Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

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 …