Anglia Ruskin University Using Theological Action
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ANGLIA RUSKIN UNIVERSITY USING THEOLOGICAL ACTION RESEARCH TO EMBED CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING IN A CATHOLIC DEVELOPMENT AGENCY: ABSEILING ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS SUSANNA BROUARD A thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Anglia Ruskin University for the degree of Professional Doctorate in Practical Theology This research programme was carried out in collaboration with the Cambridge Theological Federation Submitted: May 2015 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS With thanks to my supervisors: Anna Rowlands - who first suggested to me the idea of a professional doctorate and whose passion for CST to be known and lived out in the world today is inspirational - and Zoe Bennett - whose inductive pedagogical style is exemplary. For their accompaniment of me on this doctoral journey, their belief in me, their encouragement and their support. To my family in thanks for their ongoing support: Libby, Raffy, Annie, ‘Bob’, Sally and Marc. To the CAFOD staff who participated in the research and allowed their voices and wisdom to be ‘used in evidence’. To my fellow members of the Theology Programme at CAFOD for their encouragement, in particular Maurice McPartlan and Linda Jones. To the PrD reference group at CAFOD, who have listened to my thoughts and supported me on the journey. To the theologians of CAFOD’s theological reference group, for their ongoing interest and support. To all those who are part of the CAFOD family and who, in their everyday lives, live out the seven values. To the members of the ARCS team from whom I have learnt about TAR both in theory and in practice. Special thanks to Clare Watkins for her ongoing support and interest in my studies, and for introducing me to... Catherine Loy, a companion on the doctoral journey, working only down the road, who has also been asking questions about the theological underpinning of Christian NGOs. To the community at St James’, particularly all the ‘Caministas’ and my fellow Camino facilitators: Lucy, Lindsay and Jane. Thanks to Pete, Anna and Nir for the bread-making session. To those who were kind enough to read my thesis and offer constructive feedback. To Vernon Trafford for sharing his wisdom into the nature of ‘doctorateness’. To Ruth Holgate, for her support and Ignatian companionship. To the individuals and organisations who offered financial support without which my studies would not have been possible. Finally, this thesis is dedicated to my uncle, Peter Duncan Gilbert, social worker and academic – born 15 April 1950, died 12 December 2013 – who was rightly given an honorary doctorate before his premature death. i ANGLIA RUSKIN UNIVERSITY ABSTRACT FACULTY OF ARTS, LAW AND SOCIAL SCIENCES PROFESSIONAL DOCTORATE Using Theological Action Research to embed Catholic Social Teaching in a Catholic development agency: abseiling on the road to Emmaus SUSANNA BROUARD Little has been written on the pedagogy of Catholic Social Teaching and how to teach it in a way that encourages a living out of its main principles. Working for the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD), I was interested in how staff of diverse faith backgrounds might be encouraged to live out, in their work, the espoused values of the organisation, rooted as they are in the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. My research question asked how effective Theological Action Research is in enabling CAFOD staff to interpret, embed and embody CAFOD’s values in their work. As an insider-researcher, I set up a research project called Reflecting on Values and invited 12 members of staff, from three different parts of the organisation, to conduct their own research on one of CAFOD’s values in conversation with their practice. Theological Action Research was both the research methodology and a tool under investigation. My findings were threefold. First, Theological Action Research revealed itself to be a strong tool of adult theological education, which allowed CAFOD staff to interpret, embed and embody CAFOD’s espoused values in their work. Second, the research process identified practices that enhanced the confidence and competence of staff in ecclesiology, in religious and faith language, and in theological reflection. Third, the data revealed an operant Eucharistic theology rooted in CAFOD’s practice of responding to poverty and injustice pastorally, politically, and in partnership. The research is original in that it demonstrates how CAFOD’s practices embody Catholic Social Teaching and can contribute to its development. It also offers the first systematic evaluation of Theological Action Research as a tool for adult theological education which is rooted in both theory and practice. The findings affirm the importance of allowing space for theological reflection within CAFOD, and that for this organisation, the practice of theological reflection is an essential dimension of living out its Catholic identity. Key words: Catholic Social Teaching, Theological Action Research, adult theological reflection, Catholic agency ii CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: Setting the context for the research question Introduction............................................................................................................. 1 Personal background and motivation ……………………………….……….............. 1 Overview of thesis................................................................................................... 4 Originality of the research....................................................................................... 5 Organisational Context 1: CAFOD as an ecclesial agency……………..……….…. 5 Staffing an ecclesial development agency …………………………................ 8 Organisational Context 2: CAFOD and Catholic Social Teaching ………..……….. 11 CAFOD and CST: an historical overview....................................................... 12 Enabling CAFOD staff to interpret, embed and embody the values of Catholic Social Teaching in their work ……………………............................. 15 Conclusion ………………………………………….…………………………………… 19 CHAPTER TWO: Theological Action Research – the research methodology and the method under investigation Introduction …………………………………………………….……..…………………. 22 Theological Action Research: the research methodology................................ 22 An introduction to Theological Action Research..................................................... 22 The five characteristics of TAR ………………………………………….……..……... 25 1. Theological all the way through ……….....……………….……………....... 25 2. The four voices of theology ………………………………………………..... 26 3. Theology is disclosed through conversational methods ……………......... 28 4. It is a formative transformation of practice …………………….....……...... 28 5. It allows practice to contribute to the transformation of theology.............. 28 Theological Action Research: the method under investigation………………. 29 Background to my practice ………………………………………………..……….….. 29 1. The telos of educational practice: education as political and transformative..... 31 2. Teaching as rooted in the lives of the learners ………....................................... 33 3. The importance of dialogue …………………………………………………........... 33 4. Education as a holistic enterprise …………………………...……..…….............. 34 5. The concept of praxis …………………………………………………………......... 35 Theological Action Research and the organisational context: CST and ecclesiology ………………………………………………………………...…..….. 36 Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………….… 38 iii CHAPTER THREE: Research design and process Introduction ………………………………………………………………..……….....…. 40 The Research Design ……………………………………………………………….... 40 The research question: how did it emerge? …………………………………………. 40 The research timetable and participants...................……………….…..….............. 41 How were the participants chosen? …………………………………………...….….. 43 Ethical considerations …………………………………………………..……….….….. 44 Being an insider-researcher………………………………………………..…..………. 45 Learning from the previous two cycles of TAR: changes and modifications .….…. 48 The Research Process……………………………………………......…………….… 50 Reality versus ideal ………………………………………………………….…....……. 50 Recruitment ………………………………………………………………….…..……… 50 Retainment …………………………………………………………………….....……... 52 Response …………………………………………………………………...………..….. 52 Conclusion …………………………………………………………...……….………..... 53 CHAPTER FOUR: The research data and analysis Introduction …………………………………………………………..………….………. 55 Data analysis …………………………………………………………..…….………….. 55 Tools for analysis ……………………………………………………..………….……... 56 Reflexivity as integral to the analytical process ........…………………….…………. 57 The credibility of the data ………………………………………………………………. 58 The reliability of the data …………………………………………………..…………... 58 Overview of the insider and outsider meetings …………………………..………….. 59 Meeting 1: insider team ………………………………………..….................. 59 Meeting 2: insider team …………………………………………..…............... 62 Meeting 3: insider team …………………………………………..…............... 63 Meeting 4: outsider team ………………………………………..…….…........ 65 Meeting 5: insider team ………………………….…………………..….......... 67 Meeting 6: outsider team …………………………………………..…............. 68 Reflections from an insider-researcher ………………………………….………….... 68 Conclusion …………………………………………………………….….……………... 69 CHAPTER FIVE: Answering the research question: factual findings Introduction …………………………………….......……………………..………..….... 71 The research question as analytical tool ……………………………….…….…….... 71 iv Answering the research question …………………………………………..……….... 72 1. Evidence of staff bringing their own interpretation to the values implicit in