The impact of Catholic schools : a reflection on the local situation

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative research was to find out whether Catholic schools in Malta are leaving an impact on their students. It starts by giving a brief background about what makes a Catholic school. In doing so, a special reference is made to various Church documents. Reference is also made to Pre and Post Vatican II schooling. A distinction between Catholic, State and Private schools was also made. All this helped in giving a definition of what makes a Catholic school. This must be clear before analysing whether Catholic schools are really leaving an impact. This study was limited only to the secondary schools and the data for this research was collected mainly from books, journals, Church documents but also from interviews. Head of schools together with parents were interviewed and their answers were analysed. Through these interviews certain conclusions were retreived on the impact of Catholic schools and also I was able to have a greater understanding of what Head teachers and parents think about this topic. The results show that Catholic schools are leaving an impact on the students, both „Immediate‟ and „Long Term‟. In Malta we do not have enough information nor research completed in this field. This research can serve to help leaders of Catholic Schools continue in their good work and indeed to improve its quality through these recommendations made as a result of this research.