Faith Development among Elementary Students in an Adventist Campus: A Case Study

Abstract

The elementary age is fundamental to a person’s faith development. After a careful search, however, few studies were found on faith development of elementary students in the Adventist church. Previous studies on faith or spiritual development in an Adventist setting focused more on adolescents and young adults in high schools and colleges (Arego, Role, & Makewa, 2014; Christie & Christian, 2012; Schulze, 2012), thus prompting the need to have a study on elementary students within the Adventist setting. This qualitative case study used Fowler’s faith development theory to explore the faith development experiences of elementary students whose parents study in Asian Adventist University (AAU). Individual interviews and focus group interviews were used to collect data. The data was analyzed using Taba’s inductive method. Findings showed that family background, environment, and participation were key influences in faith development of elementary students. It is recommended that faith-based instruction for children should be participatory. Adults should involve themselves with children to model faith to them.