Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 64-72). Also available in print.

This research study aimed to explore and describe students' and teachers' perceptions of religious education programs for Year 12 students in Catholic schools in Victoria in light of theoretical concepts of religious education. It sought to discover how appropriate these programs were in meeting the needs of today's students and achieving the aims of religious education for senior secondary students in Catholic schools in Victoria. The purpose was to propose guiding principles that could inform a review of Year 12 religious education curriculum in Catholic schools. There were two broad areas of investigation to this study: the theory and the practice of religious education in Catholic schools, with special attention given to the Year 12 programs. With the first area, there was an examination of religious education theory as revealed in the literature. This was concerned with the nature and purpose of religious education in Catholic schools. Different approaches to religious education were explored and their strengths and weaknesses for senior secondary programs were highlighted. In addition, recent approaches to teaching and learning at the broader curriculum level were investigated to highlight possible relevance to religious education. Thirdly, the theory of and approaches to religious education were considered in relation to some aspects of the context of contemporary classrooms. The second area was an investigation into current practices in the compulsory or core Year 12 religious education programs since these were accessed by all or most students in Catholic schools. Eleven schools were involved in the study. They were drawn from the four dioceses in Victoria and were chosen because they displayed certain characteristics which were seen as representative of the wider range of Catholic schools. In order to gain an insight into classroom practices, three sources of data were collected from these schools and examined. Firstly, through the use of questionnaires and interviews, data was collected on students' perceptions of their experiences in their religious education program. Secondly, questionnaires were used to gather information on the teachers' experiences of the program, their perceptions of their students' experiences and their background in religious education. Teachers' perceptions were used as a point of comparison with students' perceptions. Thirdly, religious education documents were examined and analysed to discover their aims and objectives, the content and topics included and their assessment strategies. In general, the various approaches (in terms of content and method) to Year 12 religious education classroom programs in Catholic schools in Victoria either emphasized cognitive learning or it focused on affective learning. With the former, an intellectual study of religion through a study of different religious traditions was offered which, it was hoped, would lead to an increased understanding and appreciation of the subject. With the latter, more attention was given to the personal dimension in religious education in terms of interpersonal and intrapersonal learning. The findings of this research study indicated that, in the perceptions of a majority of students, the religious education programs were not meeting their needs. This raises the question of the pertinence of the aims for senior secondary religious education as proposed in curriculum guidelines for Catholic schools in Victoria. The findings, therefore, suggest a need for a review of such programs in Catholic schools. The study concluded with the proposal of thirteen guiding principles that could inform the development, implementation and evaluation of future Year 12 religious education programs in Catholic schools. The principles, drawn from key insights from both the theory and current practice of religious education, could have relevance for Catholic school administrators, policy makers and religious education teachers. In addition, other areas were identified which could be useful for further investigation to enhance existing knowledge in this field of study.

Thesis (EdD) -- Australian Catholic University, 2006. / Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. Bibliography: p. 224-242. Also available in an electronic format via the internet.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1952 S3 / Master of Science

The focus of this research project was the changing perception amongst practising Catholic school principals of the nature and purpose of the contemporary Catholic school. This examination was set within the changing social, ecclesial and educational contexts within which the Catholic school has operated in the decades following the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965). The research which was conducted amongst principals in the Archdiocese of Brisbane, Australia, was focused by two research questions. These were:How do principals currently perceive the purpose of Catholic schools? How do they perceive Catholic schools changing? The review of the literature examined elements of the changing environment of the contemporary Catholic school. It also surveyed the ways in which that literature described the effects of changing social, ecclesial and educational contexts upon the sense of purpose amongst principals of Catholic schools. The demise of “inherited meanings” and the reconstruction or reimagining of a new meaning structure provided the conceptual template for the study. Since the study explores the perceptions of leaders concerning their schools in times of extensive and foundational contextual change, it involved an interpretive research design. An epistemological stance of constructionism was adopted because it acknowledges the impact which engagement with the research exerts upon participants’ construction of meaning. An interpretivist theoretical perspective served to structure the research in a manner that was congruent with the philosophical foundations of the research questions. The employment of the research orientation of symbolic interactionism was appropriate because it holds that meaning and interpretation of phenomena are to be understood by listening to the voices and perspectives of the participants within a given context. A case study approach was utilised in the execution of the research design which allowed for flexible, systematic and continuing data collection, analysis and participant feedback. Data were collected through the use of personal, open-ended questionnaire, semistructured interviews, critical review interviews, focus groups and independent review and were analysed using constant comparative method. The research led to the conclusion that in the contemporary Catholic school, a high priority is given to the offering of a holistic educational experience to students. This, in turn, is predicated upon an anthropology which adopts a more unitive rather than dualistic view of the human person. This represents a significant conceptual movement within the period under study. A greater emphasis is also placed upon the evangelising role the Catholic school, which, in turn, acknowledges the increasingly secular environment within which it operates. At the same time, there is a strong, expressed belief amongst its leaders that the contemporary Catholic school offers an experience of a redemptive community in which its members can find acceptance, inclusion and a sense of the spiritual dimension of life which transcends the status of affiliation with the institutional Church.

This study traces the development of the system of Catholic systemic schools in the Archdiocese of Sydney from early colonial times to the present, and analyses the perceptions and expectations that a sample of secondary school principals in the System had of the systems level administration in 1985. The development of Catholic schools in the penal colony of New South Wales was extremely slow. The first Catholic school was opened in 1817, and from 1833 to the 'free, secular, and compulsory' education act in New South Wales in 1880, denominational schools received some government grants. When 'state-aid' was withdrawn in 1880, the wonder of education history in Australia was that a separate Catholic school 'system' emerged. This was brought about in large measure by the ability of the Bishops and Clergy to activate the Catholic community, which had been generally apathetic religiously and educationally, and by their recruiting teachers who were members of Religious Congregations both from abroad and locally. The Religious carried the Catholic Schools 'system' in Sydney for some seventy-five years (1880-1955). However, the recruiting of Religious teachers declined from the 1950s. This, together with rapid increases in school population, widening of the curriculum, decreased class sizes and lighter teaching loads brought on a crisis of survival for the Catholic schools. It was averted by the reintroduction of 'State-Aid' and the recruiting and training of lay teachers. Following the Karmel Report of 1973, Commonwealth Government grants and programs grew many fold. In order to cope with the new organisational complexities, including both financial and educational accountability requirements of the government, many of the Catholic schools, which had previously been organised on an individual parish or Religious Congregation basis, joined together to form systems. These Catholic Education Office systems (or CEO systems) rapidly developed administrative bureaucracies. The Sydney CEO System is the largest in Australia with nearly 6000 teachers and over 110,000 pupils. In this process of building an organisational system, the vital role of the school principal is changing. This study examines the responses of twenty-four secondary school principals, in the interview situation, to questions on their perceptions and expectations of the systems level administration. The researcher has analysed the data in the light of some of the literature on motivation theory and theories about complex organisations and has suggested some facets of the systems level administration that need to be addressed if the system is to grow in effectiveness.

Thesis supervisor: Steve McGuire. Includes bibliographic references (p. 141-144).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 377-396). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (MEd)--University of South Australia, 1996

In light of the challenges faced by post-modern principals, and the changes in the Catholic Church and in Catholic education, this study aimed to analyse and identify the work of the principal in a Catholic school in the late 1990s. This meant examining the perceptions of the principal's work as identified by principals themselves, and those key players who work with them in Catholic schools. The study identified the key behaviours of principals in Catholic schools, and the factors that tend to enhance or inhibit their work. In the initial phase of the research, the instrument used in the study was a self administered questionnaire that consisted of 123 key behaviours which respondents were asked to rate according to degree of importance. The second instrument used was a semi-structured interview with a sample of principals. This methodology was designed as a further check on reliability and validity of the questionnaire. It was apparent from this research that in the late 1990s, it was essential that the principal in a Catholic school be committed to creating an authentic Catholic school where a climate of care prevailed, and where respect and privacy for families was upheld. The principal must be committed to whole school philosophy, orientated toward servant leadership, and able to articulate and bring into practice the ethos of a Catholic school. As well, the study showed that it was crucial for the Catholic school principal to ensure appropriate staffing, and that an atmosphere of co-operation and communication existed within the school community. In developing policies that incorporated the ideals of the Vision Statement, the study suggests that the Catholic school principal ensured that excellence in all areas of human growth is treasured. Bearing in mind that each participating group indicated different priorities, support for the principal and the development of skills, is essential for their work to be effective in Catholic schools of the new millennium.