Date
3-10-2026
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)
Chair
Matthew O. Ozolnieks
Keywords
Christian school, character, culture, ethos, identity, influence, institutional theory, instructional decision making, organizational decision making, values
Disciplines
Education
Recommended Citation
Garris, Matthew Preston, "Instructional Decision Making of a Christian School: A Case Study" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8029.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8029
Abstract
The purpose of this holistic instrumental single case study was to understand how staff at a Christian school in the central Carolinas experience the school’s instructional decision making. The central research question was, “How do a Christian school’s staff experience the school’s instructional decision making?”. The theory guiding this study was Selznick’s institutional theory, which explained how organizations develop their own distinctive identities, ethea, and values, exhibited by their characters and cultures, and influencing their decision making. This theory helped make sense of staff experiences of instructional decision making within a Christian school. This study used a holistic instrumental single case study design approach and took place at a Christian school in the central Carolinas. Ten participants were selected from the school’s staff using maximum variation sampling. Data were collected through documents, individual interviews, and a focus group elicitation interview. Data were analyzed through qualitative coding, pattern matching, and explanation building. Five key themes emerged from this case: faith, freedom, family, academics, and culture. These findings indicate that staff experience the school’s instructional decision making through its academic and cultural frameworks, which draw their substance from the school's foundation of faith, freedom, and family. Recommendations for further research are included.
