Spiritual well-being of pupils and students: A systematic review of current empirical research

Abstract

The exploration of spiritual well-being within the field of education is increasingly recognised as crucial, with empirical research underscoring its beneficial influence on multiple dimensions of the educational experience. While the role of spiritual well-being in varied educational contexts has been extensively discussed by scholars and highlighted in earlier review studies, a significant gap remains: few reviews have examined its relevance within mainstream education, particularly concerning younger populations. This study seeks to address that gap by systematically reviewing empirical research on the spiritual well-being of pupils and students in mainstream educational settings. The review follows the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines to ensure a rigorous synthesis of research topics, contexts, methodologies, and principal findings. From a total of 468 articles published between 2014 and 2024 and sourced through the Web of Science and Scopus databases, 50 studies met the inclusion criteria. The predominant focus across these studies was the relationship between spiritual well-being and psychological phenomena. Most research concentrated on students in secondary and tertiary education, employing primarily quantitative methods, particularly questionnaire-based surveys. Findings consistently point to the positive contributions of spiritual well-being to students’ mental health and their overall educational engagement. However, direct comparison across studies is hindered by inconsistencies in terminology and difficulties in the operationalisation of key constructs.