Ignatian Identity of School Educators in a Multicultural Society of India: A Comparative Study
Abstract
Jesuit schools worldwide are discerning their Catholic/Jesuit/Ignatian identity in a multicultural context of the world with decreasing number of Jesuits and importance given for Jesuit–Lay collaboration in Jesuit education. The responsibility of promoting Catholic/Jesuit/Ignatian identity falls upon school leaders and teachers; however, to fulfill this enormous task, they need to develop their identity as Ignatian educators. The researcher conducted a comparative case study at two De Nobili Schools—one with the active Jesuit presence (DNS-Jesuit) and the other without their presence (DNS-Lay)—to explore the Ignatian identity of school educators in a multicultural society of India. The findings suggest that school leaders and teachers develop their identity as Ignatian leaders and educators in multiple ways. Even at DNS-Lay, school leaders and teachers exhibited a strong sense of belonging and commitment to Jesuit school culture, values, and principles. At the same time, the researcher recommends an important implication for practice that school educators and teachers, especially those who come from non-Jesuit school background, need to have an ongoing Ignatian formation program organized by the Director for Mission and Identity so that school leaders and teachers may continue to grow in their identity as Ignatian educators in a changing context of the world.
Subject Area
Educational leadership|Religious education|Religion
Recommended Citation
Fernandes, Vincent Vinod, "Ignatian Identity of School Educators in a Multicultural Society of India: A Comparative Study" (2021). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI28411007.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI28411007
