Filling the God-Shaped Hole: a Qualitative Study of Spirituality and Public High School Teachers
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
FILLING THE GOD-SHAPED HOLE: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF SPIRITUALITY AND PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS A dissertation submitted to the Kent State University College of Graduate School of Education Health, and Human Services in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Karen S. Berger Drotar December 2011 © Copyright, 2011 by Karen S. Berger Drotar All Rights Reserved ii A dissertation written by Karen S. Berger Drotar B.S., Kent State University, 1980 M.Div., United Theological Seminary, 1984 Ph.D., Kent State University, 2011 Approved by __________________________________, Director, Doctoral Dissertation Committee Natasha Levinson __________________________________, Member, Doctoral Dissertation Committee Averil McClelland __________________________________, Member, Doctoral Dissertation Committee Donna Martsolf Accepted by __________________________________, Director, School of Foundations, Leadership, Shawn M. Fitzgerald and Administration __________________________________, Dean, College and Graduate School of Daniel F. Mahony Education, Health, and Human Services iii BERGER DROTAR, KAREN S., Ph.D., December 2011 Foundations, Leadership, and Administration FILLING THE GOD-SHAPED HOLE: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF SPIRITUALITY AND PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS (239 pp.) Director of Dissertation: Natasha Levinson, Ph.D. This research explored the personal understanding of spirituality of 14 high school teachers and how their sense of spirituality influenced the ways in which they interacted with their students. Using the method of Qualitative Description, data were collected in individual interviews with each of the teachers and their responses were categorized. None of the participants was known by the researcher prior to the interview, including their spiritual or religious backgrounds or practices. In addition to the interviews, field notes and a reflective journal added to the understanding and the analyses of the data. Teachers were able and willing to discuss their personal spirituality, how it related to religion, and how they navigated the mandates of the separation of church and state in the public high school setting. The major categories discovered in the conversations with the teachers regarding the ways spirituality influenced their teaching were in their relationships with students and in their acts and roles of nurturing. Within the major category of nurturing, teachers spoke about respect, kindness and caring, accountability, altruism, self-reflection, guidance, motivation, creating safety, counseling, modeling, openness, and compassion. Teachers also discussed their perceptions of calling to be teachers. An additional layer was discovered in the teachers’ responses related to caring for their students; it was not enough that teachers simply cared, but it was also important that students knew that they cared. Among these participants, spirituality was described as an important and active part of their teaching; yet, teachers noted that the discussion of spirituality and public education was not something they experienced in teacher education or in their schools. Several threads for further research are noted. One of the unintended limitations of the project was the demographic make-up of the participants. Further research could select participants with more diversity regarding race, ethnicity, and religious background. Another area to explore relates to the importance that students need to know that teachers care. This category revealed that some of the teachers in this study believed that many of their students’ home environs were lacking in guidance and support. This may merit further exploration. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to acknowledge my gratitude to the Kent State University College of Graduate School of Education, Health, and Human Services for the many opportunities that have been afforded me. I am especially appreciative of the faculty and staff in Cultural Foundations for the knowledge imparted, the guidance given, and the care shown to me during my schooling. I am indebted to my Dissertation Committee: Dr. Natasha Levinson, Dr. Averil McClelland, Dr. Donna Martsolf, and Dr. Donald Bubenzer for their guidance, patience, support, and inspiration from the beginning of this inquiry to its temporary conclusion. Dr. Levinson and Dr. McClelland were my first teachers in Cultural Foundations and the ways in which they have taught me have always been challenging, inspiring, and unsettling enough to make me want to dig in deeper. I acknowledge with great appreciation the 14 high school teachers who were willing to submit to the interview process and who were candid and inspiring in what they had to say. Their time, their talent, and their willingness to talk about things that are not often discussed, have allowed me to add their voices to the literature and to my life. I am deeply appreciative of the talents of Patty Sontag and Kenna Roberts for the painstaking work they did on the transcriptions of the interviews for this study. Kenna Roberts not only did the lion’s share of the transcribing but lent help in numerous ways throughout the production of this final document. I thank Laura Mullen for her invaluable help and counsel as I worked through the interview transcripts and made sense of what the teachers told me. Her insight and support made the process one of joy. iv I wish to thank my family of faith: mentors, parishioners, and friends who have traveled this journey with me and have encouraged me, commiserated with me, and prayed for me. I remember with gratitude my first spiritual mentors, the late Reverends Hobart Johnson, Ted Mayer, and Carl Pierson. Their wise words, laughter, and love continue to warmly fill my memory. And I thank my dear friends, Tara Jackson, Kristi Price, and Nancy Brittain for being with me in all and through all. I also wish to thank Dr. Moshe Torem for his constant support and wise counsel. If it takes a village to raise a child, it certainly takes a family to complete a dissertation and I could not have done this work without the incredible love and support of my wonderful family. My late parents, Barbara Berger and Dr. Kenneth Berger, instilled in me the wonder of life-long learning. They have supported me in all of my personal, professional, and educational endeavors in innumerable ways and I am a grateful child. My siblings, Robert Berger, Kenna Roberts, and Laura Mullen, have been beside me through all and have never ceased to lend their help, their support, and their unconditional love. They are amazing and triumphant people who still let me be their little sister when needed. I have also been blessed with nephews and nieces who have encouraged me and inspired me throughout this journey. My extended family, both those who still walk beside me and those who hover near in spirit, are sources of strength and understanding. I thank them all. Life is typically not easy for a pastor’s kid and it is equally difficult to be the child of a doctoral student. My daughter, Elisabeth, has always been my delight and my motivation to keep going through times of light as well as times of great darkness. Her v faith and her centeredness have always astounded me, and I know I could never do what I do or be who I am without her. Her wife, Liz, and the grandchildren Liz has brought into my life, Samantha and Scott, have added so much to my life and I am living in gratitude every day for each of them. Finally, I express my deepest gratitude to my husband, Tom. He is a man of strong faith, great sense, and unconditional love. Our life together has been filled with the most significant moments I have experienced and I am so blessed to have experienced them with him. This work is dedicated to my family. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iv LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1 Studying Spirituality in Public Education............................................................... 6 The Problem and Its Importance ............................................................................. 8 II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ............................................................................ 11 Understanding Spirituality .................................................................................... 13 Spirituality and Religion ....................................................................................... 19 Religion in Public Schools .................................................................................... 23 The Lack of Connection in Public Schools........................................................... 32 Students and Spirituality ....................................................................................... 40 Teachers and Spirituality ...................................................................................... 44 Making Spiritual Connections in Public Schools ................................................. 48 Critical Literature .................................................................................................. 53 III. RESEARCH METHODS ........................................................................................... 66 Research Questions and Guiding Questions