Qualitatively Exploring the Relationship among Gratitude, Spirituality and Life Satisfaction in Turkish-Muslim Children

Author/s: Gulusan Gocen

DOI: 10.12738/spc.2016.2.0010 

Year: 2016 Vol: 1 Number: 2

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to study what children are grateful for in daily life and to reveal the relationship among gratitude, spirituality, and life satisfaction. This study investigates gratitude by qualitatively analyzing children’s gratitude diaries. Convenience sampling has been used in the research. Children from lower and middle socio-economic levels studying in a school located in a developing neighborhood were chosen. The sample of the study consisted of 70 children between the ages of 11 and 12 years old (SD = .25). After the aim of the study was explained to the children, they were asked to voluntarily keep a gratitude diary. The participants recorded their daily experiences in written diaries at the end of each day for three weeks. The data was collected by the author in 2012. Content and frequency analyses were used. According to the results of the study, the most common themes in the children’s gratitude were having a family and being able to meet their basic needs. Their own happiness emerged third. Also, expressions and drawings that were in their diaries show that gratitude is linked with their spirituality and life satisfaction. According to this, as gratitude increased, spirituality increased, too.

Keywords
Gratitude, Spirituality, Turkish-Muslim children, Gratitude diaries, Life satisfaction