Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 257-267).

Domino Servite School (DSS) is a private school, founded in 1986, and situated on KwaSizabantu (KSB) mission station in the Natal midlands. This research into DSS is a case study which aims to present an illuminative evaluation in the Whole School genre, within that branch of educational research concerned with effective schools. The project aimed to make use of a compatibility paradigm accommodating nomothetic and anthropological data. In attempting triangulation of methodological approaches, it tried to establish the extent to which DSS may be considered an efficient and effective 'New Private' school. It also aimed to understand the school's raison d'ětre. In order to illuminate the relevance and social processes of DSS, evaluation made use of internal and external referents. The internal investigation sought to make judgements in reference to the efficiency of the school as an organisation. On the macro-level, whole school evaluation required extensive curriculum evaluation. On the micro-level, appraisal of teaching and assessment of pupil performance was undertaken. This internal investigation required a critical analysis of the school's formal, informal and hidden curriculum. The external evaluation sought to make judgement in reference to the effectiveness of DSS. On the macro-level, this required evaluation of the findings of the internal investigation in terms of a broader South African context. Implications, for example of the school's 'private' status, and its 'Christian' curriculum in respect of multi-culturalism, education for nationhood , and ethnicity were examined. The analysis of these dimensions paid attention to the school's spatial context in terms of both its 'rural' and missionary setting. Here the focus was on the school's formal curriculum. Analysis of the inter-relational context paid attention to its informal curriculum or the way in which the school deals with the commonality and diversity of its clientele and staff. The inter-relational context of the school examined the hidden curriculum, or the relationship between the school and the broader South African Community. A critical ethnographic account of this institution was therefore possible because of the dual focus on the internal and external evaluation reference points. Internal evaluation made extensive use of direct (non-participant) observation, structured and nonstructured interviews, questionnaires, and documentary analysis. Indirect (participant) observation, in particular Clinical Supervision (CS), was also used. Indirect (non-participant) observation made extensive use of Flanders' Interaction Analysis Categories (FIAC). Teacher self-evaluation was also included, while analysis of pupil performance made use of 'standardised' achievement testing and a tracer study. External evaluation required detailed study of local and international literature on issues relating to private schooling, rural and multi-cultural education, education for nationhood and ethnicity. The research found that much of the school's curriculum path is incongruous with its rural context largely because of its association with the former Department of Education and Training (DET), and because of its missionary heritage. As such the school is presently (1) located within a questionable (formal) curriculum tradition which has little relevance to, nor potential for, the transformational needs of either rural Natal or South Africa in general. However, this does not preclude the possibility of the school making a contribution to education for development in South Africa. (2) The school advocates a mono-cultural Christian value system and modified cultural pluralism which attempts to assimilate pupils from diverse socio-economic and ideologically homogeneous backgrounds. Multi-cultural education, plural values, religious and values democracy are therefore not part of the school's raison d'ětre. (3) The school, through its associated organisation Christians for Truth (CFT), represents a social view espousing either a modified cultural pluralism or multi-nationalism which allows for allegiance to a transcendent value system without compromising group. values and associations. This means that the school aims at assimilating or amalgamating diversity into a mono-cultural unity that transcends group identity. This transcendent culture is defined in Christian terms. The study recommends inter alia, further investigation into the educational implications of_values neutrality and the particularism of secular humanism; a comparative analysis of a random sample of private missionary schools and ordinary state controlled rural schools so that more generalisable results might be obtained; and a more thorough investigation into the parental and pupil contributions to the school, their attitudes and perspectives on missionary education and their feelings about the management styles evident in the organisation.

One of the organizational change technologies developed in response to the inherent weaknesses of the scientific and classical management theories is organization development (0D). The theories grew out of research experiments in change and training in intergroup relations conducted by Kurt Lewin in 1946 in the United States of America. They have been further developed by other researchers and applied to organizations since then, and to educational organizations since the 1960s. This study was carried out in the light of what some of the 0D esearchers and consultants observed, namely, that 0D interventions tend to be less successful in organizations outside the USA, especially in developing countries. They attributed the lack of success of the interventions to the nature of 0D theories, the skills, attitudes and behaviour of OD consultants, the nature of organizations and, especially, culture. Some of the OD consultants said the culture of the people in developing countries is unreceptive to the values which underpin OD theories. I carried out this study to investigate the work-related values of managers in an educational organization in Malawi, and assess the implications of their values for OD interventions. I used a qualitative case study method and the interview technique to gather data for the study. I also used observation and document analysis techniques to supplement the interview technique. The results of the study indicate that most of the work-related values of the managers closely match the values of OD theories. The findings contradict what some of the OD researchers and consultants said about the culture of the people in developing countries. Hence, OD consultants need to investigate the work-related values of the gatekeepers of cli nt organizations and design and implement OD interventions that fit the interests of the gatekeepers.

This thesis examines the growth of small, church-related Christian schools in British Columbia, in particular those schools, largely non-funded, outside of British Columbia's Federation of Independent School Associations (FISA). The early chapters provide an overview of the history of private schooling in Canada and examine the social context of the growth of Christian schools. They show the importance of private alternatives in both Canadian and British Columbian educational history. They demonstrate that the growing disenchantment with public education is a by-product of societal changes in the last twenty-five years. Later chapters examine the Christian school parent's concern with the perceived lack of Biblical values and with the "secular humanist" philosophy of the public school curriculum, as well as the rationale underlying the growth of Protestant evangelical day schools in British Columbia. Although derived from a wide range of sources, much of the information was obtained from primary sources such as reports, directories, enrollment statistics and, in particular, oral interviews and questionnaires with principals and others involved in the Christian school movement in British Columbia. Private Christian schools in Canada have built their reputation on an increasing popular dissatisfaction with public education, its "secular humanist" philosophy and its perceived lack of Biblical values. This study demonstrates that the church-related Christian schools are not a phenomenon of any one urban or rural area but rather are spread quite consistently throughout many communities of British Columbia. The majority of these schools (64%) were founded between 1977 and 1981 and are small, employing one to two full-time teachers. Government funding for private schools began in 1977 but as this study shows, had little to do with the founding of these schools, a significant finding since 80% of the schools were founded after 1977. The Christian school's popularity can be traced to the philosophic convictions of the parents who view these schools as a bastion of Biblical truth and morality in a secular world. In elucidating this philosophy, the thesis points out the diversity of the Non-FISA Christian schools on such issues as government funding and control, teacher certification and curricula. The unifying theme is that religion was the raison d’être for the founding of the schools and that the home and the church were the preferred places in which to teach children how to live. It is evident that the private schools, particularly the Christian ones, meet a need for advocates of family choice in our pluralistic Canadian society who have become disillusioned with the public school system, and desire a more traditional education suited to their philosophy. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

The purpose of this study was to determine whether teachers' perceptions of self-efficacy and collective teacher efficacy are interrelated and how these two constructs may be impacted by teacher demographic characteristics, such as educational level, grade level taught, and number of years of teaching experience. This study focused entirely on the interrelationships of teacher efficacy and collective teacher efficacy in three suburban, conservative Christian schools in north Texas. Specifically, the demographic characteristics of age, gender, ethnicity, particular school campus, number of years teaching, number of years teaching at the current school, highest degree received, type of teacher certification, certification grade level and subject area, grade level taught, and particular subject taught were studied for the non-random, convenience sample of 216 kindergarten through twelfth grade teachers. A correlational analysis of teacher efficacy and collective teacher efficacy yielded a Pearson r of .35 at a statistically significant level (p < .01); combining these two variables with teacher demographic variables in multiple regression analyses confirmed the relationship between teachers' perceptions of teacher efficacy and collective efficacy at a statistically significant level (p < .001). A review of the squared structure coefficients in the first multiple regression analysis (R2 = .284, p < .001) showed that individual teachers' perceptions of collective teacher efficacy explained the largest amount (43%) of the variance in teacher efficacy, followed by years of teaching experience (17%) and number of years of teaching at the current school (14%). A review of the squared structure coefficients in the second multiple regression analysis (R2 = .395, p < .001) indicated that individual teachers' perceptions of teacher efficacy explained the largest amount of variance in collective teacher efficacy (31%), followed the elementary teacher variable (22%) and particular school (19%).

The purpose of this writing is to bring to light and to trace the historical development of the religious education program of the Episcopal Church in Utah from its first organized attempts to the present time.The writer has gone to as many original or near original sources as possible. Considerable dependence was placed upon a careful survey of historical books and articles published by the Episcopal Church. These sources were supplemented by personal interviews with Mrs. Elizabeth T. Corr, headmistress of Rowland Hall, and Right Rev. Richard S. Watson, Bishop of the Episcopal Missionary District of Utah, who were most helpful.A doctoral dissertation by Laverne Bane, prepared at Stanford University was very helpful.Many newspaper clippings and pamphlets were available at the Utah Historical Society.

The integration of faith and learning has been the object of study of men and women in the Canadian Calvinistic school movement ever since Dr. Abraham Kuyper pointed out that there could be no dichotomy between the sacred and the secular in the life of a Christian. Acting on the traditions, influences and beliefs these `Reformed' Christians had imbibed in their homeland, the Dutch Calvinistic immigrants who came to British Columbia after WW II built Christian schools as soon as they arrived. As they became more established, they formed curriculum committees of teachers who wrote curriculum for each subject area from a Christian perspective, intentionally planning to integrate their faith and learning in all subject areas. By looking at the history and Bible textbooks of not only the Calvinistic (Reformed) Christian day schools in British Columbia and then branching out to the history and Bible textbooks of three other denominational schools, the Mennonite, the Pentecostal and the Lutheran, I have tried to discover how the faith beliefs of each of these groups are brought to bear on the teaching of Bible. In soliciting the strengths of each of these groups from their history, current practise and teacher comments, I have pitched my own proposal as to how the integration of faith and learning can be enhanced in the teaching of Bible. By blending goals, curricula and best practice, as well combining certain faith belief frameworks in interpreting God's Word, by learning in community, and by listening to the Holy Spirit in the text, I believe the teaching of Bible can become `Spirited teaching'. / Religious Studies and Arabic / D.Th.

The integration of faith and learning has been the object of study of men and women in the Canadian Calvinistic school movement ever since Dr. Abraham Kuyper pointed out that there could be no dichotomy between the sacred and the secular in the life of a Christian. Acting on the traditions, influences and beliefs these `Reformed' Christians had imbibed in their homeland, the Dutch Calvinistic immigrants who came to British Columbia after WW II built Christian schools as soon as they arrived. As they became more established, they formed curriculum committees of teachers who wrote curriculum for each subject area from a Christian perspective, intentionally planning to integrate their faith and learning in all subject areas. By looking at the history and Bible textbooks of not only the Calvinistic (Reformed) Christian day schools in British Columbia and then branching out to the history and Bible textbooks of three other denominational schools, the Mennonite, the Pentecostal and the Lutheran, I have tried to discover how the faith beliefs of each of these groups are brought to bear on the teaching of Bible. In soliciting the strengths of each of these groups from their history, current practise and teacher comments, I have pitched my own proposal as to how the integration of faith and learning can be enhanced in the teaching of Bible. By blending goals, curricula and best practice, as well combining certain faith belief frameworks in interpreting God's Word, by learning in community, and by listening to the Holy Spirit in the text, I believe the teaching of Bible can become `Spirited teaching'. / Religious Studies and Arabic / D.Th.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1987. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 94-98).

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1987. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 94-98). Also available in print.