Reflections on the search for meaning in confusing but fascinating terrain
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19223928 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Tony Eaude (0000-0001-6242-1458, University of Oxford, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-13 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-05 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Children s Spirituality (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1364-436X • E-ISSN: 1469-8455 |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/1364436x.2026.2680412 |
| OpenAlex | W7163674974 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 28 |
This autoethnographic article highlights how my background as a teacher and headteacher of young children led to and underpinned my interest in children’s spirituality. My doctorate identified the search for identity, meaning and purpose within or outside a religious framework as central to the processes involved in spiritual growth. Subsequently, I became increasingly interested in connectedness, belonging, culture, the shaping of identities and difficult, potentially painful, aspects of children’s lives. And in exploring inclusive ways of understanding and nurturing children’s spiritual growth, emphasising children’s agency and time and space in hospitable, holistic environments. Drawing on different disciplines steered me to a socio-cultural view where spiritual is a lens through which to understand young children and the contexts in which they live; and to re-examine under-researched ideas especially how children can be enabled to overcome barriers and flourish in a world where a focus on individualism and performativity makes this difficult
Agency (philosophy) · Autoethnography · Focus (optics) · Individualism · Meaning (existential) · Meaning-making · Performativity · Space (punctuation) · Early Childhood Education and Development · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Religious Education and Schools
Education, spirituality and the common school
Nurturing Child and Adolescent Spirituality
The Culture of Education
Revisiting some half-forgotten ideas on children’s spirituality
The role of culture and traditions in how young children’s identities are constructed
Shadow and Spirituality
Happiness, emotional well‐being and mental health – what has children’s spirituality to offer
Silenced by performativity
Creating hospitable space to nurture children’s spirituality-possibilities and dilemmas associated with power
An inclusive spiritual education
The strings on David’s Harp
Barriers to young children’s spiritual growth – and some pointers to how these can be overcome
Getting the balance
Pathic knowing, lived sensibility and phenomenological reflections on children’s spirituality
The rise of the child's voice; the silencing of the spiritual voice
The spiritual quest to find meaning and purpose in life
Faith, values, and metaphysical positionality in qualitative research
Action Possibilities Enhancing the Spiritual Wellbeing of Young Children
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |