For collegians, cocurricular opportunities (that is, experiences outside the classroom) are plentiful. Tossing Frisbees, socializing in town pubs, or attending an evangelical worship service are three examples from the wide range of cocurricular options that college students have for augmenting their academic pursuits. Many new collegians hit the…

Survey data provided by 361 headteachers regarding religious education provision at Key Stages one and two within schools in Wales are modelled to distinguish between three main approaches to religious education, characterised as concerned with spiritual development, world religions, and Christian nurture. No differences in emphasis on these three…

Finding mentors who will both support and challenge a teacher to grow is key to that teacher's ability to claim his or her calling as one who teaches and empowers others to join in their faith journeys as life-long learners. The author believes that religious educators must continually hone their skills to read the contexts where they teach as…

A questionnaire to assess views about spiritual development was completed by 112 of the 174 head teachers of church primary schools in Wales. The findings indicated that despite the seemingly ambiguous nature of the term "spiritual development", head teachers had clear views about its meaning. While most head teachers emphasised the need…

The goals of higher education often entail the development of students' character. Rarely, however, are these character development goals connected to the unique design and delivery of distance education programs. Additionally, the research literature that explores the character development aspects of distance education is sparse. Thus the purpose…

Growing consensus exists regarding the importance of spiritual assessment. For instance, the largest health care accrediting body in the United States, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), now requires the administration of a spiritual assessment. Although most practitioners endorse the concept of spiritual…

Wisdom is considered one ideal endpoint of human development across cultures. Studies have provided evidence for certain facilitating conditions such as challenging and stressful life events because they increase differentiation through accommodative changes, resulting in greater tolerance for uncertainty, and less projection tendencies and…

Based on the idea that studying actual persons reading for their own purposes can shed light on such problematic concepts as literacy, orality, voice, and self, a study explored the literate practices of a community of women outside the academy who use their reading and writing to enhance their spiritual growth. Subjects were six women (age…

Argues that spirituality is often poorly handled in religious education because traditional descriptions of it fail to touch all people. Examines the nature of Christian spirituality found among feminists and Latin Americas' poor. Discusses how these views of spirituality can be used to encourage the integration of critical reflection,…

Presents anecdotal reflections on the serenity and revelations of the "new child" in relationship with God. Maintains that knowing one's religious tradition provides the basis for being open to all religions. (KB)

Through in-depth interviews with nine adult Jewish nonbelievers, this study explored the onset of their nonbelief and the degree of their spiritual well-being, and compares these results with nine Jewish believers. Findings indicate a need to revise current theories of religious development and also suggest the potential value of counseling…

Proposes a common definition of spirituality as a set of values aimed at transcendence. Discusses ways to practice spirituality in management education and to apply it to management topics. (SK)

Describes enhancing the outdoor adventure experience by engaging the spirit. Strategies include creating spirit-related expectations, refocusing, making space for rituals and ceremonies, looking for metaphors, including intentional experiences as catalysts to deeper meanings, and offering opportunities for reflection. Backpacking at night on the…

Explores the role of spirituality in graduate programs and offers suggestions for improving the experience for students in education. (Contains 23 references.) (GCP)

As part of this special issue on student spirituality and development, provides a list of books, retreat centers, and websites to help the interested reader begin to explore spiritual development. Includes sites that allow exploration from a number of faith traditions and perspectives. (GCP)