ERIC Number: EJ1444809
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1350-293X
EISSN: EISSN-1752-1807
Enacting a Spiritual Pedagogy in the Early Years: Phenomenological Reflections on Thoughtfulness in Practice
European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, v32 n5 p739-751 2024
A focus on the spiritual dimensions of childhood has been included in many early childhood education guidelines worldwide. However, understanding the nature of children's spirituality, and how a spiritual pedagogy can be enacted in practice is still to be understood across the sector. This paper draws on van Manen's phenomenology of practice to explore the beliefs and practice of one Australian early childhood teacher, who, through consciously drawing from her own life worlds, has intentionally developed and enacted a pedagogy that focused on nurturing young children's spiritual wellbeing. van Manen's lifeworld existentials -- lived space, lived body, lived time, lived other, were used as lenses through which her pedagogy has been explored. The study revealed that it is the intentionality of practice that leads to spiritual pedagogy. These findings have implications for early childhood educators who are seeking new understandings to inform their own practice.
Descriptors: Spiritual Development, Educational Practices, Early Childhood Education, Teaching Methods, Teacher Attitudes, Well Being, Preschool Teachers, Foreign Countries, Phenomenology
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A