Hong Kong Catholic Secondary School Male Students’ Perceptions of Spiritual Development

: A Case Study

Abstract

This study explores the perceptions of spiritual development of a small sample of
Catholic school male students in Hong Kong, with a view to understanding their views
and experiences with spiritual development, and how spiritual development can be
effectively promoted in school, which can, in turn, inform future research, policy and
practice in relation to spiritual development in Catholic schools.

This exploratory study is situated in the interpretivist paradigm and adopts the
qualitative research methodology, using documentary review and semi-structured
individual interviews, supplemented by a drawing task, as the data collection methods.
A Jesuit boys’ secondary school in Hong Kong with a long history was chosen as the
case study, and a sample of 15 students were interviewed.

The findings indicated that the students understood spirituality in a similar and
predominantly secular way (with common threads being a search for meaning and
purpose in life, connectedness, and experience of transcendence), and unanimously
accepted its importance to humans’ well-being and growth. At school, they generally
considered opportunities to reflect, opportunities to connect, and various aspects of
the school culture (encompassing the school ethos, spiritual leadership of principal and
teachers, relationships with teachers and other students, and spiritual spots on
campus) to be the more effective ways and avenues for fostering students’ spiritual
development.

Besides filling the knowledge gap about the spirituality of adolescent boys in Hong
Kong and the prospect for boys to develop into resilient, considerate and responsible
individuals through spiritual development, the findings also inform the spiritual
development related policy and practice of Catholic schools in and outside Hong Kong.
Further research into such areas as the perceptions of other school stakeholders, the
influence of the family, and the issue of spiritual leadership in Catholic schools, is
recommended, in order to gain a more comprehensive picture of teenage boys’
spiritual development.

Date of Award	10 Dec 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	Janet L Orchard (Supervisor) & William Baker (Supervisor)