ABSTRACT

Spirituality is understood as an integral part of humanity; resid-ing within every person alongside the other developmentaldomains. For leaders in Catholic schools in Western Australia(WA), spirituality becomes integrated with religion. However, formany leaders in a Catholic school, spirituality has not been aconstruct they are familiar with from a professional viewpoint.This paper reports the findings from research embedded withina year-long professional learning project aimed at pedagogicalgrowth. Qualitative data from a pre and post questionnaireascertained the leaders’ pedagogical growth. One componentfocussed on understanding spirituality and how children’s spiri-tuality might be nurtured specifically when taking a holisticapproach within the Catholic school context; these findingsprovide an original contribution to the field and are the focusof this paper. Specifically, findings affirmed the centrality ofspirituality within child development and the need to intention-ally address teacher (and leader) knowledge and skills in nurtur-ing spirituality.

Introduction

Spirituality is understood as an integral part of being human (Mata-McMahon,Haslip, and Schein 2019); a capacity residing within every person alongside theother developmental domains (physical, social/emotional, cognitive/linguistic).The spiritual capacity requires awakening and nurturing, as do the otherdomains, if it is to thrive (Tammeh et al. 2016). For teachers and leaders inCatholic schools in Western Australia (WA), spirituality becomes integrated withreligion, as Catholic schools seek to evangelise through their ReligiousEducation programs of learning and engagement in catechetical activities.

However, for many educators and leaders in a Catholic school, spirituality hasnot been a construct they are familiar with from a professional viewpoint. Thispaper reports findings from a year-long professional learning project aimed atpedagogical growth. Qualitative data from a pre and post questionnaire wasused to ascertain the leaders’ pedagogical growth. The project sought tochallenge and engage early years’ leaders in WA Catholic schools to viewchildren’s learning holistically. One component of the project focussed onunderstanding spirituality and how children’s spirituality might be nurturedspecifically when taking a holistic approach within the Catholic school context;it is these findings that are the focus of this paper.

The role of the early childhood leader in Australia has emerged in school-basedsettings since 2009 (Sims, Waniganayake, and Hadley 2018) in response to theintroduction of the Early Years Learning Framework (AGDE 2022). In recent years,there has been a distinct shift in the understanding of leadership in schools andthis has become more formalised with the introduction of the National QualityStandard (NQS) which outlines leadership requirements including the need forcontinuous improvement (Australian Children’s Education & Care QualityAuthority [ACECQA]). Leading in the early years is a complex task requiring theleader to be not only an efficient manager but also to have a future orientationwith a focus on pedagogical innovation and change (Sims, Waniganayake, andHadley 2018) whilst keeping the best interests of children, families and theprofession at its heart (Nutbrown 2018; Stamopoulos and Barblett 2018). Thisshift is described as being a move away from the existing hierarchical instructionalleadership model. The hierarchical model is one where the school principal wasviewed as the supervisory leader to a collective leadership model (whereby theprincipal is conceptualised as the leader of learning) which recognises, amongother notable features, that promoting mutual learning and pedagogical reflec-tion is a key role (Dempster 2019). This understanding of leadership aligns withresearch specifically in early childhood that emphasises pedagogical leadership inearly childhood as central to a leader’s role (Nutbrown 2018; Rodd 2013;Stamopoulos and Barblett 2018).

The ACECQA (2019), which is the national regulatory authority for the Australianearly years sector, notes that the early childhood leader is an influential role inpedagogical leadership. This influential role is expressed through the acts of inspira-tion, motivation, affirmation and challenge that extend the practice and pedagogyof educators. Pedagogical leadership requires the leader to form a ‘bridge betweenresearch and practice through dissemination of information and shaping agendas’(Siraj-Blatchford and Hallet 2014, 112). Central to the ability to lead in early childhoodis the need for the leader to have in-depth knowledge and understanding of earlychildhood learning and development alongside the ability to reflect on how thispresents in pedagogy and practice (Nutbrown 2018; Rodd 2013; Stamopoulos andBarblett 2018). The need for leaders to have an in-depth understanding of holisticchild development (that includes spirituality), of play, of individual needs of children and their families is recognised as central to their efficacy of their leadership(Nutbrown 2018; Rodd 2013; Stamopolous & Barblett, 2018).

The context of Catholic schools in WA

In Catholic schools in WA, leaders are further tasked to ensure the mission of theChurch. Catholic schools are described as Christo-centric and seek to evangelise(Catholic Education Commission of Western Australia 2009). Leaders in Catholicschools are responsible for ensuring the Catholic culture permeates all aspects ofschool life, including the teaching of Religious Education as a primary learning area(CECWA 2009). Opportunities for catechesis are also to be provided in a planned way(CECWA 2009). WA Catholic schools are governed by the Bishops of the four diocesethrough Catholic Education WA. The Mandate of the Catholic EducationCommission of WA (CECWA, 2009–2015) outlines the role of the Catholic schoolleader, stating, ‘we call on principals and all school leaders to promote actively theCatholic ethos of our schools. In practice, it is their decisions and leadership thataffect the quality of this ethos’ (p. 42). In this way, the Catholic school leader isresponsible for leading pedagogical decisions as well as ensuring that the actualisa-tion of these decisions align to the vision of Catholic education as an extension of theChurch’s mission.

School leadership and faith formation

The structure of leadership within Catholic schools in WA various consider-ably across primary, secondary, metropolitan and rural/remote contexts. Asoutlined, the principal is the recognised leader of the school although otherleadership positions exist dependent on the needs of the school. Some ofthese leadership roles include the deputy principal who may have a specificearly years’ focus in the primary school setting. Some schools may have anearly years’ coordinator whose responsibility is the pedagogical decisionmaking for the early childhood year levels and similarly those with largeearly years cohort may have a Director of a centre located on the school site(licenced long day care centre). Regardless of the title, the Mandate of theCatholic Education Commission of WA (CECWA, 2009–2015) is clear in articu-lating that ‘all school leaders are called to embody the vision, values andoutlook of the Catholic school. Leadership through witness is critical for theeffectiveness of the school community. They should support one anotherwith faith and courage’ (p. 43). This clearly calls on leadership to act in waysthat prioritise values. Active value-based pedagogical leadership supports thenurturance of holistic child development, and particularly spirituality asa core element of quality early education.

Situating the research within holistic approaches to early years’pedagogy

This research is situated within the previously described context of WACatholic schools. Additionally, this research is framed within holisticapproaches to early years’ pedagogy. As research into brain developmenthas become more accessible, the neuro-scientific perspective on children’sdevelopment has informed philosophical perspectives on education. Theneuro-scientific perspective has provided a strong research base for theneed to attend to children’s development holistically, engaging all the capa-cities of the human person (Nagel 2012). These are the physical, emotional,personal, social, cognitive, linguistic, spiritual and creative, as outlined in TheAustralian Early Years Learning Framework (AGDE 2022). Building on thecontribution of neuroscience, researchers across health, education and psy-chology have explored the capacities of the child as intersecting, recognisingalso that child development cannot be separated into compartments. Fromthis holistic perspective, the cognitive capacity is influenced by the spiritual,the physical by the emotional, and so on (Medina 2014). Research is clear inadvocating the need for development to be attended to in an intercon-nected way (Zosh et al. 2017) and when this occurs, children are equippedwith the ability to better face adversity (Weld 2018).

To add to this discourse, today the child is conceptualised as ‘capable’(Walton and Cohen 2011). The child is described as having agency, voice andpower, actively and creatively participating in their world which they also co-construct (Sevón 2015). In addition to possessing agency and voice, childrenpossess rights. The rights of the child are held as central within decision-makingprocesses in many countries, as children are viewed as active participants insociety. Children have a right to a childhood, to have their developmental andlearning needs met, and in developmentally appropriate ways (United Nations1989). When the child is viewed as an active participant in the world, whopossesses rights, rather than a passive receiver of learning, the value of child-centred opportunities is authenticated. Understanding this connection betweenbrain development and learning in childhood has led to the recognition ofholistic development, and the adoption of holistic teaching, or pedagogies.Holistic pedagogies recognise the complexities of development and requireleaders and educators to seek opportunities for connecting the affective withthe cognitive (Miller et al. 2018). Holistic pedagogies seek to attend to the wholechild’s learning in an integrated way, therefore focussing on the provision ofopportunities for children that promote a whole body experience, rather thana compartmentalising of learning into subjects. It is within this particular holisticapproach to pedagogy that spirituality, as an integral capacity of the child, canflourish. The following section explores the extant literature on understandingearly years’ spirituality specifically.

Contributions to understanding early years’ spirituality

There is a growing body of literature surrounding young children’s spirituality, andthis literature is moving towards a contemporary understanding of spirituality asa human capacity, distinct from any religious beliefs and traditions (De Souza2016). As an integral component of being human, the spiritual capacity is under-stood as requiring nurturing and promoting as do the other human capacities(physical, social, emotional, cognitive). The notion of relational consciousness wasa significant contribution made by researchers Hay and Nye (2006) resulting fromtheir large-scale research with children. Relational consciousness draws on twocentral themes that recur in the literature; that connectedness and relationality areat the heart of spirituality; and, that there is an element of awareness, tuning-in orreflectiveness associated with this capacity (Hay and Nye 2006). Connected to self,others, the world and to a transcendent element are elaborated on withinliterature to explore, for example, spirituality and culture (Mata-McMahon 2018)and these lead to developments in the way young children might experience orexpress their spirituality (Bussing et al. 2010; Mayer and Frantz 2004). Studies havefound wonder (Dowling 2005; Robinson 2022), engagement with nature(Robinson 2019; Schein 2013), use of the creative arts (Mata-McMahon, Haslip,and Schein 2019), moments of joy and happiness (Hart 2006) as well as faith-based practices (Robinson 2020) may all contribute to nurturing spirituality.

Although literature tends to focus on the socially celebrated characteristics ofspirituality, there is growing understanding that to flourish and thrive an indi-vidual must balance out the less accepted human traits with the celebratedones. These less accepted traits are referred to as the shadow side of spirituality(De Souza 2012) and are recognised in psychology-based literature as part ofthe self and include, for example, anger, isolation, depression and fear. Asa whole self, an individual must learn to manage their shadow, to feel it,acknowledge it but to also possess the strategies and mechanisms to makesense of it, or to move within it and beyond it. In childhood, these skills andmechanisms are learnt; children learn what belonging feels like and what beingleft out feels like, and they develop ways to navigate this. Such experiencenurtures the spiritual capacity can act as a protective factor for adversity (Bone2008). Research on the effects and management of trauma by individuals havefound that successful management of trauma was aligned with a ‘we feeling’,a sense of connection to others (Weld 2018). When children are provided withopportunities to experience and express their spirituality, they are best placedto draw on this capacity when adversity arises.

Rationale of the research

The research question framing this project was: What is the impact on WACatholic school early childhood leaders’ who undertake a professional learningintervention on holistic pedagogies (that include spirituality)? The focus of this paper is to present findings pertaining specifically to the element of theresearch question regarding spirituality within holistic pedagogies. To respondto this question, participants were engaged in a pedagogical growth interven-tion. The intervention consisted of four full-day sessions sequenced throughouta 12-month period. Within the sessions, the participants were supported toreflect on their pedagogy, specifically their practices that also included spiri-tuality. The researchers sought to uncover the participants’ experience of theintervention and the impact these sessions had on their pedagogical growth bygathering their perspectives prior to, and at the conclusion of, the 12-monthprogram.

Research design

To ascertain the experience of the early years’ leaders, a qualitative design to theresearch was undertaken. Qualitative research lends itself to collecting data thatrevolves around gathering the unique experience and perspective of the parti-cipant (Billups 2021). Qualitative research seeks to be an inductive and emer-gent process (Saldana 2015) and is therefore most suited to investigations thatseek insight into the lived experience of the participants (Billups 2021). As theresearchers focus was on the experience of the participants within their ownparticular context, a social constructivist theoretical perspective was an appro-priate selection. A phenomenological epistemological viewpoint within a socialconstructivist theoretical perspective was selected. Research withina phenomenological epistemology is premised on investigating particular phe-nomena, in this instance that phenomena were holistic pedagogies in the earlyyears. Billups (2021) outlines a range of approaches within qualitative research,and details phenomenological research as a key methodology for wanting tounderstand the lived experience of individuals in relation to a phenomenon. Insituating the research within a social constructivist theoretical perspective, theresearchers sought to understand the experience and perspectives of theparticipants in relation to the phenomena of holistic pedagogies in the earlyyears. Essentially, social constructivism is concerned with interpreted reality(Boyland 2019), which is appropriately aligned to the research aims.

Methods

Two qualitative forms of data were gathered to respond to the research ques-tion; online questionnaire (pre and post the sessions) and secondly, documen-tary data in the form of a reflective journal. Both the questionnaire and thejournal facilitated gathering detailed responses regarding the perspectives ofthe participants before and then again after the intervention. For the scope ofthis paper, only the questionnaire data is drawn upon to facilitate a pre- andpost-session comparison in participant perspectives on spirituality. Additionally, questionnaire was selected as the appropriate tool given the length and rangeof questions being asked of participants as well as considering the availability ofparticipants. Qualitative questionnaires are a recognised data collection methodwithin qualitative inquiry providing an opportunity to gather reflective insightsfrom participants (Billups 2021). Questionnaires allow for the collection of in-depth, narrative style responses and in this research, participants were asked toreflect on their beliefs and practices regarding early years’ holistic pedagogiesthat included spirituality. The questions included in the questionnaires weredrawn from topics emerging in the literature both on holistic pedagogies (e.g.Miller et al. 2018, Nagel 2012) and on spirituality (e.g. Hay and Nye 2006;Robinson 2020).

The online questionnaire was created using Survey Monkey software and isprovided as Appendix A. Participants were emailed the questionnaire link oneweek prior to session one commencing and then again following the finalsession. The purpose of the questionnaire was to ascertain the early childhoodleaders’ initial perspectives and practices of holistic pedagogies, specificallyincluding spirituality. The second questionnaire was used as a means of deter-mining the impact, if any, of the sessions on the participant’s beliefs andpractices. The questionnaire consisted of several items that began with con-textual information (such as years of teaching and leadership position) followedby a series of items that focussed specifically on their understandings about, andperspectives on, children’s spirituality, early years’ learning and early yearspedagogies.

Intervention schedule

The early years’ leaders participated in four full-day sessions over the year, asoutlined in Table 1.0;

Each full day session was separated by 8 to 12 weeks. Providing time forparticipants to process the professional learning within their own contextwas a consideration of the researchers in developing the schedule. Thecreation of materials across the four sessions was developed from conversa-tions between the CEWA team and researchers as well as from insightsgained through the review of existing literature. Each full day sessionoccurred in person and within a workshop mode of delivery. Sessions oneand four explicitly responded to the research question. Sessions two andthree were less overtly related to spirituality. However, as there was anopportunity for participants to draw on their understanding of spiritualityas part of both contemporary perspectives and within their philosophy, therewas continuity across the sessions.

Participant sample

Invitations via email were sent to all early childhood leaders and aspiring leadersin the Perth metropolitan diocese, through the internal CEWA contact portal.Consequently, the criteria for participation was being an early childhood leaderemployed in CEWA schools in the metropolitan area. As such, all participantswere over 18 years of age and literate. At the point of registering for theintervention sessions, participants were informed of the option to also partakein the research project. 22 participants registered for the program. Prior toundertaking the first session participants were emailed by the CEWA consul-tants, on the researcher’s behalf, to invite them to participate in the researchcomponent of the program. The email clearly stated that participation in theresearch component was voluntary and 21 participants consented to take part.The participant information sheet and consent form were attached to the emailinvitation. When the post-session questionnaire was provided, 13 of the 21responded.

Ethical considerations

All ethical procedures were adhered to, to ensure the integrity of theresearch and confidentiality of the participants. Ethical approvals weregranted from The University of Notre Australia HREC and through CEWA(2021-036F). Trustworthiness was assured through the application of sev-eral processes. Firstly, the questionnaire was trialled by a non-participantto ensure the questions were clear and appropriate. Secondly, theresearchers engaged in the analysis individually, and then collaborativelyto ensure that the emerging findings were an accurate representation ofthe participants’ voices.

Data analysis

Questionnaires were returned anonymously and pseudonyms were pro-vided for the data. The analysis of the questionnaire responses occurredinitially. A process of thematic coding was undertaken to analyse eachdata set, separately. Thematic coding provides the researcher with theopportunity to be immersed in their data (Elliot 2018) and a strength inthis particular analytical process is its ability in finding nuanced meaningfrom the data (Walker, Tunison, and Okoko 2023). In the process ofthematic coding, as identified by Braun and Clarke (2006), each data setwas read repeatedly to identify patterns, generating initial codes. In theprocess of re-reading and analysing the data these initial codes werereviewed to determine the emergent themes. Themes from each dataset were subsequently examined individually and then collectively tocreate overarching themes presented as the findings from theinvestigation.

Findings

Findings are presented that were gathered through the pre and post question-naire. Only the questionnaire questions that yielded thematic codes related tospirituality are presented here, given the scope of this paper. Five questionsfrom within the pre-session questionnaire are presented as findings related tospirituality specifically.

Pre-session questionnaire

Participant beliefs

Only two participants mentioned spirituality, or the notion of a holisticapproach, in their response to the question regarding their beliefs on the wayyoung children learn and develop.

The holistic child

When asked specifically about what the word ‘holistic’ might mean in thecontext of the child, 14 of the 21 participants included spirituality explicitly in their response. The remaining seven responses made mentionof the cognitive or physical capacities but failed to mention spirituality. Ofthe 14 that included the spiritual, no further explanation was provided.Examples that are representative of the type of response gathered areprovided in the table below:

When Early Childhood experts speak or write about theHolistic child, what do you interpret this to mean?

“Whole child-social, emotional, intellectual, spiritual,physical”

“I see this as every part of the child from physical, cognitive,social, emotional, spiritual, relationships and that all ofthese must be developed equally. A child’s well-beingmust always be of the utmost importance within anylearning environment”.

“Every aspect of the child – social/emotional/cognitive/spiritual”

“I see this as every part of the child from physical, cognitive,social, emotional, spiritual, relationships and that all ofthese must be developed equally. A child’s well-beingmust always be of the utmost importance within anylearning environment”.

Supporting spirituality

There was a wide variety of responses to the question regarding how theparticipants supported young children’s spirituality. Of the 21 respondents, 8referred to the role of wonder and/or awe as providing an opportunity tosupport children’s spirituality. The same number of respondents (8) included‘God’. The second most common response (4) was the mention of nature or thenatural world, followed by ‘belonging’ and ‘relationships’ (3). Only one partici-pant referred to the use of quiet time.

Personal influences

In responding to this question on personal influences, most participantsmoved away from spirituality specifically and wrote about their religiouspractices and beliefs influencing the opportunities and experiences theyprovided for the children. How the individual participants personallyvalued nature or moments of reflection were also evident in someresponses.

Please describe how your own spirituality influences how yousupport children to develop their spirituality.

“I lead through my awareness that God is always present”

“My personal belief system, understanding and relatingscripture”

“My faith, expression and religiosity is sustained throughritual and actions such as Mass and prayers”

Spirituality within holistic approaches

Overall, responses to this question referred to possessing an openness toopportunities that could be spiritual, integrating spirituality as part of a holistic approach and intentionally providing a range of experiences forchildren to engage with. Examples of the types of responses gatheredinclude;

How do you include spirituality developmentwithin a holistic approach?

“offering opportunities to engage with content and experiences”

“Incidentally in each domain – I am always looking for opportunities toshare stories, experience the moment and acknowledge Godmoments”

“Integrated: not in a particular time of the day”

“Providing children with opportunities to touch, feel, smell, see andexperience their world with their hands . . . ”

Post-session questionnaire

The post-session questionnaire was completed by 13 (of the 21) participants. Aswith the pre-session questionnaire, only the questions and responses pertainingspecifically to spirituality are included in this section.

What’s changed?

Two of the 13 respondents mentioned spirituality in response to thisquestion.

Describe one thing that you now can do/can dobetter/can do more confidently.

“Identifying opportunities to nurture children’s spirituality”

“Value the spiritual development of children as well as be moresupportive of their journey, awareness of their worlds andmoments”.

Overall, participants highlighted the importance of spirituality to thewhole development of the child, making specific mention of how spiri-tuality is central to young children’s identity development, andconnectedness.

How do you now see spirituality within the contextof the whole child’s development?

“Spirituality is important for the child to help them gain anunderstanding of themselves and the world they live in”

“It’s at the forefront of children’s development, it’s an aspect oftheir own self-identity”

“Spirituality is a sense of self-understanding and self-identity”

This same question elicited responses regarding the need for spirituality tobe nurtured and promoted through either an awareness by the teacher, orthrough the provision of opportunities was viewed as essential, evidenced bythe following responses;

Part of the whole child that needs to be nourished, supported and encouragedIt is a crucial part of the planning within the early childhood setting‘Children need to be provided with opportunities to develop their spirituality’.

Supporting spirituality – a newly informed response

Responses to the question regarding what they thought the most importantthing a teacher could do to support children’s spirituality, centred on the notionof encouraging curiosity (4), engaging children in wonder and awe (4), andproviding children with authentic experiences with nature (3). For example;

What do you believe is the most important thing a teacher can do to supporta child to develop their spirituality?

“Develop a sense of wonder and awe”

“Develop curiosity and a love of nature”

“Provide experiences to developcreativity. Wonder and play”.

Key learnings on spirituality

Overall participants commented that they took away a better understanding ofwhat spirituality was and gained knowledge of the research that underpinnedpractices to promote children’s spirituality. In particular, the participantsaffirmed the place of spirituality in a holistic approach to development in theearly years. This is best summed up in the response made by one participant;

A better understanding of the importance of a child’s spirituality to the development ofthe whole child’; this was representative of all responses.

Discussion

Two themes emerged that respond to the research question on the impact theprofessional learning program had on the leaders’ regarding holistic pedago-gies that include spirituality. These themes affirm the impact of the interventionin highlighting spirituality within child development along with identifyinga need to intentionally and explicitly address teacher (and leader) knowledgeand skills in nurturing childhood spirituality.

Spirituality: a part of the whole child

The participants in this research were leaders in early childhood withina Catholic primary school in WA. This context added a religious layer to theirunderstanding of spirituality. In the pre-session questionnaire, it was evidentthat the participants recognised spirituality as a part of holistic development yetit was also clear that their understanding of what spirituality might be, especiallywithin holistic pedagogies, was limited. Most commonly, the participants wereable to identify the role of wonder and awe and a connection to God as centralto spirituality. Interestingly, existing literature also notes that these two char-acteristics of spirituality are often intertwined as people wonder from a place oftranscendence or faith (Büssing 2021). The notion of spirituality in connection toreligion is worthy of discussion as it draws attention to the complex nature of spirituality within the Catholic school context. Spirituality in the Catholic schoolmust be first understood as a right of all children before it becomes aligned tothe Catholic faith. Catholic schools are places of evangelisation, and schoolleaders cannot assume all who choose a Catholic education are Catholic infaith. Connection facilitates growth (Desautels 2020); When children are metwith connection, with relational and holistic pedagogies, with a spirituality thatembraces all, then faith can grow.

The post-session questionnaire made clear the growth in understandingregarding the importance of spirituality and the need to nurture the capacityif children are to thrive holistically. In particular, participants responded witha strong sense of the connection between the spiritual and the child’s develop-ing sense of self in connection to nature. The literature on young children’sspirituality emphasises the role of nature as a means for children’s experienceand expression of their innate spirituality (Bone 2008; Robinson 2019). In nature,children also wonder (Ratcliff and May 2004), they explore, they create, theyreflect. The early years leaders in this investigation acknowledged each of thesecharacteristics of children’s spirituality.

Research advocates the importance of connectedness and belonging foryoung children’s optimal development, acknowledging that ‘for children tothrive they need to feel connected and cared for in an ongoing and consistentmanner . . . ’ (Desautels 2020, 13). The impact of this professional learningprogram was demonstrated through the participants awareness of the central-ity of spirituality to children’s development. The participants were able torecognise that opportunities for spirituality must be planned for, and theymust also build upon the spontaneous initiatives of the child.

Pedagogies that promote spirituality

The educator orchestrates the intentional and planned opportunities in theindoor and outdoor early years environments. The educator can also createthe context within which spirituality can be nurtured and from which thespiritual worlds of the child can be opened. Harris (2018) suggests that ‘insupporting the development and education of the whole child, one shouldinclude thoughtful consideration of children’s spiritual development’ (p. 292).This thoughtful consideration can refer to the planned or intentional aspects ofspirituality and these were largely absent from the pre-session responses withinthis research. The pre-session questionnaire identified that most plannedexperiences were related to God, and therefore directly religious experiences.The leaders were able to articulate in their post-session questionnaire a clearernotion that spiritual opportunities should be provided by the educator thatinclude nature, wonder and creativity.

There was a strong indication within the responses that spirituality justhappened, as opposed to something that they set about to progress as they might in other capacities of the child, although they don’t state thisexplicitly. The participants were, however, much more aware of the childinitiated and spontaneous opportunities for spiritual experience andexpression. This was insightful, as it indicated an understanding that spiri-tuality belongs to the child and might be experienced and expresseddifferently to other learning. Harris (2018), (302) affirms that ‘children’sspiritual discoveries . . . became a springboard for later learning and teach-able spiritual moments’. Responding to children’s interests and value add-ing from a spiritual perspective is an example of how the child themselvescan become the springboard for the holistic pedagogies of the educator.The leaders in this research were able to articulate in their post sessionquestionnaire a desire to build upon the natural spiritual inclination of thechild.

The relational nature of spirituality was a further insight gained by partici-pants. The educators were able to weave together the role of spirituality withinholistic pedagogies. They were able to identify spirituality as key to developinga sense of self and a sense of relationship with others. In essence, the educatorsbegan to come to what Hay and Nye (2006) term ‘relational consciousness’, andto perceive spirituality to be not only part of a holistic approach but alsoa relational one. Further research that more explicitly explores the relationalnature of spirituality as connected to culture would be a useful addition to thefield.

Recommendations and conclusion

Early years’ leaders and teachers in WA Catholic schools specifically are beingsupported to build their pedagogical capacity, to build their capacity inholistic pedagogies that include young children’s spirituality, to generatedeeper reflective abilities and to provide evidence-based quality practicesin their schools. Professional learning programs, such as the one presented inthis paper, align to the expansion of the National Quality Standard inAustralian Schools (K-Year 2) and to international trends in research andeducational policy which underpin the significance of quality teaching andlearning experiences in the early years. The findings presented from thisresearch are significant in contributing to the field of leadership in theearly years within both holistic pedagogies and young children’s spirituality.The impact of sustained, long-term professional learning programs wasevident in the responses participants provided regarding spirituality withinholistic pedagogies and its intersections with faith. Consequently, two keyimplications arise from the findings; the first pertains to the value of theprogram itself. It was evident from the pre and post questionnaire that theprogram was effective in growing the participants’ understanding of holisticpedagogies including spirituality. Investment in long-term professional learning programs is affirmed in the findings from this project. The oppor-tunity to have several sessions of learning with time to reflect and theopportunity to engage in pedagogies between sessions, proved valuable.

The second implication applies to raising the profile of the spiritual capacity.Young children’s spirituality continues to be an area of research growth butthere is still much to be done to ensure educators understand the importantrole of spirituality within holistic development. The existing research suggestsa strong connection between spirituality and thriving (Tammeh et al. 2016).When acknowledged and nurtured, educators can assist young children toconnect to self, others, the world and a transcendent. To do so requires knowl-edgeable and skilled educators and leaders. Within faith-based contexts, such asthe Catholic schools in this project, raising the profile of spirituality will alsoassist those students who come from non-religious backgrounds to thriveholistically. This could occur in two ways; firstly, through the intrinsic benefitof spiritual experiences in their own right; and secondly through the potentialschool’s envisaged evangelisation pathway should they choose to express theirspirituality in this way.

To conclude, children develop all of their ‘self’ in an integrated way; they donot seek to compartmentalise their capacities and experiences in adult definedways. When educators (and leaders) recognise this, they can come to childrenwith holistic pedagogies that engage the child across the physical, social,emotion, cognitive and the spiritual. Professional learning programs such asthe one presented in this paper afford educators the experience of reflecting oncurrent beliefs and practices and the opportunity to grow and change. As thefindings from this project affirm, investment in sustained professional learningcan be impactfully positive for educators and their pedagogies; and for leadersand their ability to lead pedagogically.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Funding

The work was supported by the Catholic Education Western Australia LTD Catholic EducationWestern Australia.

Notes on contributors

Dr. C. Robinson is Associate Professor in Early Childhood at Edith Cowan University in WesternAustralia. Christine researches and teaches in early childhood, with a specific focus on play,holistic pedagogies, spirituality and teacher formation.

Dr. D. O’Connor is Professor in Child and Community Development at Murdoch University. Dr.Dee O’Connor is a Values-Based Leader and Academic with specialist knowledge of child,family and community development, experiential learning, engagement.

S. Wynne is an experienced early childhood consultant with a focus on child developmentand pedagogy. Sam has over 25 years of school-based, classroom and leadership experience.

W. Manners is Team Leader of the Early Years at the Catholic Education Western Australia.Wendy has extensive experience as a leader, both in schools and as an early years consultant.

M. Pietracatella is an experienced early years teacher, leader and consultant. Michelle is aconsultant within the early years team at Catholic Education Western Australia.

ORCID

C. Robinson http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8938-2994

D. O’Connor http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8710-4571

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Appendix A: Questionnaires

Questions: Pre Intervention

Demographic Information

Please explain your current role: Principal, Assistant Principal, Early Years Coordinator, EarlyYears’ Teacher etc

How many years have you been teaching in the Catholic sector?

How many years have you been leading (if any) in the early years?

What have been the main areas of professional development you have engaged with inthe past 5 years?

Within early childhood, what areas do you feel you are most knowledgeable in?

Within early childhood, what areas do you feel need the most development?

Pedagogical Beliefs

Describe your current beliefs around young children’s learning and development.

What approaches (e.g. Reggio Emilia, play-based) or theorists do you identify with asinforming your beliefs?

When early childhood experts talk about the ‘holistic child’, what do you interpret by this?

How do you include spirituality within a holistic approach?

Teaching Practices

List key features of your early years’ practice. If you don’t currently teach in the early years,what do you consider as key features of the early years classroom?

How do you determine if early years’ practice is of a high quality? What do you expect tosee or hear?

When Early Childhood experts speak or write about the Holistic child, what do youinterpret this to mean?

What impacts, either positively or negatively, your early years pedagogy?

What do you think a holistic approach to pedagogy might look like?

When Early Childhood experts speak or write about the Holistic child, what do youinterpret this to mean?

Describe how your own spirituality influences how you support children to develop theirspirituality.

How do you include spirituality development within a holistic approach?

Leadership

If you are currently in a leadership position, what do you currently do, in terms ofprocesses, to understand and guide the early years’ practice in your school?

How do you manage change within the early years? For example, how do you manage andlead other in changing beliefs and practices.

What do you see as the major road blocks to philosophical or pedagogical change for youand your early years’ team?

Questions: Post Intervention

Pedagogical Beliefs

Have your beliefs regarding young children’s development and learning shifted, changed,been challenged or been affirmed?

What elements from the session caused this response from you?

When early childhood experts talk about the ‘holistic child’, what do you interpret by thishaving now undertaken the sessions?

How do you see spirituality within the context of the whole child’s development?

Teaching Practices

Having participated in the four sessions, what do you now consider as key features of theearly years classroom?

What elements from the sessions influenced your understanding of early years’ teachingpractice?

Describe one thing that you now can do/can do better/can do more confidently.

What do you believe is the most important thing a teacher can do to support a child todevelop their spirituality?

Leadership

If you are currently in a leadership position, what do you plan to do moving forward toengage with your early years’ team?

What are the main areas of change, if any, that you intend to explore with your early years’team?

Session Evaluation

What elements of the four sessions did you find most beneficial and why?

What, if any, were the areas of personal/professional growth for you?

What areas, if any, do you see as being influential to impacting your beliefs?

What areas, if any, do you see as being influential to impacting your practice?

What areas would you have liked explored further or are there other topics you would likeexplored in the future?