1,063
Views
4
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Article

Contributions of religious beliefs on the development of university students’ spiritual well-being

Pages 429-455 | Received 14 Feb 2018, Accepted 16 Jul 2018, Published online: 01 Aug 2018
 

ABSTRACT

This qualitative study aims to explore the impact of religious beliefs in terms of religiosity, including (1) religious background, (2) religious practices and (3) participation in religious activities, on the development of spiritual well-being of Chinese students. Thereafter, this research further discussed how and what religiosity has contributed to the development of the university students’ spiritual well-being.

27 individual in-depth interviews with university students were conducted. Findings contribute to the exploration of how the spiritual well-being of students could be influenced by their religious beliefs. Their religious doctrines, activities and practices may likewise be integrated in their daily lives. Moreover, religious doctrines, participation in religious activities and prayers or meditation positively contribute to the development of the university students’ spiritual well-being in specific domains (i.e., personal, communal, environmental and transcendental). Happiness, love, harmony, and devotion are affirmed as possible reasons and effects from their religious beliefs in the specific domains.

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to express his gratitude to Dr. Wong Ping Ho and Dr. Lo Yat Wai for their continuous supports and encouragement in this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Hok-Ko Pong

Hok-Ko Pong is a teaching fellow at Faculty of Management and Hospitality, Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. He earned his EDD at the Education University of Hong Kong. His research interests include life and value education, spirituality and holistic education.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.