Private Catholic Schools Research Articles

Rejection, Acceptance, and Support: Experiences of LGBTQIA+ College Students in a Catholic School

Gender is socially constructed beliefs perceived or ascribed to the sex identity of the person. Thus, this study explored, described, and interpreted the social experiences of LGBTQIA+ college students in a Catholic School. This study employed a descriptive qualitative research design. Hence, it helped to obtain a rich narrative concerning the social experiences of this group of students studying in a private Catholic school. Moreover, this paper came up with six participants determined through purposive sampling and set inclusion criteria. It employed the semi-structured in-depth interview. Also, this study utilized Lichtman’s 3Cs in analyzing the narratives of the participants. This study revealed that LGBTQIA+ college students experienced bullying and discrimination during their basic education years when they were trying to come out as who they were. Alongside the experience of coming out, they felt that they were not accepted by their father as members of the social group since they would be vulnerable to any form of humiliation. However, being a student in a Catholic school, they felt that they were accepted and welcomed. Likewise, they never experienced what happened during their high school years. Hence, the findings may serve as an eye-opener for many about the social experiences of this minority to elicit the practice of gender sensitivity and equality.

Comparative Study of Social Entrepreneurship Management for School Sustainability

Catholic private schools continue to make improvements, both in governance and learning innovation. Education service providers are encouraged to innovate to be able to face government policies and free market competition. One of them is through social entrepreneurship because social entrepreneurship is slowly entering the education system. Social entrepreneurship, with its mission-driven focus on creating value and positive environmental impact, supports the sustainability of the institution. By implementing social entrepreneurship in the management of school institutions, education plays a role in overcoming social and environmental problems. This study aims to analyze social entrepreneurship management for school sustainability, taking the objects of Sint Antonius Junior High School East Jakarta and Sang Timur Junior High School Karang Tengah. This qualitative research uses observation methods, in-depth interviews using snowball techniques, and forum group discussion on 165 informants. The research aspects are social entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship strategy, social entrepreneurship management, the impact of implementing social entrepreneurship management, and the linkage of social entrepreneurship management with ISO 26000 and SDGs no. 4 and 12. The findings show that both schools have implemented social entrepreneurship, which needs to be improved for school sustainability. This study provides recommendations for education providers on whether they should develop social entrepreneurship management for school sustainability. Institutions need to build a comprehensive social entrepreneurship management system that is strengthened with a focus on social entrepreneurship and support of social entrepreneurship processes.

Separation Anxieties: A Comment on Weil’s Penalties for the Violation of Separation

Abstract Professor Weil’s thesis seems largely correct with respect to the United States, whose law on religious establishment I regularly teach. Funding is central to American debates over religious establishment. The fight over religious establishments in Virginia, which inspired both James Madison’s “Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments” and Thomas Jefferson’s “An Act for Establishing Religious Freedom,” was over whether persons could be forced to pay taxes to support religious instruction. Financial concerns were at the root of church-state debates in the nineteenth century, when Protestants repeatedly rebuffed Catholics who wanted funding for Catholic private schools. Many state constitutions still have what are known as mini-Blaine Amendments that forbid public funding for religious institutions. Whether proponents of a strong separation between church and state in the United States are fighting the same battles as proponents of a strong separation of church and state in France is nevertheless problematic. The French revolutionaries had to subordinate a reactionary church. The American revolutionaries merely had to negotiate peace treaties among the different sects that supported the Declaration of Independence. Separation of church and state in the United States is best conceptualized as a division of labor among liberal institutions rather than a means for purging anti-liberal religion from the liberal public sphere.

Through the Eye of a Needle: Understanding the Identities of LGBTQ+ Teachers Within Catholic Institutions in the Philippines

ABSTRACT The pervasive Catholic culture permeates through the social fabric of the Philippines and exerts unique pressures on Filipinos. This study highlighted the unique experiences of Filipino LGBTQ+ educators of private Catholic schools. Using the grounded theory approach, seven participants who identified as LGBTQ+ and taught in private Catholic schools in the Philippines for a minimum of one year were interviewed. Semi-structured interviews with the participants illustrated that these LGBTQ+ educators had to contend with negotiating their identities while carefully navigating through their work environment. This yielded three key themes: (1) Recognizing the political dimension of private schools, (2) Threading the Needle, and (3) Obtaining and Optimizing Safe Spaces. As a result, the Constricting Contexts Model was proposed to better understand and contextualize such factors and emphasize the role that environments and expectations play into the identities of marginalized groups such as the LGBTQ+ community.

How adolescents lose control over social networks: A process-based approach to problematic social network use

Social networks (SNs) are immensely popular, especially among teenagers, yet our understanding of problematic SNs remains limited. Understanding motivations and patterns of use is crucial given the current prevalence of problematic SNs use. Perarles et al. (2020) distinguish two behavioral control modes: Model-Free Control, where actions are characterized by actions driven by immediate gratification without reflective consideration for long-term consequences, and Model-Based Control, enabling planned and goal-directed actions. Both control modes can lead to problematic social network use. This study aims to delve into problematic SNs use and the underlying motives behind adolescents' participation in SNs, drawing upon the theoretical proposal by Perales et al. (2020). We conducted four focus groups with adolescents aged 13–17 (50 % female; Mage = 14.5, SD = 1.75), comprising two public school and two Catholic private school groups. Thematic analysis using Atlas.ti software revealed three themes. The first uncovers characteristics of problematic SNs use, including withdrawal, increased usage time, impaired control, behavioral salience and attentional capture and cognitive hijacking. The second spotlights motives, emphasizing emotional regulation, finding out what is going on, and social interaction. The third theme explores consequences such as compromised academic performance and physical harm. In conclusion, addressing both motives and problematic behaviors present a more effective approach to confronting SNs use challenges and fostering healthier online experiences for adolescents.

Unveiling Minds: Investigating Critical Thinking Traits of Students in Private Catholic Schools in Siquijor Province

The study aimed to identify the critical thinking traits of students as possible determinants of their critical thinking skills and their relationship to selected variables. The researcher utilized a descriptive-correlational design and employed a systematic sampling technique to identify 130 randomly selected students from private Catholic institutions in the Province of Siquijor. Validated questionnaires were used, and multiple regression analysis, chi-square test, and weighted mean were employed for data analysis. The study found that senior high school students exhibit "high" levels of critical thinking traits in the following areas: truth-seeking, open-mindedness, analyticity, systematicity, critical thinking self-confidence, inquisitiveness, and cognitive maturity. Their critical thinking skills in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference, and self-regulation are also “high”. Furthermore, students who exhibit higher levels of truth-seeking, open-mindedness, and critical thinking self-confidence tend to have better critical thinking skills. Female students display more positive critical thinking traits compared to their male counterparts. Students in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and Technical Vocational Livelihood (TVL) tracks exhibit the most desirable critical thinking traits and skills compared to other groups of students. These findings indicate the need for a concerted effort to maintain and improve critical thinking traits and skills across all student groups, with particular emphasis on gender disparities and stream-specific differences. Educators and policymakers can use these insights to better prepare students for academic success and future challenges.

Rivalry for influence between the Catholic Church and political regimes in the Lithuanian education system in 1918–1940

In the interwar period of the 20th century, the formation of the national education system took place in Lithuania. The Catholic Church sought to actively participate in the creation of this system in order to consolidate the principles of the organization of its educational system. The political regimes in interwar Lithuania sought to create a unified national education system, and the Catholic Church sought to make the educational system in line with its principles in the field of education. The article reviews how the Catholic Church and political regimes competed for dominant influence in the field of education in Lithuania during the interwar period (1918–1940). It is said that the struggle for influence in youth education was most clearly manifested in the field of secondary education (higher than primary education), because the position of the Catholic Church in this field was the strongest: Catholic educational societies had created a network of private schools. The Catholic Church and the Christian Democrats defending its position held the view that only a confessional school that nurtures the Christian spirit is suitable for Catholic children. Therefore, the state is required to finance private Catholic schools that meet the educational ideals of Catholic society. Catholic public figures and Christian Democrat politicians proposed to implement the principle of cultural autonomy in the country’s education system, which would guarantee the financing of private Catholic schools. During the period of Lithuanian parliamentarism (before the coup d’état of December 17, 1926), the position of the Catholic Church in the field of education clashed most strongly with the viewpoint of left-wing political forces. The leftist political forces sought to entrust the state with the right to determine educational ideals. The idea of a denominational school was alien to the left wing – they considered it an internal concern of the religious community itself, and the introduction of compulsory religious education in schools contradicted the fundamental values of the left-wing activists. After December 17, 1926 the nationalist political regime, established during the coup d’état, was guided by the rule that the monopoly of education must be in the hands of the state – only it has the exclusive right to educate its citizens. These attitudes were reflected in the education reform carried out in the mid-forties, which not only unified the educational chain up to high school, but also demonstrated the government’s unwavering political course towards the monopolization of the educational system. The monopolization of education by the state brought the nationalist government into conflict with the Catholic Church, which, defending its rights in the education system, demanded the implementation of the principle of cultural autonomy. The government sought to monopolize education and ended this process in 1938, the year the new Constitution of Lithuania was adopted.

Caring leadership, coaching and organizational culture among private Catholic schools: Basis for program development

Caring leadership, coaching and organizational culture among private Catholic schools: Basis for program development

Preventive Practices against Fraudulent Imitation of Information on Social Media Platforms among Senior High School Students

In today’s world of information technology, numerous fraudulent imitations of information are circulating on social media, from the COVID-19 pandemic to politics to any other information. So far, little attention has been paid to insights from the social and behavioral sciences to combat fraudulent information despite the availability of research to draw from. One emerging insight is that fact-checks spread slower on social media than fake news. This study determined the extent of preventive practices against fraudulent imitation of information on social media platforms in terms of propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation among Senior High School students in a private Catholic school in the Philippines. Using the descriptive-comparative research design, the study utilized 280 stratified randomly sampled students. The data were gathered using a validated and reliability-tested researcher-made questionnaire. The data analyses employed Mean, standard deviation, T-test independent samples, and ANOVA. The findings revealed that the extent of preventive practices against fraudulent imitation of information on social media platforms in terms of propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation is high. The findings also revealed no significant difference in the extent of preventive practices against fraudulent imitation of information on social media platforms in terms of propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation when grouped according to sex and strand, except for preventive practices against disinformation when grouped according to sex. The findings of the study provided baseline data in the formulation of instructional materials to strengthen students’ preventive practices against fraudulent imitation of information on social media platforms.

The “School Question” in an Imperial Context: Education and Religion during and following the Occupations of Cuba and Puerto Rico

AbstractThe United States occupations of Cuba and Puerto Rico following the War of 1898 instituted immediate reforms to the educational systems of the islands. The imposition of public school systems modeled on those of the United States and a concurrent wave of Protestant schools established by American missionaries are well-known features of the imperialist project. Yet American reforms were shaped by what was known in the nineteenth century as “the school question,” or the controversy over the appropriate relationship between schooling, religion, and the government that had pitted the Protestant majority against Catholics and resulted in a consensus that religious-affiliated education should be permitted but relegated to the private sphere. The implementation of this consensus as the basis of occupation policy in Cuba and Puerto Rico, majority Catholic societies, contributed to the significant growth of a system of private Catholic schools and sparked debate about the relationship between religion, education, and nationalism. In an imperial context, “the school question” led to political polarization in the face of persistent US hegemony.

Exploring the Role and Status of Catholic Private Secondary Schools in Kenya

Globally, the Catholic Church is recognized as one of the major champions of formal education. In Kenya, over 31% of all primary to postsecondary learning institutions are either public sponsored and, or, privately-managed by the Catholic Church. Besides the high demand for education in these schools, they also pride in their chronological niche of excellence which is anchored on the philosophy of holistic education and faith formation. This paper presents findings of a study conducted to determine views about the role and status of the Catholic private schools in Kenya. The study was centered on prevailing sustainability threats of these secondary schools in relation to the diminishing catholic identity, enrolment rates and level of students’ academic achievement. The convergent parallel approach of the mixed methods research design was employed. The study was conducted in 16 Catholic secondary schools located in two catholic dioceses of Kenya. A sample of 112 respondents was selected using the purposive sampling and census techniques. Data was collected using standardized questionnaire, interview schedule and document analysis guides. While the study revealed an increase in student enrolment in the past five year, it emerged the tenets of catholic school identity has diminished significantly over time. Moreover, the sustainability of these schools was threatened by low students’ performance, low retention rates, high rate of teacher turnover, financial constraints and low standards of school infrastructure and learning facilities. The study recommended the need to reclaim catholic identity in the schools, and particularly by returning the presence of religious men and women in teaching and school administration. It also recommended the establishment of a national and diocesan quality standards boards to collective oversee school administration, teacher management and financial management. School managers also need to professionally manager school revenue while identifying alternative sources of funding to improve the learning environment. This includes employing appropriate competitive strategies to attract and retain students, teachers and staff in the school.

An overview on skills management

Individuals in managerial positions must have the knowledge and abilities to carry out particular management activities or duties. Managerial abilities are crucial for a variety of reasons. Being a manager in an educational environment gives you the opportunity to lead and solve problems in a variety of circumstances, both basic and complicated. However, it has been noticed in Thailand that certain management abilities need to be improved. Managers of schools should improve and expand their skills in order to manage successfully and efficiently. This mixed-methods study examined school administrators' management abilities in terms of conceptual, human, and technical skills in a number of private catholic secondary schools in Bangkok, Thailand. The respondents self-assessed their management abilities using a checklist, and interviews were performed to verify the findings and identify professional development requirements based on the lowest-scoring categories by the school administrators. To collect data, Goodarzi designed a questionnaire based on Robert Katz's idea of management abilities. When it came to the evaluation of school administrators' management abilities, the majority of them rated themselves as excellent in terms of conceptual, human, and technical skills. In terms of conceptual skills, the identification of informal organization, articulation of strategy, and capacity to anticipate are the professional development requirements of private catholic school administrators. In terms of human skills, school administrators, on the other hand, need training in dispute resolution, report production, and official communication. Finally, in terms of technical skills, they need professional growth in financial management, computer skills, and marketing.

What are the Keys to Achieve Successful Leadership?: Two Case Studies of Private Catholic Schools

What are the Keys to Achieve Successful Leadership?: Two Case Studies of Private Catholic Schools

Zaangażowanie w aktywności szkolne a funkcjonowanie w roli ucznia – wyniki badań przeprowadzonych na grupie młodzieży gimnazjalnej

Student school engagement is a multi-dimensional meta-construct describing identification and sense of belonging with school environment, an acceptance of the goals of schooling and students’ mental investment of physical and psychical energy into academic work and school life. The study aims to investigate the main predictors of student school engagement in the area of pupils’ school functioning. The participants were 291 secondary school children aged between 12 and 15 years. A stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated that the most important predictors of student school engagement are the time spent learning, subjective declaration about school performance, school type (private Catholic school), and quality of family and peer relations. Those variables explain 20% of the variance in the Global Student School Engagement level.

Job Satisfaction and Teaching Performance of Basic Education Teachers in Catholic Schools

Job satisfaction plays a vital role in the overall commitment and productivity of the school organization. It is more about individual attitude, an internal state which can mean different things to different people. Job satisfaction can be a positive emotional state resulting from a personal appreciation of a person's work experience. Recently job satisfaction has been cited as a possible cause of the current educational crisis among private catholic schools in Antique, which results in teacher turnover and absenteeism issues that lead to poor quality education. Hence, the paper describes the level of job satisfaction and the teaching performance of basic education teachers in Antique Diocesan Catholic Schools (ADCS) for the School Year 2019-2020. Likewise, it explores the relationship between teachers’ job satisfaction and their teaching performance.

Influencia del Estrés Laboral en docentes de Colegios Particulares Católicos

El estrés laboral es un factor psicosocial relacionado con el individuo y su lugar de trabajo, este resulta ser de gran importancia para quienes estudian sus efectos en las personas a nivel mundial. La presente investigación mide la influencia del estrés en docentes de colegios particulares católicos y tiene como principal objetivo establecer factores asociados al síndrome de Burnout, para ello se aplicó el cuestionario de Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) a 102 docentes, considerando variables sociodemográficas como: género (masculino y femenino) y rango de edad (oscilan entre los 20 y 71 años). En un modelo de estudio cualitativo-descriptivo, se presentaron resultados muy bajos de Burnout en dos de tres subescalas, cansancio emocional (16,67 por ciento), despersonalización (2,94 por ciento) y un nivel alto de realización personal (85,29 por ciento). En términos generales existe una baja influencia del estrés laboral en docentes, la edad y el género tampoco influyen en los niveles de estrés, pero cabe mencionar que cada institución educativa tiene una realidad diferente, pudiendo ser la cultura organizativa una variable significativa y diferencial en cada investigación, se espera que su uso resulte de gran provecho en investigaciones futuras.

When the Mirage Fades: Black Boys Encountering Antiblackness in a Predominantly White Catholic High School

ABSTRACT Private high schools are often viewed as bastions of scholastic and social opportunities, but the cost of tuition has rendered these sites predominantly white and more segregated than public schools. However, with the ability to recruit, Black boys have become prime targets of predominantly white private Catholic high schools seeking promising student-athletes. As a result, the population of Black boys at these schools are composed almost entirely of students recruited to play a sport. Drawing from qualitative interview data, the purpose of this paper is to illustrate the racialized experiences of six Black boys who attended a predominantly white Catholic high school in which the entire Black population was composed of student-athletes. Findings indicate that participants initially saw the private Catholic school as an escape from their respective public schools but realized that mere attendance did not result in total inclusion. All six participants encountered forms of antiblackness via frequent structural and cultural assaults that made their daily attendance at the school difficult.

Lost in Translation: The Implementation of Community Service in Lebanese High-schools Following Decree No.8924

In 2012, the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) issued Decree No. 8924. Entitled “Project Community Service in Public and Private Secondary Schools”, the decree states that all schools should apply a mandatory 60-hour community service program across the three secondary school years. There have been scattered efforts to study how the Decree is being implemented across Lebanon, with no exhaustive and thorough study yet documented. This research sought to fill part of that gap by examining the experience of ten private Catholic schools. The research results were congruent with global educational policy implementation research and suggested future lines of inquiry specific to Lebanon.

An Assessment of the Managerial Skills and Professional Development Needs of Private Catholic Secondary School Administrators in Bangkok, Thailand

The knowledge and ability of the individuals in a managerial position are to fulfill some specific management activities or tasks. Managerial skills are important for many reasons. Being a manager in an educational setting is a position to act as an effective leader and problem-solver in many simple and complex situations. However, in Thailand, it was observed that some managerial skills need to improve their skills. School managers should strengthen and develop to manage effectively and efficiently. This mixed research surveyed the managerial skills of the school administrators in terms of conceptual skills, human skills, and technical skills in selected private catholic secondary schools in Bangkok, Thailand. The respondents self-assessed their managerial skills in the form of a checklist, and to validate the results, interviews were conducted to determine the professional development needs according to the lowest items assessed by the school administrators. A questionnaire anchored on Robert Katz’s theory of managerial skills and developed by Goodarzi (2002) was used to gather data. With regards to the assessment of managerial skills’ practice of the school administrators, most of them assessed themselves as very good in terms of conceptual skills, human skills, and technical skills. The professional development needs of the private catholic school administrators in terms of conceptual skills are the identification of informal organization, articulation of strategy, and ability of prediction. On the other hand, school administrators need training in controlling conflict, report generation, and official correspondence in terms of human skills. Finally, they need professional development in financial management, computer skill, and marketing in terms of technical skills.

Vice president wants to be trendsetter for challenged private colleges

An early penchant for thinking strategically and eyeing the big picture attracted George Wolf to the profession of enrollment management. Now in his seventh year as Vice President for Enrollment Management at Siena Heights University in Adrian, Michigan, Wolf said the broad view serves him well as the private Catholic school addresses the challenges of a shrinking applicant pool and more aggressive price competition from state universities.