Expressions of Religiosity and Spirituality among Australian 14 Year Olds

Abstract

This article describes and reports on part of a research project that was carried out by three researchers, among 248 Year 6 (11 years old) and 338 Year 9 (14 years old) students in the Catholic schools of Victoria, Australia. The research set out to discover information about religious affiliation and practice among the young people, the ways in which they typically expressed spirituality, and the extent to which religious affiliation and practice did or did not provide a framework for, and nurture, their spirituality. This paper reports on the findings of the research in relation to the Year 9 students, detailing characteristics of the spirituality of the young people and demonstrating that it cannot be assumed that Church affiliation and practice nurture young peoples' spirituality. The research was introductory and provocative in that it indicates some discrepancies with other research in one of its six areas, that of religious practice. While possible reasons for this discrepancy are given, it is hoped that the research described here will provoke further and more specific studies.