"They never listen": towards a grounded theory of the role played by trusted adults in the spiritual lives of children

This qualitative study addresses the lack of research into the role of trusted adults in the spiritual lives of children. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine children from a British primary school and the data analysed using a grounded theory approach. Six categories were identified...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Authors: Karlsen, May Lene (Author) ; Coyle, Adrian (Author) ; Williams, Emma (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Taylor & Francis 2014
In: Mental health, religion & culture
Year: 2014, Volume: 17, Issue: 3, Pages: 297-312
Further subjects:B spiritual guidance
B Religious Beliefs
B Spiritual Development
B children's spirituality
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:This qualitative study addresses the lack of research into the role of trusted adults in the spiritual lives of children. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine children from a British primary school and the data analysed using a grounded theory approach. Six categories were identified outlining the reciprocal relationship of unavailability and withholding between children and their trusted adults and how children made sense of spirituality in the absence of explicit guidance. It was found that the children had little opportunity for negotiating a shared understanding or experience of spirituality with adults and, as a result, either preserved an isolated and secret sense of spirituality or accepted what they observed to be their trusted adults' stance. The practical and theoretical implications of the children's responses in the absence of trusted adults are discussed and recommendations are made for practice and future research.
ISSN:1469-9737
Contains:Enthalten in: Mental health, religion & culture
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/13674676.2013.798781