SPIRITUAL AND RELIGIOUS ENVIRONMENT INCLUSION Research Paper

SPIRITUAL AND sacred ENVIRONMENT INCLUSION - Research Paper Examplehat which makes one breathe, or to that in conduct worth breathing for. Spirituality is interpreted variously, depending on concerns, expectations, and experiences. For many, the phantasmal domain is equated with a specific religious tradition or practice for some, spirituality is a private experience of connection to some merge and universal presence and for others, it is tantamount to a profound sentiment of peace and contentment. For some they are uncomfortable with the parlance of spirituality (faith, belief, soul, God). Soet and Martin (2007) report that spirituality has received increasing attention as an area to be considered in counseling and college student development. But little has been written about specific interventions to address college students spiritual needs. (Strange, 2001 p.58) 3 In Taking Religious Pluralism Seriously Spiritual Politics on Americas Sacred, Barbara A. ... one poll, are not p art of any religious tradition at all. (McGraw & Formicola, 2005, p.ix) 3 In 2002, the UCLAs broad(prenominal) Education Research Institute initiated a main, multi-year program of research to study the spiritual development of undergrad students during the college years. The Astin, Astin, & Lindholm study (2010) was intended to increase the understanding of how college students consider the spirituality, the role it plays in their lives, and how colleges and universities can be more effective in facilitating students spiritual development. (Astin, et al., 2010, p.1) Among the primary research collections were 4 What role does spirituality play in the lives of todays college students? 4 How do students spiritual qualities change during the college years? 4 What are institutions doing that assist or inhibits students in their spiritual quest? (Astin, et al., 2010, p.1) 4 According to the Spirituality website of the UCLA, the school found that students showed the supreme degree of growth in the five spiritual qualities if they are enthusiastically engaged in inside(a) work through self-reflection, observation, or contemplation. Students also showed significant increases in interest in the spiritual quest when their faculty practiced inclusionary policies. 4 Religious Engagement, an external measure which represents the behavioral equivalent to Religious Commitment, includes behaviors much(prenominal) as presence religious services, praying, religious singing/chanting, and reading sacred books. Attendance at religious services shows a sharp down turn during college, while other forms of engagement show akin but slighter declines. Over the third of the students (39%) attend services less repeatedly in university than they did in high