Theory Building

Journalof Research on ChristianEducation Fall 2003, Vol. 12, No. 2 pp. 101-135

Theory Building Student Perceptions of the Integration of Faith, Learning, and Practice In an Educational Methods Course Larry D. Burton Andrews University Constance C. Nwosu

Canadian University College

This article presents the results of a study conducted in a Christian teacher education program that describes students' perceptions of the integration of faith, learning, and practice in one elementary methods class. The study answers the following questions: 1. How did students in this class define the integration of faith and learning? 2. Is there consensus among students as to whether or not faith and learning were integrated in the class? 3. What specific examples of faith-learning integration do students identify from the class? 4. How do students perceive the relative value of different experiences in helping them integrate Christian principles and professional practice? 101

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Did the occurrence of faith-learning integration help students outside of the class being studied? Data were collected from three sections of an elementary teaching methods course taught by the same professor between Fall Semester 1999 and Fall Semester 2000. Data were aggregated for analysis. The student responses help us understand their perceptions of the unity of truth within the context of an elementary education course. The study provides tentative evidence of which types of learning experiences are efficacious in helping students integrate faith and learning.

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During the past 50 years scholars in Christian institutions have advanced the idea that the integration of faith and learning is the distinguishing mark of a Christian school or college. Hegland (1954) describes Christian education as more than a value-added education, more than religion courses in addition to a secular curriculum. For him, the spirit, attitude, and method of Christian education will make every subject "come alive with spiritual meaning" (p. 2). Similarly Trueblood (1959) states that Christian institutions are set apart from other types of institutions by the core Christian convictions that infiltrate the total college life rather than the offering of religion classes. In his classic, The Idea of a Christian College, Arthur Holmes (1987) declares "the integration of faith and leaming remains the distinctive task of the Christian liberal arts college" (p. 8). According to Holmes, integration plays two major roles. It helps one understand how the Christian worldview develops and how faith affects the arts and sciences. This integration affects all aspects of life and learning included in liberal arts education. Ideally, integrated learning leads to integration of faith in all aspects of a person's life and character.

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According to Sandin (1982) a Christian college by its design, organization, and conduct blends Christian knowledge with scholarship and provides its students with the tools for a Christian career. Holmes describes the "Christian's vocation" (1987, p. 9) as more encompassing than a traditional career. For Holmes, "it reaches into everything a person is and can be or do" (p.9). Sandin argues that if faith and learning are not integrated on a Christian college campus there is no reason for its existence. DeJong (1990) identifies faith-learning integration as one of four components that distinguish a church-related college. In his book, Reclaiming a Mission, he describes how Christian colleges dropped their role of faith-learning integration after the Second World War. He invites faculty and administrators of Christian colleges to return to basic Christian principles and a more integrative worldview.

WHAT IS "FAITH-LEARNING INTEGRATION?" While there is consensus among Christian scholars that integration of faith and learning is essential in Christian higher education, there does not appear to be consensus among professors in Christian institutions as to what constitutes the integration of faith in learning. Badley (1994) suggests the ambiguous use of the phrase, 'integration of faith and learning,' in Christian academe may have three sources. First, this ambiguous use of the phrase could indicate lack of a coherent, well-developed Christian philosophy of education. Alternately, it could be the result of an "inarticulate expression" (p. 29) of a developed philosophy. Badley's third suggestion is the use of the term as a slogan, connected to institutional mission and designed as a source of faculty motivation, rather than as a representation of an actual academic process or outcome.

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In a qualitative study investigating faith and learning training seminars in three different Christian denominations, Nwosu (1999) found that individual faculty member's definitions of faith-learning integration fit into three different categories: intellectual, lifestyle, and discipleship. Over half (18) of the 35 definitions she received from her study participants fit into the intellectual category. These definitions described faith-learning integration as thinking Christianly and finding a balance between the sacred and secular. Nine respondents related their understanding of the integration of faith and learning to lifestyle. These faculty members tended to describe faith-learning integration as living a holistic life, void of compartmentalization. Discipleship was the organizing concept for faith-learning integration for seven of Nwosu's respondents. These definitions focused on passing one's faith on to another who would in turn pass it on to others. One respondent's definition contained elements of all three of the above categories and was reported separately. Nwosu (1999) compares definitions written by these faculty members with those generated by scholars in the field. Definitions reported by scholars tend to follow a similar pattern to those of the faculty. The majority of definitions fit into the intellectual category while a few can be categorized across two or more categories, including "lifestyle" and "discipleship." In this research project we adopt the more holistic understanding of faith-learning integration that includes intellectual, lifestyle, and discipleship elements.

APPROACHES TO INTEGRATION Holmes (1987) presents four approaches to integrating faith and learning. These include the attitudinal, ethical, foundational, and worldview approaches. Holmes argues that "the attitude of the teacher or student is the initial and perhaps most salient point of contact with the

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Christian faith" (p. 47). He asserts that in some courses, a positive, Christ-like attitude may be the only avenue available for faith integration. The ethical approach begins with the value judgments intrinsic to a field of study and builds student's reasoning abilities from there. It begins with an analysis of facts and contributing causes, proceeds to an investigation of God's original purpose for that area, and concludes with a decision that weighs the biblical principles of justice and love. The foundational approach is based on the concept that all disciplines have historical, philosophical, and theological principles and assumptions that underlie them. These foundational principles are often the best connecting point for biblical principles. Without an adequate understanding of the foundations of their discipline, many students and scholars are at a disadvantage in achieving personal integration of faith and learning. Holmes describes the worldview approach as the "most embracing contact between Christianity and human learning" (p. 57). He argues that our Christianity allows us to view life, learning, and culture in relationship to the Godhead. Rather than functioning from a fragmented understanding of many different areas, the Christian worldview, or Weltanschauung, facilitates a holistic, integrated view of the world in which we live and learn. Holmes emphasizes that a person's Christian worldview is exploratory-it is an open system that is continually developing and evolving. Holmes also describes a worldview as pluralistic and confessional-it begins with a confession of faith. Hasker (1992) observes that there is extensive coverage in the literature that discusses the demands and difficulties of integrating faith and learning using the worldview approach. He notes that many studies focus on specific disciplines or areas within those disciplines. He maintains that a gap exists in the literature in that it does not provide a "systematic mapping of the area in between-the general ways in which the worldview issues connect with the particular concerns of various disciplines" (p. 234).

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Given Holmes' (1987) assertion that education in Christian college should "cultivate the creative and active integration of faith and learning, of faith and culture" (p.6), we propose a fifth approach to integrating faith and learning-the pedagogical approach. We base this approach on the literature from the field of curriculum and instruction. If it is the teacher's responsibility, as Holmes asserts, to promote "creative and active integration of faith and learning" in their students, then they need to have instructional skills at their disposal to facilitate creative and active learning. Teachers must have the ability to design courses, activities, assignments, and assessments that will promote active, transformational learning. The pedagogical approach to faith-learning integration is implied in Rasi's (2003) working definition of the integration of faith and learning from the teacher's perspective: Teachers interested in faith/learning integration approach their

subjects from a biblical-Christian worldview perspective, discovering in the subject matter the themes and issues that naturally allow for an explicit connection between the curricular content, on the one hand, and the Christian faith, beliefs, and values on the other. Teachers highlight these connections in their course plans, lectures, student assignments, class discussions, thought questions in examinations, and other learning experiences, with the goal of leading their students to develop their own Bible-based view of knowledge, values, life's purpose and destiny. During the past 60 years, literature on the effectiveness of instructional strategies has experienced a continual growth. As a result we now know what learning results can be expected when specific instructional approaches are used. While much of this research has been conducted at the K-12 level (Ellis, 2001; Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001; Joyce & Weil, 2000; Friedman & Fisher, 1998), the efficacy of specific teaching



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methodologies has also been documented at the tertiary level (Hativa, 2000; Baiocco & DeWaters, 1998; Johnson, Johnson, & Smith, 1991) In many ways the pedagogical approach to integrating faith and learning encompasses the four approaches described by Holmes. The pedagogical approach focuses on the design and implementation of specific teaching and learning activities to facilitate student integration of faith and learning. These teaching and learning activities are created to achieve specific learning outcomes, and may include developing positive attitudes toward learning, identify and exploring ethical issues and dilemmas in the content area, examining foundational assumptions and perspectives within a content area, and processing new knowledge through the student's personally held worldview. The scope of possible activities is limited only by the skills and imagination of the professor. The pedagogical approach to integrating faith and learning empowers the professor to take an active role in shaping explicit opportunities for faith-learning integration in the classroom. Korniejczuk (1994) has documented examples of secondary school teachers implementing faith-learning integration at differing levels. Those teachers functioning at the upper levels of integration (fusion) implemented a pedagogical approach to faith-learning integration. That is, these teachers made formal instructional plans for the integration of faith and learning in their classes. The importance of planning cannot be underestimated in attempting to help students achieve complex learning outcomes. For example, when teachers create questions during the process of teaching (questions not written before the class begins), the vast majority of questions asked, ask for what students remember or understand. These low level questions do not produce deep learning and are therefore not efficacious for integrating faith and learning (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001). Thus, the pedagogical approach to integrating faith and learning casts the professor as an active agent by affirming the ability to plan for the integration of faith and learning.

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THE STUDENT'S POINT OF VIEW A tension exists among Christian teachers as to where faith-learning integration occurs. Is this integration an act of the professor or the student? Badley (1994) describes two options for locus of integration: the curriculum or the student. The focus in curriculum integration is on the professor bringing together the various elements of the course content and learning activities to present a coherent, integrated whole to the students. However, if the student is the locus for integration, then integration is an internal process to the student that the professor may, or may not, influence. Faculty members often disagree about the locus of integration. While Badley (1994) tends to represent these two loci as an either/or choice, it can be argued that integration occurs at both loci, perhaps simultaneously. Historically, the study and discussion of faith-learning integration has tended to focus on the perceptions and practices of higher education faculty (Nwosu, 1999). However, little research exists that investigates the integration of faith and learning from the students' perspective. Recognizing this void, Arthur Holmes (1994) issued a call for additional research in the area of faith-learning integration, particularly research focusing on student integration. An extensive search of research databases reveals that, to date, only a few studies have looked at faith-learning integration from the student's perspective. Three of these studies relate tangentially to the present study. In a study specific to teacher education programs affiliated with the Churches of Christ (Hardin, Sweeney, & Whitworth, 1999), researchers utilized a two-part survey. The first part of the survey investigated perceptions of individual faculty members relative to the integration of faith and learning. The second part studied teacher education programs in their entirety. At the end of this study, it was found that the majority of respondents felt that faith should occupy a prominent position in teacher education programs associated with religious institutions. Approximately



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three-fourths of those who responded to the surveys believed that faith-learning integration was easy in teacher education programs. This study did not attempt to ascertain how students perceive the integration of faith and learning within those programs. Stevenson and Young (1995) conducted an empirical study of explicit integration courses among 48 professors in 46 Christian college/ university psychology departments. Each faculty member who taught explicit integration courses at those institutions completed surveys to identify the percentage of class time they devoted to each of eight different integration approaches, including philosophical, theological, structural, value-committed, devotional, Christian counseling, mosaic, and traditional topical approaches. Respondents in this study identified 19 issues and topics that "really should be covered" (p. 258) in explicit integration courses. However, the study did not gather any study-data or generate a student-based description of faith-learning integration in the college classroom. A study sponsored by 39 Lutheran colleges attempted to appraise the effectiveness of Lutheran colleges as compared to public higher education institutions (Lutheran Educational Conference of North America, 1998). The research instrument contained items that related to faith-learning integration within the student. This study investigated the experiences of both the undergraduates and graduates from about 800 colleges and universities. The survey asked for responses to student-focused items that included phrases such as the following: How important is it to you to ... Be free to consider the moral and ethical sides of decisions Integrate faith with other aspects of life Promote racial equality or social justice issues How effective was your college in helping you... Develop moral principles that can guide actions"

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Results of the study documented the significance of integrating faith and values for graduates of Lutheran colleges. Again however, this study failed to produce a description of the faith-learning integration in the classroom based on students' personal experience. While discussing the need for the integration of faith and learning in an interview with Christianity Today, Longman and Peterson of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) stated, "What is at stake is instilling in the students a Christian world-view that they can take with them and apply to all of life, no matter their chosen profession" (Why Christian Colleges Are Booming, 1999, p. 27). In order to instill this worldview, it is important to understand whether or not there is an agreement between what faculty members intend as faith-learning integration and what students perceive as the integration of faith and learning. It is the need for this understanding of our students' perceptions that has led to the present study.

THE PROBLEM Often when the integration of faith and learning is described or defined, the definitions are generated by scholars in the field or by participants in faith-learning integration workshops or classes. Sometimes the act of integrating faith and learning is described in terms of what happens in the professor's mind. But what do students say about faith-learning integration? What do they say happens when they integrate faith and learning in the classroom? And do our students think faith-leaming integration has any import beyond the classroom? Extending the study of the integration of faith and learning to include students' perspectives can provide a rich source of data to help Christian teacher educators approach their classes with confidence.



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RESEARCH QUESTIONS This study investigated the idea of the integration of faith and learning from the student's perspective. The study was guided by the following questions: 1. 2. 3. 4.

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How did students in this class define the integration of faith and learning? Is there consensus among the students as to whether or not faith-learning integration occurred in the class? What specific examples of faith-learning integration do students identify from the class? How do students perceive the relative value of different experiences in helping them integrate Christian principles and professional practice? Did the occurrence of faith-learning integration help students outside of the class being studied?

METHODOLOGY Since the research questions that guided this study relied on obtaining students' perceptions of the integration of faith and learning, they were best answered through the use of survey research methodology. Survey methods allowed the researchers to collect qualitative and descriptive data that conveyed students' perceptions. The survey instrument is described below.

Sampling and Data Collection Protocol

The participants in this study were students in one of the researchers' education classes. The students in this class were a mixture of graduate and undergraduate students seeking elementary teacher certi-

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fication. The course was an elementary education methods course that presented teaching methods for science, social studies, and religion. This course is designed as an integrated experience, presenting methodology that can be used across these three subject areas. Little or no differentiation is made between the assignments for "science", "social studies," or "religion." The survey instrument was administered during one of the regularly scheduled class sessions for the course. When distributing the survey, the professor told the students that, as a Christian teacher, he was interested in knowing how well he was integrating Christian principles into his classes. The official university evaluations had only one item that addressed this topic. Therefore, he was interested in getting a deeper understanding of how his students perceived the integration of faith in his class. Students were required to complete the survey as a self-assessment assignment for the course. However, the letter of consent explained that students were not required to participate in the research aspect of the self-assessment. Students were also assured, in the consent letter, that they would not be penalized for refusing to participate in the research project. Students completed the survey in the classroom setting. The survey took approximately 20 minutes for the students to complete. Students who were absent during the administration of the survey instrument were asked to complete the instrument as a make-up assignment on their own time. The instrument was administered each term the researcher taught this class (Fall 1999, Summer 2000, and Fall 2000). Data was collected over these three terms and aggregated to provide a richer data set for analysis. A total of 46 students completed the survey during the three terms under study. Two students elected not to participate in the research study, while 44 students (95.7%) agreed to participate in the study.



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QuestionnaireDesign

The researchers developed the survey instrument used in this study. In addition to collecting demographic information, the survey asked students to describe their understanding of the integration of faith and learning, to indicate whether or not faith-learning integration had occurred in the class, and to identify how faith-learning integration had occurred. Response types included checklist, open response, and Likert-style formats. The instrument was created through the following process. The investigators created items based on their expertise in faith-learning integration, survey research methodology, and qualitative research. This involved creation of a greater number of items than that needed for the instrument. The investigators then selected the items which best focused on the study's research questions. In order to assure the content validity of the instrument, two additional experts in faith-learning integration and qualitative research reviewed these items.

Analysis of the Data

Data were analyzed using descriptive and qualitative approaches. Descriptive analysis techniques were used for aggregating demographic data as well as processing the data for answering Research Questions 2 and 5. Qualitative analysis was performed on data to answer Research Questions 1, 3, and 4. The three sections of this class were treated as a single case for qualitative analysis. The responses from each section of the course were compared to see if they could reasonably be aggregated into a single case. After perusing the data, the researchers judged that the data was similar enough to warrant aggregation. After the qualitative analysis was completed, without exception, the discrete categories and groupings contained data from at least two of the course sections.

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FINDINGS Research Question I Research Question 1 asked, "How did students in this class define the integration of faith and learning?" To get this data, the survey instrument asked students to respond to this question, "How would you define/ describe the integration of faith and learning?" As with the faculty members studied by Nwosu (1999), no definitions of the integration of faith and learning had been provided to students, so it is assumed that these definitions reflect the student's personal interpretation. All forty-four students responded to this question. Their responses fit into six different categories that we labeled 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Learning Processes, Making Connections, Parallel Processing, Atmosphere, Faith Application, and Foundational.

Six definitions were expressed more broadly than others and were each placed in two categories. Thus the analysis presents a total of 50 definitions in the six categories. Figure 1 illustrates the distribution of definitions within these categories. Learning Processes. The largest group of definitions (n=20) fit in the category labeled Learning Processes. Definitions in this category described faith-learning integration in terms of specific teaching methodologies, such as cooperative learning. One student described the integration of faith and learning as the "incorporation of Christian worldview into [the] process of learning." Another described it as ". . . the process of incorporating Christian principles, values, and beliefs into learning/the classroom setting."



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Definitions in this category tend to convey an understanding of faith-learning integration in terms of process (how it is accomplished) rather than concept (what it is). For one student in this category, faith-learning integration consisted of "opportunities to help people share their thoughts and feelings in a secure, trustworthy environment. Opportunities to listen to the opinions [given] by others. Opportunities to reflect and clarify our thoughts about God, our world, our beliefs and longings, etc." This definition was also classified in the "Atmosphere" category. Another student defined the integration of faith and learning "as combining learning strategies with values and faith in Christ. It is a combination where faith and learning can be accomplished at the same time." This definition was also classified in the "Parallel Processing" category. Some definitions in this category alluded to the specific teaching processes the professor used in teaching the class. For example, "faith and learning are a mentally and physically active process[es]. What occurs mentallv will show ohysicallv." This definition alludes to teachin2 .,..........-..................... ..

.......... .......... .....

...........- ------

..... ........ ......... ......

El Leamning Processes aking Connectons EA-mosphere EOPa aslei Process 'ng 03 Faith Application 'Q Founmdational

Figure 1 Research Question I-Categoriesof Students' Definitions of the Integration of Faith and Learning

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approaches, such as "Corners." "Corners" starts with the professor posing a discussion prompt that connects course content and Christian principles or examples. Students decide on their personal response, move to a corner of the room that represents their response, and then discuss their reasons for their response with a small group. Making Connections. Nine students' definitions were placed in the category labeled Making Connections. Definitions in this category described faith-learning integration in terms of making explicit connections between faith and subject area matter. One student used these words, "using Christian examples in your teaching or causing one to think about their faith/Christianity." Another student said, "Incorporating biblical concepts into the classroom and class lessons/discussions, as well as values and character education." This definition was also classified as "Teaching Processes." Other definitions focused more on connecting biblical concepts and principles to the curriculum, such as "incorporating religion and world views into the curriculum." This category of definitions appears to be similar to the "intellectual" definitions written by faculty members that stressed balancing the sacred and secular (Nwosu, 1999). Atmosphere. The integration of faith and learning as classroom atmosphere was the focus of seven students' definitions. These students defined the integration of faith and learning in terms of a positive classroom atmosphere where Christian values are modeled in actions and attitudes. One student expressed it as "the verbal and non-verbal actions that occur in the classroom, based on the teacher's actions, along with the classroom atmosphere." Comments that fit in this category indicate that the integration of faith and learning requires Christian principles to be evident in classroom atmosphere. One definition described the integration of faith and learning as "learning academics in an environment filled with Gospel Spirit." This category of definitions seems to correlate closely with Holmes' (1987) attitudinal approach to integrating faith and learning.

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ParallelProcessing. Some students viewed the integration of faith and learning as the parallel processing of spiritual and intellectual thinking. These six students considered faith-learning integration to be a marriage of faith and learning with no separation between the two. Examples of definitions from this category include the following: I would describe integration of faith and learning as the method in which you can accomplish both tasks at the same time. It is when you take curriculum content and add an experience or life issue that relates to it. This helps students remember the facts and it also helps them evaluate their values and beliefs (faith). I think it is the growth of one's spirituality and intellect at the same time (sometimes during the same activity). I define integration of faith and learning as a marriage: Your faith is expressed as you learn and as you are teaching. This category of definitions also appears to have some relationship to the "intellectual" definitions developed by faculty members that stressed balancing the sacred and secular (Nwosu, 1999). FaithApplication. The five definitions in this grouping refer to the integration of faith and learning in terms of practical application in the life of teacher and students. Definitions in this category emphasize faith-learning integration as a process that transfers from the academic into personal life. For example, "the integration of faith and learning is when Christ-centered concepts and values are integrated in the curriculum as well as practiced in the daily lives of the faculty and students." These definitions tend to describe faith-based behaviors that would be observable by others: "learning a subject more than what's taught in the book. It is rather integrating it with our personal life and how Jesus

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would react in a particular situation." Another student described the integration of faith and learning as "combining words, values, and character education to other areas or subjects. Students apply the faith to what they learned or vice versa." These definitions appear to correspond with faculty definitions that were categorized as "lifestyle" (Nwosu, 1999). Foundational. Three students defined the integration of faith and learning in terms of the primacy of faith over all knowledge, or faith as the organizing construct for knowledge. "I would define integration of faith and learning as using my faith as a foundation for learning. This means that my learning experiences will be stimulated by and organized around my faith beliefs." A second student said the integration of faith and learning "is the incorporation of Christian concepts into everyday life. It is more than worship and Bible class. It is weaving God through the fabric of all subjects." These definitions correspond to Holmes' (1999) foundational approach to integrating faith and learning.

Research Question 2

Research Question 2 asked, "Is there consensus among the students' as to whether or not faith-learning integration occurred in the class?" Data to answer this question were collected from the second question on the survey instrument. It asked students, "Do you think that integration of faith and learning occurred in this class?" Students indicated their responses by placing a check mark on a blank line next to the words "Yes" or "No." Forty-four students responded to this item. All 44 respondents indicated "yes" faith-learning integration had occurred in this class. For this class, Elementary Methods for Science, Social Studies, and Religion, students were unanimous in their perceptions that they experienced the integration of faith and learning in the class.



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Research Question 3

The third Research Question asked, "What specific examples of faith-learning integration do students identify from the class?" Students were asked to complete a T-Chart to get at the answers to this question. A T-Chart is a graphic organizer designed to help persons describe an abstract concept. The organizer has two columns. The first column contains examples of what a person would see if they observed the concept in action. The second column contains examples of what a person would hear if they observed the concept in action. The survey instrument asked students to describe what the integration of faith and learning looked like and sounded like in this class. Student responses from the T-Chart were placed in five categories: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Teaching and Learning Activities, Classroom Climate, Worship, Collaboration, and Resources.

Figure 2 illustrates the distribution of student responses within these categories. Teaching and Learning Processes. The largest of these catego-

ries was Teaching and Learning Activities with 154 references by students. This large category could be subdivided into two main groups, discussion with 97 references and teaching processes with 48 references. Students said they knew faith-learning integration was happening when they heard "Discussions (hum of voices)" and persons "sharing inner thoughts [with the] class." Comments such as "He has done for me" and "I believe" were also an important part of their integration experience. One key to the integration of faith and learning in this class was the ability for "people [to] express their opinions without reservations." Students describe their integration experience with the following phrases as well, _

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"engaging," "sharing biblical perspectives," "thoughtful faces," "listening attentively," and "openness (body language)." In describing their experience with faith-learning integration, students generated 48 references to teaching processes used by the professor in teaching the class. Some students referenced complex teaching strategies such as inquiry training ("Creation of biblical discrepant events), role play ("actors up front" or "enacting tough situations with biblical undertones"), or inductive thinking ("comparison of God's names"). Other descriptions referred to the response techniques used by the professor to promote interaction within the class ("people moving and taking a stand on an issue'" "ranking, voting," and "standing in corner listening to others' belief"). From these students' perspectives, the methodology used in teaching the course had major influence on their experience in integrating faith and learning.

gTeachin /

Bnd Lsarn g.

~~~~~~~~~~Processes

Classroom

C imate

s.' .....X .s0 .. .

C Coflaboratton .... .

Figure 2 Research Question 3-Categoriesof Students' Examples of Faith-LearningIntegration



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Two examples will illustrate the types of learning experiences the students were referencing. One inductive thinking lesson began with a stack of cards on which were printed different biblical titles of Christ. The students categorized these titles by placing cards in small stacks that "fit together." The students had to give at least three reasons why the titles in each category belonged together. After the students made categories and named them, they were asked to identify which group of Christ's titles meant the most to them by placing the group names on a graphic organizer from most important to least important. Students were asked to imagine that the titles in their top category had just been eliminated. Students were asked to hypothesize what changes they would see in their lives and in the world if Christ were to no longer hold those titles. Students had to generate real-world support for their hypotheses by using exanples from history where persons or nations had refused to allow Christ to exercise that type of authority over them. One role-play lesson focused on the ethics associated with smuggling Bibles into non-Christian nations. Students volunteered to play roles in the enactment. Each character was given a different selection of scripture to read in preparation to play their character. Each set of scripture was selected to provide a different perspective for each character. Students participated in a short enactment followed by whole class discussion. The class discussion then shaped the next enactment. A cycle of enactments followed by discussion led to the final discussion and application to personal life. Classroom Climate. The second largest category of specific examples of what the integration of faith and learning looked like or sounded like in this class was classroom climate. This category included 107 references. This large category could be separated into the following subdivisions: positive climate, peer support, and physical contact. The largest number of these examples was in the positive climate subcategory with 59 references. Twenty-five comments in this area referred to appropriate laughter in the classroom, i.e. laughter (at the right

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time), while 17 referred to smiling in class. Seventeen examples described a pleasant classroom where students were free to express a variety of emotions. These included comments such as "forgetting about all other work when entering this class," "relaxed friendly atmosphere," "secureness," and "Do you want to go with us to get a Popsicle?" The integration of faith and learning was described in terms of peer support by 39 references. Students most often described these as "encouraging words" or specific words of affirmation and support that had been spoken in the class. Students wrote phrases such as "You look overwhelmed. Do you need to talk about it?," "Can you please help me? I don't understand.", "You stay here and get ready while I go do that for you.", and "How can I help you?" Students also associated their integration experience in this class with physical contact. They used phrases such as "people holding hands," "hugging," "arms around each other," and "pat on the back" eleven times in their T-Charts. Responses in this category seem to affirm the viability of the attitudinal approach to integrating faith and learning (Holmes, 1987). Worship. The third category of descriptions of faith-learning integration fell into the category of worship. This category included 70 references that described class devotions and prayer. Students mentioned prayer most often (51 references) using such phrases as "people praying," "eyes closed," "prayer requests," and "praises of thanks." In describing class devotional exercises as examples of the integration of faith and learning, students mentioned "singing," "reading from the Bible," "worship,' and "devotions." Responses in this category seem to include factors that support the attitudinal approach to integrating faith and learning (Holmes, 1987). Collaboration. In describing their integration experiences, students identified their collaboration with peers in functional cooperative groups 48 times. Comments, such as, "sharing responsibilities" and "people working together in a trust atmosphere" were interpreted by students



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as being an important part of the integration of faith and learning. Students used additional phrases to describe the role of collaboration in promoting faith-learning integration: "cooperative groups talking over differences without argument," "teamwork," "waiting your turn," and "getting along with others." Responses in this category seem to include factors that support the attitudinal approach to integrating faith and learning (Holmes, 1987). Resources. Students made 17 references to resources in the classroom promoting faith-learning integration. Most of the references were to Biblical resources such as "Bible in hands of leaders", "Bibles on desk", and "visual aids of Bible verses." Other resources such as "paper cutouts/artwork," "overheads," and "textbooks" were mentioned by students as well.

Research Question 4 Research Question 4 asked, "How do students perceive the relative value of different experiences in helping them integrate Christian principles and professional practice?" Data to answer this question were collected through a listing of in-class and out-of-class experiences for students to rate with a Likert-style response format. Students rated each of these items by responding to the following prompt: "To what extent did the following help you to integrate your Christian principles in your chosen profession/discipline?" Table 1 lists all items rated by the students and the mean rating each received. Not surprisingly, students placed in-class experiences at the top of the list. The only out-of-class experience whose mean was above 4.00 was "Interaction with professor outside of class." While that is an out-of-class experience, it is still closely tied to the overall class experience. This data highlights the important role played by the professor when integrating faith and learning. Three of the top four items are specifically tied to the professor; two of them are explicitly connected to the professor's 'person-

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Table 1 Mean Scoresfor Experiences That Helped Integrate Faith and Learning In-class/Out of

Response Prompt

mean

n=

4.76 4.41

44 44

4.41

44

4.41 4.34 4.34

44 44 44

4.32 4.25 4.19 4.02 4.00 3.96

44 44 43 44 25 25

3.82

17

3.80 3.70 3.65

25 44 40

3.53

34

5.00 4.88 4.33

3 8 6

class

Professors= caring attitude Classroom devotional exercises by the teacher Classroom devotional exercises by fellow I students I Professors= exemplary life I Small group discussions Classroom discussion of ethical issues in I my discipline Whole class discussions I Interaction with professor outside of class 0 Projects/presentations I Professors= lectures I *Work/job-related experiences O *Church-related activities (worship O services, chapels, etc) Micro-teaching (item dropped after first I administration) *Social activities O Written assignments/papers, etc. I Working with peers on assignments O outside of class time Professional conferences O Open-ended items with few responses Other helpful experiences O Other in-class I *Outreach programs such as: O *items added after first survey administration I I



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hood.' These results support Holmes' (1987) description of the importance of the attitudinal approach to integrating faith and learning. This is also consistent with syntheses of the literature that report the importance of the classroom atmosphere, including a positive relationship between teacher and students, in student learning (Marzano et al., 1997). These results also document the importance of the "lifestyle" element of a comprehensive definition of faith-learning integration.

Research Question 5 Research Question 5 asked, "Did the occurrence of faith-learning integration help students outside of the class being studied?" Data for this question were collected by Question 6 on the survey instrument, which asked, "How has the integration of faith and learning in this class helped you beyond the classroom?" This question was not included in the original survey instrument administered to the Fall 1999 class in this study. It was added to the instrument in 2000. As a result the number of responses for this item (n = 29) is lower than for other items reported in this study. Student responses clustered in four categories: professional impact, edification, the faith-learning integration concept, and personal spirituality. The data in response to this question is rich and lends itself to drawing meaning both within these established categories and across all categories. Figure 3 illustrates the distribution of responses within these categories. ProfessionalImpact. Twelve of the students indicated that their integration experience in this class would affect the way they functioned as professional educators. They indicated that it would change the way they taught in both school and church. Pre-service teachers made comments such as, "It has opened my eyes to see how our classrooms are going to be;," "it has helped me in my teaching philosophy. I also plan to integrate faith and learning," and "I intend to teach in [a Christian] school and this class was taught from [a Christian] perspective." Practicing teach-

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ers who were taking the class to update their teaching credentials described the immediate changes they planned for the next term. Their comments included the following. "It shows [me] different ways in which I can make religion more interesting. My students have in the past been bored with religious topics taught in the books." "I am excited about trying these techniques." "My [church] class may never be the same. Neither will my worships at school or my subject matter lessons too." The responses in this category correspond to the "discipleship" definition of faith-learning integration (Nwosu, 1999). It appears these 12 students believed they had received enough training and mentoring so that they could go out and facilitate the integration of faith and leaming in their students. Edification. The second largest number of responses (n = 7) indicated that the integration of faith and learning in this class had edified them or their relationships in specific ways. Some responses explained how their experience in this class had helped in their families: "with my family-to be quiet and open to what they're trying to tell me; to ask more I..------.......... >-

~__.._ ........ .__, . .._.__ ..................

-----...... - .... .......

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£~~~~~~~~~E Professiofra lnPact

a Pro

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Figure 3 Research Question 5-Areas of Impact Outside of Class



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questions; to respect their thoughts more" and "at home we are consciously aware of prayer and thoughtfulness." Others explained how their faith-learning integration experience in this class had helped edify their relationships with friends: "encouraging to know you have friends that pray with/for you," "I know that my classmates are praying for me, and that comforts me," and "I've learned that once I really get to know someone, it's impossible not to like them." The responses in this category correspond to the "lifestyle" definition of faith-learning integration (Nwosu, 1999). For these students, their faith-learning experience in class had altered the way they lived their lives. It had changed the way they interacted with their families and their peers. Faith-learningIntegration(IFL) Concept. The third group of comments about how the integration of faith and learning experience in this class would help students outside of class focused on the concept of faith-learning integration itself. Five students indicated that their experience in this class had helped clarify, confirm, or deepen their understanding of the integration of faith and learning. Their comments included, "clarification of the meaning of IFL," "deeper understanding of IFL," "confirmation of personal beliefs re: IFL," and "it reiterates to me how we can't really compartmentalize God and/or our spiritual life. They impact all of our life. We are forever learning if we breathe, and if we are a Christian it will show or not in every corner of our life." Another student wrote, "I can see that integrating faith and learning can be a natural involvement. It doesn't have to be hard work." The responses in this category correspond to the "intellectual" definition of faith-learning integration (Nwosu, 1999). These students expressed a growth in their cognitive understanding of faith-learning integration that they felt had helped them outside of this specific class. PersonalSpirituality. A fourth group of students (n = 5) described how their faith-learning integration experience in this class had affected their personal spiritual life. One student commented, "It has

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helped in my own spiritual journey." Another said, "I feel it extended my learning further than most classes-it makes our faith more valuable." One student indicated the effect it had on his thinking about God, "It has made me think deeper about my personal walk with God and more appreciative of what God has done for me." The responses in this category seem to correspond to the "lifestyle" definition of faith-learning integration (Nwosu, 1999), as did the responses in the "edification" category. Responses in this category communicate a deepening or intensification of the disciple's walk with the Master as a result of participating in this class. Drawing Meaning Across Categories. In looking at the similarities in the data across the categories that were just discussed, we can gain additional insights. Within each of these categories students were communicating certain ideas about how their faith-learning integration experience in this class had affected their interpersonal interactions and their relationships. These results seem to reinforce the importance of student attitudes and perceptions in terms of establishing a learning community that supports higher-level learning and faith integration (Marzano, et al., 1997; Holmes, 1987) InterpersonalInteractions.

The data in each of the four catego-

ries communicates students' perceptions of how this class experience has altered their interactions. Within the Professional Impact group, the focus is on professional interactions, that is, interactions with students and colleagues. Within the Edification group, the data describes interactions with peers and family. In the Faith-learning Integration Concept category, the focus is on intrapersonal interactions, that is, personal reflections upon the concept of the integration of faith and learning. The data within the Personal Spirituality category focuses on interactions with God. It appears that the data is saying that involvement in the faith-learning integration experience within this class has affected students' interpersonal interactions in one arena or another.



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Relationships. Data across the categories also indicates that this class experience has affected students' relationships. The data from the Professional Impact category indicates that students in this class believe their integration experience will affect their relationships with their students and colleagues. Data from the Edification category indicates that students think this experience will affect their relationships with peers and family. Within the Faith-learning Integration Concept group, the data suggests that students believe that this class will affect how they understand relationships between faith and life. Responses in the Personal Spirituality category indicate that students believe their class experience will affect their relationships with God.

DISCUSSION Teaching and Learning Approaches

The data collected in this research study and the analysis of the data displays internal consistency. In answering the four major research questions in this study, #1, 3, 4, and 5, students placed a greater emphasis on teaching and learning processes than any other category of response. Thus the data indicate that the integration of faith and learning may be connected to the teaching approaches used in the class. Students repeatedly referred to active involvement and interaction with peers as key elements of their faith-learning integration experience in this class. For these students, the integration of faith and learning involved a process of small group and whole class discussions that led to intense small group bonding and whole-class esprit de corps as well. Many students mentioned devotional sessions and prayer as being key experiences for integrating faith and learning in this class. However, their responses clearly indicate, that for them, the integration of faith and learning is more than reading a devotional thought and having prayer at the beginning of class. These students expressed an appreciation of class-

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room learning activities that challenged them to take a deeper look at Christian principles within the context of their chosen profession. The data from this classroom action research study seem to support the idea of a "pedagogical approach" to the integration of faith and learning. Students noted the importance of active learning approaches, including social interaction and physical movement, in facilitating faith-learning integration. For these students, "how" the material was presented was just as important as "what" was presented. These results are consistent with Nwosu's (1999) findings based on her classroom observations and interviews.

Student Expectations/Recognition

Responses in this study indicate that students in Christian higher education expect the integration of faith and learning to occur in their classes. This was communicated through comments such as, "being on a Christian campus makes it expected" and "part of [the] uniqueness of our campus is that we study Christ and that we honor Him daily/regularly." These same students believe they can recognize IFL when it occurs. One student phrased it like this: "I know it occurred because you could see it and hear it from other people in class. Everyone had a story or an example to share that showed they integrated." A second student said, "I know it occurred because my faith has increased. I have also learned how to have students evaluate their faith through value lessons." A third student stated, "The thing that triggered [faith-learning integration for me] was working with my group. At first I don't think we got along, but we learned cooperation, and now we actually like each other! For me, that was definitely integration of faith and learning because it took our faith in God and Christian character [traits] to get us to learn together." Thus, it appears as professors in Christian higher education we bear a three-fold responsibility for integrating faith and learning in our classes. First, we feel a personal responsibility to integrate faith in our


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classes. Next, our administrators and constituents expect it. But, perhaps most importantly, our students expect it from us.

Classroom Climate Repeatedly in the data, students emphasized the importance of the classroom atmosphere in supporting the integration of faith and learning. "Atmosphere" emerged as one of the primary categories when students defined the integration of faith and learning. "Classroom climate" was the second largest category when students listed specific occurrences of the integration of faith and learning in class. Several of the items rated as most valued by the students could be considered a part of the classroom climate. Examples include "professor's caring attitude," and classroom devotional exercises, and "small group discussions." While climate did not emerge as the strongest theme in this research, students clearly communicated that the integration of faith and learning could not occur if the classroom atmosphere had not been open, accepting, supporting, and encouraging. This is consistent with Holmes' (1987) assertion of the importance of the attitudinal approach to faith learning integration as well as guidelines for developing learning communities (Biacco and DeWaters, 1998; Marzano et al., 1997).

The Professor'sRole Because of his pervasive influence in creating the classroom climate, the professor's role could be discussed within the context of the classroom climate. However, we have chosen to discuss it as a separate topic because of the importance students ascribe to it. Repeatedly throughout the data, students referred to the importance of the professor's role in achieving the integration of faith and learning. Two of the most valued items students perceived as important for helping them integrate their faith and learning were "professor's caring attitude" and "professor's exemplary life." These items have more to do with who a professor is than

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what the professor does. This is a sobering thought for us as college professors, especially in light of James 3:1: "Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly" (NIV). The encouraging news is that the data shows that, with training and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, it is possible to design a course that integrates faith and learning with specific content knowledge. The students in this class indicate that from their perspective the integration of faith in the course was as seamless as the integration of methodologies for three subject areas that have traditionally been considered "separate." What is required of the professor is a commitment to work at integrating faith in his courses and the planning time needed to create a course that uses active learning approaches to facilitate the integration of faith and learning.

FURTHER RESEARCH We consider this to be the first step in our investigation of the integration of faith and learning from a student's perspective. We are interested in pursuing the following extensions. Much additional research must be conducted before a solid theoretical framework emerges. First we suggest that this study be replicated in additional college level courses taught by the same professor and a cross-case analyses using each separate course as a case be conducted. Next we suggest that this study be replicated in college-level classes taught by other professors and further that cross-case analyses of the data using each professor as a case be conducted. Also, since this study was conducted in a setting where the professor and most of the students were from the same conservative faith community, it would be useful for similar research on the integration of faith and learning from a student perspective to be conducted in other set-

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tings especially those without a denominationally homogenous student body. Finally we suggest that additional studies are needed to refine the instrument, with the goal of creating a valid and reliable scale for student perceptions of the integration of faith and learning

REFERENCES Badley, K. (1994). The faith/learning movement in Christian higher education: Slogan or substance? Journal of Research on Christian Education, 3(1): 13-33. Baiocco, S. A. & DeWaters, J. N. (1998). Successful College Teaching: Problem-solving Strategies of DistinguishedProfessors. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. DeJong, A. J. (1990). Reclaiming a mission: New direction for the church-relatedcollege. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. Ellis, A. K. (2001). Research on EducationalInnovations, 3 rd ed. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education. Friedman, M. I. & Fisher, S. P. (1998). Handbook on Effective Instructional Strategies: Evidencefor Decision Making. Columbia, SC: The Institute for Evidence-based Decision-making in Education, Inc. Hardin, J., Sweeney, J., & Whitworth, J. (1999). Integrating Faith and Learning in Teacher Education, Paper presented at the Extended Annual Meeting of the Association of Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education, (February 24, 1999). Hasker, William. (1992). Faith-learning integration: An overview. ChristianScholar's Review, 21: 34-38. Hativa, N. (2000). Teachingfor Effective Learning in HigherEducation. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers. Hegland, M. (1954). Christianity in education. Minneapolis 15, Minnesota: Augsburg Publishing House. Holmes, A. (1994). What about student integration? Journal of Research on ChristianEducation,3(1): 3-5.

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Holmes, A. F. (1987). The Idea of a ChristianCollege. Grands Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., & Smith, K. A.(1991) Active Learning: Cooperation in the College Classroom. Edina. MN: Interaction Book Company. Joyce, B. & Weil, M. (2000). Models of Teaching, 6 th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Korniejczuk, R. & Kijai, J. (1994). Integrating faith and learning: Development of a stage model of teacher implementation. Journal of Research on ChristianEducation, 3(1): 79-102 Marzano, R. J., Pickering, D. J., & Pollock, Jane E. (2001). Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Nwosu, C. C. (1999). Integration of Faith and Learning in Christian Higher Education: ProfessionalDevelopment of Teachers and Classroom Implementation, Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation. Andrews University, Dissertation Abstracts International Accession Number AAG9929070. Lutheran Educational Conference of North America. (1998). The Outcomes of a Lutheran Education. Accessed online at http://www.collegevalue.com/for_parents/outcomes.htm, January 29, 2003. Rasi, H. (2003). "The integration of faith and learning: A working definition," Personal communication, August 1, 2003. Sandin, R. T. (1982). The searchfor excellence: The Christiancollege in an age of educationalcompetition. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press. Stevenson, D. H and Young, P. D. (1995). The Heart of the Curriculum? A Status Report on Explicit Integration Courses in Christian Colleges and Universities, Journal of Psychology & Theology, 23(4), 248-260. Trueblood, D. E. (1959). The marks of a Christian college. In John Paul von Grueningen (Ed), Toward a Christian philosophy of higher education, p. 163. Philadelphia: Westminster Press. Why Christian Colleges are Booming. (1999). ChristianityToday, 43(5), 26-27.


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Larry Burton is Associate Professor and Directorof the Curriculum and Instructionprogram at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, USA.

Constance C. Nwosu is Associate Professor of Education at Canadian University College in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada.

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