Catholic Primary Schools Research Articles

Three Paths—Whither?

Three Paths—Whither? Leonard Swidler Keywords Alan Race, Kenneth Rose, exclusivism, inclusivism, pluralism, baptism, salvation We are celebrating the thirty-third anniversary of a then-new articulation of the religious understanding of the ultimate meaning of life as coined by Alan Race: exclusivism, inclusivism, pluralism.1 This tablature has been both insightful and inciteful, as can be seen by its almost universal reference among theologians. Many simply accept it as obvious, now that it has been stated; some emphasize its perspicacity by denouncing it, and still others by presenting it as “variations on a theme,” such as “inclusivist pluralism” or “pluralist inclusivism.” Doubtless, Race has created theological categories with which every serious contemporary religious thinker has had to wrestle for the past three decades, and doubtless they will for more decades to come—positively, negatively, or variationally. Simply put, the exclusivist position claims that its institution alone contains the means of “salvation.” This was expressed as early at the third century by the Christian bishop Cyprian of Carthage with the words: Salus extra ecclesiam non est, “Salvation outside the church does not exist,” and was repeated regularly over the centuries, right into the present for conservative Protestants, and into the middle of the twentieth century for conservative Catholics. For example, even just a half-dozen years ago I had a white Protestant undergraduate student at Temple University (despite its name, a state university) who, somewhat embarrassedly, stated in class that sadly his non-Protestant classmates (and presumably me as well!) were all going to go to hell upon their demise unless they converted to his evangelical brand of Protestantism. I have also met Muslims who held a similar exclusivist position. Then, there is the odd kind of exclusivist atheist who claims that she or he knows that at death we all just “evaporate.” [End Page 197] The inclusivist position is considerably more nuanced, admitting that, yes, there are religions/ideologies that contain some of the means of salvation, but my religion includes all of those means. For example, when in Catholic primary school in the 1930’s, I was taught by “Sister Mary Holy Card” and “Monsignor O’Hooligan” that there were three kinds of baptism: baptism of water, baptism of blood, and baptism of desire: 1. Baptism of water was the standard one, which made you a Catholic. 2. Baptism of blood was the one of persons who were martyred for committing themselves to Christ, even though they had not yet been baptized—such as the catechumens, who in the early Christian centuries had to go through a long instruction period before being baptized. 3. Baptism of desire was of persons who, through no fault of their own, did not learn that Jesus was the Savior of humankind but, if they had, and lived properly according to their consciences, they would have desired to be baptized; hence, they were reckoned by God to have done so virtually. An ironic twist on that Catholic inclusivist teaching occurred in the late 1940’s when I was an undergrad at St. Norbert’s College in DePere, Wisconsin. Jesuit Father Leonard (I am embarrassed by this eponymous connection) Feeney had gained a certain minor fame as a poet and was the Catholic chaplain at Harvard University. He rejected the inclusivist position that I had learned in Catholic primary schools and publicly proclaimed a rigid exclusivist position based on the above-mentioned doctrine, extra ecclesiam nulla salus (outside the Church no salvation)—as noted, first articulated by third-century St. Cyprian (also the name given to me as a Norbertine novice—is there a message in these two coincidences?). Cardinal Richard Cushing of Boston, whose favorite nephew by marriage was a non-Catholic, could not stomach the idea that he would be destined for hell. After trying in vain to quiet Feeney, Cushing petitioned the Holy Office in Rome to render a decision on the matter. Cardinal Francesco Marchetti-Selvaggiani of the Holy Office wrote back in 1949, telling Feeney to desist from such teaching; he refused, and, on February 13, 1953, he—in strange irony—was excommunicated from the Catholic Church for continuing to claim that outside it no one could be...

The story of an educational innovation: the MA in Catholic School Leadership at St Mary's University College, Twickenham, 1997–2013. Principles, pedagogy and research studies

Within the context of a national shortage of high quality applicants for senior leadership posts, there is a need to nurture future leaders in Catholic primary and secondary schools and to promote their professional development and formation. If they are to be fully effective, teachers in Catholic schools need continually to develop their leadership skills and, crucially, they need to understand how they can best support the educational mission of the Catholic Church. This paper tells the story of the establishment and continuing development of a unique M-level programme, which sets out to combine a Catholic philosophy of education with the principles and practice of effective school leadership.

An investigation into the effects of meditation with children in a Catholic primary school

This article reports on some findings of a small research project that examined the role of meditation in enhancing the relational lives of children, in particular, their relationship with God. It begins by discussing the literature on relevant research studies that investigate different aspects of meditation. The research method in the project was a case study that involved one Catholic primary school in the Melbourne Archdiocese. Different data collecting strategies were utilised, and this article presents and discusses the analysis and findings from one data source – the analysis and interpretation of a drawing activity which was designed to follow one of the weekly meditation exercises that had been observed by the researchers. Finally, the implications of the findings for education and, in particular, religious education are presented.

UK Citizen Rainfall Network: a pilot study

Chan PW, Hon KK, Foster S. 2011. Wind data collected by a fixed-wing aircraft in the vicinity of a tropical cyclone over the south China coastal waters. Meteorol. Z. 20: 313–321. Haverdings H, Chan PW. 2010 . Quick Access Recorder (QAR) data analysis software for windshear and turbulence studies. J. Aircr. 47: 1443–1447. International Civil Aviatio n Organization. 2010. Meteorological Service for International Air Navigation, Annex 3 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, 206 pp. Met Office. 1980. Handbook of Meteorological Instruments, Volume 1 –Measurement of Atmospheric Pressure, Second Edition. HMSO: London. Velden C, Harper B, Wells F et al. 2006. The Dvorak tropical cyclone intensity estimation technique, a satellite-based method that has endured for over Correspondence to: P. W. Chan

Primary teachers’ written unit plans in mathematics and their perceptions of essential elements of these

The content and purpose of written unit plans in mathematics is an under-researched area. In this article, we provide a brief overview of research on teachers’ planning processes and the place of mental and written plans. We report on data from a questionnaire completed by 357 teachers from Victorian Catholic primary schools, where we focused on possible elements of written unit plans for primary mathematics, and the relative importance which teachers attributed to these elements. We then discuss 48 written unit plans which were provided to us by primary schools from which the 357 teachers were drawn. There was considerable variation in the length, intended teaching time, and level of specification of key ideas in these plans. We discuss this variation, and some discrepancies between the ratings of teachers of the importance of certain elements and their presence in the plans we examined. We also suggest potentially productive areas of future enquiry.

The sound of silence: stillness and quiet—a case study of the role of Christian meditation in children’s prayer life

This research explored the role of Christian meditation—as one particular prayer form—in enhancing the relational lives of children, in particular, their relationship with God. An instrumental case study was used, in which the focus was on a specific issue (the role of Christian meditation as one particular prayer form in enhancing the relational lives of children) and where the case (the Catholic primary school) became a vehicle to enable the researchers to better understand this issue. Time sampling observation charts were used to record the behaviour of up to six children during the meditation. These were subsequently written up as short narratives describing the behaviours exhibited by the students, and then plotted using Berryman’s modes of being (quiet, silence) and vectors of movement (stillness as sound, stillness as movement). The analysis revealed that, for the most part, students remained focused, still, quiet and attentive during the meditation exercises as well in the follow up learning activities. Quiet (mode of being) was experienced as an inner motivation with a movement towards both stillness as movement and stillness as sound, suggesting that the practice of meditation had opened the possibility that God might be present in the stillness and silence, thereby potentially enhancing their relationship with God.

Are Catholic primary schools more effective than public primary schools?

This paper assesses the causal effects of Catholic primary schooling on student outcomes such as test scores, grade retention, and behavior. Catholic school students have substantially better average outcomes than do public school students throughout the primary years, but we present evidence that selection bias is entirely responsible for these advantages. Estimates based on several empirical strategies, including an approach developed by Altonji et al. (2005a) to use selection on observables to assess the bias arising from selection on unobservables, imply that Catholic schools do not appreciably boost test scores. All of the empirical strategies point to sizeable negative effects of Catholic schooling on mathematics achievement. Similarly, we find very little evidence that Catholic schooling improves behavioral and other non-cognitive outcomes once we account for selection on unobservables.

Organizational communication and occupational stress in Australian Catholic primary schools

Purpose – This paper reports two related studies of relationships between organizational communication and occupational stress of staff members in Catholic primary schools. Design/methodology/approach – Data from both studies were obtained using survey questionnaires. Participants were staff members of Catholic diocesan primary schools in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Queensland, Australia. Research hypotheses were tested using correlation and multiple regression analyses. Findings – Ten organizational communication factors and four occupational stress domains were identified. Several organizational communication variables were found to be predictors of occupational stress in four identified domains. Practical implications – The findings provide implications for school administrators in relation to staff member access to formal communication channels, openness and approachability of principals, and support giving between school administration and staff, as well as among staff. Originality/value – The studies used a conceptual framework of organizational communication that is unique and comprehensive. The paper contributes new knowledge in an area that has received little attention, namely, communication in schools.

My 51-hour Ofsted inspection diary

It lasted for just 51 hours – from initial phone call to final farewells. Headteacher of St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School, Helen Frostick, chronicles their last Ofsted inspection, which saw the school judged to be outstanding in all areas

Exploring Religious Education and Health and Physical Education Key Learning Area Connections in Primary Schools

This study explored if connections were made by teachers and students in schools between education (RE) and health and physical education (HPE) key areas (KLA). The research was conducted within three Brisbane (Queensland, Australia) Catholic primary schools of varying enrolment size. It is argued that within Catholic education, the HPE curriculum documents are strongly connected to the RE curriculum material (Lynch 2004). The spiritual dimension of the HPE curriculum is defined in the syllabus as the of connection to phenomena and unusual events beyond self and usual sensory and rational existence; a sense of place within the universe (Queensland School Curriculum Council 1999, 26). The three strands of HPE: personal development; developing the concepts and skills for physical activities; and promoting the health of individuals and communities can all be affiliated closely with the RE curriculum. Furthermore, under the HPE umbrella, physical education sits alongside health education, outdoor education, home economics, and RE (Macdonald 2003; Macdonald and Glover 1997). In primary schools, physical and physical activities are valuable components of the students' and school culture. Christian spirituality is the essential link between faith and culture (Gallagher 1997). Hence, it is logical that the area for learning in, through and about movement, HPE, may offer opportunities for Catholic schools to develop Christian spirituality usually associated with the RE area. As Buchanan and Hyde (2008, 310) share, religious education is one field of study that can effectively address the complementarity between cognitive, affective and spiritual dimensions of learning. Qualitative research investigating RE development through HPE experiences was conducted. Participants included teachers and students from the three respective schools. The research concluded that well implemented quality inclusive physical activities within HPE lessons increased participant's connections between the two key areas.

An outstanding setting

Rhona Whiteford revisits St Anne's Catholic Primary School in Merseyside to find that their early years setting, now twice rated ‘outstanding’ by Oftsed, has improved even further. She investigates why.

A Case Study of the Role of ICT in a Grade 6 Classroom

ICT use in classrooms has been under investigation since it first began being used in education, often with mixed results on the impact and worthiness of ICT. The research in this paper examined the self-reported confidence and competence in ICT of a Grade 6 teacher and students at a Western Australian Catholic primary school as well as the use of ICT in the classroom. The study incorporated interviews, questionnaires, and observation of a literacy lesson where ICT was used by the teacher and students. Findings indicate that the teacher and students rated themselves as both competent and confident in ICT and considered ICT as an important part of the lesson and of the teacher’s role. The findings support research on the impact of the teacher on the use of ICT in the classroom, both in terms of their use of ICT and the use of ICT by their students.

‘Silent Citizenship Educators’ in Dutch Catholic Schools: Exploring Teachers’ Moral Beliefs About Citizenship in Relation to Their Conduct of Citizenship Education

Abstract In this article we adopt a virtue ethical approach to study teachers’ moral beliefs about citizenship and their relation to two kinds of teacher behaviour in citizenship education: (1) teachers’ modelling behaviour, and (2) the way they arrange moral classroom discussions. We believe that a virtue ethical approach would appeal especially to religious schools, which is why we conducted our study in Catholic primary schools. Two hunderd and three teachers at 20 Catholic schools were involved. Teachers’ beliefs and behaviours were defined and operationalised from a community-centred perspective, because we expected that perspective to fit the context of a Catholic school. We found that these teachers indeed hold community-centred views on citizenship, the more so if they frequently attend church. Another important finding is that teachers do not necessarily show and share their beliefs about citizenship with their students. From a virtue ethical point of view, however, they should not be afraid to do so. As moral educators, especially in a religious school, teachers are allowed, even obliged, to name, explain and defend their beliefs and values.

The beliefs behind the teacher that influences their ICT practices

This paper explores teacher beliefs that influence the ways Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) are used in learning contexts. Much has been written about the impact of teachers' beliefs and attitudes to ICT as 'barriers' to ICT integration (Ertmer, Ottenbreit-Leftwich, & York, 2007; Higgins & Moseley, 2001; Loveless, 2003). This paper takes a closer look at the types of beliefs that influence ICT practices in classrooms and the alignment of these beliefs to current pedagogical reform in Australia. The paper draws on data collected through the initial phase of a research project that involved an Industry Collaborative of four Catholic primary schools (prep - grade 7). Data are drawn from teacher surveys, interviews and document analysis. The results present specific links between ICT beliefs that are informing teachers' practices. ICT beliefs and practices are aligned to reform agenda for digital pedagogies. The findings of this research inform teacher ICT practice and requirements for ICT professional development.

Meaningful encounters? Religion and social cohesion in the English primary school

Recent debates about state-funded faith schools in England have focused on the way in which they either promote or discourage social cohesion between different cultural, ethnic and religious groups. While one argument suggests that children must experience interfaith and intercultural encounters in order to understand each other, another insists that values of tolerance and acceptance can instead be taught as part of the curriculum. Despite this, much research to date has tended to focus on macro-processes such as selection procedures and residential segregation at the expense of micro-processes within school space itself. This article seeks to address this conspicuous lack of empirical research, by drawing on qualitative fieldwork in a state-funded Community primary school and Roman Catholic primary school located in multi-faith districts of an urban area in the North of England. It will examine a number of ways in which the two schools tried to encourage positive and meaningful encounters between children of different religious backgrounds, as well as the extent to which such attempts were successful. The article will focus particularly on the role of bodies and emotions in making sense of these processes.

A dispositional framework in religious education: learning dispositions and early years’ religious education in Catholic schools

Early childhood educators have for some time now questioned approaches to education that focus solely on the development of thinking and rational cogitation, and have begun to favour dispositional frameworks in preference to learning frameworks. However, there is little evidence to suggest that dispositional frameworks have been utilised in religious education with early years’ students in faith based contexts. This paper describes and discusses five possible learning dispositions: curiosity, being dialogical, persisting and living with uncertainty, meaning‐making, and taking responsibility, which may form a dispositional framework for religious education in Catholic primary schools. While the intention of the use of this dispositional framework is with students in their first formal years of schooling, it is recognised that it may have application for older students in the Catholic primary school context.

Occupational stress of Catholic primary school staff: a study of biographical differences

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate relationships between biographical variables of gender, age experience and employment position and occupational stress of staff members in Catholic primary schools.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data were collected from 356 staff members from Catholic primary schools in New South Wales, Australia. Research hypotheses were tested using multivariate analysis and comparison of means.FindingsAge, gender and position are found to be related to three out of the four identified domains of occupational stress as well as overall occupational stress. In addition, male staff experience higher levels of general occupational stress than their female colleague overall.Practical implicationsThe findings hold implications for school systems and school administrators in relation to teacher retention, schools as organizations and gender issues. Further research regarding stress of teacher's aides is also recommended.Originality/valueThe paper includes non‐teaching staff and investigates the role of employment position as a biographical variable.

What do teachers do to stimulate the understanding of the other in interreligious classroom communication? Empirical research into dialogical communication in religiously pluriform learning situations in Catholic primary schools

How do pupils in dialogical classroom communication understand the otherness of peers who belong to religions different from their own? We distinguish between three aspects of dialogical communication that are conducive to understanding pupils’ otherness: orientation, appropriation, and evaluation. To what extent do teachers apply these three aspects in interreligious classroom communication? To answer this question we investigated the interaction between teachers and pupils in nine lessons on interreligious communication in Catholic primary schools in the Netherlands. The results show that both teachers and pupils seem to be very chary in their use of orientation, appropriation, and evaluation, so understanding of the otherness of pupils from different religions is not stimulated.

Promoting Authoring in Interreligious Classroom Communication: Empirical Research into Dialogical Communication in Religiously Pluriform Learning Situations in Catholic Primary Schools

This qualitative research investigates the degree in which pupils, who belong to different religions, express their religious otherness in dialogical communication, the degree in which teachers offer them room to do so and the views on religious pluralism that teachers use to this end. Otherness refers to the relation of the I with himself and with the other. The expressions of otherness of both teachers and pupils in nine lessons on interreligious communication were analysed by means of the Taxonomy of Verbal Response Modes, an instrument to describe interactions between people as conveyed in language. In addition interviews were used to investigate which views on religious pluralism the teachers use in interreligious communication. The main conclusion of the research is that both teachers and pupils do express otherness in interreligious communication, be it to a limited extent. The teachers and pupils that participated in the research appeared to feel a certain shyness to express otherness. This shyness can perhaps be explained by the educational context in which the interreligious communication took place. It is characterized by forces that wish to impose limitations to otherness in order to guarantee a maximum of comprehension and by the concept of religion that teachers use, which focuses on expressing similarities between religions rather than on expressing religious otherness.

Religious diversity, inter‐ethnic relations and the Catholic school: introducing the responsive approach to single faith schooling

The article offers a case study of the ways in which a Catholic primary school located in the centre of a large South‐Asian community in Leicester, UK, responded to the religious and ethnic diversity of its surroundings. The school, Our Saviour’s, engaged in shared activities with a neighbouring school which had a majority intake of Hindu, Muslim and Sikh children. Approaches to religious education at Our Saviour’s combined with weekly shared activities with the neighbouring school resulted in improved inter‐ethnic relations in the surrounding community, as children from both schools began socialising after school hours. This article draws on ethnographic research to give a case study of the ways in which Our Saviour’s employed a responsive approach to single faith schooling by engaging with religious and ethnic diversity as a means of promoting dialogue.