ERIC Number: EJ1462443
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Apr
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1082-3301
EISSN: EISSN-1573-1707
Available Date: 2024-03-19
How U.S. Early Childhood Educators Understand Children's Spirituality: A Framework of Essence, Origin, and Action
Early Childhood Education Journal, v53 n4 p973-984 2025
This study explores in-service early childhood educators' understanding of children's spirituality. Utilizing the recently validated instrument, "Early Childhood Educators' Spiritual Practices in the Classroom (ECE-SPC)," responses to the question, "What do you understand children's spirituality to be?" were analyzed. Participants included 318 educators working in secular educational settings with children ages zero to eight years across 36 U.S. states. Findings reveal a multilayered understanding of children's spirituality. Through a grounded theory approach to data analysis using in-vivo codes in initial and axial coding, participants' responses were organized in a response framework comprised of three main categories of understanding spirituality: (1) as Essence in itself (f 208), (2) as its place of Origin (f 122), and (3) as Actions in relation to others or as ways in which it is practiced (f 86). This framework contributes to constructing a shared understanding of children's spirituality to build efforts toward promoting holistic development and intentionally nurturing the spiritual domain.
Descriptors: Early Childhood Teachers, Childrens Attitudes, Religious Factors, Teacher Student Relationship, Teacher Response, Beliefs, Teacher Attitudes, Child Behavior, Self Concept, Values, Self Esteem, Goal Orientation, World Views
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link-springer-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1University of Maryland, Early Childhood Education, Baltimore, USA; 2Drexel University, Early Childhood Education, School of Education, Philadelphia, USA; 3University of Maryland, Literacy, and Culture, Baltimore, USA