Religious Education and Children's Spirituality

Dear Colleagues,

In England, religious education is a part of the basic curriculum offered during a child’s years of compulsory schooling. Its inclusion stems back to the Education Act of 1944, and although the curriculum has been revised and reworked significantly in the years since, it still remains a key element often debated and questioned. Beyond that is a longer history of schooling provided by religious organizations and notably the Church of England. In other settings around the world, religious education and education about religions has a varied profile and still can be controversial and contested in relation to its inclusion in schooling and educational settings. Add to that debate the element of the spiritual dimension of childhood, which can relate to all aspects of the formal and informal curriculum, including music, drama, literature, relationships education and an exploration of scientific endeavor, and the discussion becomes even more complex and diverse. Whether through a sense of awe and wonder for the natural world (Adams et al 2008, Nye 2009), an appreciation of philosophical and humanist perspectives on life and living, an understanding of sustainable development and global citizenship or a sense of active citizenship and human rights (Cole 2011, Watson 2017) developing an understanding of the interaction between religious education and children’s spirituality provides a distinctive opportunity to contribute both to the enhancement of the curriculum and the nurturing of children and young people (Adams et al 2008, de Souza 2016). Some frame this in terms of contributing to education about “worldviews” (Benoit, Hutchings and Shillitoe 2020).

What teachers perceive as “spiritual” can vary considerably; at times it can be elusive, complex or indefinite. For some it relates to a sense of the interconnectedness of people in diverse places (Mason and Woolley 2019), this might include, for example, an understanding of Ubuntu (Harber and Serf, 2007) where one’s humanity is appreciated through interaction with others: “I am because we are.” For some it has a religious dimension (Lawson and May 2019) or helps to deepen a holistic understanding and development of childhood and young people (Adams 2017; Adams, Bull, and Maynes 2016) which may be linked to an understanding of “religiosity” (Eaude 2019). For others, it enables children to begin to make sense of their life experiences (Watson 2017). Of course, others do not feel that spirituality need have a link to religion (Selvam 2013). Research indicates that for some trainee and early career teachers, for example, the prospect of exploring issues relating to religion and spirituality causes apprehension (Woolley 2020) and requires appropriate training and preparation. This makes the case for exploring the interaction between religious education and children’s spiritual development all the more necessary.

This Special Issue invites theoretical, empirical and research informed practice-based contributions from scholars and researchers in the study of religion(s) and religious education to provide new and innovative perspectives to the debate on how (or whether) education about religion(s) or religious education should and can develop the spiritual dimension of childhood. Issues of interest are, amongst others:

• How the interaction between religious education and children’s spirituality is manifest and its impact upon children’s learning and development
• What effective examples of the interaction between religious education and children’s spirituality look like and how their effectiveness is gauged
• Whether a spiritual dimension within religious education contributes to the development of the “whole child”
• How children’s spiritual development has been impacted by education about religions during the COVID-19 pandemic, including during periods of home-based learning
• Whether schools with a faith affiliation approach religious education and children’s spiritualty in specific or distinctive ways
• How education that relates to both religion and spirituality appears in a range of international contexts

Defining spirituality can be a complex process (Adams et al 2008, Hyde 2008, Nye 2009) with a wide range of views and approaches. Indeed, the same can be said of defining religion and the nature of religious education. A key and current issue is therefore how the interplay between religious education and children’s spirituality is perceived and approached both theoretically and practically.

Richard Woolley
Ellie Hill
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• religious education
• children’s spiritual development
• the spiritual dimension of childhood
• values education
• religions
• pedagogies
• teacher education and training
• world views