Date of Award

Spring 2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Policy and Leadership

First Advisor

Jeffrey LaBelle

Abstract

This dissertation examines the principles and purposes of Jesuit education, renowned for integrating academic excellence with spiritual and civic values, in search of decision-making criteria. While Jesuit schools followed the 1599 Ratio studiorum, they now adhere to guidelines set by the International Commission for the Apostolate of Jesuit Education (ICAJE). Despite ICAJE's comprehensive framework, a gap exists in providing explicit criteria for educational decision-making beyond calling to discern. Employing a thematic qualitative content analysis method, this research analyzes ICAJE’s documents through a hermeneutic lens, drawing upon foundational Jesuit educational sources and significant contemporary studies. Key findings suggest that these principles not only encapsulate the essence of Jesuit education but also offer streamlined fundamental decision-making criteria to guide discernment. This study articulates cura personalis (care for the individual's holistic development within the human community) and magis (discerned pursuit of the greater good) as the essential principles conveying the identity and purpose of Jesuit education. It advocates for these as fundamental decision-making criteria. This dissertation's significance lies in its methodological blend of thematic and qualitative content analysis and its practical implications for qualitative researchers and ii practitioners in education. These findings can assist Ignatian educators in making more effective choices regarding didactical methods, organizing curricula, and defining institutional strategies to ensure a cohesive and enriching humanistic educational experience that better aligns with the fundamental ethos of Jesuit education. Future studies could use these criteria to advance a framework for a K-20 system of Jesuit education.

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