ERIC Number: EJ818115
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Dec
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1364-436X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
"God's Got Your Back": Teenage Boys Talk about God
Engebretson, Kath
International Journal of Children's Spirituality, v11 n3 p329-345 Dec 2006
This paper reports on ongoing research that has gathered data from 1100 boys, between 15- and 18-years-old, on the ways in which they experience and express spirituality. The paper is set against the background of a previous paper in this journal (Engebretson, 2004), that introduced the research and gave its theoretical framework. The focus of this paper is on the boys' articulated experiences of the transcendent. The paper reports on these, claiming that transcendent experiences occurred for the boys in times that involved risk, fear, challenge, need and loss. Their sense of God was personal, one who was always there, who understood, who listened, who cared and protected. The paper then critically analyses why a much smaller percentage of boys who were given the opportunity to answer these questions did so, in comparison with the much higher percentage who answered the other questions on the questionnaire. Finally, questions are posed that will guide the research as it continues. (Contains 6 notes and 2 tables.)
Descriptors: Religious Factors, Males, Adolescents, Spiritual Development, Religion, Questionnaires, Foreign Countries, Student Attitudes, Catholic Schools, Religious Education
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A