Date of Graduation

2017

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College/School

School of Education

Department

Leadership Studies

Program

Catholic Educational Leadership EdD

First Advisor

Patricia A. Mitchell

Second Advisor

Monisha Bajaj

Third Advisor

Michael Duffy

Abstract

The growing number of complex learning contexts and needs of students has challenged the quality of education at all levels. The need to offer the most satisfactory and meaningful education to all students consistently attracts researchers, policymakers, and educators to comprehensively understand what comprises successful learning, and in particular, what qualities do effective teachers have around the world. Though some developed countries have made significant progress toward quality education, many developing countries experience numerous obstructions to guaranteeing quality education to students. Most importantly, India, due to its economic, cultural, and social divides, still grapples with equity and the quality of education. In particular, Jharkhand State, which has predominantly an indigenous population, due to its social and educational backwardness, greatly requires teachers with skills and qualities that ensure effective learning of all students in every school.

In this endeavor, Jesuit schools network, a private Catholic school network in the State of Jharkhand, India, too still battles with the challenges of low-quality teachers in their schools. Jesuit schools experience the challenging task of upholding success for all students. Thus, to respond to the need of Jesuit schools, this study attempted to investigate the perceptions and practices of administrators and teachers in Jesuit secondary schools in the Province of Hazaribag, India, to discern the ideal for Ignatian secondary educators. This study used works by Stronge (2002, 2007), and Jesuit Secondary Education Association (JSEA, 2011), and the Jesuit Schools Network (JSN, 2015a) as the two conceptual lenses to examine the topic.

A mixed-methods approach was adopted to thoroughly investigate the topic. The researcher-constructed survey data comprised the major component of the study, and to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of the topic, it was further examined from semistructured interviews and classroom observational data. Results showed that the majority of participants upheld teaching qualities enumerated in Stronge, the Jesuit Secondary Education Association, and the Jesuit Schools Network as important for quality teaching and learning in Jesuit schools. Additionally, results indicated that qualities such as “teacher as a caring person,” “teacher as a competent person,” “teacher as a committed person,” “teacher as a student-centered person,” and “teacher as a collaborative person” are important to ensure quality learning for all students in Jesuit secondary schools in Hazaribag, India.

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