Social perception of spirituality in students of pedagogical careers

Abstract

This article reflects the social perceptions of young university students about spirituality and its impact on professional training. It establishes as a foundation the need to recognize that spirituality has changed its ways of making itself present, that it has crossed the threshold of what is conceived as religious and that it stands today as an essential pillar within higher education. The research was carried out from a qualitative design supported by theoretical methods such as phenomenological, historical-logical, and systemic-structural, in addition to empirical methods such as observation and interview, and techniques such as the free association of ideas and the focus group. The objective was to explore the social perception of spirituality in students of pedagogical careers at the Hermanos Saíz Montes de Oca University in the province of Pinar del Río. The perceptual contents around the characteristics, the forms of expression and the elements that enhance spirituality in the performance of the profession were revealed. As a result, it is shown that spirituality is perceived as an inherent element of every human being, that it is not necessarily associated with a religious experience and that it is necessary to enhance it in the professionals of the pedagogical sciences; because it is considered an essential attribute for the conception of the world, interpersonal relationships, and the optimal performance of the profession. Premises from which it is recognized that the approach to spirituality is essential for the integral formation of students and for higher education in the 21st century.