Christian Literature and Social Justice: A Literary Analysis

The problem confronted in this study is that preexisting beliefs will influence both what an individual gains from the teacher education experience and what will be transferred into future classroom practice (Villegas, 2007). Social justice education frequently meets with resistance (Conklin, 2008; van Gorder, 2007; Villegas, 2007), and resistance to social justice is frequently attributed to Christian morality (Haidt & Graham, 2007). The purpose of this study is to examine the role of Christian literature in the development of social justice epistemologies among teachers. The study, utilizing both Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Evaluation Coefficient (ECO) analysis, seeks to fulfill the purpose of the study by examining the role of Christian literature in the development of social justice epistemologies among teachers by analyzing the best-selling selections at bookstores associated with two mega churches, those with at least 2000 weekly attendants (Beer, 2009), in central Ohio. The data from this study does not reveal a link between resistance to social justice education and Christian literature; however, it does align with literature in social justice scholarship that can provide insight for teacher educators. In addition, the data from this study indicates additional areas in which resistance may be encountered, namely religious diversity and critical lenses.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

EDU Teaching and Learning

Grantor dc:publisher

The Ohio State University

Year dc:date

2013

Author dc:creator

• Lynskey, Angela Cartwright

Contributors dc:contributor

• Tyson, Cynthia

• Education

Statement dc:rights

• unrestricted
• This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1366018839

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:etd.ohiolink.edu:osu1366018839