The lived experiences of Catholic school administrators during COVID – A descriptive case study

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to capture the creative and innovative approaches and initiatives undertaken by Catholic school leaders as they led their schools through the COVID-19 pandemic. The initial survey identified the issues experienced, followed by a second step: a focus group that brought together volunteer participants from the survey population to analyse the results and share their experiences in more detail. I collected survey data using the advanced version of SurveyMonkey. The data collected from the survey were organised and coded, and showed that the survey participants found the main challenge during the pandemic was handling unique, unforeseen circumstances, with many plans discarded and a constant need for adaptation. Their response to those challenges provided a compelling story, and the research findings supported the project’s research goal of capturing the lived experiences of Catholic school leaders who led their schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
International Studies in Catholic Education
Published
2026-08-14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/19422539.2026.2716113
Primary Topic
Educational Assessment and Improvement
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

The lived experiences of Catholic school administrators during COVID – A descriptive case study

Mary Patricia Schlickenmaier
International Studies in Catholic Education
Educational Assessment and Improvement
article

The lived experiences of Catholic school administrators during COVID – A descriptive case study

Mary Patricia Schlickenmaier
article en

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to capture the creative and innovative approaches and initiatives undertaken by Catholic school leaders as they led their schools through the COVID-19 pandemic. The initial survey identified the issues experienced, followed by a second step: a focus group that brought together volunteer participants from the survey population to analyse the results and share their experiences in more detail. I collected survey data using the advanced version of SurveyMonkey. The data collected from the survey were organised and coded, and showed that the survey participants found the main challenge during the pandemic was handling unique, unforeseen circumstances, with many plans discarded and a constant need for adaptation. Their response to those challenges provided a compelling story, and the research findings supported the project’s research goal of capturing the lived experiences of Catholic school leaders who led their schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.

International Studies in Catholic Education
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 4%
Educational Assessment and Improvement
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