The Nature of Faith Communities in Alberta’s Separate High Schools
Date
2024-01-02
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Abstract
This qualitative study explored the question, “What is the nature of the relationship between Alberta’s Catholic high school principals and the formation and maintenance of their schools’ faith communities?” The work of school principals is complex in that they are expected to build relationships with stakeholders internal and external to the school community. Using a case study approach, semistructured one-on-one interviews were conducted with 10 Alberta Catholic separate high school principals in different school configurations to examine their perceptions of building community in Alberta’s Catholic high schools. Four types of data were collected: (a) interview data, (b) supporting documents provided by the participants, (c) reflective field notes from on-site school visits, (d) and documents in the literature review. Analysis of the data identified 12 key findings under four overarching categories: defining community in Alberta Catholic high schools, strategies leaders used to form faith communities in Alberta high schools, benefits as a result of establishing faith communities, and challenges leaders have faced in forming faith communities. These overarching categories were further evaluated to generate four analytic themes: setting a direction grounded in faith, having a distinct purpose rooted in Catholic social teachings, using collective leadership to enhance community, and enriching faith communities via the larger community. By highlighting principals’ voices, and synthesizing and clarifying the best practices they have employed to foster their schools’ faith communities, this study enhances the literature on Catholic school leadership and deepens understanding of the expectations upon school leaders. Recommendations for Catholic principals, Catholic school boards, provincial government policymakers, and Catholic school system leaders are provided.
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community building, leadership best practices, principal, preparation, community engagement, faith community, educational leadership
Citation
Sawula, R. B. (2024). The nature of faith communities in Alberta’s separate high schools (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.