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School Effectiveness in Jesuit Education Are Well Established SCHOOL EFFECTIVENESS IN JESUIT EDUCATION A HABERMASIAN PERSPECTIVE By © Peng Yu A Dissertation submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Education Faculty of Education Memorial University of Newfoundland June 2016 St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador DEDICATED To Mrs. MARY FAGAN & Dr. BONAVENTURE FAGAN AS A Token of Gratitude FOR Their great kindness to me and my family during our stay in Canada from 2013 – 16. ii ABSTRACT This research aims to explore the extent to which Jesuit education is effective. It uses a qualitative appraisal of data about St. Patrick’s College (St. Pat’s) obtained from one student’s journal, four interviews, and from provincial government publications relevant to the school; it is an independent Jesuit school located in Canada. To ensure a secular standpoint, religiously based claims are discussed in terms of their possible effects on school effectiveness within a Habermasian framework. The perceptions of the participants in this study suggest that Jesuit education promotes the full growth of individuals through a well-rounded education, and the school effectiveness achieved at St. Pat’s is a by-product of Jesuit pedagogical philosophy. In addition, implications for educational reform in China and future research possibilities are presented. Keywords: School effectiveness, Jesuit education, Habermas iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am deeply indebted to my thesis supervisor, Dr. Noel Hurley, for his scrupulous guidance and insightful comments on this work. I am also grateful to Dr. Robert Hurley, Professor of New Testament Studies and Catechetics, at Laval University. He co-supervised my thesis, and his initial suggestions moulded the embryonic structure of this project. I would particularly like to thank Dr. Bonaventure Fagan, President of the Canadian Catholic Schools Trustees Association, who offered me edificatory explanations towards Catholic faith and education during the gestation of this study. I owe special gratitude to my mentor, Dr. Walter Okshevsky, for his inspiration with encyclopaedic knowledge in philosophy at our “muffin and coffee” meetings. With all my heart, I wish to thank Dr. Tim Seifert for his clarity to answer my occasional questions, and Dr. Clar Doyle, for his great “sermons” on Qualitative Research Methods. Moreover, I benefited greatly from all my informants, who are renowned scholars/professionals, and am grateful for their kindness in conducting the interviews. I am guilt-ridden for not mentioning their names due to the restrictions of ethics policies. Finally, my wife Yan Dong and my son Charles deserve special mention for their love and tolerance, upon which I have been able to rely on in difficult times. Without their selfless support, this work would not have come to its unique viable birth. Christi crux est mea lux! iv Table of Contents DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................ ii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents........................................................................................................................ v List of Tables ............................................................................................................................. ix List of Appendices ...................................................................................................................... x Chapter One: Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background .................................................................................................................. 2 1.2 Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................. 4 1.3 Conceptual Framework ................................................................................................ 4 1.4 Purpose of the Study .................................................................................................... 5 1.5 Research Questions ...................................................................................................... 5 1.6 Significance of the Study ............................................................................................. 6 1.7 Organisation of the Study ............................................................................................. 7 Chapter Two: Literature Review ................................................................................................ 8 2.1 Society of Jesus ............................................................................................................ 8 2.1.1 The Life of St. Ignatius ........................................................................................ 9 2.1.2 The Character of the Order ................................................................................ 10 2.1.3 Jesuit China Missions ........................................................................................ 11 2.2 Characteristics of Jesuit Education ............................................................................ 12 2.2.1 Jesuit Educational Documents .......................................................................... 12 2.2.2 Pedagogical Philosophy of Jesuit Education ..................................................... 13 2.2.3 Distinctive Features of Jesuit Education ........................................................... 15 2.3 School Effectiveness .................................................................................................. 16 2.3.1 Definition of School Effectiveness .................................................................... 16 2.3.2 Criteria of School Effectiveness ........................................................................ 17 v 2.3.3 Improving Academic Performance .................................................................... 18 2.4 Habermas’ Philosophical Stance ................................................................................ 20 2.4.1 Dialogue between Naturalism and Religion ...................................................... 20 2.4.2 Conditions of Practical Discourse ..................................................................... 21 Chapter Three: Methodology ................................................................................................... 23 3.1 Restatement of the Research Questions ..................................................................... 23 3.2 Research Methodology and Design ............................................................................ 23 3.3 Instrumentation ........................................................................................................... 25 3.3.1 Government Publications .................................................................................. 25 3.3.2 Journal ............................................................................................................... 27 3.3.3 Interviews .......................................................................................................... 27 3.3.4 Summary ........................................................................................................... 30 3.4 Data Analysis .............................................................................................................. 30 3.5 Limitations of the Study ............................................................................................. 31 Chapter Four: Data Presentation .............................................................................................. 32 4.1 The School Setting ..................................................................................................... 32 4.2 Government Publications ........................................................................................... 33 4.3 The Student’s Journal ................................................................................................. 36 4.3.1 Leo’s First Day School ...................................................................................... 36 4.3.2 School Structure ................................................................................................ 38 4.3.3 Academic Study ................................................................................................. 39 4.3.4 School Life ........................................................................................................ 42 4.3.5 Socio-economic Status of Students ................................................................... 45 4.3.6 Fiscal Inputs of the School ................................................................................ 45 4.3.7 The Religion ...................................................................................................... 47 4.3.8 Parent-Teacher Interview .................................................................................. 48 4.4 Sketching the Professional Perceptions ...................................................................... 51 vi 4.4.1 Classroom Teaching .......................................................................................... 52 4.4.2 Extracurricular
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