The Wondering Together Project: An Ethnographic Study of Twelve Families that Examines the Impact of Adopting a Daily Examen Practice Utilizing a Godly Play® Inspired Method of Wondering

Abstract

In the early 21^st century, American families appear to connect less often through home-based rituals due to increasing demands on family time, including multiple ‘digital distractions’. This ethnographic study of twelve families evaluated the impact of incorporating a daily secular examen for four weeks utilizing a Godly Play^® style of wondering. Families expressed a positive personal and familial value in adopting the practice according to qualitative and quantitative data analysis. It is recommended that future research employs a longer research period, a cohort across a wider socio-economic and cultural spectrum, and considers extra-familial applications for the practice.