Workplace Spirituality and Durkheimian Pedagogy: A Conceptual Synthesis for Addressing Educational Anomie

Contemporary educational environments face a crisis of anomie—normative fragmentation, social disconnection, and student alienation exacerbated by digitalization and pandemic-related disruptions. Workplace Spirituality (WPS), a framework emphasizing meaning, connectedness, and transcendence in organizational life, offers untapped potential for pedagogical renewal. This conceptual article synthesizes Workplace Spirituality principles with Durkheimian sociological theory to propose a model for addressing educational anomie. We advance the hypothesis that the WPS framework—centered on meaning, connectedness, and transcendence—can be translated from organizational contexts into a coherent model of "classroom spirituality" capable of countering normative fragmentation and fostering student resilience. Drawing on scoping review methodology (PRISMA-ScR guidelines) and theoretical synthesis, we systematically examine literature from 2005–2025 across three domains: Workplace Spirituality in educational contexts, empirical validation of Durkheimian concepts in classrooms, and pedagogical practices addressing student disconnection. The synthesis reveals three major findings. First, WPS research remains concentrated in organizational behavior and management studies, with minimal translation to pedagogy despite conceptual relevance—representing a significant gap this article addresses conceptually.
Second, Durkheimian concepts—particularly collective effervescence—have been empirically validated in classroom settings, showing positive effects on student cooperation (Cohen's d = 0.52), compassion, and group identity. Third, a tripartite pedagogical model emerges from the synthesis: meaning-making (countering anomie through purpose-driven learning), community-building (fostering organic solidarity via collaborative structures), and transcendent engagement (nurturing collective consciousness through shared rituals). The integration of WPS principles within a Durkheimian framework offers a theoretically grounded, empirically promising approach to addressing educational anomie. We propose the concept of "classroom spirituality" as a secular, inclusive framework for pedagogical renewal and outline a research agenda including experimental studies, longitudinal ethnographies, cross-cultural comparisons, and teacher formation programs.

Workplace Spirituality; classroom spirituality; pedagogy; Durkheim; anomie; collective effervescence; student alienation; meaning-making; educational resilience

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