An exploratory study into : teachers' inclusion of the Christian perspective in the classroom

  • Ian Andrew Hewitt

    Student thesis: Master's Thesis

    Abstract

    Trinity Christian School is a Christian parent controlled school which was established in 1980 with eleven students and one teacher. The current enrolment of the school is some six hundred and forty students. In 1991 the Trinity Christian School Vision Statement was written. This 'Vision Statement' gives an outline of the direction Trinity Christian School should be heading. It also gives a brief outline of the purpose for the school's existence. At the present time Trinity Christian School is beginning to expand into a school of some seven hundred and eighty students and is also undergoing a process of whole school review. It is therefore a significant time in which to study how the Trinity Christian School Vision Statement is being implemented within the school, particularly, within the Secondary section of the school. The focus of this study is to observe what if any, a selection of secondary teachers at Trinity Christian School are including in the classroom which would reflect the Trinity Christian School Vision Statement. In particular, to look for the inclusion of a Christian perspective as is defined in the Vision statement'. To undertake this study a naturalistic inquiry methodology was selected in which a range of field study techniques were adopted, especially from the field of ethnography. A range of data was collected from the following sources: curriculum statements; the Christian perspectives outline; teaching programs; lesson observations; teacher interviews; student interviews; student workbooks; and teaching resources. From the data collected for this study there is much evidence to demonstrate the teachers' inclusion of the Christian perspective in the classroom at Trinity Christian School. The manner in which this is included varies between cases, much as the teaching style of each individual teacher varies. Teachers' Inclusion Of The Christian Perspective In The Classroom How the Christian perspective is included also varies according to the subject and the unit being taught. For instance, to include a Christian perspective in the teaching of the Theories of Creation and Evolution' in Science is of course going to be far easier than in the teaching of 'Products and Factors' in Mathematics. A key implication for Trinity Christian School, is that the consistency of the documentation could be improved. If this was done, then a greater inclusion of the Christian perspective in the classroom could be provided to challenge the students more than at present. This could be achieved if the Christian perspective were incorporated in many more aspects of the classroom than was observed in this study. In this way the students would have modelled to them the Christian way to live in many more of the situations which arise in the classroom.
    Date of Award1994
    Original languageEnglish
    SupervisorJim Mitchell (Supervisor)

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