The Nature of Faith Communities in Alberta’s Separate High Schools

Sawula, Ryan Bruce

The Nature of Faith Communities in Alberta’s Separate High Schools

dc.contributor.advisor	Winchester, Ian
dc.contributor.author	Sawula, Ryan Bruce
dc.contributor.committeemember	Bohac-Clarke, Veronika Elizabeth
dc.contributor.committeemember	Donlevy, James Kent
dc.contributor.committeemember	Danyluk, Patricia Jill
dc.contributor.committeemember	Newton, Paul
dc.contributor.committeemember	Preciado Babb, Armando Paulino
dc.date.accessioned	2024-01-10T21:55:47Z
dc.date.available	2024-01-10T21:55:47Z
dc.date.issued	2024-01-02
dc.description.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.
dc.identifier.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.
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/1880/117908
dc.language.iso	en
dc.publisher.faculty	Graduate Studies
dc.publisher.institution	University of Calgary
dc.rights	University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subject	community building
dc.subject	leadership best practices
dc.subject	principal
dc.subject	preparation
dc.subject	community engagement
dc.subject	faith community
dc.subject	educational leadership
dc.subject.classification	Education--Administration
dc.title	The Nature of Faith Communities in Alberta’s Separate High Schools
dc.type	doctoral thesis
thesis.degree.discipline	Education Graduate Program – Educational Research
thesis.degree.grantor	University of Calgary
thesis.degree.name	Doctor of Education (EdD)
ucalgary.thesis.accesssetbystudent	I do not require a thesis withhold – my thesis will have open access and can be viewed and downloaded publicly as soon as possible.