Display options
Cite
Ramakrishnan P, Baccari A, Ramachandran U, et al. Teachers' and Parents' Perspectives on a Curricular Subject of "Religion and Spirituality" for Indian Schools: A Pilot Study Toward School Mental Health Program. J Relig Health. 2018;57(4):1330-1349doi: 10.1007/s10943-017-0474-1.
Ramakrishnan, P., Baccari, A., Ramachandran, U., Ahmed, S. F., & Koenig, H. G. (2018). Teachers' and Parents' Perspectives on a Curricular Subject of "Religion and Spirituality" for Indian Schools: A Pilot Study Toward School Mental Health Program. Journal of religion and health, 57(4), 1330-1349. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-017-0474-1
Ramakrishnan, Parameshwaran, et al. "Teachers' and Parents' Perspectives on a Curricular Subject of "Religion and Spirituality" for Indian Schools: A Pilot Study Toward School Mental Health Program." Journal of religion and health vol. 57,4 (2018): 1330-1349. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-017-0474-1
Ramakrishnan P, Baccari A, Ramachandran U, Ahmed SF, Koenig HG. Teachers' and Parents' Perspectives on a Curricular Subject of "Religion and Spirituality" for Indian Schools: A Pilot Study Toward School Mental Health Program. J Relig Health. 2018 Aug;57(4):1330-1349. doi: 10.1007/s10943-017-0474-1. PMID: 28819897.
Copy Download .nbib Format: NLM
Share it on

J Relig Health. 2018 Aug;57(4):1330-1349. doi: 10.1007/s10943-017-0474-1.

Teachers' and Parents' Perspectives on a Curricular Subject of "Religion and Spirituality" for Indian Schools: A Pilot Study Toward School Mental Health Program.

Journal of religion and health

Parameshwaran Ramakrishnan, Andrew Baccari, Uma Ramachandran, Syed Faiz Ahmed, Harold G Koenig

Affiliations

  1. AdiBhat Foundation, New Delhi, India. [email protected].
  2. Harvard Divinity School, Harvard University, 42 Francis Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA. [email protected].
  3. Harvard Divinity School, Harvard University, 42 Francis Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
  4. Indus World School, 61/21, Badshahpur-Darbaripur Road, Sector 70, Gurgaon, Haryana, 122001, India.
  5. Guidance High School, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
  6. Central Research Institute of Unani Medicine, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
  7. Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
  8. King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

PMID: 28819897 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-017-0474-1

Abstract

Religious-spiritual (R/S) education helps medical students cope with caregiving stress and gain skills in interpersonal empathy needed for clinical care. Such R/S education has been introduced into K-12 and college curricula in some developed nations and has been found to positively impact student's mental health. Such a move has not yet been seen in the Indian education system. This paper aimed to examine perspectives of teachers and parents in India on appropriateness, benefits, and challenges of including R/S education into the school curriculum and also to gather their impressions on how a R/S curriculum might promote students' health. A cross-sectional study of religiously stratified sample of teachers and parents was initiated in three preselected schools in India and the required sample size (N = 300) was reached through snowballing technique. A semi-structured questionnaire, with questions crafted from "Religion and Spirituality in Medicine, Physicians Perspective" (RSMPP) and "American Academy of Religion's (AAR) Guidelines for Religious Literacy," was used to determine participants' perspectives. Findings revealed that teachers' and parents' "comfort in integrating R/S into school curriculum" was associated with their gender (OR 1.68), education status (OR 1.05), and intrinsic religiosity (OR 1.05). Intrinsic religiosity was significantly (p = 0.025) high among parents while "intrinsic spirituality" was high (p = 0.020) among teachers. How participants' R/S characteristics influence their support of R/S education in school is discussed. In conclusion, participants believe R/S education will fosters students' emotional health and interpersonal skills needed for social leadership. A curriculum that incorporates R/S education, which is based on AAR guidelines and clinically validated interpersonal spiritual care tools would be acceptable to both teachers and parents.

Keywords: Curriculum development; Mental and social health; Parents–teachers–students; Religion-spirituality; School education

References

  1. Support Care Cancer. 2015 Dec;23(12):3403-6 - PubMed
  2. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 1998 Apr;13(4):213-24 - PubMed
  3. J Altern Complement Med. 2009 May;15(5):551-5 - PubMed
  4. J Relig Health. 2015 Apr;54(2):649-63 - PubMed
  5. J Relig Health. 2011 Mar;50(1):92-107 - PubMed
  6. Med Educ Online. 2016 Jun 27;21:31196 - PubMed
  7. Adm Policy Ment Health. 2010 Mar;37(1-2):40-7 - PubMed
  8. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2015 Sep;28(5):393-401 - PubMed
  9. Med Educ. 2011 Apr;45(4):381-8 - PubMed
  10. Ann Ist Super Sanita. 1999;35(4):489-97 - PubMed
  11. Acad Med. 1998 Sep;73(9):970-4 - PubMed
  12. Acad Med. 2014 Apr;89(4):573-7 - PubMed
  13. J Transcult Nurs. 2003 Apr;14(2):100-7 - PubMed
  14. Acad Med. 2015 Apr;90(4):505-10 - PubMed
  15. Acad Med. 2014 Mar;89(3):421-8 - PubMed
  16. Am J Psychiatry. 2007 Dec;164(12):1825-31 - PubMed
  17. JAMA Intern Med. 2016 Jun 1;176(6):777-85 - PubMed
  18. Med Care. 2006 May;44(5):446-53 - PubMed
  19. Med Educ. 2013 Aug;47(8):768-79 - PubMed
  20. J Relig Health. 2012 Mar;51(1):3-19 - PubMed
  21. BMC Med Educ. 2014 Sep 22;14:198 - PubMed
  22. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2015 Apr;24(2):245-59 - PubMed
  23. Acad Med. 2014 Jan;89(1):10-6 - PubMed
  24. BMC Med Educ. 2013 Dec 07;13:162 - PubMed
  25. J Cancer Educ. 2006 Spring;21(1):14-8 - PubMed
  26. Indian J Psychiatry. 2015 Jan-Mar;57(1):21-9 - PubMed
  27. J Relig Health. 2014 Aug;53(4):1161-75 - PubMed
  28. Contemp Sch Psychol. 2015 Sep;19(3):184-192 - PubMed
  29. J Gen Intern Med. 2005 Jul;20(7):629-34 - PubMed
  30. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2012 Apr;33(3):193-201 - PubMed
  31. J Relig Health. 2014 Dec;53(6):1800-14 - PubMed
  32. Acad Med. 2012 Jun;87(6):744-51 - PubMed
  33. J Can Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2010 Aug;19(3):227-9 - PubMed
  34. JAMA. 1997 Sep 3;278(9):792-3 - PubMed
  35. Int J Psychol. 2014 Dec;49(6):434-45 - PubMed
  36. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1967 Apr;5(4):432-43 - PubMed
  37. Med Educ. 2008 Feb;42(2):176-82 - PubMed

MeSH terms

Publication Types