction of the "modern" music industry after the genocide. I argue that contemporary social life in Rwanda is defined by "quiet insecurity" and "temporal dissonance". I employ these concepts to take seriously how young people in Rwanda create alternative pasts, presents, and futures for themselves within an authoritarian political context. While the government attempts to control the historical narrative and impose a particular developmentalist "vision" of the future onto its citizens, young people articulate and perform their hopes, fears, dreams, and anxieties within the realms of religion and popular culture, creating "unofficial" narratives that both converge with and contest those of the state. Against the prevailing academic consensus of Kigali as silent, I instead reposition the capital as a site of creativity wherein noisy debates take place about Rwandan identity and culture. I examine the new abarokore churches as important affective spaces that allow for healing and the keeping of secrets. Yet the fact that these same churches tend to be mono-ethnic suggests the limits of the born-again project. Conversely, the community imagined within popular culture, particularly through hip hop songs, is more inclusive, with identity forged through the mutual experience of pain and suffering. I pay particular attention to gender, and consider how patriarchal tendencies in the new churches and popular culture undermine the country's "progressive" gender policies. By examining Pentecostal services, conversion testimonies, song lyrics, the Kinyarwanda-language entertainment media, and discourses of musical corruption, I explore how young people respond to a context of quiet insecurity through quiet agency – they actively seek to transform and resolve their life circumstances, however modest or temporary their transformations or resolutions prove to be.

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Kollberg, Annika. "Existentiella Möten : Att bemöta barns existentiella frågor och upplevelser på förskolan." Thesis, Södertörns högskola, Centrum för praktisk kunskap, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-39635.

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Denna essä utgår ifrån fyra gestaltningar av mitt eget dilemma i relation till bemötande av barns existentiella frågor på förskolan. Detta följs upp med fältstudie på en förskola som undersöker andra pedagogers bemötande. Gestaltningarna och fältstudien ställs mot existensfilosofiska teorier och svensk och engelsk forskning. I reflektionen undersöks hur barns existentiella frågor kan ta sig uttryck på förskolan. Här lyfts att det kan vara svårt att få syn på barns existentiella frågor vilket dels kan bero på fördomar och okunskap om hur de kan se ut och dels en konflikt emellan ett naturvetenskapligt och ett andligt/religiöst perspektiv. Denna konflikt skulle kunna överbryggas med en utvidgad syn på hur barns existentiella frågor kan se ut. T.ex. kan barn uppfatta även naturvetenskapliga frågor på ett existentiellt sätt och det religiösa språket bör kunna uppfattas symboliskt. En annan orsak till att det kan vara svårt att få syn på existentiella frågor kopplas till att vi befinner oss i en sekulär/post-religiös tid i västerlandet där vi inte har språk eller begrepp för att uttrycka eller förstå det andliga eller existentiella. Begreppet ”signature spirituality” utforskas som ett sätt att få syn på barns olika individuella uttryck för det existentiella. Uppsatsen beskriver hur vår praxis är påverkad av en naturvetenskaplig diskurs där man söker förklaringar. Ett alternativt förhållningssätt är inspirerat av hermeneutisk /fenomenologisk teori och söker istället förståelse. När det handlar om bemötande lyfts både pedagogens fronesis/praktiska klokhet och techne/produktiva praktiska kunskap som viktiga kompetenser. Ett problem i att utveckla och arbeta med de existentiella frågorna är att det inte finns något bra forum eller någon etablerad praxis för reflektion. Även där är bristen på språkliga begrepp omkring ämnet en viktig aspekt. Att ha en yrkesetisk reflektion är särskilt viktigt i detta ämne. Här lyfts ändå att pedagogen i mötet med barnens frågor kan reflektera över sitt eget förhållningssätt och sin livssyn. Två olika sätt att förhålla sig till det existentiella på förskolan utforskas och ställs mot varandra; Det ena som ett möte med ett värde i sig och det andra som en kognitiv lärandeprocess. Filosofen Gadamer ser ett möte som en konversation eller lek omkring ett ämne där man ytterst sätt kan utveckla och förena sina perspektiv. Enligt Martin Buber är det existentiella eller andliga något man har en relation till som bör respekteras som sådan. Att inta ett kognitivt lärande perspektiv på barns existentiella frågor har dock många fördelar som kan underlätta möjligheten att arbeta med och bemöta de existentiella frågorna och upplevelserna inom förskolans ram.
This essey consists of four narratives about my own dilemma concerning responding to childrens existential questions in the pre-school context. This is followed by a field- study exploring other pedagogues responses to childrens existential questions. The experiences in the narratives and the field-study is analysed through exisntialfilosofical theories and Swedish and international reserach. The essay reflects on how childrens existential questions can be expressed in pre-school. Predjudices and lack of knowledge concerning how they can express themselves as well as a conflict between a scientific/religious perspektive can make existential questions hard to notice. This conflict could be solved by understanding how children can experience scientific issues in a existential way as well as viewing religious language as symbolic. Another reason for not noticing existential questions can be lack of language and concepts due to the west being in a secular/post religious era. The concept ”signature spirituality” is a possible way to understand childrens individual way to express the existential. The praxis/practice in pre-school is, according to the essay, influenced by a scientific discourse in which explanations is sought. An alterantive discourse is the hermeneutical/phenomenological wherein one instead seek to understand. Fronesis – practical wisdom and techne – productive practicality are important competences when responding to childrens existential questions. Lack of forum for and lack of established praxis for reflection makes working with and developing childrens existential questions a problem. Lack of concepts and language to express the existential is also a problem in this. To have an ethical reflection is especially important with this subject. But you can still have opportunities to reflect on your own views when confronting the childrens questions. Two different approaches to existential questions in pre-school are highlighted: as a meeting which is valuable in itself and as a cognitive learning process. In Gadamers view a meeting is a conversation or a play about a topic where the persons involved can develop and unite their perspectives. Accordning to Martin Buber the existential or spiritual can be seen as a relationship that needs to respected as such. But taking a cognitve learning perspective on childrens existential questions have many advantages, such as making it easier to work with and respond to childrens existential questions and experiences, whitin the frame of pre-school discourse.

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Montgomery, Dawn Elizabeth. "Life Experiences that Contributed to the Independence and Success in the Lives of Foster Care Alumni." Antioch University / OhioLINK, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1314821032.

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Israelsen, Trevor L. ""Nothing remains stationary": Child Welfare and Health in Cincinnati's Episcopal Hospital for Children, 1884-1931." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1467370529.

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Willmett, Anthony T. "Conceptions of 'sexuality education' held by a group of primary school teachers in the catholic archdiocese of Brisbane." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2002. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/36662/1/36662_Digitised%20Thesis.pdf.

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This study is about the qualitatively different ways in which the phenomenon of sexuality education is experienced or understood by an opportunity sample of primary teachers who teach in Year Six and Year Seven in Catholic primary schools in the Archdiocese of Brisbane. No other topic is as likely to be sensitive or emotionally charged for parents, students, employers, and school administrators as sexuality. The Catholic Church expects the teachers who teach in Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Brisbane, Australia, to teach religious education and to address sexuality education in the formal curriculum. Sexuality education has been closely associated with Religious Education (RE) in Australian Catholic primary schools. A fundamental aim of Catholic school religious education has been the development of students' faith within the context of the Catholic faith tradition. Contesting views about faith development, including proposals for a catechetical approach or an educational approach to religious education, continue in Australian Catholic schools. This phenomenographical study covers a period of curriculum change in areas that involve sexuality education in Catholic school settings. Its goal is to explore the phenomenon of sexuality education as it is seen or experienced by the participants in this context. The conceptions held by the teachers in the study are revealed by an analysis of data collected during a series of synergetic focus group interviews. The major finding of the study is that the teachers in the upper primary grades of Catholic primary schools in the Archdiocese of Brisbane are anxious and fearful about addressing sexuality education. Apprehension, disquiet and uncertainty are felt personally, professionally, and pedagogically. An implication of the findings of the study is that a new model of relationship-based on collegiality, collaboration, trust, respect and freedom between students, families, clergy and teachers-is required in Catholic schools.

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Holmes, Veronica Menezes. "Stories of Lynwood Park." Atlanta, Ga. : Georgia State University, 2008. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/history_diss/11/.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgia State University, 2008.
Title from title page (Digital Archive@GSU, viewed June 7, 2010). Clifford M. Kuhn, committee chair; Ian C. Fletcher, Charles G. Steffen, committee members. Includes bibliographical references (p. 442-459).

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Hyde, Brendan. "Identifying some characteristics of children's spirituality in Australian Catholic primary schools a study within hermeneutic phenomenology /." 2005. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp82.04092006/index.html.

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Thesis (PhD) -- Australian Catholic University, 2005.
Submitted in total fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Bibliography: p. 338-360. Also available in an electronic format via the internet.

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Benavides, Linda E. "Spirituality as protective factor for adolescents exposed to domestic violence." 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10106/2009.

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Cupit, Glenn. "Spiritual development and the public educative care of children : a critical evaluation of biblical and dynamic systems perspectives /." 2001. http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browse/view/adt-MU20051129.114720.

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Children’s spirituality'

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