Thesis advisor: Mary Jo Iozzio / Thesis (STL) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

This thesis represents a qualitative empirical investigation into “What is the contribution of poetry in clergy continuing ministerial education (CME) in the Church of England?” offering a sustained theological reflection on my professional practice as Bishop’s Clergy CME Adviser. Taking an ethnographic approach within a practical theological framework, I studied four facilitated clergy groups reading pre-selected poems and reflecting on personal experience of ministry in response. Research reflexivity was ensured through multiple methods, including auto-ethnographic poetry. The research shows that the affective character of poetic form and language stimulates emotional response in the critical appreciation of practice, sustaining diverse interpretations simultaneously, benefiting collegial clergy reflective practice through corporate construction of meaning. The effectiveness of appropriate ground-rules for small groups is recognised. The impact of historical-critical approaches in clergy hermeneutical strategies for reading privileged texts is acknowledged. I conclude that in facilitated group settings selected poetry offers clergy a generative space for reflection on ministry, suggesting poetry as a trans-disciplinary resource in reflective practice requiring refinement of pedagogy to take account of literary characteristics and participant hermeneutical approaches, developing a more critical approach to the use of poetry in clergy CME and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) more generally.

The Nobis Project is an innovative creative process approach to service-learning and global citizenship education aiming to teach secondary school students six dimensions of civic engagement: values, knowledge, skills, efficacy, commitment, and empathy. It guides students to comprehend current affairs and to devise ways to respond to local, national or global issues without direct contact with service recipients. This thesis examines the claims of the Nobis Project program using data collected from a series of five case studies each with an international focus. It analyzes how far the Nobis Project (1) realizes the goals of service-learning to teach civic engagement, and (2) teaches the civic goals of global citizenship. This thesis argues that the Nobis Project, refined in the light of this research, represents a significant contribution to the practice of service-learning in secondary schools. Its method incorporates an original creative-process model, a practice not usually found in service-learning. As a program, it redefines the scope of service-learning by including international service recipients, thus contributing to a recognized need of global citizenship education, opportunity for action.

The thesis begins in the author’s exposure to the inculturation issue as an adult theological educator in Africa and then in UK. The contemporary UK church faces a dilemma of ‘gospel’ and culture as sharp as in Africa. The research question is posed for the UK context as; is it possible to develop an educational course that will deliver inculturation, and if so what would be good practice within it? A cyclical ‘Kolbian’ methodology is chosen for the field research. It consists of three case studies of adult theological education courses which deal obliquely with the interaction of faith and culture in UK; a) the Alpha course in three different cultural contexts; b) A Lent Course linking a UK and African Diocese; c) the Education for Ministry course, in particular its imaginative methods of theological reflection. The case studies occur in series, rather than in parallel, as ‘research journey cycles.’ All the case studies make important conclusions leading to an affirmative response to the research question. Significant learning regarding good practice in pedagogy for inculturation is developed; imagination is presented as of primary importance. The thesis raises fundamental questions about hermeneutics which bridge inculturation and adult education. The individual nature of educational courses provides a limit to the conclusions.

<p> The qualitative research on this intervention involves therapists and their work with patients within the field of mental health, working with inner city and under-served teens from 12 to 18 years&rsquo; old in Middle and High School settings. While providing care to patients, one of the key elements used in therapeutic interventions is that of mindfulness. Thus, while using mindfulness-based techniques, such as Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) or Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) or Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), therapists worked to treat patients&rsquo; symptoms. Often however, many of the therapists using these interventions faced situations where patients began exhibiting maladaptive behaviors with their original symptoms being left intact or severely intensified. Furthermore, in using mindfulness techniques many of the patients working through severe anxiety found themselves dissociating from their bodies in an attempt to avoid re-experiencing powerful traumatic emotions. Thus, two main issues resulted, a) symptoms got worse, and b) dissociation from the body took place. </p><p> As a response, I devised an intervention that incorporated principles of Buddhist meditative practice such as virtue, mental cultivation through awareness, and subsequently wisdom, i.e. the three trainings (<i>s&imacr;a, sam&amacr;hi, pa&ntilde;&ntilde;&amacr;</i>). The goal of this intervention is to alter patients&rsquo; automatic reactions of being drawn into overwhelming feelings and the dysregulation of bodily sensations, and instead to simply ground the patient by intentionally directing their thoughts and attention to the here and now, while using the body and its parts as anchors of awareness. Thus, the intervention was coined the &ldquo;Mindful Grounding&rdquo; (MG). </p><p> In using the MG, patients were able to meet their treatment goals much sooner than originally anticipated in their initial assessment during intake. In some cases, therapists observed reduction of anxiety, depression, anger, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms within one or two sessions from first introducing patients to the MG intervention. The process of experiencing the body thus in a new way as prescribed by the MG, involves helping patients become calmly reacquainted with their own bodies. It is through this connection of body and mind that they develop a deeper and more existential connection with their world, as they heal with the insight gained through acceptance and understanding of their trauma and thereby rebuild their lives.</p><p>

This thesis investigates the use of drama as a teaching tool in religious education within the context of sacramental preparation. The research is informed by educational theories which suggest that arts education and religious education both rely on aesthetic knowing to construct meaning.The theories which underpin this research claim that this form of knowing honours the students’ freedom to form their own understandings and will be achieved through critical reflection and experiential methods which engage heart, spirit and mind. Drama is one such method and therefore this thesis contends that drama and religious education are indeed ‘a match made in heaven’.

The Harry Potter series has been a phenomenal publishing success for their author J. K. Rowling. This thesis argues for the use of these books as a worthwhile teaching asset, especially in the promotion of values in our schools. It particularly focuses on the use of these books for Values Education in the curriculum area of Religious Education. While the world continues to change and evolve there are some aspects of our societies that remain unchanged and the power of stories is one of these stable forces. This thesis looks at the importance of stories in teaching our youth about values, especially Christian values. It also provides research on how critics and youth have responded to the stories about Harry Potter through undertaking a review of critical comments and by actually asking young people what they feel about aspects of the novels. Comment is made on what Christian values can be found in the Harry Potter series and how they are shown through the choices characters make. This thesis also looks at how the power to choose is a fundamental basis of Christian religion and that through our choices we live out our humanity. Mention is made of Values Education in both State and Catholic schools and how, in recent years, we have seen increased moves by both Federal and State Governments to instigate Values Education programmes in Australian schools. This study also looked at how curriculum changes in Tasmania, at both State and Catholic levels, encourages the teaching of values through the use of resources that connect with our young people and teaching strategies that encourage higher-order thinking skills. An analysis is also made regarding the connection between the Harry Potter series and the hero journey motif. This connection provides some answers as to why the series is so popular and why our youth feel some connection to the characters in the books.Through research and analysis this thesis found that the Harry Potter series is popular with our youth and that they are connected to the characters in the books and the choices they make. This study also found that the series, through the characters and choices they make, provides itself as a valuable teaching tool because it is able to be used in both secular and Catholic schools regardless of attacks on the books by Christian groups. Studies undertaken indicated that the values presented in the books are compatible with our Australian societal values and that with the use of good teaching strategies the books can assist students in developing their higher-order thinking skills. The Harry Potter series can be used to assist youth in acquiring values that will assist them in their personal development and to help them become useful contributors to our modern world. Through the character of Harry Potter and his experiences students can learn more about themselves and the values they need to overcome those difficulties that they, like all of us, face in life.

The purpose of this research was to explore the beliefs and practice of early childhood teachers in Catholic schools in Australia. In particular, the research investigated the teachers’ beliefs about teaching, learning and Religious Education. Also examined in this thesis was the classroom practice of early childhood teachers and the factors that impacted on their stated beliefs and translation into classroom practice. Whilst there are empirical studies that explore early childhood teachers’ beliefs and practice, there were no studies which explore early childhood teachers’ beliefs and practice with regard to learning, teaching and Religious Education in Australia. This study was conducted within both positivist and interpretivist paradigms, using a mixed methodological approach to data collection. Phase One was a large scale (n=540) use of a questionaire to ascertain teachers' beliefs. The Early Childhood Teachers' beliefs about learning, teaching and Religious Education questionaire was developed specifically for this study. Early childhood teachers from 6 states of Australian Catholic schools were surveyed using the Early Childhood Beliefs about Learning, Teaching and Religious Education Questionnaire. Following the quantitative analysis, four teachers were purposefully selected to develop rich, descriptive case studies. Classroom practice was observed and documented providing further insights into beliefs and practices with regard to Early Childhood and Religious Education. Analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data was conducted using three computer software packages including: SPSS, Leximancer and NVIVO. The analysis of data revealed both differences and similarities that exist between teachers’ stated beliefs and classroom practice and in particular their pedagogy with regard to Religious Education Key findings of the research included a confirmation that early childhood teachers’ in Catholic schools generally taught in accordance with their beliefs. It was highlighted specifically that a range of factors impact on teachers’ practice, which both support and constrain their practice. Some of the implications for teachers, teacher educators, providers of professional development are delineated. There is evidence presented in the results that supports the hypothesis that teachers' beliefs do underpin their classroom practice and that there are factors that constrain or support teachers' in their efforts to teach according to their beliefs about learning and teaching. The study highlighted implications for Religious Education in the early years of schooling, for the continued professional development and curriculum development for Religious Education in the early years of schooling. In summary, this thesis examined the role of Early Childhood teachers’ beliefs about learning, teaching and Religious Education and the relationship to classroom practice. It critically explored the impact that a range of factors have on teachers’ ability to implement practice that was consistent with their stated beliefs

The theory and practice of Catholic schooling, particularly with respect to religious education, have the purpose of promoting the spiritual and moral development of young people. This includes a special emphasis on acquainting them with the religious traditions and spirituality of the Catholic Church. Because Catholic schooling has always endeavoured to meet the religious and personal needs of students, there has been an ongoing interest in monitoring the spirituality of youth to inform the development and planning of a relevant and effective religious education. Hence, there has long been an interest within the Catholic education sector in research on youth spirituality. A significant volume of research has been conducted on the spirituality of contemporary youth within the last decade. This has included a number of major studies in Australia (Crawford and Rossiter, 2006; Flynn and Mok, 2002; Hughes, 2007; Mason et. al. 2005, 2007) and in North America, Smith & Denton (2004). This project reports on an empirical investigation of the views of senior school students in three metropolitan Catholic schools in Australia. The first part of the study, a literature review, provided an opportunity to review research on the spirituality of young people to give a broad perspective on developments and issues, particularly for young people in westernised cultures. The first section of the review considered the way in which structural development theories have been used to interpret young people’s spirituality. The second section explored research related to the components and development of youth spirituality. The third section examined a number of cultural influences on young people’s spiritual and moral development. The second part of the project canvassed the views of all 207 Year 12 students in three metropolitan Catholic high schools about their understanding of spirituality and about the links between their spirituality and the experience of Catholic schooling. Each school has its own gender, charism, and multicultural dynamic. A systematic questionnaire provided quantitative data, a summary of which was then discussed in focus groups of students in each of the three schools. In this way, students were invited to interpret the empirical data and to attempt to explain why young people thought and felt as they did – yielding qualitative data. The focus groups also responded to an innovative use of cartoon caricatures of God which prompted participants to talk about the ways in which they and other teenagers imagined God and God’s role in the world and in their own lives. The study contributed to the current body of research information on youth spirituality, especially in a sample group of senior school students in Catholic schools. The key findings were: Evidence that youth spirituality is both eclectic and diverse; Evidence of some non-religious elements to spirituality; it is not linked exclusively with religion; Young people are conscious of their roles in ‘choosing’ and ‘constructing’ a spirituality, rather than just accepting a ‘traditional’ pattern of spirituality; Acknowledged a strong parental influence; also the importance of friends; While a number of students identified their spirituality as ‘religious’, the trend was a spirituality that was not as strongly rooted in religious traditions as was the case for previous generations; The most prominent image of God for this sample of young people was a God of unconditional love and forgiveness. There was less emphasis on a ‘checking’ and ‘punishing’ God that seemed more prominent for earlier generations of Catholics. In discussing the meaning and significance of the empirical data, a comparison was made between the results of this study and those of five recent major studies of youth spirituality examined in the literature review. In conclusion, the project explored a number of issues and implications for educators interested in the spiritual and moral education of young people, especially in the Catholic education sector. These included: In the light of a significant and continuing increase in both ‘individualism’ and ‘moral selfreliance’ in children and adolescents, there is a need for refinement in the ways developmental theories (such as those of Kohlberg and Fowler in particular) are used for interpreting the spiritual and moral development of young people; There is a need for further understanding of how cultural factors like ‘postmodernity’, ‘individualism’ and ‘relativism’ affect young people’s spirituality, particularly as regards linkage with religious traditions; Young people’s images of God and their ideas about how God might ‘work’ within the world are key transcendent elements to youth spirituality; Planning for a ‘relevant’ religious education – which helps young people negotiate contemporary spiritual/moral issues, as well as provide access to spiritual heritage – needs to take into account the findings of research on youth spirituality.

In early 1983, the Catholic Education Authority in Sydney issued a major curriculum document for the systems 210 Primary schools on Religious Education. One year after the documents' release there was evidence of its negligible impact in classrooms. Studies of overseas, Australian, and local system-level changes supported the view that there was relatively limited documentation of the processes followed in the implementation of system-level change. As its starting point, the Field Study pursues the development in eight schools of a system-stimulated implementation process over twelve months. A historical perspective of the system is given; implementation of change is defined; and the approach used in the study is sited in the theoretical context of Action Research. The body of the study is written in an 'inter-leaving' style. In each Chapter a chronological descriptive approach is followed and, as appropriate, theoretical considerations are introduced as a method of reflection and interpretation of the process. Among the processes under investigation, major consideration is given to planning, monitoring and collaborative staff development. The specific strategy of change developed is that of a Co-operative Peer Support Scheme, based on Goodlad's concept of a "league". Concerns - Based Adoption Methodology (CBAM) is used as a monitoring technique. An original contribution to the monitoring processes is the invention and application of a micro-computer program for analysis of the Stages of Concern of the teacher participants in the Project. The salient findings of the Study are that the particular plan had been effective, and that system planning can only be directional. Monitoring procedures that are are amenable to use in system-level change were demonstrated to have been useful. Clear focussing of issues, the generation of locally produced learning materials, and conscious use of adult learning process enhances the outcomes of the Project. Finally, the goal-free descriptive approach followed identifies more sharply new questions requiring further exploration: mechanisms leading to group formation; the interrelationship between psychic-group and socio-group processes; the roles of change-agents and the support system; and the quality of use rather than the percentage of users.