The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community (JFEC) publishes double-blind peer-reviewed articles related to the role of faith communities in personal and public well-being. The audience for the journal is made up of individuals and organizations who are interested in advancing research, learning, and practices influenced by faith in the community. Articles should promote good research, education, service, and leadership in promoting the role of faith communities in personal and public well-being.
The following list describes some (not necessarily all) topics that might be considered: Traumatic events, physical or mental illness, race/ethnicity, gender issues, education, law enforcement, aging issues, poverty, and substance abuse.
The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community is published annually. Guidelines for manuscript development are provided below. Manuscripts and inquiries should be sent to the Editors, Dr. Osaro E. Airen, at oairen@vt.edu
Please see About This Journal for more information.
Current Issue: Volume 8, Issue 1 (2026) Faith, Formation, and Human Flourishing
Education has long been understood as more than the transmission of information. At its best, education shapes not only what we know, but also who we become. The articles in this issue of The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community collectively remind us that learning is never merely cognitive. It is relational, moral, cultural, and, for many, profoundly spiritual. Although the manuscripts in this issue span diverse contexts, including K-12 education, higher education, teacher preparation, nursing, leadership, disability studies, and family life, they are united by a common question: What difference does faith make in the lives of learners, educators, families, and communities? Taken together, these manuscripts challenge narrow conceptions of both education and faith. They encourage us to view education as an enterprise concerned with the formation of whole persons and faith as a dynamic influence that intersects with identity, culture, vocation, leadership, justice, and community. They also remind us that meaningful scholarship emerges when researchers attend carefully to lived experience, honoring the voices of participants while engaging questions that matter beyond any single discipline. Ultimately, these manuscripts remind us that education remains, at its heart, a profoundly human endeavor. It is our hope that the scholarship presented in this issue will encourage continued dialogue across disciplines, educational contexts, and faith traditions. More importantly, we hope it will invite readers to reflect on the enduring question that quietly weaves these contributions together: not simply what education accomplishes, but who education calls us to become.Articles
Reintegrating Wisdom: A Cultural-Sciences Framework for Linking Music, Faith, and STEM Education
Yoonil Auh, Minjeong Cho, and Sang-eun Hwang
Teaching as Testimony: Examining the Relationship Between High School Teachers’ Faith Identity and Pedagogy
Candace M. Kyles
Perceptions of the Divine in Secular Spaces: A Study of U.S. Public-School Teachers
Dennis Eastman and Nicholas Block
Beyond Preparation: Spiritual and Communal Formation for Urban Catholic School Teachers
Audrey A. Friedman, Myra Rosen-Reynoso, Charles T. Cownie III, Maria A. Moreno Vera, and Cristina J. Hunter PhD
A Charism-Based Faculty Instruction Framework for Nursing Education: Integrating Values-Driven Pedagogy in Blended Learning Environments
Humprey G. Icban, Anele C. Mallari, Cherry B. Lazatin, Aurora R. Valencia, Lilibeth G. Sales, Ulysses J. Rengel, and Marie Aileen L. Domingo
Navigating Identity, Finding Belonging: Exploring Muslim Students’ Experiences in Higher Education
Milie Majumder
God > grit: A phenomenological analysis of intrinsic and extrinsic motivating factors for Black male students previously labeled “at-risk”
Marcia J. Watson-Vandiver
Our Children Are Sacred: Faith, Disability Justice, and Educational Hope
Charles E. Becknell Jr., Pricella Morris, Monique Matute-Chavarria, and Deirdre A. Williams
Rural Women Rising to Leadership Positions: The Influence of Their Christian Faith and Shepherding Style
Jose Carbajal, Bonita Sharma, Cherhonda Brown, Teresa Tarver, and Emily Powell
Promises Fulfilled: 114-Year-Old Alelia Murphy’s Life of Faith and Resilience
Jacqueline B. Koonce