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Abstract
Drawn from a larger study of Canadian children’s sense of self and media habits, this study explores the role of religiosity and/or spirituality within 535 children’s (281 girls, 254 boys; 5–13 years of age) self‐reported media preferences and habits over a three‐year period. Results indicate that the theme of spirituality and/or religiosity emerged most frequently within the context of after‐school activities, music listening habits and the reading habits of participants’ mothers. Aside from children in Grade 1 (five–six years), girls were more likely than boys to mention issues of spirituality and religiosity, particularly during preadolescence (10–13 years). Younger children reported more issues of spirituality than older children. Results are discussed in terms of educational implications for critical media literacy.
Acknowledgements
This research is part of a large study in collaboration with Vera Woloshyn, Nancy Francis‐Murray, Merle Richards, and Snezana Ratkovic, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Special thanks to the schools for their assistance with the project. This research was supported by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the Human Resources and Development Council of Canada (HRDC) to the second author. Portions of this paper were presented at the annual meeting of the Canadian Society for Studies in Education, May 2006, Toronto, Ontario.