Being called to mission for stakeholders in educational settings

• Main Author: Laguda, Ricardo P.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2007
• Subjects: Christian Brothers > Missions > Philippines; Christian Brothers > Education > Philippines; Christian Brothers; Educational Leadership
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_doctoral/197; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1196&context=etd_doctoral
• Institution: De La Salle University

Despite the numerous literature and rhetoric on Lasallian Mission, little is done with regard to a clear and coherent theoretical framework that underpins the work of scholars, practitioners, and policymakers concerning actual lived experiences of Lasallians in the Philippines. An evolved grounded theory was designed to find out what the call of the Lasallian Mission is. Thirty-two participants representing different stakeholders ranging from students to administrators to Brothers were interviewed over a period of five months. Interviews were analyzed using the constant comparison method. Being called to mission was the central concern that emerged. Five main processes have been identified and explained that comprise an emerging substantive theory of Being Called To Mission. The multi-distinct yet related processes are: 1) discovering of vocational consciousness, 2) unfolding, purifying, and cultivating the process of self-definition, 3) contextualizing the process of being called to mission, 4) maturing consecrated witness, and 5) claiming the process of being called to mission. The study revealed that the multi-distinct yet related processes could serve as a grounded typology or frames of reference in which the stakeholders gain a better hold of how they live, grasp, and deal with what it means to be called to mission. The theory proposes that stakeholders can be classified as speedboats, sailboats, tugboats, fishing boats, lifeboats, and rowboats according to the actual lived experiences of the stakeholders in being Lasallians today. It also proposes that being called to mission goes beyond the profession, work, and career stakeholders hold. Likewise, the theory speculates that certain predisposing factors such as self-identity, passion, and commitment of the stakeholders could have an influence in the multi-distinct processes of being called to mission. Overall, the present study makes it easier to bridge the discourse between scholars, policy-makers and practitioners concerning the stakeholders vocational understanding and promotion of the Lasallian Mission in the Philippines or any other mission belonging to other educational settings.