| Summary: | Thesis advisor: Dennis Shirley === This dissertation is a conceptual study of Catholic education as a distinctive approach for learning in elementary and secondary Catholic schools. It draws upon the academic disciplines of philosophy, theology, and education to construct a theory of pedagogy that attends to and faithfully reflects the particular beliefs and aspirations of Catholic education. The opening historical analysis describes significant changes to the US Catholic school landscape, including the ways in which Catholic education is defined and accounted for in the life of the school. This analysis is widened to explore the claim that there is no adequate definition of Catholic education today. Together, these observations reveal an urgent need for new theories to realize the core mission of Catholic education.
Toward this end, I develop a conceptual framework for Catholic education interbraiding Christian anthropology—emphasizing the themes of imago Dei, relationship, and grace—relevant Church documents authored by the Congregation of Catholic Education, and the pedagogical theory of Bernstein (1990, 2000). I employ this framework to construct a new pedagogical theory for Catholic education.
The theory explores the identity of the person as both a knower and a learner. Bernstein’s (2000) concepts of classification and framing are used to articulate the distinctively Catholic qualities of the pedagogy. The pedagogical discourse features three dynamic movements: composition, juxtaposition, and transposition. Each movement consists of practical and spiritual considerations that, over time, foster learning and strengthen relationships. These outcomes, or text (Bernstein, 2000), create the conditions for deepening the dispositions of discipleship while allowing persons an essential way to participate in the flourishing and fullness of each other’s lives in the realm of God’s grace.
The final segment of the dissertation explores the ways in which the instructional model, tutoría, appropriates the new pedagogical theory for Catholic education. I trace the evolution of tutoría and highlight the experiences of students and educators who are implementing the model in four schools in Chile. The dissertation concludes with a discussion on the value of the new pedagogical theory for Catholic schools globally. === Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2021. === Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. === Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.
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