Date of Award
Summer 2000
Document Type
Dissertation - Restricted
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Education
First Advisor
Pavlik, Robert
Second Advisor
Pink, William
Third Advisor
Riordan, Timothy
Abstract
As a Marquette graduate student preparing to assume the role of Director of Teacher Education at Silver Lake College, I became interested in the history and development of programs of teacher education within independent liberal arts colleges. Following the advice of Dr. Michael Kurimay, I began to search for information concerning programs of Sister Teacher Formation initiated by religious women during the 1950's. This search led me to the wealth of information that is contained in the official Sister Formation Conference Archival Collection now housed in the Marquette University Library. Archival records indicated that two of Alverno College's educational leaders, Sister Augustine Scheele and Sister Elizabeth (Gerard) Engle, were key players in the national reform of teacher education for religious sisters during the 1950's. Research concerning Sister Formation was limited to needs assessment and follow-up studies during the 1950's and 1960's. Beane conducted an extensive historical study of the Sister Formation Movement during the 1990's. Literature which addresses the ways in which individual Wisconsin colleges were involved in the implementation of Sister Formation programs is lacking and little is known about the effect these programs had upon the women who participated in them. This study' s examination of pertinent archival data and the perceptions of Sister Teacher Formation Program participants may lead to a better understanding of how one particular college attempted to form its teachers both spiritually and intellectually. The value and impact of the program were documented, creating a foundation for applications to teacher education today.