Imparting the rich heritage of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition to students begins with first inviting them on a journey into the world of ideas -- but how can educators effectively coax students to embark on such a voyage? Working from the understanding that students arrive on campus curious and questioning, the author suggests a number of…

The aim of this research was to get a better understanding of the work of school-based religious education leaders (SBREL) by examining the issues and challenges they face as well as how they are supported. SBREL were surveyed and interviewed, and they took part in focus groups. SBREL, in general, felt supported in their role. A major issue…

The history of religion as a school subject, as with the history of the school curriculum in general and the history of individual school subjects in particular, tend to be neglected. As a contribution to that corpus of work, a study of religion as a school subject in Western Australian Catholic schools offers some interesting insights. In…

This paper discusses the integration of faith, culture and life in Catholic schools, offering keys to understanding and pedagogical orientations. First, based on magisterial documents, the text identifies three features that characterise this integration: a comprehensive understanding of knowledge, a testimony offered through the lives of…

It would be stating the obvious to assert that education, as it supports growth and allows for the promotion of the human self, necessarily hails from a humanistic perspective. But after putting this trite idea on the table, the matter remains problematic because the very smooth nature of such an assertion covers too well the challenges and issues…

The question: 'Education: Commodity or Public Good?' (Grace, G. 1989. "Education: Commodity or Public Good?" "British Journal of Educational Studies" 37 (3): 207-221. doi:10.1080/00071005.1989.9973812) is more prescient than ever, and this paper probes the ways in which Catholic school teachers experience market-oriented…

Smartphones, laptops, and tablets are mobile devices that are now considered essential tools for high school educators. The problem many teachers face is figuring out how to manage multiple mobile devices in the classroom at the same time. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the barriers, problems, and challenges teachers…

This critical ethnography examined the motivations of, and processes used by teachers to advocate for the inclusion of students with exceptionalities in their Catholic school. Because students with exceptionalities have been marginalized in k-12 Catholic schools, learning more about teachers who have been successful advocates on their behalf is…

This paper discusses educational insights drawn from a mixed-methods study in Religious Education (RE). The study involved 238 teachers and school leaders, working in 65 Catholic schools in Western Australia (WA). The focus of the study was the educators' perceptions of a large-scale, standardised assessment (LSA) called "The Bishops'…

This study uncovers the meanings that secondary teachers working under the religious structure of Jesuit institutions attach to their work. I draw on theoretical insights coming from organisational behaviour. I use cases of teachers who worked or work in Catholic high schools run by the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuit order. I…

This article is drawn from a set of qualitative interviews and observations with practicing social studies teachers at three school sites, one public, one Catholic, and one Islamic, in a major metropolitan area of the United States of America, as they grapple with what it means to teach about religion in their social studies classrooms given the…

Current research suggests that faculty development should address a cross-section of personal and professional needs of the faculty, as well as support the institution's mission. Using evidence to support faculty development can foster reflective practitioners and close the gap between teaching and research by creating "sustainable…

What are the linguistic resources for teachers who pray in contemporary Catholic school classrooms? This article considers the intersections of prayer and language practice, and makes central two arguments. The first is that educational prayer--a particular type of teacher-led extemporaneous prayer in Catholic schools--is a linguistic phenomenon,…

This article explores conditions and enablers for teacher professional learning in religious education in Catholic schools. It examines the impact on religion of the pluralising and secularising influences in Australia today and identifies what this asks of religious education and religious educators in response. New pedagogical approaches which…

The development and implementation of a trial Religious Education (RE) curriculum within a Catholic diocese of Australia was characterized by the scriptural metaphor "into the deep." Commentary (5300 words) from teacher developers (n = 40) and implementers (n = 85) were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Findings…