"Little Angels" : a case study into the nature of children's spirituality
"Little Angels" : a case study into the nature of children's spirituality
This study sets out to define spirituality through a literature review and then uses a Case Study to investigate the nature of spirituality in children. The literature search begins with an acknowledgement of the place of spirituality in the curriculum today as defined by the Education Reform Act 1988 and contrasts this with the anachronistic situation where there is generally accepted or recognised definition of spirituality in the current pedagogical lexicon.
The auto-biographical field of study within which this research is situated insists that my personal stance as Head teacher of a Catholic school is recognised and this leads to the recognition of the communitarian nature of spirituality. The communitarian style of theorising and philosophising, based upon the view that rationality is inextricably tied to local and contingent factors, is consistent with the proposition that the Catholic school is part of a particular community within which the spirit of the child is recognised, and has the potential for development.
The Case Study comprises an analysis of a series of interviews conducted with four six year old children over a period of six months. The notion of the communitarian nature of spirituality in children is explored using Hay & Nye's Framework for Relational Consciousness. (Hay & Nye 1998:120). The individual personalities of the children emerge from the interview transcripts and an auto-biographical methodology allows some reflection on the formative influences on each child whilst examining the range of contexts and strategies in which their spirituality is expressed.
The proposals arising from the research attempt to validate and encourage the development of spirituality through the primary curriculum and provide an apology for the Catholic school. In conclusion I give a brief evaluation of the research and suggest areas for appropriate new research.
University of Southampton
Renault, Carolyn Anne
54867ac7-0051-49a9-a69e-127352732b15
2001
Renault, Carolyn Anne
54867ac7-0051-49a9-a69e-127352732b15
Renault, Carolyn Anne
(2001)
"Little Angels" : a case study into the nature of children's spirituality.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
This study sets out to define spirituality through a literature review and then uses a Case Study to investigate the nature of spirituality in children. The literature search begins with an acknowledgement of the place of spirituality in the curriculum today as defined by the Education Reform Act 1988 and contrasts this with the anachronistic situation where there is generally accepted or recognised definition of spirituality in the current pedagogical lexicon.
The auto-biographical field of study within which this research is situated insists that my personal stance as Head teacher of a Catholic school is recognised and this leads to the recognition of the communitarian nature of spirituality. The communitarian style of theorising and philosophising, based upon the view that rationality is inextricably tied to local and contingent factors, is consistent with the proposition that the Catholic school is part of a particular community within which the spirit of the child is recognised, and has the potential for development.
The Case Study comprises an analysis of a series of interviews conducted with four six year old children over a period of six months. The notion of the communitarian nature of spirituality in children is explored using Hay & Nye's Framework for Relational Consciousness. (Hay & Nye 1998:120). The individual personalities of the children emerge from the interview transcripts and an auto-biographical methodology allows some reflection on the formative influences on each child whilst examining the range of contexts and strategies in which their spirituality is expressed.
The proposals arising from the research attempt to validate and encourage the development of spirituality through the primary curriculum and provide an apology for the Catholic school. In conclusion I give a brief evaluation of the research and suggest areas for appropriate new research.
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Published date: 2001
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Local EPrints ID: 464430
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/464430
PURE UUID: 70ba0bf7-b9b2-4e8f-8978-da88b02ee219
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Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 23:37
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 19:30
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Author:
Carolyn Anne Renault
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