Listening to children's views of spiritual and metaphysical concepts: A new dimension to educational psychology practice?
Authors: Gersch, Irvine1; Dowling, Fiona2; Panagiotaki, Georgia3; Potton, Anita1
Source: Educational Psychology in Practice, Volume 24, Number 3, September 2008 , pp. 225-236(12)
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Abstract:
Educational psychologists (EPs) have for many years been developing techniques for listening to children. The aim of the present research was to investigate ways of listening to the “spiritual” views of children in order to develop questions that educational psychologists might use as part of the assessment repertoire. The study explored children's spiritual concepts such as their purpose for “being on the planet” and the “meaning of their life”. The findings suggest that primary and secondary school children from mixed religious backgrounds can respond to spiritual questions in a clear way. In addition, most children believed that spiritual views influence how children behave. Further research is required to explore whether children's views of spiritual concepts are linked to learning and progress in school and in life.Keywords: spiritual; metaphysical; children's views; listening to children; spiritual development; educational psychology assessment; educational psychology practice
Document Type: Research article
DOI: 10.1080/02667360802256782
Affiliations: 1: University of East London, London, UK 2: London Borough of Harrow Educational Psychology Service, London, UK 3: University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, UK
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