Date
7-21-2026
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)
Chair
Laura Jones
Keywords
faith-informed instruction, Lutheran education, mathematics instruction, mathematics education, secondary mathematics, social constructivism, secondary teachers, Christian schools, LCMS, Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, faith integration, integrated faith and learning, faith-based education, hermeneutic phenomenology, teacher experience
Disciplines
Curriculum and Instruction | Mathematics
Recommended Citation
Balsman, Jonathan, "Faith-Informed Instruction in Secondary Mathematics: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study of Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod Teachers" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8708.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8708
Abstract
The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the phenomenon of faith-informed instruction as experienced by secondary mathematics teachers in Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) schools in the United States. The theory guiding this study was Vygotsky’s theory of social constructivism, which frames educators’ instructional and theological meaning-making as socially and contextually developed through collaborative, relational learning environments. The central research question guiding this study was: What are the lived experiences of LCMS secondary mathematics teachers as they practice faith-informed instruction? This study used a hermeneutic phenomenological design to interpret teacher meaning-making and reflective practice. Participants were selected using purposeful and criterion sampling from a pool of over 500 LCMS secondary schools serving grades 6–12 across the United States. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and participant letter-writing. Data were analyzed using interpretive phenomenological methods, identifying essential themes that describe how teachers interpret and implement faith-informed instruction in their classrooms. The research findings indicated that faith-informed mathematics instruction was experienced first through vocational identity and theological formation, with relational and formational pedagogy emerging as the dominant expression of practice. While some participants enacted discipline-specific faith connections, these were shaped by epistemological and professional negotiations within a distinct Lutheran culture that supported faith-informed teaching broadly but rarely provided mathematics-specific guidance.
