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…

This study explored the perceptions of ongoing participants in the Galilee Spiritual and Faith Formation programme on the development of their personal and faith formation. The study used a constructivist paradigm, specifically that of interpretivism and employed a symbolic interactionist perspective to explore participant perceptions. The…

Increasingly early years education recognises the value of engaging in natural play environments for young children's health and wellbeing. Whilst the focus of nature play usually centres around children's engagement in bush settings, this paper examines the connections between children's health and wellbeing, when beach settings become the play…

Existing literature on teaching sociology depicts a 'liberalising effect' of sociological ideas on student values. Furthermore, research on teaching sociology in conservative contexts is largely contained to North America and, as such, is silent on the impact of diffused religion, or what we term display-aversive spirituality, in the faith-based…

In the pluralised contexts of many contemporary Australian Catholic schools, cultural and religious diversity is a reality that could be ignored or potentially utilised to enhance learning. This case study probes the perceptions of parents regarding their children's engagement in Religious Education in a Catholic school and in particular,…