Recent Australian academic attempts to define the 'charism,' or distinguishing spirit, of the Marist Brothers' style of education, have been conducted using sociological methodologies and have resulted in findings which are more religious than educational or pedagogical, in content. The present enquiry is more educational in focus and historical in approach. This enquiry poses a series of questions e.g: Did the Marists who arrived in Australia in 1872 come as the conscious bearers of a distinctive style of teaching? Did they adapt this distinctive style to meet the needs of the Australian society? How faithfully did they cling to their founding inspiration? Have they been successful in preserving this distinctiveness in the face of modern developments in Australian education and in the Catholic Church? Or, is all that remains the name �Marist�? The historical methodology employed uses both recent academic analyses of the Marist Brothers� Founder�s work and also of the archival documentation of the Order�s foundation and development in Australia. It also tracks, though not in isolation, the development of the first Marist school in Sydney, St Patrick�s, Church Hill; founded in 1872 and still operating, at a new location � Dundas � in the more recently-formed diocese of Parramatta. This individual school�s role in Marist teacher education in early, and more recent times, makes it an appropriate focus. In summary, the thesis concludes that the Marists did come as conscious disciples of St Marcellin Champagnat, their founder; but that the pristine inspiration had already begun to evolve. In Australia the brothers continued to follow his example in adapting to the newer demands of Church and State. After Vatican II and the return of State Aid, however, the pace and scope of development precipitated changes which arguably constitute a break from all but the names �Marist� and �Champagnat�.

Recent Australian academic attempts to define the 'charism,' or distinguishing spirit, of the Marist Brothers' style of education, have been conducted using sociological methodologies and have resulted in findings which are more religious than educational or pedagogical, in content. The present enquiry is more educational in focus and historical in approach. This enquiry poses a series of questions e.g: Did the Marists who arrived in Australia in 1872 come as the conscious bearers of a distinctive style of teaching? Did they adapt this distinctive style to meet the needs of the Australian society? How faithfully did they cling to their founding inspiration? Have they been successful in preserving this distinctiveness in the face of modern developments in Australian education and in the Catholic Church? Or, is all that remains the name �Marist�? The historical methodology employed uses both recent academic analyses of the Marist Brothers� Founder�s work and also of the archival documentation of the Order�s foundation and development in Australia. It also tracks, though not in isolation, the development of the first Marist school in Sydney, St Patrick�s, Church Hill; founded in 1872 and still operating, at a new location � Dundas � in the more recently-formed diocese of Parramatta. This individual school�s role in Marist teacher education in early, and more recent times, makes it an appropriate focus. In summary, the thesis concludes that the Marists did come as conscious disciples of St Marcellin Champagnat, their founder; but that the pristine inspiration had already begun to evolve. In Australia the brothers continued to follow his example in adapting to the newer demands of Church and State. After Vatican II and the return of State Aid, however, the pace and scope of development precipitated changes which arguably constitute a break from all but the names �Marist� and �Champagnat�.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 2005. / Title from title screen (viewed 19 May 2008). Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Faculty of Education and Social Work. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print form.

This thesis analyses the impact of a headmaster upon a non-government school during the first years of his leadership. Theories of organizational change and leadership behaviour provide the theoretical framework for this investigation. The changes that were sought at Marist College, Pearce, have their origin in 1983 with the appointment of the fourth headmaster of that College. Prior to this time Marist College had developed a reputation for conservatism and strong leadership. The College had grown since its foundation into a comparatively large institution, both in terms of physical size, personnel and student enrolment. The new headmaster saw the need to review the goals of the College with the aim to better the pastoral care of the large student body. The result of this evaluation was the identification of a series of changes that would open the College to new approaches involving structural changes, devolution of authority and personalization of the College. The study identifies and documents the ideals hoped to be achieved by the headmaster. What were seen as ideals were not in ail cases practical. The difficulties and problems faced by him in the implementation of these changes are also examined. Headmasters' terms of office are limited resulting in new headmasters being appointed regularly. Each brings to that office his own style and ideals. The difficulties faced in the types of change analysed in this study may be common to organizations experiencing a change in leadership style.

Using 'policy studies' research the case study looks at how an organization of teaching brothers, the members of the Sydney Province of the Marist Brothers, reacted to influences which bore upon its organizational structure, its morale and its educational activities, particularly in schools. After establishing the relevance of policy research to educational administration and to this type of case study in particular the discussion by using various types of models moves to an analysis of the specific case study. This has to do with how a reduction in the number of teaching brothers in schools and also changing attitudes about its part in education was managed by the Sydney Province and how, why and what type of policy emerged in response to these factors. Generally this field study concerns itself in judging the adequacy of policy studies research in applications to educational administration.

There are many recognised forms of teacher professional development ranging from simply reflecting on a lesson recently taught to enrolling in a formal course at university. This study set out to examine the perceived effectiveness of one mode of professional development, a spaced learning activity(SLA). The SLA was selected for a number of reasons. Firstly, current government economic and industrial policy includes an emphasis on the training and retraining of the Australian workforce as an economic necessity. Within this policy, teacher professional development is considered to improve the quality of teaching and to raise professionalism. Secondly, the literature in the area suggests that professional development activities have the potential to improve the quality of teaching by enhancing teachers' knowledge and skills. Thirdly, an SLA appeared to incorporate many characteristics of effective professional development which are identified in the literature, for example, allowing time for critical reflection and for internalising concepts. This study sought to determine the effectiveness of an SLA as a training strategy and in enhancing teachers' knowledge, beliefs, classroom practice and students' learning outcomes and also to identify characteristics of an SLA which assisted and inhibited its effectiveness. Perceived costs and benefits of participation to the individual teacher were also evaluated.. The study was carried out at Marist College, Canberra , a Y7-12 single sex secondary school with an enrolment of approximately 1100 boys. The study involved twenty five teachers who participated voluntarily in a pilot collegial group programme at the school during 1993. The term "collegial group" is used for a small group of professionals who meet on a regular basis to learn together and to support one another in their on-going professional development. Adie (1988:4) explains that collegial groups are designed to assist in supporting, learning, problem solving, planning and performing. The twenty five volunteers were divided into three groups. Each group determined its own 'focus1 and met on an average of five occasions over six months, for meetings ranging from two to four hours. The foci selected by each group were: Increasing student motivation Increasing student responsibility for learning. Excellence in Teaching course. Meetings usually provided an opportunity for individual feedback on teaching changes tried, some input on the focus area, discussion of its practicality and a commitment to try something new and to report back at the next meeting. Some groups also included discussion of specific teaching and learning 'problems', where the group would offer solutions. A variety of data collection techniques were employed in the study. A questionnaire was conducted before the programme commenced to ascertain participants' expectations and concerns about the programme and anticipated effects of participation on their teaching knowledge, beliefs and practice and on their students' learning outcomes. A questionnaire was also administered at the end of the programme. The post-study questionnaire sought participants' perceptions about how well their expectations for the programme had been met, any differences participation had made to their teaching knowledge, beliefs and practice, and to their students' learning outcomes and whether these differences constituted improvements. Further questions covered: the benefits and costs to individuals of participation in the programme; the benefits participants perceived that other non-participatory colleagues could derive from a future programme; and the perceived value of the activity as a mode of professional development. The questionnaire also included a table covering organisational factors of the programme and elicited participants' responses about the degree to which each assisted and inhibited progress. In addition to the questionnaires, structured interviews were conducted with the participants after the completion of the programme asking similar questions about their perceptions of its success. Analysis of a variety of data collected through pre and post-programme questionnaires as well as interviews clearly indicates that this mode of delivery was perceived by the participants to be an effective form of professional development from the perspective of changing teaching knowledge, beliefs and practice, and as a refocussing or confirming activity by providing stimulus to an individual's professional development. Further data collected support the organisational characteristics of this SLA and provide some suggestions for changes. Finally, the findings clearly show that the benefits to individuals of participation are perceived to outweigh the costs, further supporting the effectiveness of this mode of professional development.

The quality and nature of leadership among the superiors of religious teaching orders has not been the subject of much research. This field study examines the criteria by which the Provincial Superior of the Marist Brothers in the Sydney Province of Australia decides on the appointment of his principals. In order to establish an evaluation of these criteria, the concept of leadership in general and educational leadership are first examined as described in literature. From the literature a model is chosen against which the leadership of the founder is examined since the spirit of the founder, in this case, Marcellin Champagnat, still pervades the present day members of the order he established. The beginnings of the work of the Brothers in Australia were also important as the pioneers brought with them the spirit of the founder and were responsible for a quality of leadership in difficult circumstances, a quality which has become a feature of the work of the Brothers. It is evident that the present provincial superior is imbued with the spirit of the founder and that he has succeeded in interpreting the criteria laid down in foundation in terms which are relevant to education today. Certain constraints and factors, special to a religious teaching order bring about features of leadership which are not found in lay schools.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Canterbury, 2009. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (p. 436-459). Also available via the World Wide Web.

This thesis contributes to the literature on the French Catholic Marist mission in New Zealand by providing the first critical in-depth biography of one of the early French missionaries, Antoine Marie Garin (1810-1889). It emphasises the importance of the Marists’ position as outsiders in nineteenth-century New Zealand society. As neither ‘colonising’ British settlers, nor ‘colonised’ Maori, the Marists were in a special position to view events unfolding in the mid-nineteenth century, when New Zealand was changing from a Maori-dominated to a predominantly Pakeha-dominated world. The records which the Marists kept of their experiences, including diaries, letters, memoirs and annals, have the potential to provide a significant contribution to New Zealand historiography, and remain relatively untapped. As a biographical study, this thesis uses the framework of Garin’s life story to add insight to the intercultural dynamic in nineteenth-century New Zealand. The thesis begins with an exposé of the theory used to examine the intercultural dimension in Garin’s experience. Garin’s life in New Zealand was a tale of cross-cultural encounter occurring within two cultural-social paradigms: the Maori-Pakeha paradigm, and the Catholic-Protestant settler paradigm. With respect to the Maori-Pakeha paradigm, it is argued that Homi K. Bhabha’s theory of hybridity provides an innovative framework within which to study early interaction between Maori and Pakeha. The concept of hybridity stresses the interdependence of coloniser and colonised, thereby recognising the existence of agency on both sides, and avoiding the binary opposition of ‘Maori’ and ‘Pakeha’ that continues to mark contemporary New Zealand society. Another postcolonial theory, that of diaspora, is used to illuminate Garin’s experience in settler communities. It is argued that religion can be the basis for a diaspora, and that the Catholics in nineteenth-century New Zealand had a diasporic consciousness because of their creation of separate Catholic institutions, and their connections to the wider Catholic world. Part Two of the thesis consists of the biography proper. It is framed as a cultural biography: a biography that seeks to illuminate not only the subject’s life, but also national history. Garin was a grassroots Catholic missionary, who, through talent, perseverance and a little luck, made a notable impact on New Zealand society, in particular in the area of Catholic education. However, even more important to his story was his ability to build bridges between cultures, and create communities of Maori and settler Catholics. Arguably, Garin’s greatest legacy is the diary that he kept while a missionary to Maori. This documents the everyday border crossing that was taking place between the Maori of Mangakahia and Garin himself in the hybrid society of 1840s’ New Zealand.

Thesis (J.C.L.)--Catholic University of America, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 50-52).