Are Christian Schools Really Christian? Perceptions of Final Year Pre-service Teachers in Australia

Abstract

Final year pre-service teachers at a private provider of Christian higher education were surveyed to discover their perceptions of the special character of a wide spectrum of Australian Christian faith-based schools. They each completed an eight week placement, spread over two sessions, in a Christian school. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected through open-ended written responses and a questionnaire. The results indicated that a special Christian character was visible to the preservice teachers, with evidence that Christian worldview alignments in the areas of school culture, relationships, service and discipleship in Christian schools is easier to identify than in the learning and teaching aspects of schools’ operations.