The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how spirituality influences the motivations and practices of a multicultural group of 16 women adult educators who are teaching for social change, who were strongly informed by a particular religious tradition as a child, and have renegotiated a more relevant adult spirituality. Findings reveal the following five themes of spiritual experience as described by the participant spirituality as the following: (a) a spiral process of moving beyond and "re-membering" spiritual values and symbols of the culture of origin; (b) life force, interconnectedness, and wholeness; (c) pivotal experience of a perceived higher power that facilitates healing; (d) the development of authentic identity; and (e) a way of life requiring both inner reflection and outward social action.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Anzaldua, G.
(1987). Borderlands/La frontera: The new mestiza. San Francisco: Aunt Lute.
2.
Bolen, J.
(1994). Crossing to Avalon: A women's midlife pilgrimage. San Francisco: Harper.
3.
Borysenko, J.
(1996). A woman's book of life: The biology, psychology, and spirituality of the feminine life cycle. New York: Riverhead Books.
4.
Brookfield, S.
, & Preskill, S. (1999). Discussion as a way of teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
5.
Castillo, A.
(1996). Massacre of the dreamers: Essays on pianism. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.
6.
Daloz, L.
, Keene, C., Keene, J., & Parks, S. (1996). Common fire: Lives of commitment in a complex world. Boston: Beacon.
7.
Denzin, N.
, & Lincoln, Y. (1998). The landscape of qualitative research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
8.
Dirkx, J.
(1997). Nurturing soul in adult learning. In P. Cranton (Ed.), Transformative learning in action: Insights from practice (pp. 79-88). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
9.
English, L.
(2000). Spiritual dimensions of informal learning. In L. English & M. Gillen (Eds.), Addressing the spiritual dimensions of adult learning; What educators can do (pp. 29-38). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
10.
English, L.
, & Gillen, M. (Eds.). (2000). Addressing the spiritual dimensions of adult learning; What educators can do. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
11.
Fenwick, T. J.
, & Lange, E. (1998). Spirituality in the workplace: The new frontier of HRD. Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education, 12(1), 63-87.
12.
Fine, M.
(1998). Working the hyphens. In N. Denzin & Y Lincoln (Eds.), The landscape of qualitative research (pp. 130-155). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
13.
Fox, M.
(1995). The reinvention of work. San Francisco: HarperCollins.
14.
Fowler, J.
(1981). Stages of faith: The psychology of human development and the quest for meaning. San Francisco: Harper & Row.
15.
Freire, P.
(1997). Letters to Christina. New York: Routledge.
16.
Giroux, H.
(1992). Border crossings. New York: Routledge.
17.
Gunn Allen, P.
(1992). The sacred hoop. Boston: Beacon.
18.
Hamilton, D.
, & Jackson, M. (1998). Spiritual development: Paths and processes. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 25(4), 262-270.
19.
Hart, M.
, & Holton, D. (1993). Beyond God the father and mother: Adult education and spirituality. In P. Jarvis & N. Walters (Eds.), Adult education and theological interpretations (pp. 237-258). Malabar, FL: Krieger.
20.
Hayes, E.
, & Colin, S. (Eds.). (1994). Confronting racism and sexism in adult education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
21.
Hill Collins, P.
(1998). Fighting words: Black women and the search for justice. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
22.
hooks, b.
(1994). Teaching to transgress. New York: Routledge.
23.
hooks, b.
(1999). Embracing freedom: Spirituality and liberation. In S. Glazer (Ed.), The heart of learning: Spirituality in education (pp. 113-129). New York: Putnum.
24.
Horton, M.
, & Freire, P. (1990). We make the road by walking: Conversations on education and social change. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.
25.
Johnson-Bailey, J.
, & Cervero, R. (1998). Power dynamics in teaching and learning practices: An examination of two adult education classrooms. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 17(6), 389-399.
26.
Kincheloe, J.
, & McLaren, P. (1999). Rethinking critical theory and qualitative research.. In N. Denzin & Y Lincoln (Eds.), The landscape of qualitative research (pp. 260-399). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
27.
King, U.
(Ed.). (1996). Feminist theology from the third world. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.
28.
Lather, P.
(1991). Getting smart. Routledge: New York.
29.
McLaughlin, D.
, & Tierney, W. (Eds.). (1993). Naming silenced lives. New York: Routledge.
30.
Merriam, S. B.
(1998). Qualitative research and case study applications in education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
31.
Merriam, S.
, & Caffarella, R. (1999). Learning in adulthood. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
32.
Myss, C.
(1996). Anatomy of the spirit: The seven stages of power and healing. New York: Random House.
33.
Palmer, P.
(1998). The courage to teach. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
34.
Ruether, R.
(Ed.). (1996). Women healing earth. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.
35.
Simmer-Brown, J.
(1999). Commitment and openness: A contemplative approach to pluralism. In S. Glazer (Ed.), The heart of learning: Spirituality in education (pp. 97-112). New York: Putnum.
36.
Taylor, E.
(1998). The theory and practice of transformative learning: A critical review (Information Series No. 374). Columbus, OH: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career and Vocational Education.
37.
Tisdell, E.
(1998). Poststructural feminist pedagogies: The possibilities and limitations of a feminist emancipatory adult learning theory and practice. Adult Education Quarterly, 48(3), 139-156.
38.
Tisdell, E.
(1999). The spiritual dimension of adult development. In M.C. Clark & R. Caffarella (Eds.), An update on adult development theory (pp. 87-96). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
39.
Vaz, K.
(Ed). (1997). Oral narrative research with Black women. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
40.
Vella, J.
(2000). A spirited epistemology: Honoring the adult learner as subject. In L. English & M. Gillen (Eds.), Addressing the spiritual dimensions of adult learning; What educators can do (pp. 7-6). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
41.
Walters, S.
, & Manicom, L. (Eds.). (1996). Gender in popular education. London: Zed Press.
42.
Weibust, P.
, & Thomas, L. E. (1994). Learning and spirituality in adulthood. In J. Sinnott (Ed.), Interdisciplinary handbook of adult lifespan learning. Westport, CT: Greenwood.
43.
Wuthnow, R.
(1999). Growing up religious. Boston: Beacon.
44.
Young, R.
(1997). No neutral ground. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
