Análisis Interno

There are also different kinds of chaplaincy and chaplains in New Zealand. As elsewhere in the Western world, there are the workplace chaplains who work

among organizations and communities. Prison chaplains work among the

incarcerated. Hospital chaplains work with the sick and the dying. Church schools often have their own church school chaplains, who are usually ordained ministers from their own ch\lrches. Army chaplains pastor those in the army. All these chaplains are usually paid or are given a stipend from their churches. The secular clause in the 1877 Education Act stated that education in New Zealand should be secular. However, this applies only to state primary schools. An apparent loophole in the law has made possible some time which can be used for teaching which is not secular in nature. Hence, religious education has found its way back to the secular system under the restrictions. Now, the Churches Education Commission (Hereafter CEC) has taken on the responsibility "for co­ ordination, setting standards, provision of resources for Christian Education generally, but especially within the state educational system" (Petersen, n.d., p.

1 2). The Bible in School programme is a religious education programme

provided by CEe. Although CEC is administered by the Anglican Church, Christians of all denominations are able to apply to become chaplains. Thus, a wide variety of theological positions are represented among the CEC chaplains.

The previous supervisor of the researcher, Dr. Peter Donovan, suggested it was a good idea to investigate chaplaincy in New Zealand schools. Mter preliminary investigation into the different types of chaplaincy, including attending an open Annual General Meeting of the hospital chaplains, talking to various people such as a prison chaplain, a church school chaplain, an army chaplain and some workplace chaplains in person, and reading the publicity materials of state school chaplaincy, the researcher decided on researching the area of state school chaplaincy provided by CEe. There are three main reasons. First, state school chaplaincy has not been researched academically, even though it has been around in New Zealand state schools for about a decade. The work of chaplaincy is little known, except to those who work in the state school chaplaincy system. There are only CEC Chaplaincy Publicity Leaflets, which advertise that state school

chaplains are "confidential listening ears", "caring trusted friends", and that chaplaincy "supports the pastoral care networks in New Zealand schools for students, staff, parents and care-givers and Boards of Trustees". Secondly, it is distinct from other types of chaplaincy in the sense that it is the only chaplaincy that both sits at the interface between a secular system and a religious one, and involves children/young people. State school chaplains are religious, whereas state primary schools have been secular since the secular clause of the 1 877 Education Act. It was suggested that state secondary schools also "regard themselves as bound by the spirit of the 1 877 Act" (Snook and McGeorge, 1 978, p . 1 0). Thirdly, state school chaplains are unpaid volunteer workers and Christians of various theological positions by faith. Hence, it is a good opportunity to study the different ways in which Christians help out in a secular setting and show that they care about people.

State school chaplaincy in New Zealand has not been researched previously, so no research data is available. Mter this present study had commenced and during the questionnaire stage, a chaplain provided an undated, unpublished manuscript

entitled The Presence of State School Chaplaincy in New Zealand Today. This

was written during his study leave, between April 1 9 and June 30, 1 999, and

contained mainly subjective experience, anecdotes, and personal thoughts from

the chaplain's own perspective (Murray, 1 999).

Since this study is not a comparative study between state school chaplaincy and other types of chaplaincy, the researcher has decided not to concentrate on secondary literature research relating to chaplaincy such as prison chaplaincy, workplace chaplaincy, church school chaplaincy, or hospital chaplaincy. Until something is known about state school chaplaincy, the idea of doing a comparative study between state school chaplaincy and anything else is premature. In his report to the Winston Church Memorial Trust, concerning the study of religions in Australian schools, Graham Millar included a one-page report on "chaplaincy in state schools" (Mi 11 ar, 1 985 , p. 42). He maintains that "considerable use is being made of the ideas and information gained in Australia, which is available at the CEC office" (Mi11ar, 1 985, p. 42). However, that information was not available to the researcher. It is therefore not possible to

determine the exact contribution of any of the Australian chaplaincy model/s to New Zealand chaplaincy. The information gathered from an exploratory study on Chaplaincy in Western Australian Secondary Schools in 1 984 is not particularly relevant to the present thesis. The study was particularly Australia-specific as its aims were "to portray the roles which have emerged in school chaplaincies in five Government secondary schools" and "to determine the value to schools of these appointments" (Hyde and Tame, 1 984, p. 2). In any case, Petersen draws a clear distinction between state school chaplains in Australia and those in New Zealand, and maintains that Australian state school chaplains "supply a mix of pastoral care and teaching in Religious Education"; whereas "New Zealand . . . School Chaplains decided . . . that there should be a separation of these tasks: one person should be responsible for pastoral care and another for Religious Education in the school (Petersen, n.d., p. 32). Furthermore, New Zealand state school chaplains are volunteers, whereas their Australian counterparts, in Western Australia at least, are understood to be salaried (Hyde and Tame, 1 984, pp. 44-45).

One other study was also done in Western Australia; however, instead of focusing on chaplaincy itself, it focused more on the experiences of individual chaplains. The authors, Berlach and Thornber, were both involved in chaplaincy. They regarded their study as the first study "in any systematic fashion" on "the attitudes, opinions and experiences of . . . the Chaplains themselves", since the chaplaincy programme was implemented in 1 982 (Berlach and Thornber, 1 993 , p . 3). Their stated purpose was "to allow Chaplains to tell their own stories in their own words, thereby enabling readers to gain a first-hand 'feel ' for the work of a Chaplain . . . to document the experiences of those involved in the formative years of Chaplaincy in W A schools . . . to chronicle significant events which can serve as a lasting record . . . [and] to advise/warn/encourage those who are yet to find themselves in the position of School Chaplain" (Berlach and Thornber, 1 993, p. 3). Even though questions which could be used "to explore the issues further, or . . . to springboard to related topics" (Berlach and Thomber, 1 993, p. 5) were provided at the end of each chaplain's article, and the content showed the heart­ felt subjective experiences of 1 5 or so chaplains, the text was written without analysis or evaluation of the chaplains and their experiences. It was mainly a collation of their experiences. In fact, the authors were hoping that the text "could

almost be viewed as a textbook for all those aspiring to the high calling of Chaplain . . . to encourage all . . . to continue supporting the Chaplains who are ministering the schools on their behalf' (Berlach and Thornber, p. 3). Hence, it was more an encouragement to chaplaincy than an academic study.

A recent study has also been done in Queensland. Its author was involved in chaplaincy; she considered herself as "an insider with respect to chaplaincy in state schools" (Salecich, 2002, p. 3). The aim of the investigation was "to understand, in relation to the contribution of various stakeholders, the nature and development of chaplaincy services in Queensland state schools" (Salecich, 2002, p. 4). The investigation was specific to exploring "the many and varied issues relevant to the establishment and operation in nine secondary schools of chaplaincy services associated with SU [Scripture Union] Queensland as the employing authority" (Salecich, 2002, p . 4). Hence, the study was not only Queensland-specific but also written from the framework of one involved in chaplaincy.

Furthermore, one CEC support person suggested that state school chaplaincy had taken its model from that of the workplace chaplaincy. CEC also claims that state school chaplaincy is "modeled on ITIM [InterChurch Trade and Industry Mission] chaplaincy development" (Appendix 14). However, the extent of that process appears not to be documented.

Since this study is more concerned with the work of state school chaplaincy per se rather than its history, it was decided not to look at the Australian state school chaplaincy model and that of the workplace chaplaincy.

Even though CEC promotes that chaplaincy "supports the pastoral care networks in New Zealand schools", this study is not about comparing the work of state school chaplains with those in the school pastoral system. Hence, there will be no mention of any literature review of the p astoral system in state schools. In any case, until information is available about state school chaplaincy, no such comparison can be made.

from the Inside

Given the lack of information concerning New Zealand state school chaplaincy, it was decided that the first and most important step is to explore the chaplaincy service from the inside. Hence, an in-depth exploratory study of state school chaplaincy using participant observation, survey questionnaires, and in-depth interviews has been undertaken to generate findings which reveal the nature of state school chaplaincy.

Observation

Participant observation is an important technique in ethnographic research. It is "especially appropriate for scholarly problems when little is known about the phenomenon" such as "a newly formed group or movement", or if the phenomenon under study is somehow obscured from the view of the public (Jorgensen, 1 989, pp. 1 2- 1 3). Since it does not begin with preconceived ideas or concepts already defined by hypotheses or theories, it is especially suitable for exploratory studies, descriptive studies, and studies aimed at generating theoretical interpretations (J orgensen, 1 989, p. 1 3). It is therefore considered an appropriate methodology for studying state school chaplaincy as little is known about the service and the chaplains' work is not usually open to scrutiny because of its confidential nature.

The goal of the ethnographer is "to describe the way of life of a particular group from within, that is, by understanding and communicating not only what happens but how the members of the group interpret and understand what happens (Smith

and Kornblum, 1 996, p. 2). Since participant observation "focuses on the

meaning of human existence as seen from the standpoint of insiders" (Jorgensen, 1 989, p. 1 4), the researcher is able to observe and experience the workings of state school chaplaincy from the role of an insider. In such situations, the researcher' s personal field research experience provides valuable data materials, which add an emotional and personal depth to the overall meaning of the area under study.

Information about the chaplaincy service can be gathered from either those who work within the service, or those who use the service. The researcher decided not to pursue the study from the perspective of those who use the service, that is,

those in the school community. Identification of those who use the service would be difficult if not impossible because of the promise of confidentiality to those who use the service. They can only be known if they choose to identify themselves voluntarily. In any case, the researcher considers, given the confidential nature of chaplaincy, it would be insensitive to even request them to come forward. Given the possibly distressing nature of some of the matters discussed with the chaplains, it was also deemed insensitive by the researcher to ask· those who have used the chaplaincy service to re-describe what they have already divulged to their chaplains. Given these restrictions, the researcher decided it was best to seek the information about the chaplaincy work directly from the chaplains themselves. Hence the limit of the boundary can be gauged by the chaplains themselves. They then decide what may be divulged and what may not be. The chaplains had full control of what they said and wrote.

In any case, the chaplains should be the primary source of information as they are the ones who know the area best. The idea of accompanying a chaplain on hislher round of work was dismissed because of the chaplains' promise of confidentiality to those who choose to confide in them. Hence the real work situation is not open to investigation. The next best option was to ask the chaplains themselves about their work.

It was decided that a comprehensive survey questionnaire would be suitable to investigate the work of chaplaincy on a large scale. Fowler finds that surveys are used "to produce statistics - that is, quantitative or numerical descriptions of some aspects of the study population" and that the primary task of gathering information "is by asking people questions" such that "their answers constitute the data to be analyzed" (Fowler, 1 984, p. 9). This complements the participant observation by asking chaplains about their work. However, self-reports do have their own problems and limitations. They depend on the chaplains' honesty and their ability to express in writing what they want to say. To clarify issues that might have arisen from the questionnaires and to solicit more information about chaplaincy, chaplains were asked if they were willing to participate in an in-depth interview at a later date. This gave a chance to explore further the nature of the

service at a more comprehensive level. Qualitative interviewing assumes that "the perspectives of others are meaningful, knowable, and able to be made explicit" and is used to "find out what is in and on someone else' s mind" (Patton, 1 990, p. 278). The job of the researcher is to enable the interviewee to bring himlher to that world. The informal conversational approach is used to allow maximum flexibility so as to pursue information in whichever direction appears to be appropriate.

Minichiello et al find that in-depth interviewing and participant observation "allow the researcher to gain access to the motives, meanings, actions and reactions of people in the context of their lives", and that the focus of such research "is not to reveal causal relationships, but rather to discover the nature of phenomena as humanly experienced" (Minichiello et aI, 1 990, p. 6-7).

Given the nature of the service under study, such methodology seemed appropriate. The use of a combination of methods to study the same phenomenon is called triangulation which Patton deems ideal (Patton, 1 990, p. 1 87). This is one way of strengthening a research design, as no one method can solve "the problem of rival causal factors ... Because each method reveals different aspects of empirical reality, multiple methods of observation must be employed" (Denzin, 1 978, p. 28). To begin this exploratory study, the background concerning the state school chaplaincy service is considered crucial and the minutes of CEC relating to the service were used.

The following information concerns the background and nature of state school chaplaincy. It was obtained from an interview with The General Secretary of CEC, Mary Peters en , in 1 998; interviews with two CEC support persons (Interviewee K) (Interviewee G); the minutes of the Executive Meetings from January 1 99 1 to March 1 998 and the three Chaplaincy Assessing Resourcing Equipping (Hereafter c.A.R.E.) courses attended by the researcher in 1 998, 1 999, and 2000.

The idea to develop state school chaplaincy began within the CEC in the late 1 980s. The General Secretary of CEC at the time, Graham Millar, visited Australia on a Churchill Fellowship to look at chaplaincy models in schools there and made a subsequent report (Millar, 1 985).

According to Mary Petersen, the General Secretary of CEC ( 1 990-2000), school chaplaincy was initially used to "listen to children, to help them through crisis situations; and be there for the needy children in schools". However, her school­ relieving experience prior to her becoming General Secretary made her realize that "there is a great need for someone who [understands] the school system, but remains outside it and particularly outside its discipline management system" to be available to the school community. Hence, the emphasis of the service began to shift from children to the whole school community. In any case, by 1 989, ''Tomorrow' s Schools" had been introduced into New Zealand. She pointed out that "one of the key things about 'Tomorrow's Schools' is community involvement", and that Christians and churches are part of that community. She believed "offering a service to schools on behalf of that section of the community is a very appropriate thing to do in the era of Tomorrow' s Schools". She stated that the role of the state school chaplaincy is "to support the schools' pastoral network".

However, chaplaincy did not begin with a stated policy. In fact, the mood was

still tentative in early 1 99 1 at the CEC Executive Meeting after the Wellington Training Programme, regarding both the nature and direction of state school chaplaincy (Minutes of the Executive Meeting, 1 2 March, 199 1 ) (Hereafter MEM). Issues which were still being discussed included whether there should be further training for the chaplaincy trainees of the Wellington Training Programme held in 1 990; what the nature of the relationship was with chaplains working in other capacities such as private schools; whether there should be any difference between those who worked in different levels of the schools; whether the direction of the job description should follow the people who were interested; and whether they should delay the process of moving ahead and monitor carefully the pilot scheme first (MEM 1 2/3/9 1 ). However, by the middle of 1 99 1 , the mood had

become more certain when CEC saw it necessary "to keep open opportunity for Government to acknowledge CEC as an agent or co-ordinating body for chaplaincy in state schools" (MEM 23/7/9 1 ).

By 1 993, CEC began to consider if "chaplaincy is another important strand of activity and development" even though the emphasis was still Religious Education (MEM 5/4/93). The Bible in School programme is offered by CEC and Peters en regards CEC as "after all the educational arm of the churches' (Petersen,

n.d., p. 48). The CEC National Chaplaincy Workgroup, composed of people involved in chaplaincy at various levels, such as chaplains, supervisors and the local chaplaincy co-ordinators from a number of districts, began to help to develop a policy which stated what chaplaincy could and could not offer to schools. The policy was circulated, reviewed, and re-written a number of times, especially after discussions at the First Chaplaincy Co-ordinators' Conference (MEM 22//2/93) (MEM 1 5/3/93) (MEM 1 0/ 1 2/93). By 1 994, it was finally accepted in principle (MEM 2 1 /3/94). CEC decided that all churches were to be informed of the chaplaincy policy (MEM 3 1/5/93). Such policies were to be compiled into a set of CEC policy statements as a reference for all denominational representatives (MEM 1 3/9/93). Participants at a chaplaincy course were now given, with their resource kit, a page outlining what a chaplain may offer to schools and what a chaplain should avoid doing (Appendix 1 ).