ABSTRACT

In recent decades, and around the world, much attention has been given to the role of spirituality in the education of children and young people. While educationalists share many common goals and values in nurturing the spiritual lives of children and young people, national and regional cultures, religions and politics have impacted on the approaches scholars and practitioners have adopted in their investigations and practices. The different contexts across nations and regions mean that educators face quite distinct conditions in which to frame their approaches to spiritual education and research, and the nature and impact of these differences is not yet understood.

This book brings together thinkers from around the globe and sets them the task of explaining how their research on children’s spirituality and education has been shaped by the historical, cultural, religious and political contexts of the geographic region in which they work. The book presents contributions in three sections – Europe and Israel, Australasia, and The Americas– and concludes with a chapter highlighting what is common and what is contextually unique about global approaches to spirituality and education.

part I|96 pages

Spirituality and Education in Europe and Israel

chapter 1|16 pages

Spirituality, Faith and Education

Some Reflections from a UK Perspective

chapter 2|12 pages

Spiritual Development in Schools with No Faith Affiliation

The Cultural Ambivalence Towards Children's Spirituality in England

chapter 4|13 pages

The Complex Flavour of Children's Spirituality in Flanders

Fostering an Open Catholic Spirituality

chapter 6|12 pages

Spirituality and Education in Finland

Meeting the Socio-Demographic Changes with Empirical Research

chapter 7|14 pages

Spirituality in Israeli State Jewish Education

Possible Guidelines for National Education Systems

part II|119 pages

Spirituality and Education in the Australasian Region

chapter 8|13 pages

Taha Wairua

The Spiritual in State Education in Aotearoa New Zealand

chapter 9|12 pages

Spirituality and Early Childhood Education in New Zealand and Australia

Past, Present and Future

chapter 11|13 pages

A Perspective on Spiritual Education in Australian Schools

The Emergence of Nonreligious Personal Development Approaches

chapter 12|13 pages

Buddhism in Bhutanese Education

chapter 15|12 pages

Spiritual Education in Singapore and Hong Kong

Issues, Challenges and Prospects

chapter 16|12 pages

Buddha's Beacon and the Long Shadow of Thai Culture

Spirituality and Education in Thailand

part III|97 pages

Spirituality and Education in the Americas

chapter 18|14 pages

Pluralism and Polarity

Spirituality and Education in the United States

chapter 19|11 pages

Presence, Resonance, Transcendence

Education, Spirituality and the Contemplative Mind

chapter 21|12 pages

Research as Transformative Learning

A Longitudinal Study of Spirituality, Cultural Identity, and Unfolding Wisdom in the Lives of US Educators

chapter 22|12 pages

Spiritual Education in Brazil

Debates, Trends, Proposals, and Experiments