Teachers’Views on Integrating Faith into Their Professional Lives - A Cross-Cultural Glimpse

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Stanley

AILACTE institutions often recruit teacher education candidates through a sense of calling rooted in faith traditions, yet most graduates teach in religiously neutral settings. Rising professional standards and increasing school cultural diversity leave limited attention to how faith and work are integrated. This study examines how preservice teachers, graduates, and Korean teachers perceive integrating faith with professional life, including reported strategies and suggested use of moral case scenarios.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Literature Review

Teachers’Views on Integrating Faith into Their Professional Lives: A Cross-Cultural Glimpse Joonkil Ahn, B .A . Danny W . Hinson, Ph .D . Sharon T . Teets, Ph .D . Carson-Newman University Abstract AILACTE institutions are often linked to faith-based traditions, and teacher education candidates may attend these institutions as a result of their sense of calling to the profession. However, most graduates of teacher education programs teach in religiously neutral environments. With the high expectations of professional standards for the profession, and increasing cultural diversity of the school population, attention to issues of integration of faith and work may be limited. The present study provides insight into how preservice teachers, graduates of a teacher education program, and teachers in Korea view the integration of their faith with their professional lives. Teachers report various ways in which they draw upon their own faith, and they suggest that the examination of moral dilemmas from a faith-based perspective has been largely ignored in an effort to prepare candidates to function in religiously neutral environments. They also indicate that the examination of case studies and scenarios for moral and ethical implications maybe of value to them as they seek to live out their faith in culturally sensitive and appropriate ways. Keywords: moral dimensions of teaching AILACTE Journal 41 Ahn, Hinson, and Teets AILACTE, the Association of Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education, is committed to the liberal arts as the basis for teacher education. Of the 165 current member institutions, the majority began as faith-based institutions. Many remain intentionally faith-based, and others maintain loose ties to their faith tradition. While many of these institutions provide advanced programs for graduate study, initial preparation for teaching remains as a central focus. Students who choose to attend institutions such as these often make their choice based on the faith-tradition of the institution. Almost all of these students indicate that they enter the teaching profession out of a deep sense of calling (Farkas, Johnson,& Foleno, 2000) . Once enrolled in a teacher education program, these candidates soon learn that they are being prepared primarily for careers in schools that are increasingly culturally diverse, and therefore, intentionally religiously neutral environments. Moreover, many faculty in teacher education programs in faith-based institutions have completed their own professional preparation in large, public institutions. For teacher education candidates and faculty members alike, the question then becomes,“How does one prepare to live out one’s calling, which includes a faith basis, in environments that are religiously neutral?” In addition to the importance of this question to candidates in traditional teacher education programs, this question arises as institutions provide professional development in other countries, too. The current research is being presented as a demonstration of faculty members’ attempts to investigate an issue that lies at the core of teacher candidate professional development and institutional mission. The questions used to frame the research were: • How do teachers view moral dilemmas within the context of their teaching experience? • How do teachers draw upon their faith to provide solutions for the moral dilemmas they face? • How do teachers perceive their preparation to integrate their faith in their resolution of work-based moral dilemmas? 42 AILACTE Volume XIII Fall 2016 Teachers’Views on Integrating Faith Literature Review Studying the history of education in the United States is a part of teacher education programs throughout the country. Historically, from the time of the Protestant Reformation with Martin Luther’s call for German public schools and to the first school started by the Puritans in the 1600s, religious belief has driven

FAQs

What issue does the study address about integrating faith and professional life?

It explores how preservice teachers, graduates, and teachers view integrating their faith with professional life while working in religiously neutral environments.

How do teachers report drawing upon their faith in teaching?

Teachers describe various ways they use their faith to address moral dilemmas and to guide decisions in their professional context.

Why does the literature review emphasize religious neutrality in schools?

It discusses the historical separation of church and state in the United States and highlights that public schools must treat religion with fairness and respect.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Stanley