The following are major projects that have been undertaken by the Center for Spiritual Development. To see other seminal projects and research studies in the spiritual development field, see Previous Work in the Spiritual Development Field.
With Their Own Voices: A Global Exploration of How Young People Experience and Think About Spiritual Development
Released November 5, 2008, this study integrates key findings from the variety of projects under way into a descriptive exploration of how young people understand and engage in spiritual development in 17 countries around the world.
Building Shared Understandings of the Definitions, Dimensions, and Measurement of Spiritual Development During Adolescence
A primary focus of the center is to advance basic issues of definition and theory in the domain of spiritual development. By working broadly to clarify and build consensus around these issues while paying close attention to cultural, religious, and international differences, the center will play a vital role in advancing the science of spiritual development.
Read the progress reports and preliminary theoretical framework
Exploratory International Survey of Spiritual Development
The center, together with research partners, conducted an exploratory study of spiritual development centered on its definitional and theory-building work. The study—-which was shaped with input from advisors and previous literature—-was international in scope, with samples drawn from eight countries on multiple continents to provide diversity in geography, social location, and religious tradition. The total sample size across the sites was close to 8,000 youth, ages 12 to 25. We anticipate that this initial study will set the stage for more rigorous and comprehensive research in the future. Latest Update
Implicit Understandings of Spiritual Development: Perspectives of Young People, Parents/Guardians, and Adults who Work with Youth
The first new, international data collection by the center was a series of more than 80 focus groups in 13 countries on multiple continents that explored how young people, parents/guardians, and adults who work with youth understand spiritual development. The information from the focus groups informed our efforts to clarify definitions of spiritual development, develop measures of spiritual development, and strengthen a theoretical foundation for the field. Focus groups were conducted with research partners in late 2006 and early 2007, with results being released throughout 2008.
- Preliminary findings on how young people define and think about spirituality
- Preliminary findings on how parents understand and nurture spiritual development
Exemplars of Spiritual Thriving in Adolescence: An Exploratory Study
Led by Dr. Pamela Ebstyne King of the School of Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary, this study sought to identify core principles of spiritual development found in youth who are recognized in their culture for being spiritual. The study involved in-depth interviews with more than 30 youth from around the world nominated for their extraordinary spiritual life. The study involved establishing nomination criteria, recruiting subjects through an international network of diverse leaders, and extensive interviews. The study aimed to build upon existing theoretical work and advance an understanding of spiritual development, dimensions of spiritual thriving, and multiple pathways toward spiritual thriving among adolescents. Data collection was completed in January 2008. Latest Update
Secondary Analyses of Existing Data on Spiritual Development
Search Institute researchers have conducted analyses of national and international studies of adolescents and young adults that include items and scales related to spiritual development. These analyses contributed to the overall process of defining and naming the dimensions of spiritual development.
Spiritual Development Research Instruments and Online Bibliography
The center has collected and created an online bibliography of existing research related to young people’s spiritual development. The bibliography includes more than 2,000 entries), and is available to scholars through the center’s searchable database. In addition, existing measures related to spiritual development are cataloged and described as a service to scholars in the field.
Equipping Youth Workers to Nurture Young People’s Spiritual Development
The center brought together a group of leaders from different contexts and traditions to assist in developing and piloting a training program focused on nurturing spiritual development in youth ages 12-18. The project built on insights from the center’s emerging international research on spiritual development to develop and pilot new, hands-on training experiences that equip youth workers from a variety of backgrounds and contexts to more effectively talk about and engage in this dimension of life. We worked with the following groups:
- Aga Khan Shia Imami Ismaili Council for the USA
- Interfaith Youth Core
- Urban Youth Workers Institute
- World Vision International
- Youth and Family Institute
Inspired to Serve: Youth-Led Interfaith Action
Search Institute, in partnership with Interfaith Youth Core, received a Learn and Serve America grant in September 2006 to design and implement a three-year pilot project that integrated service-learning, interfaith action, and Search Institute’s framework of Developmental Assets. The initiative provided an opportunity to examine the links between engagement in service-learning and spiritual development among diverse young people in four cities in the United States: Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and St. Paul. The results of the project, as well as useful resources related to service-learning, can be found at www.inspiredtoserve.org.
Is There Common Ground? An Exploratory Study of the Interests and Needs of Community-Based and Faith-Based Youth Workers
Conducted with the National Collaboration for Youth and supported by Lilly Endowment Inc., this study examined the possibilities and challenges of building bridges between community-based and faith-based youth workers in the United States. Among other questions, it asked about the priority they place on spiritual development as well as their interest in training and professional development related to spiritual development.
Report and Executive Summary (PDF 49 pages, 612 KB)
Complete Report with All Appendices (PDF 123 pages, 7.9 MB)
