Dr Michael Buchanan - School of Theology (Faculty of Theology and Philosophy)
Fully accredited supervisor - Can supervise as principal supervisor
My research agenda is driven by the thing I am most passionate about and that is student achievement in religious education through holistic engagement and deep learning. Learning in religious education has the potential to transform lives and learned people transform society in significant ways. My research program explores certain areas pertaining to the advancement of successful student learning. These areas include leadership in religious education and leadership in faith-based schools. Leadership in these areas demands all the education skills and expertise required of educational leadership in other schooling systems and contexts as well as the ability to integrate the faith and religious culture of the school within an educational environment. Effective leadership is oriented towards successful student achievement and my research explores key dimensions of leadership that are integral to leaders and aspiring leaders. The leadership dimensions under investigation in my research include: spiritual leadership, religious leadership, faith leadership, ministerial leadership, curriculum leadership and educational leadership. Teachers and the formation of teachers is also extremely relevant to successful student achievement and my research also encompasses the professional growth of pre-service and in-service teachers through reflective practices such as peer review.
Research and interest fields
Leadership and Religious Schools (e.g. Leadership and religious schools: International perspectives and challenges, 2013)
Reflective Practice and Religious Education (e.g. Pre-service teachers' perceptions of the benefits of peer review, 2012)
Religious Values and Culture (e.g. The impact of cultural religious Values upon Pre-service teachers perceptions of their role as educators in Catholic religious schools, 2011)
Curriculum Change in Religious Education (e.g. Managing curriculum change in religious education: An inside perspective from school leaders in religious education, 2010)
Ministerial dimension of RE leadership (e.g. Ministerial leadership: A dimension of leadership in religious education, 2011)
Spiritual dimension of RE Leadership (e.g. Attending to the spiritual dimension to enhance curriculum change, 2010)
Student Learning in Religious Education (e.g. Learning beyond the surface: Engaging the cognitive, affective and spiritual dimensions within the curriculum, 2008)
Contact
 : | (03) 9953 3294 (Melbourne) |
 : | Michael.Buchanan@acu.edu.au |
 : | Staff Directory Profile |
Research Interests
Curriculum ; Managing Curriculum Change ; Curriculum Leadership ; Religious Education Leadership ; Leadership in Faith-based Schools ; Formation and Professional Growth of Educators ; Religious Education ;
Methods Expertise
Grounded Theory ; Symbolic Interactionism ;
Research Projects
Completed Projects
- Implementing Curriculum Change in Religious Education: A study of the Perceptions of Primary School Religious Educators in the Archdiocese of Hobart (PhD) (Principal Supervisor)
Current Projects
- An investigation of the impact of a curriculum program for the development of spiritual directors. (PhD) (Principal Supervisor)
- What factors do middle year students in a primary setting see as facilitating or impeding student engagement in an inquiry based religious education curriculum (PhD) (Principal Supervisor)
- Building bridges: connecting Lutheran schools and Lutheran congregations (PhD) (Co-Supervisor)
- Experiences of the migrant child in the Catholic system in Melbourne in the 1950's and 1960's (PhD) (Co-Supervisor)
Selected Publications
2013
Learning for leadership in religious education in schools through continuing education., in International Journal of Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning
Leadership and religious schools: Introducing some contemporary perspectives and challenges, in Leadership and religious schools: International perspectives and challenges
Leadership dimensions associated with leadership roles in faith-based schools. , in Leadership and religious schools: International perspectives and challenges
Leadership and religious schools: International perspectives and challenges, in New York, USA: Bloomsbury Academic
2012
The learning journey: Lifelong professional learning for leaders in faith-based schools. , in International handbook of lifelong learning (2nd Ed.).
Pre-service teachersa?? perceptions of the benefits of peer review. , in Journal of Education for Teaching
What Has Faith Got To Do With Classroom Religious Education? , in Journal of Religious Education
Preparing pre-service teachers for religious education: A peer review approach. , in Journal of Religious Education
2011
Peer review in the formation of pre-service teachers of Christian higher education. , in Christian Higher Education
The impact of cultural religious Values upon Pre-service teachers perceptions of their role as educators in Catholic religious schools., in Journal of Beliefs and Values
Faith leadership: A model for educational leadership contexts. , in Journal of Catholic School Studies
Ministerial leadership: A dimension of leadership in religious education. , in Religious Education Journal of Australia
2010
Managing curriculum change in religious education: An inside perspective from school leaders in religious education. , in Germany: Lambert Academic Publishing.
Attending to the spiritual dimension to enhance curriculum change, in Journal of Beliefs and Values: studies in religion & education (print version)
Holistic learning: An approach for training pre-service teachers to engage in the cognitive, affective and spiritual dimensions within the curriculum, in Journal of Catholic School Studies (print version)
Peer review and its contribution to the professional growth and learning of pre-service teachers of religious education, in Journal of Religious Education (print version)
Managing curriculum change in Religious Education: An inside perspective from school leaders in Religious Education
2009
The significance of theory in the implementation of curriculum change in religious education, in British Journal of Religious Education (print version)
The spiritual dimension and curriculum change, in International Journal of Children's Spirituality (print version)
Religious Education in Australian Catholic Schools: Past and Present, in Religious Education Journal of Australia
Senior School Religious Education Curriculum: What do students want?, in The International Journal of Learning (print version)
2008
Learning beyond the surface: Engaging the cognitive, affective and spiritual dimensions within the curriculum, in International Journal of Children's Spirituality
Curriculum management: Connecting the whole person, in Issues: Science and Spirituality
Preparing for 'Top Down' curriculum change, in Journal of Religious Education
Holistic engagement in curriculum innovation: Attending to the spiritual dimension, in Religious Education Journal of Australia
An Introduction to Catholic Education: Current Perspectives
Cornerstones of Catholic Secondary Religious Education: Principles and Practice of the New Evangelization
2007
Managing curriculum Change: A Preliminary report, in Journal of Religious Education
Was Jonah really swallowed whole? Biblical literacy beyond the literal, in Religious Education Journal of Australia
2006
Factors that impede curriculum change: A preliminary report, in British Journal of Religious Education
Textbooks in Religious Education, in International Handbook of Religious; Spiritual and Moral Dimensions in Education
The role of the religion teacher: Ecclesial and pedagogical perceptions, in Journal of Christian Education
Factors that assist curriculum change, in Journal of Religious Education
Curriculum management: Influencing school outlook towards religious education, in Journal of Religious Education
A brief history of approaches to religious education in Catholic schools, in Leadership in Religious Education
Our identity as educators: Influencing the profile of RE as a curriculum area, in Religious Education Journal of Australia
2005
The REC: Perspectives on a complex role within Catholic education, in Journal of Religious Education
Pedagogical Drift: The Evolution of New Approaches and Paradigms in Religious Education, in Religious Education
2004
An Outcomes Based Approach to using To Know Worship and Love in Religious Education in the Archdiocese of Melbourne, in Catholic School Studies: A Journal of Catholic Education
2003
Survey of Current Writing on Trends in Religious Education, in Journal of Religious Education