SGI Canada Educators' Perspectives on Creating Value in the Teaching and Learning Environment

https://doi.org/10.35912/jshe.v3i2.1312
Published: Feb 6, 2023

Abstract:

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the perspectives and experiences of educators who practice Soka (value-creating) pedagogy in their teaching and learning environment.

Methodology: The participants were educators who were teaching, or had taught, in a formal public or private education system in Canada and were also affiliated with the Soka Gakkai International Association of Canada Educators Group. An online survey was distributed to the educators describing the study and requesting their participation in a semi-structured interview. Fourteen survey respondents were chosen for an interview.

Results: The study’s findings revealed important themes concerning how Soka education positively influenced the educators’ relationships with their students, how teachers structured their teaching and learning environment, how teachers perceived their role as educators, and how the teachers’ Buddhist spiritual practice inspired and guided their application of Soka education.

Limitations: The findings are best interpreted within the study’s limitation of selecting participants from a teacher population that would likely perceive Soka education in a largely favorable light.

Contribution: Our research poses potential inquiries for further study, given the novelty of the finding that identified how teachers used their Buddhist practice to inspire and advance their teaching. This aspect of teaching practice is not widely represented to date in the Soka education discourse and may have implications for future investigation.

Keywords:
1. Soka education
2. value creation
3. humanistic
4. Buddhism
Authors:
1 . Paul Sherman
Community Social Services Department, Soka Education Research Centre on Global Citizenship, University of Guelph-Humber, Toronto, Canada
2 . Olivia Boukydis
Community Social Services Department, Soka Education Research Centre on Global Citizenship, University of Guelph-Humber, Toronto, Canada
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Sherman, P., & Boukydis, O. (2023). SGI Canada Educators’ Perspectives on Creating Value in the Teaching and Learning Environment. Journal of Social, Humanity, and Education, 3(2), 133–146. https://doi.org/10.35912/jshe.v3i2.1312
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Issue & Section
Vol. 3 No. 2 (2023): February
Articles
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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  1. Attride-Stirling, J. (2001). Thematic networks: an analytic tool for qualitative research. Qualitative research, 1(3), 385-405.
  2. Canada, S. (n.d.). About SGI Canada. Retrieved from https://www.sgicanada.org/about
  3. Gakkai, S. (n.d.-a). At A Glance. Retrieved from https://www.sokaglobal.org/about-the-soka-gakkai/at-a-glance.html
  4. Gakkai, S. (n.d.-b). Practicing Buddhism. Retrieved from https://www.sokaglobal.org/practicing-buddhism.html
  5. Goulah, J. (2020). Human education: Daisaku Ikeda’s philosophy and practice of ningen ky?iku. Schools, 17(1), 153-170.
  6. Goulah, J., & Gebert, A. (2009). Tsunesaburo Makiguchi (1871–1944): Educational philosophy in context. Educational Studies: A Jrnl of the American Educ. Studies Assoc, 45(2).
  7. Hefron, J. (2014). To be or not to be”: The question of incommensurability in Soka or value-creating education.
  8. Ikeda, D. (2010a). A new humanism: The university addresses of Daisaku Ikeda: Bloomsbury Publishing.
  9. Ikeda, D. (2010b). Soka education: For the happiness of the individual: Middleway Press.
  10. Ikeda, D. (2013). The New Human Revolution, 24
  11. Ikegami, K., & Agbenyega, J. S. (2014). Exploring Educators' Perspectives: How does Learning through ‘Happiness’ Promote Quality Early Childhood Education? Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 39(3), 46-55.
  12. Ikegami, K., & Rivalland, C. (2016). Exploring the quality of teacher–child interactions: The Soka discourse in practice. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 24(4), 521-535.
  13. Inukai, N. (2020). The" Being" and" Doing" of a" Good Teacher" from a Soka Perspective: DePaul University.
  14. Joffee, M., Goulah, J., & Gebert, A. (2009). Practical implementation of Soka education: A dialogue with Monte Joffee. Educational Studies, 45(2), 181-192.
  15. Kuo, N.-C., Wood, A., & Williams, K. (2021). Actualizing hope and joy in K-12 Curricula through Daisaku Ikeda’s human education. Journal of Social, Humanity, and Education, 2(1), 19-34.
  16. Makiguchi, T., & Bethel, D. M. (1989). Education for creative living: Ideas and proposals of Tsunesaburo Makiguch. Trans. Alfred Birnbaum. 1st edition. Ames: Iowa State Pr.
  17. Marzam, M., Elpina, D., Rusdinal, R., Ananda, A., & Gistituati, N. (2022). Comparison of Indonesian and Malaysian character education. Journal of Social, Humanity, and Education, 2(2), 115-128.
  18. Miftahurrohmah, U. U., Hariri, H., Rini, R., & Rohmatillah, R. (2021). Exemplary leadership practices in early childhood education in preparing the golden generations for Indonesia. Journal of Social, Humanity, and Education, 1(4), 253-268.
  19. Mokuria, V., & Wandix-White, D. (2020). Care and value-creating education put into action in Brazil: A narrative inquiry. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 9(SI), 14-32.
  20. Muhammed, A. Y., Dutsinma, A. L., Suleiman, S., & Ahmed, A. (2021). The impact of teaching methods on the performance of geography students in some selected public secondary schools in Zaria local government area, Kaduna State, Nigeria. Journal of Social, Humanity, and Education, 1(2), 143-155.
  21. Nagashima, J. T. (2012). Daisaku Ikeda's philosophy of Soka education in practice: A narrative analysis of culturally specific language. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, 9(1-2), 132-151.
  22. Nuñez, I., Goulah, J., & Dillard, C. B. (2021). Hope and Joy in Education: Engaging Daisaku Ikeda Across Curriculum and Context: Teachers College Press.
  23. Sherman, P. D. (2016). Value creating education and the capability approach: A comparative analysis of Soka education’s facility to promote well-being and social justice. Cogent Education, 3(1), 1138575.
  24. Sunarti, V., Hafizah, H., Rusdinal, R., Ananda, A., & Gistituati, N. (2022). Comparison of Indonesian and Finnish Education Curriculum. Journal of Social, Humanity, and Education, 2(2), 141-152.
  25. Toda, J. (n.d.). Human Revolution. Retrieved from https://www.joseitoda.org/religious/hr.html