Teaching for transformation : engaging a Christian worldview in teacher education courses to address K-12 social issues.

Abstract

How faculty at Christian universities encourage teacher candidates to draw on a Christian worldview ultimately influences the ways teacher candidates become effective agents of change in K-12 schools. This study examined the assumption that K-12 Christian teachers cannot remain religiously neutral since one’s worldview shapes all aspects of life, particularly one’s pedagogy. For this reason, it was crucial to understand how professors at Christian colleges integrate a Christian worldview in teacher education courses in order to address social issues. This researcher operated under the assumption that the Christian worldview underscores the way Christian educators teaching in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary schools engage their profession. To better understand how the beliefs and teaching practices of professors at evangelical, Christian universities affect course design and student perspectives, the researcher employed a qualitative, multiple-subject narrative case study. Six case studies were analyzed and then cross analyzed for themes and subthemes. Three theoretical lenses served as the foundation for analysis: Christian worldview, faith and learning integration, and teachers as agents of change. Data were collected from university profiles, course designs, and participant interviews. Across all six case studies, universities and professors evidenced an understanding and appreciation for a Christian worldview perspective. Participants expressed a desire to intentionally integrate faith in the classroom; although, some struggled to articulate how to do so. Participants also discussed preparing teacher candidates to become agents of change as part of Christian responsibility.