Education Commons^™

Experiences And Perceptions Of Local Diocesan Catholic School Teachers Regarding The Progress Of Their Implementation Of Project-Based Learning In The Classroom, Donna Lee Saladino

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAfter finding research confirming that the innovative approach of project-based learning (PBL) improves 21st century education for all students, the administrators of a large local diocesan Catholic school system (LDCSS) initiated PBL implementation in their schools. The problem was that after 6 years it was not known how the teachers were experiencing and perceiving their progress with this implementation in the classrooms. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to discover and understand LDCSS teachers’ experiences and perceptions of their progress of PBL implementation in the classroom. The conceptual framework for the study comprised John Dewey’s educational philosophy of …

Experiences And Perceptions Of Local Diocesan Catholic School Teachers Regarding The Progress Of Their Implementation Of Project-Based Learning In The Classroom, Donna Lee Saladino

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAfter finding research confirming that the innovative approach of project-based learning (PBL) improves 21st century education for all students, the administrators of a large local diocesan Catholic school system (LDCSS) initiated PBL implementation in their schools. The problem was that after 6 years it was not known how the teachers were experiencing and perceiving their progress with this implementation in the classrooms. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to discover and understand LDCSS teachers’ experiences and perceptions of their progress of PBL implementation in the classroom. The conceptual framework for the study comprised John Dewey’s educational philosophy of …

The Experiences That Form And Sustain Generation Y Religious Education Coordinators In Catholic Secondary Schools, Dirk Gleghorn

Theses

Students in Western Australian Catholic schools learn about Catholic beliefs and practices in the Religious Education Learning Area. In Catholic secondary schools, Religious Education Coordinators (RECs) are delegated responsibility from principals, to coordinate the teaching of this learning area’s content. RECs are required to be committed Catholics who are active members of the Catholic Church. It is probable that RECs will increasingly be recruited from amongst Generation Y Catholics. For Catholic secondary school principals, recruiting religiously committed Generation Y Catholics into the position of REC will be challenging.

The primary aim of the research is to identify and describe the …

Understanding Catholic School Attrition: Catholic Elementary School Students’ And Parents’ Perceptions And Matriculation Decisions, Thomas Gasper

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

This mixed methods study shed light on the issue of attrition within Catholic education and points to opportunities for leaders to improve the effectiveness of elementary and secondary schools as well as identify barriers impacting access to poor and vulnerable populations. The purpose was to: describe factors eighth-grade Catholic school students and their parents consider in choosing a high school; determine correlations between degree of satisfaction with Catholic elementary schools and perceptions of programs in Catholic high schools; and understand the extent students’ and parents’ identified attributes corresponded to their high school selection.

Quantitative data was generated from surveys of …

The Local-Executive Governance Model In Catholic Parochial Elementary Schools: Understanding Pastors’ Perspectives, Armando Luiz Carvalho

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Catholic parochial elementary schools in the United states are normally governed by the pastor of the local parish and under a local-executive governance model. Despite pastors’ paramount role in the governance of Catholic parochial elementary schools they often lack the training, interest, or time to fulfill their roles. This qualitative study explored pastors’ perspectives on the local-executive governance model, where governance of the school is local and the pastor is the sole executive of the school. This dissertation included interviews with nine pastors in a diocese on the west coast of the United States. The study explored how pastors’ view …

Stability Vs. Change In Catholic Schools, Susan Theresa Diverio

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study was an investigation of innovative practices based upon organizational learning and the life cycle in Catholic elementary and high schools. Limited research exists in the role that these factors play in Catholic school sustainability. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of organizational learning, as measured by the Organizational Learning Scale, and life cycle, as measured by Organizational Life Cycle 5-Scale on organizational innovation, as measured by the Organizational Innovation Scale. Organizational design framework, life cycle theory, and transtheoretical model of behavior provided the theoretical framework to investigate the relationship between organizational learning, life cycle …

The Spiritual Growth Of Girls In Mercy Secondary Schools In Western Australia: The Perceptions Of Post-School Women., Tania Hicks

Theses

This study provides insight into the spiritual growth of girls in Mercy secondary schools in Western Australia (WA). Student spiritual growth is a fundamental priority in Catholic schools; it predicates the Church’s mission of evangelisation and aids the provision of a holistic education. Spiritual growth also enhances wellbeing through offering protective factors which may equip students in facing contextual challenges. Yet how is student spiritual growth fostered? Scholarly literature calls for further study in spiritual education (de Souza, 2016; King, 2013; Ng, 2012; Wright, 2000) suggesting a need for increased clarity about how to foster the spiritual growth of young …

Phenomenal Women: Experiences Of Women In Executive Catholic Educational Leadership In The United States, Fatima Ann Samson Nicdao

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Though women are overrepresented in education as classroom teachers, they continue to be underrepresented in decision-making leadership positions in education administration (Bynum, 2016; Coleman, 2003; Fuller, 2013; Grogan & Shakeshaft, 2011; Moorosi, 2018; Robinson et al., 2017; Torrance et al., 2017). The cause of the low representation of women in decision making has been attributed to a wide range of reasons spanning from ingrained patriarchal mindsets, societal biases, lack of professional networks, misconceptions of women in leadership, and the lack of leadership opportunities.

Other causes of gender inequality in educational leadership are linked to a lack of a systematic mentorship …

Religious Sister Educators: A Narrative Study Through A Feminist Lens, Lisa Peluso

Theses & Dissertations

Through the dedicated labor of women religious, the Catholic school system represents the largest private system both nationally and internationally (Arthur, 2005; United States Catholic Conference of Bishops, 2016). Once the backbone of American parochial schools, the presence of religious sister educators within Catholic schools has become an increasingly rare occurrence. Using a theoretical framework based on feminist theory and rooted in the concepts of oppression and identity, this dissertation study examines the personal, religious formation, and professional experiences of two retired religious sister educators who successfully devoted over four decades to the mission of Catholic education as they navigated …

The Pilgrims’ Return: The Influence Of The Assisi Pilgrimage On High School Participants, Christopher Michael Iwancio

Doctoral Dissertations

Catholic schools were founded to assist parents in the passing of the faith to their children (Second Vatican Council, 1965; SCCE, 1994). Despite this mission, research has indicated that in the United States there has been a disassociation Catholics from their faith (Pew, 2008, 2014; Smith and Denton, 2005; St. Mary’s Press and CARA, 2018). Programming was developed to encourage youths’ faith development and their active membership in the Catholic Church (Denton and Smith, 2005; USCCB, 1997). One program, pilgrimages, has seen an increase in participants across the world (Cleary, 2017; Harris, 2010, Rymarz, 2008). This mixed-method study sought to …

Catholic School Teachers' Perceptions Of Factors Related To Low Mathematics Achievement: A Qualitative Case Study, Andrzej Robert Piotrowski

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored Catholic school teachers' perceptions of factors related to low mathematics achievement in second through fifth grade at three Catholic elementary schools in the Eastern United States. The three schools that participated in this study have varying degrees of ethnic diversity and vary in school enrollment. In 2015, all schools in the archdiocese produced standardized test results well above the national average in reading in second through fifth grades. In the same academic year, the gap between the national average and the district's second through fifth grade mathematics scores was significantly narrower. This study identifies the …

Exploring The Leadership Practices Of National Catholic Educational Association Distinguished Catholic Elementary School Principals And Defining The Leadership Needed To Survive The 21st Century Challenges, Natalie Ann Cirigliano

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the life experiences (personal and educational) of eight distinguished elementary Catholic school principals formally recognized by NCEA through its Distinguished Principal Award. The study sought to identify their leadership practices and how they were demonstrated in their roles as educational leaders, spiritual leaders, and managerial leaders. Additionally, this study sought to identify the major 21st century challenges that the eight NCEA- Identified Distinguished Catholic Elementary School Principals faced and how they addressed them.

This case study included eight participants from eight different (arch)dioceses over seven states. Each principal participant completed an initial …

Implicit Theories And Perceptions Of Academic Changes Among Teachers In Lasallian Secondary Schools In The San Francisco New Orleans District, Heidi M. Harrison

Doctoral Dissertations

A central issue in education is whether teachers are preparing students to succeed and serve a rapidly changing world. In Catholic Lasallian schools, teachers are called to accomplish the Church’s ministry of education and therefore to continually renew and adapt their practices to prepare students for their contemporary society and to live out Christian values in service to others.

This study focused on the fundamental beliefs and perceptions of teachers who implement academic changes in Lasallian schools. It utilized the psychological framework of implicit theories (Dweck, 2000) as its theoretical rationale. The purpose of the study was to investigate the …

An Exploration Of Catholic High School Religious Studies Teachers' Perceptions And Experiences Of Their Role And Practice, Laura Witter Ramey

Doctoral Dissertations

Research literature has demonstrated that Catholic high school religion teachers face a number of possible challenges or tensions as they go about the preparation and practice of teaching religion. One challenge that emanates from the literature is that religious studies teachers are expected to be as professional as their counterparts in other disciplines, yet they lack the structural resources for developing that teaching professionalism (Cook, 2001; Cook & Hudson, 2006; Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, SCCE, 1988; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, 2005). A second challenge is the expectation that religious studies teachers must meet the needs of …

Preserving The Sponsoring Tradition: A Study Of Catholic Colleges And Universities Founded By Religious Orders, John Michael Pressimone

All Theses, Dissertations, and Capstone Projects

Higher education in the United States was founded within the framework of Christian denominations, their beliefs and customs. Wechsler, Goodchild and Eisenmann (2007) and Rudolph (1990), discuss the role of the church and organized religion in conjunction with the state or local government in the vast majority of the history of higher education as we think of it today. This is particularly true prior to the Land Grant movement sparked by the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862. However, the growth of the public university system did not signal the end of the founding of church-related colleges and universities. In …

A Qualitative Study Of Three Urban Catholic High Schools: Investigating Parent And Principal Expectations And Realizations Of Parental Involvement And The Parent-School Relationship, Karen Elayne Holyk-Casey

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study investigated parents’ and principals’ expectations of their roles in the parent-school relationship and how they defined, encouraged, and realized parental involvement within an urban Catholic high school setting. Through pattern analysis and axial coding of the data collected from parents and principal interviews, documents, and observations at parent-school meetings and events, four patterns emerged: (a) the underlying child-centered mission, (b) the parents’ role in supporting the student, (c) the parent-school relationship created to support the student, and (d) the principals’ role in creating a trusting environment that promotes parental involvement. Further analysis was guided by the parental …

Guided By The Spirit: Understanding Student Behavior And Theological Philosophy Through The Lens Of Secondary Catholic School Teachers, Angela Marie Mucci

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine how secondary Catholic school teachers perceived problem behavior exhibited by students with or without disabilities based on their theological philosophy. Using the methods identified in grounded theory, seven secondary Catholic school teachers were interviewed to gain an understanding of the extent to which a theological philosophy was reflected in their perceptions, responses, and policies towards behavior challenges/problems. In order to conceptualize and contextualize the notion of a "theological philosophy," this study utilized three tenets of Catholic Social Teaching (dignity of the human person, common good, and preferential option for the poor and …

A Case Study Of Student Leadership And Service In A Catholic Female Single-Sex High School, Jill Patricia Bickett

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to research student perspectives about, and participation in, leadership and service at Catholic female single-sex high schools. This study draws data from a Catholic female single-sex high school in a metropolitan area of the United States. Data collection included school document review, site observation, and interviews of current students (n=10), young alumnae (n=5), mature alumnae (n=5), and current faculty and staff (n=6). The data was analyzed using an adapted theoretical framework of Wenger's (1998) social theory of learning, informed by Lave and Wenger's (1991) concept of communities of practice. This study addresses how the …

Education For Girls In The House Of The Good Shepherd, U.S. 1940-1980, Nancymarie Phillips

ETD Archive

Convent education has sought to impart a set of moral values that would lead to a productive life, both spiritually and socially. The foundress of the Good Shepherd Sisters started a convent-based social service institution for vulnerable women and girls in Europe that evolved into a postsecondary education system in the United States for adolescent girls remanded by the judicial system. Convent education has been an underresearched area in the history of American education, and this dissertation takes parochial education for girls into account in the broad sweep of American educational developments. This historical study utilizes archival research, oral histories, …

Teachers' Perceptions On The Impact Of Student Academic Achievement And Parental Involvement Through The Powerschool Program In A Catholic School Diocese, Adele K. Ellis

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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A Comparative Study On Graduates From An Educational Leadership Management And Policy Program At A Local Catholic University And How Selected Leadership Responsibilities Influence Their Perceptions In Daily Practice, Pierre Christopher Embrey

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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An Investigation Of The Influence Of The Reauthorization Of The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act On Catholic School Children With Learning Disabilities In New York, Elizabeth R. Frangella

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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A Comparison Of Student Achievement In Economically Different But Academically Equivalent Catholic School Programs, Roseanne L. Williby

Student Work

Urban and suburban religious educational programs were evaluated to determine if achievement and readiness for high school transition were the same for students with similar parent commitment and equivalent Catholic school program experiences but differing socioeconomic advantages. Following five consecutive years in their programs, urban and suburban 4th-grade pretest compared to 8th-grade posttest gains made by students (n = 56) demonstrated positive academic outcomes for both programs. As reflected by subject test scores and composite percentile rank scores, urban and suburban programs equally prepared students for posttest performance on achievement tests and unconditional 9th-grade acceptance into college preparatory Catholic High …

The Lived Experience Of God And Its Evolution In Children And Adolescents, Anne P. Devenish

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Children's and adolescents' spirituality is important, especially to those entrusted with their education. To effectively nurture children's spirituality, parents, teachers, and ministers would benefit in knowing how young people experience God, what they think about God and how they relate to God: in effect, their lived experience of God. Learning about these phenomena could help greatly in communicating with children and adolescents about God. This study aims to build on the work of those who have investigated elements of the spirituality of children and adolescents in a qualitative way.

A Study Of Perceptions And Beliefs Of Graduates Regarding Their School Leadership Skills Based On Their Educational Leadership Management And Policy Graduate Program At One Northeastern Catholic University, Teresa Quigley

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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The Relationship Between Parental Involvement And Religion Academic Achievement Of Students In The Catholic Elementary Schools In The Diocese Of Fall River, George A. Milot

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Propelled By Faith: Henriette Delille And The Literacy Practices Of Black Women Religious In Antebellum New Orleans, Donna Marie Porche-Frilot

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The ability to imagine literacy influences the way we historicize literacy and research its dilemmas and challenges. Recent trends in literacy theorizing and research forwarded by New Literacy Studies scholars such Deborah Brandt and Brian Street have converged around contextualized approaches to literacy, directing educators to new imaginings of both our literacy-present and our literacy-past. This study draws upon this expanded literacy framework to theorize literacy in the lives of antebellum black women religious of New Orleans. The focus of the study is Henriette Delille (1812-1862), a free woman of color who founded the Sisters of the Holy Family (1842), …