Examining philosophical perspectives of Soka educators in liberal arts settings for value-creating professional development approaches

The philosophical foundations of professional development in most educational disciplines shape the individual perspectives and commitments of practitioners. An emerging group of Soka (value-creating) educators has advanced in their discipline through self-directed professional development based on Soka education philosophy theorized by Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and actualized in Soka school systems by Daisaku Ikeda. How distinctive philosophical professional development approaches of Soka educators translate into measurable perspectives on teaching warrants examination. This study examined differences in philosophical perspectives of Soka and non-Soka faculty. The assumption was that distinctions in the professional development of Soka and non-Soka faculty reflect in their teaching philosophy. Using a three-phase framework (conceptualization, mentorship, and diversification) of philosophical professional development approaches, this study tested for differences in the teaching philosophy of Soka and non-Soka faculty. Pratt and Collins' Teaching Perspectives Inventory (TPI) measured teaching philosophies with standardized scales for five teaching perspectives (Transmission, Apprenticeship, Developmental, Nurturing, and Social Reform) and three commitments to teaching (Beliefs, Intentions, and Actions). Using a causal-comparative non-equivalent group post-test only design, convenience samples of 21 self-identified Soka faculty and 63 non-Soka faculty teaching liberal arts undergraduates in United States higher education institutions participated. While both perspective and commitment scores were higher for the Soka sample, ANOVA testing showed significantly stronger orientations toward Apprenticeship and Intention among Soka faculty. The level of education and years of career experience were also higher for Soka than non-Soka instructors, but not gender, workload, or discipline. This study provides the first reported empirical and quantitative evidence that Soka (value-creating) faculty have undergone previous professional development based on philosophical approaches of Soka education. These approaches theorized by Makiguchi and actualized by Ikeda share heightened Soka awareness, a significantly stronger Apprenticeship perspective and a higher Intention commitment to teaching. Together with a critical analysis of research literature, this study's findings and three-phase professionalization framework expand awareness about Soka approaches of mentorship, Ikeda's action theories of espoused humane teaching propositions, and commitment to teaching. Future research should probe the relationship between framework's professional development model and Pratt's teaching perspective and commitment model using quasi-experimental designs and larger samples.