Reasons for Living: Education and Young People's Search for Meaning, Identity and Spirituality - A Handbook

Contents......Page 6
Part 1: Education and young people\'s search for meaning, identity and spirituality......Page 28
1. Reasons for living: Education and young people\'s search for meaning, identity and spirituality......Page 30
1.1 The spiritual and moral dimension to the school curriculum......Page 31
1.2 The search for meaning......Page 32
1.4 Spirituality......Page 35
1.5 Relationships between meaning, identity and spirituality and their connection with other personal development constructs......Page 36
1.6 The sociocultural situation and the contemporary search for meaning, identity and spirituality......Page 37
1.7 Education and \'reasons for living\'......Page 38
1.8 The role for school education in relation to young people\'s search for meaning, identity and spirituality......Page 41
1.10 An education that can promote meaning, identity and spirituality......Page 43
1.11 A spiritual-moral dimension to good teaching......Page 44
1.12 Summary: Characteristics of school education that enhance meaning, identity and spirituality......Page 45
Part 2: Meaning, identity and spirituality: Analysing the constructs for educational purposes......Page 48
2. The nature, psychological function and construction of meaning......Page 50
2.1 The search for meaning......Page 51
2.2 The search for meaning as a defining human characteristic: Perspectives from anthropology, religion and psychology......Page 52
2.3 The role of religion......Page 53
2.5 Reason and meaning, and a basic link with education......Page 54
2.6 Young people and meaning......Page 55
2.7 What is \'meaning\'?......Page 56
2.9 Personal meaning: The nature and psychological function of meaning in the individual......Page 57
2.10 Cultural meanings: Social and cultural meanings as reference points for personal meaning......Page 73
3. The psychological development of meaning and issues related to change and development in meaning......Page 88
3.1 The psychological development of meaning......Page 89
3.2 Issues related to change and development in meaning......Page 91
4. The search for meaning......Page 107
4.1 What is the \'search for meaning\'?......Page 108
4.2 Issues related to the search for meaning......Page 109
4.4 Healthy meaning......Page 113
5.1 What is understood by identity: How the construct is used in contemporary discourse......Page 116
5.2 The emotional substrate to identity......Page 118
5.3 Dimensions to personal identity......Page 119
5.6 Identity issues......Page 121
6. Research perspectives on the nature and development of identity......Page 133
6.1 Developmental theories: contributions to self-understanding......Page 134
6.2 Psychological theories of identity: From the perspective of \'identity health\'......Page 136
6.3 Personal identity: Interaction between the individual and culture......Page 141
6.4 Relationships between identity and self-esteem......Page 145
6.6 Research on relationships between identity and education......Page 148
6.7 A conceptualisation of identity and identity health for educational purposes......Page 151
7. Young people\'s search for identity: Finding a way through the cultural maze......Page 156
7.1 General cultural issues......Page 158
7.2 Youth identity and consumer culture......Page 159
7.3 The anatomy and psychological function of \'cool\'......Page 182
7.4 Advertising and identity......Page 193
7.5 Young men and crisis in male identity......Page 194
8. From St Ignatius to Obi-Wan Kenobi: An evaluative perspective on spirituality......Page 198
8.2 Historical notes on religious spirituality in the Australian Catholic Christian tradition since the 1960s......Page 200
8.3 Key aspects of a religious spirituality......Page 204
8.4 Distinctions between the \'religious\' and the \'spiritual\': Issues for what constitutes spirituality......Page 206
8.5 Further consideration of issues related to the nature of spirituality......Page 212
8.6 Healthy spirituality: Criteria for the identification and evaluation of spirituality......Page 225
9. Young people and spirituality: Negotiating the perils of adolescence......Page 229
9.1 Issues for youth spirituality......Page 231
9.2 Aspects of youth wellbeing that have some bearing on spirituality......Page 239
9.3 A spiritual profile of today\'s young people......Page 251
10. Educating young people in meaning, identity and spirituality......Page 255
10.1 Underlying value assumptions......Page 256
10.2 Education in meaning......Page 259
10.3 Education in identity......Page 260
10.4 Education in spirituality......Page 263
10.5 Education as the critical interpretation of culture......Page 265
10.6 Conclusion......Page 266
Part 3: Implications for public education: The spiritual and moral dimension to the school curriculum......Page 268
11. The spiritual and moral dimension to the school curriculum: The evolution in personal development aims for Australian education......Page 270
11.1 Public discourse about the spiritual-moral dimension to education......Page 271
11.2 Summary and conclusions: Where to from here?......Page 278
12. Expectations of schools for promoting the spiritual and moral development of young people......Page 282
12.1 Parental expectations of the school\'s role in promoting young people\'s spiritual and moral development......Page 283
12.2 Expectation of schools to \'teach\' values: Letter by the Commonwealth Minister for Education......Page 285
12.3 Further consideration of public expectations of schools......Page 286
12.4 Conflict of expectations of the role for schools......Page 290
12.5 Expectations for personal change in students: From various educative themes and theories in educational discourse......Page 291
12.6 Conclusion......Page 301
13. Links between education, personal change and personal learning......Page 304
13.1 The notion of education for personal change: Personal learning and the classification of educational aims as cognitive and affective......Page 305
13.2 The components or building blocks for personal change......Page 306
13.4 The selection of personal change processes that are considered ethically acceptable for the classroom......Page 307
13.5 Personal change, personal learning and personal teaching......Page 310
13.6 Students\' freedom of inquiry and issue-oriented pedagogy......Page 313
13.7 A rational \'contextual emphasis\' to personal learning in the classroom......Page 316
13.8 How the imagination is involved in personal change and personal learning in the classroom......Page 318
13.9 Articulating spiritual and moral outcomes for students, and the assessment of such outcomes......Page 319
13.11 The place for teachers\' own views and commitments in the teaching and learning process......Page 320
14. From theory to practice: Conceptualising the spiritual and moral dimension to the school curriculum......Page 326
14.1 The problematic gap between personal aims for education and practice......Page 328
14.2 The place for \'spiritual experience\' in the curriculum......Page 330
14.3 Conceptualising the spiritual and moral dimension to the school curriculum......Page 331
14.4 Extending the conceptualisation: Locating and interpreting themes concerned with education for personal change......Page 343
14.5 Conclusion......Page 346
15. The shaping influence of film and television on young people\'s spiritual and moral development: An educational exploration......Page 349
15.1 Introducing the problem: How to investigate a complex question like the spiritual-moral influence of film and television......Page 350
15.3 Theorising about the spiritual and moral influence of film and television......Page 351
15.4 The intended spiritual and moral influence of propaganda film......Page 354
15.5 The educational function of documentary film......Page 356
15.6 Commercial feature films and television: Their potential for influencing the meaning, identity and spirituality of young people......Page 363
15.7 Sequence: Analysis of possible mechanisms through which film/television may affect spiritual and moral development......Page 364
15.8 The culture of television: Its significance for the teaching and learning environment of the school......Page 384
15.9 Cultural agency: Action based on critical reflection on the potential personal influence of media......Page 386
15.10 The potential spiritual and moral influence of television advertising......Page 387
15.11 Conclusion......Page 393
Part 4: Implications for religious education in independent schools (with special reference to Catholic schools)......Page 396
16.1 Social and intellectual conditions that enable a critical historical interpretation......Page 398
16.2 An historical perspective on Catholic school religious education in Australia......Page 399
16.3 Other perspectives that should have a bearing on the further development of Catholic school religious education......Page 413
16.4 Conclusion......Page 415
17.1 Personalism and relevance as educational goals......Page 418
17.2 Study of issues as a key to personal relevance in the religion curriculum......Page 421
17.3 Examples of issue-oriented content in religious education......Page 422
17.5 Religious language and the perceived relevance of the Church......Page 424
17.6 Religious education and the pursuit of a language of relevance for religion......Page 427
17.7 The prominence of the theme \'search for meaning and identity\' in Catholic school religious education......Page 428
17.8 Religious education as the critical interpretation of culture......Page 431
17.9 The identification and evaluation of social meanings......Page 433
17.10 Conclusion......Page 434
18.1 Faith development: Coming to prominence in Catholic religious education......Page 436
18.2 Problematic use of the construct \'faith development\' in religious education......Page 438
18.3 Summary......Page 448
19. Religious education and \'sponsoring\' the development of faith in adolescents......Page 450
19.1 Comparing and contrasting religious socialisation and religious education......Page 451
19.2 The faith-sponsoring or faith-mentoring process......Page 453
19.3 Classroom religious education and the sponsoring of faith in adolescents......Page 454
19.4 Religious education and the development of religious identity......Page 455
19.5 The problematic notion of religious identity......Page 457
19.6 Religious identity and the development of faith......Page 458
20.1 Clarifying the identity and mission of Catholic schools......Page 461
20.3 Personal and corporate spirituality......Page 462
20.4 Enhancing corporate staff spirituality......Page 463
20.5 Empathy with and professional support for the stated aims of the school......Page 464
20.6 Periodic staff prayer and liturgies/paraliturgies......Page 465
20.8 Teachers in Catholic schools as spiritual leaders......Page 466
Part 5: Implications for state-based Religion Studies courses in Australian schools......Page 468
21.1 Two formats for studying religion in Australian public schools......Page 470
21.2 The development of Religion Studies courses in Australian schools......Page 471
21.3 Historical background to the theory for school Religion Studies in the UK: The quest for an educational identity......Page 472
21.4 Phases of UK development 1944–2000s: From agreed Christian syllabuses to multi-faith studies......Page 474
21.5 Conclusion: Towards a review of Australian school Religion Studies programs......Page 490
22. Relationships between state-based Religion Studies courses and denominational religious education......Page 495
22.1 Reflections on the emergence of an educational identity for state school Religion Studies in the UK and Australia......Page 496
22.2 Exploring the relationships between state Religion Studies and denominational religious education......Page 499
22.3 Comparison of purposes between state Religion Studies and denominational religious education......Page 500
22.4 Non-evaluative and evaluative dimensions to studying religion......Page 502
22.6 The contribution of Religion Studies to the development of personal identity......Page 503
22.7 The implementation of Religion Studies in denominational schools......Page 505
22.9 Conclusion......Page 506
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