Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

School of Education

First Advisor

Marc Shelton, EdD

Second Advisor

Nicole Enzinger, Ph.D.

Abstract

This qualitative case study examined how K–12 Christian school administrators in the Pacific Northwest perceived critical thinking (CT) as part of their schools’ missional fulfillment and the extent to which those perceptions aligned with school mission statements and related missional outcome documents. Guided by a conceptual framework focused on administrator perceptions of CT and the missional language of institutional documents, the study used multiple sources of evidence, including open-ended surveys, document analysis, and follow-up interviews. The bounded sample included Christian schools in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho affiliated with ACSI, ACCS, and/or SCL in which CT appeared in public mission-related language. Survey responses were analyzed thematically, school mission and outcome documents were reviewed for CT related language, and one embedded unit was triangulated across survey, interviews, and document data. Findings indicated that administrators generally understood CT as the connected application, evaluation, and disciplined use of knowledge rather than as a mere recall or routine academic performance. Participants often articulated richer and more developed understanding of CT than were visible in school mission documents, which frequently names CT in theological terms, connecting it to Scripture, biblical worldview, discernment, wisdom, and faithful living. Finally, the study found that the central challenge was not whether schools valued CT, but whether they had sufficient conceptual clarity, shared definitions, and institutional coherence to enact CT consistently in practice.

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