This article addresses the inclusion of non-Catholic students in Catholic schools. It provides a brief review of the literature on inclusion and the results of a study of inclusion from the perspectives of Catholic students and Catholic teachers in four Western Canadian urban Catholic high schools. The study employed grounded theory as its methodology and focus groups as well as documentary analysis as its methods. The results of the qualitative study indicate, among other things, that there are at least 10 dimensions to inclusion: pedagogical, social, psychological, racial, cultural, spiritual, political, financial, legal, and philosophical. Moreover, the dimensions form an interactive matrix which is of great importance to Catholic schools.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the understandings and administrative actions of six Catholic high school principals in relation to their administrative expectations of the admission of non‐Catholic students.Design/methodology/approachThis paper involves interviews with six Catholic school principals from one Catholic school division in a Western Canadian province. The methodology chosen for this paper is grounded theory. Specific analytical processes are employed: open‐, axial‐, and selective‐codings.FindingsThe findings present four major themes with respect to the inclusion of non‐Catholic students in their schools: the school administrators' expectations; the significance of the preliminary interview; the ongoing relationship of the non‐Catholic student to the Catholic school; and points of confrontation with the Catholic school administration.Practical implicationsThe paper provides some guidance with respect to the application and entrance procedures which non‐Catholic students should undergo before admission. It also points to the importance of providing information about the school's spiritual mission to non‐Catholic parents before their child is admitted to the school community.Originality/valueThe paper's originality lies in the findings offered in an area of education, which is not yet well researched.
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