Volume 5, Number 3
March, 2002
Table of Contents
Editors' Comments (p. 273)
Ronald J. Nuzzi, Thomas C. Hunt
Articles
An Exploration of Hope in Catholic School Students
Diane McDermott, Jennifer Teramoto Pedrotti, Lisa M. Edwards & Angela M. Houske
University of Kansas
(pp. 274-285)
Hope is a valuable asset for children, adolescents, and adults. Individuals with high hope are better able to navigate around obstacles by using pathways and agency thoughts towards their goals. Studies with children and adults have demonstrated that hope is related to several positive constructs, including academic and athletic ability, problem solving and coping, physical health, and psychological adjustment. This study explores hope in Catholic school students. Because Catholic schools provide a unique faith community for their students, a better understanding of the characteristics of children in these settings is important. Analyses showed that Catholic school student’s hope scores were significantly higher than the general mean of children’s hope scores. Implications and suggestions for fostering hope in the classroom are provided.
School Choice Among Competing “Catholic” Philosophies
John E. Coons & Patrick M. Brennan
University of California, Berkeley & Arizona State University
(pp. 286-296)
Is there an identifiably Catholic position on school choice? As pilot programs proliferate in the United States, serious consideration of some philosophical issues seems in order. This article explores two competing moral philosophies and their relationship to parental sovereignty in the public sector. The authors conclude by articulating a Catholic position on the question.
Women Scholars, Integration, and the Marianist Tradition:
Learning From Our Culture and Ourselves
Mary Ellen Seery, Shauna M. Adams, Kathryn Kinnucan-Welsch, Connie L. Bowman,
Patricia R. Grogan & Laurice M. Joseph
University of Dayton, University of Dayton, University of Dayton, University of Dayton, University of Dayton, & The Ohio State University
(pp. 297-314)
In the fall of 1997, a group of junior tenure-track women faculty in the Department of Teacher Education at the University of Dayton decided to meet regularly in order to support each others’ scholarly endeavors in the process of achieving promotion and tenure. The group of subsequently became known as the Writing –Writers’ Support Group (WWSG). In 2000, the group conducted a self-study of its group process to determine how the formation of women’s WWSG fit with the mission and characteristics of a Marianist university. The results suggest that, although each of the characteristics could be identified in the group processes, the group best identified with the Marianist mandate to educate in family spirit. Each member of the group considered the possible reasons for this outcome.
Leadership for Positive Change: Perspectives of 12 Liberal Leaders
Nancy Maldonado & Phyllis Superfisky, OSF
Barry University
(pp. 315-334)
This qualitative study investigated perceptions of 12 liberal contemporary leaders regarding the role of the moral leader as a positive change agent. The leaders were selected by graduate students at a private Catholic university in South Florida based on a moral leadership rating-scale survey. The leaders were asked about their perceptions of themselves as positive change agents and how they empower others. The results indicated that the interviewees all believe that they are positive change agents and that they empower others by getting them to participate, by encouraging, by being examples, by raising their consciousness, and by helping them to discover their own power and interests.
Teachers’ Perceptions of Power Relationships
Barbara E. Ochterski
(pp. 335-356)
Research exists on the power relationships experienced by teachers in public schools as they interact with each other and with the principal. However, no such studies had been done in non-public schools. What takes place in Catholic schools should be examined because of the significant role these schools have played in the American educational system. The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover how teachers describe their experiences of power relationships as they talked about school-related issues in two Catholic secondary schools for girls. Research methods included semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and informal conversations. Data were analyzed according to Nyberg’s (1981b) four forms of power theory (force, exchange and bargaining, rhetoric, trust and mutual commitment). The findings suggest that in Catholic schools, securing commitment to the mission through the use of rhetoric is important, perhaps essential. In girls’ schools, the trust and mutual commitment form of power is present where there is a traditional, hierarchical organizational structure. The exchange and bargaining power form is common among teachers and with the principal in both settings. Insights gained from this study are intended to promote understanding of the personal and social dynamics which support positive power relationships, lead to greater involvement of teachers in substantive decision making, and ultimately benefit students.
Attributions for Success and Failure in Mathematics:
A Comparative Study of Catholic and Public School Students
Janine Bempechat, Eleanor Drago-Severson & Beth A. Boulay
Harvard University
(pp. 357-372)
The documented higher performance of minority students in Catholic versus public schools raises questions about motivational factors that may underlie the impact of parochial education. This study examines attributions for success and failure and their relationship to mathematics achievement in a sample of African American, Latino, and Caucasian fifth- and sixth-grade public and Catholic school students. Results showed that relative to their public school peers minority students in Catholic schools endorsed attributions that were more adaptive for learning. Specifically: 1) Latino and African American Catholic school students were less likely to attribute success in mathematics to external factors, 2) Latino Catholic school students were more likely to attribute success to ability, and 3) African American Catholic school students were less likely to attribute failure to external factors. Further, for Latino students, Catholic but not public school membership was positively associated with mathematics achievement. Results are discussed in the context of school culture.
An Ignatian Analysis of the Walt Disney Company: Lessons for Jesuit Higher Education
Michael P. Caruso
Loyola Marymount University
(pp. 373-400)
Love it or leave it, the Walt Disney Company is widely regarded as a model organizational culture, a multinational corporation with theme park, movie, and entertainment interests all over the world. Disney has experienced unequaled success in promoting its vision and mission. This article, the first of a two-part series, examines the lessons of Disney for Catholic higher education, particularly in the Jesuit tradition.
Review of Research
Research Related to Teacher Recruitment and Retention
Joseph M. O’Keefe, SJ
Boston College
(pp. 401-406)
Book Reviews
Papal Sin: Structures of Deceit (pp. 407-409)
By Gary Wills
Reviewed by David Coppola
Schools, Vouchers, and the American Public (pp. 409-411)
By Terry M. Moe
Reviewed by Salvatore Ferrera