Date of Award

1-1-1992

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Edith Cowan University

Degree Name

Master of Education

Faculty

Faculty of Education

First Supervisor

Dr John Madigan

Abstract

This study examines the Colloquium which is a professional development process used in Catholic schools. The Colloquium was designed to help people employed in catholic schools renew their vision of care and service to students and to seek to reshape the curriculum to reflect Gospel values more clearly. This thesis was a research evaluation of the Colloquium process and aimed to exploreits effectiveness in te1ms of its impact on the teachers and their work in Catholic schools. The study is based on the theoretical domains of faith development, school improvement end staff development. The design of the study involved before and after questionnaires about the colloquium experience and unstructured interviews. The conclusion drawn from the qualitative data is that the Colloquium process influences the faith development or the individual as well as the staff collectively. It influences relationships and can lead to the building of a shared vision and an identification of common goals for the improvement of a school, its students and teachers. The content and the structure of the process as it was applied at the time of this study appeared to provide the conditions for a valuable programme of personal/faith/staff development for the staff of Catholic schools in Western Australia.

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