Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'New Zealand Ministry of Education'

In 2002 New Zealand�s government set out to "accelerate" the nation�s "transformation into a knowledge society" (Ministry of Education, 2002a, p. 16). Underpinning the development of this so-called 'knowledge society' was a new approach in the way tertiary education was funded. This included introducing a new contestable model of research funding called Performance-Based Research Funding (PBRF). The research reported here was conducted at a critical juncture in the ongoing development and implementation of PBRF because it captures the experiences of fifteen academics as they encounter PBRF and the Quality Evaluation exercise for the first time. Their experiences of the inaugural 2003 Quality Evaluation exercise were examined using a discourse analysis approach informed by Michel Foucault�s (1926-1984) ideas of 'subjection' and 'governmentality'. 'Subjection' occurs when individuals shape their identities by responding to the multiple discourses that are available to them at any particular time and within any historical context (Foucault, 1969). 'Governmentality' refers to a particular instrument, technique or activity that guides and shapes conduct by producing a compliant human subject capable of supporting the interests and objectives of the state (Foucault, 1994a). In the case of academics this might mean conforming to PBRF policies and practices and participating in the development and transformation of a new 'knowledge society'. In this thesis I examine the potential for PBRF to reshape and redirect the nature of research and suggest that some assessment elements of the 2003 Quality Evaluation were flawed and, as a result, a number of participants in this study were now making decisions about their research that appeared contrary to their best interests. I also investigate PBRF as a field of compliance and argue that the Quality Evaluation exercise represents a technology of government that targets the activities and practices of New Zealand�s research academics with the effect of manifesting a more docile and compliant academic subject. I then question PBRF�s impact on the career aspirations and opportunities of academics and claim that the PBRF Quality Evaluation framework has already shifted from being a mechanism for distributing funds for research to one that identifies and rewards the most 'talented' researchers via institutional appointments and promotions. Finally, I interrogate the pursuit and practice of academic freedom and argue that as a consequence of PBRF, a number of participants in this study have positioned themselves in ways that could diminish and constrain their traditional rights to academic freedom. PBRF has the potential to locate academics within a new status-driven hierarchy of professional validation whereby the Quality Evaluation exercise will purportedly measure, evaluate and reward the most 'talented' researchers and the 'best' research. In this thesis I argue that the PBRF Quality Evaluation framework operates as a form of disciplinary power exercised as part of an international trend of intensifying audit and assessment practices in higher education. In this sense, I claim that PBRF exists as an instrument of governmentality capable of constituting a new type of academic subject by significantly shifting the way academics will have to think and conduct their professional selves in relation to their work and research.

Between 1880 and 1980 the ordained ministry of the Methodist Church of New Zealand faced many changes. This study seeks to examine the way in which, during this period, the ministry lost much of its homogeneity to become instead a more diverse body, made up of and valuing a greater range of people with new and varied gifts, and prepared to explore and experiment with alternative ways of offering ministry. In doing so the thesis will concentrate on the ministry of the Wesleyans and, later, the united Methodist Church, although indicating in a general way some of the thinking and practices of the other Methodist traditions in New Zealand. The special position of the Maori ministry will be discussed in further chapters, but for the most part this study will focus on the Church's European ministry. In tracing the development of this change to the ordained ministry, two major themes have emerged, both of which have challenged traditional assumptions about the changing nature of such a ministry. The first has been the desire for rigid concepts of ministry and a narrowly defined presbyterate to be opened up and made more inclusive and more flexible. As the Church has re-examined its understanding of ministry, then, it has developed a whole new theology of ministry and laity. The second has been an increasing trend towards "professionalisation and specialisation” within ordained ministry. This is expressed in the desire that the Church and the presbyterate do things in a 'professional’ way, seeking 'professional' competence. These themes run throughout the chapters to follow. This study is divided into five chapters, each examining some aspect of the changing nature the Methodist presbyterate between 1880 and 1980. The first will look at how the ordained related to their lay colleagues in ministry, and in the way in which this gradually changed as the Church accepted a more equal view of ministry. The second will trace the growth in alternative forms of ordained ministry, reflecting the Church's new willingness to experiment with different ways of working. The third will show how restrictions upon those who could enter the presbyterate were removed, allowing women, married men and Maori to be admitted to ordained ministry with full status. The fourth will trace the changing history of the process by which the Church selected its candidates for ministry – a history revealing, among other things, the desire for a more professional expertise. Finally, the fifth will show how Methodist education for ministry has developed over the century, gradually becoming more individually flexible within the College and without. The research for this work is mainly based on written, Methodist sources. The most useful of these have been the minutes of the Methodist Annual Conference. These contain the annual reports of the Church's committees, departments and institutions, and the resolutions passed by the Conference. Certain statistical material may also be derived from various lists (like, for example, the stationing list) and from the questions of Conference. This material is sometimes problematical as the Church has often displayed a lack of consistency in the way these have been kept (by, for example, changing categories and including people in more than one list). Specific problems are noted with the appropriate tables. The Church's law books have proved to be another useful source. Produced more irregularly (in thirteen editions between 1880 and 1980), these contain the rules and regulations of the Church. A less official source than these is the Journal of Conference, which records the daily business of the Conference, and so reveals something of the process leading up to the final resolutions found in the minutes. It includes the unacceptable motions and reports that are not recorded in the minutes, and some of the debate - with the names of those included - surrounding an issue. The Church's newspaper the New Zealand Methodist Times, also contains more detailed reports on aspects of the Conference, together with all sorts of articles and letters to do with Church life.

This thesis reports on an ethnographic research project that explored the experiences and perspectives of a group of women in New Zealand higher education, including international and New Zealand students and partners of international students. The study had two aims. The first was to disrupt the inattention to gender and to students' partners and families in New Zealand international education research and policy. The second was to problematise Eurocentric assumptions of (predominantly Asian) international students' 'cultural difference', and of New Zealanders' homogenised sameness. The theoretical framework for the study was informed by a range of conceptual tools, including feminist, critical theory, post-structural, and postcolonial perspectives. In drawing on feminist perspectives, the study was driven by a concern with acknowledging the importance and value of women's lives, looking for women where they are absent from policy and analysis, and attending to the mechanisms through which some women's lives are rendered invisible in internationalised higher education. In considering these mechanisms and women's lives in relation to them the study also drew on post-structural notions of discourse, power, and agency. It explored how dominant discourses in internationalised higher education reveal and reproduce historically-grounded relations of power that are intentionally or unintentionally performed, subverted and/or resisted by women and those they encounter. Using Young's (1990, 2000) approach to critical theory, the study also considered alternative ways of constructing internationalised higher education that were suggested in women's accounts. As a critical feminist ethnography the study was shaped by my theoretical framework (above), critical literature on heterogeneous social groups, and feminist concerns with relationship, reciprocity and power in the research process. Fieldwork took place during 2005 and 2006 and involved two aspects: the establishment and maintenance of an intercultural group for women associated with a higher education institution, and 28 interviews with 20 women over two years. Interviewees were recruited through the group and included eight international students, nine New Zealand students and three women partners of international students. Study findings challenged the assumption that international and local students are distinct and oppositional groups. They also highlighted the importance of recognising the legitimate presence of international students' partners and accompanying family members at all levels in higher education. International and New Zealand women alike found the intercultural group a useful source of social and practical support and information, and a point of access to other sources of support and information. Women reflected on moving between many different kinds of living and learning contexts, highlighting the importance of: clear processes and pathways for accessing information and practical support when experiencing transition; teaching that is engaging, effective, and responsive; and opportunities to develop connections with other people both on and off campus. Rather than revealing clear patterns of difference or sameness across women, the study highlighted the importance of policy, research, teaching and support practices that are open and responsive to women's actual viewpoints and needs, and that neither re-entrench difference nor assume sameness.

The focus of this research dissertation is social work field education in New Zealand. The purpose of conducting the study was to ascertain how both students and field educators experienced teaching and learning in the field. Results indicate that while teaching and learning thinking and theory have evolved in recent years to include a critical reflective dimension, the practice of field education is still largely based on an apprenticeship model. Practice experience and theoretical input relating to areas of societal inequality as well as the political context in which field education is delivered explain the continued use of the apprenticeship model. Students and field educators do, however, share a vision for how field education should be delivered. They agree on the attributes of an effective field educator, and on the methods needed to enhance practice teaching and learning. The research has, nevertheless, identified a discrepancy between this shared vision for field education and the reality that students experience in the field. Field educators are clearly marginalised in their role. Their work as educators is not sanctioned or recognised by employing agencies, and workload pressure frequently militates against social workers being able to accommodate students on placement. In this climate a minimalist approach to field education is adopted, resulting in unqualified social work staff and people who are not social workers acting as field educators. Without radical shifts in the recognition, resourcing and organisation of field education, student learning in the field will continue to be compromised. The theoretical framework used in this research was derived from existing learning theory, which was then reconceptualised and developed in light of the research outcomes to formulate a contemporary theory for practicum learning.

This study investigates how teacher beliefs, programmes and practices contribute to gender construction, within co-educational secondary schools, in New Zealand. It explores how physical education teaching practices support and reinforce socially desirable forms of masculinity and femininity. The research utilises interviews with teachers and students in co-educational secondary schools in the Canterbury region. Students and teachers offer narratives surrounding the gendered beliefs and practices that are inherent in physical education classes. The evidence presented represents the collaborative ideas of four teachers and twenty students. The discussion investigates the nature of teacher beliefs surrounding the development of gender, and examines the hidden curriculum that supports the replication and legitimisation of socially desirable forms of masculinity and femininity. In particular, it examines teachers' understandings of masculinity and femininity, the hierarchies and different expectations of achievement and behaviour that exist in physical education classes. It examines how changes in physical education programmes, have challenged explicit issues relating to gender, while hidden messages have not been addressed. Lastly the discussion reflects on the reasons why gender constructions go unchallenged, and provides insight into possible avenues to instigate change. This research indicates how gender continues to be constructed due to the hidden curriculum that is operationalised by teachers and students in physical education classes. It suggests strategies that would assist in changing and challenging the gender construction in physical education. Finally, the study concludes that in order for gender construction to be reduced within from the physical education classroom the physical education sector must strive to challenge existing ideologies and develop practices that allow and provide for a diverse range of masculinities and femininities.

During 2010 and 2011, major earthquakes caused widespread damage and the deaths of 185 people in the city of Christchurch. Damaged school buildings resulted in state intervention which required amendment of the Education Act of 1989, and the development of ‘site sharing agreements’ in undamaged schools to cater for the needs of students whose schools had closed. An effective plan was also developed for student assessment through establishing an earthquake impaired derived grade process. Previous research into traditional explanations of educational inequalities in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and New Zealand were reviewed through various processes within three educational inputs: the student, the school and the state. Research into the impacts of urban natural disasters on education and education inequalities found literature on post disaster education systems but nothing could be found that included performance data. The impacts of the Canterbury earthquakes on educational inequalities and achievement were analysed over 2009-2012. The baseline year was 2009, the year before the first earthquake, while 2012 is seen as the recovery year as no schools closed due to seismic events and there was no state intervention into the education of the region. National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) results levels 1-3 from thirty-four secondary schools in the greater Christchurch region were graphed and analysed. Regression analysis indicates; in 2009, educational inequalities existed with a strong positive relationship between a school’s decile rating and NCEA achievement. When schools were grouped into decile rankings (1-10) and their 2010 NCEA levels 1-3 results were compared with the previous year, the percentage of change indicates an overall lower NCEA achievement in 2010 across all deciles, but particularly in lower decile schools. By contrast, when 2011 NCEA results were compared with those of 2009, as a percentage of change, lower decile schools fared better. Non site sharing schools also achieved higher results than site sharing schools. State interventions, had however contributed towards student’s achieving national examinations and entry to university in 2011. When NCEA results for 2012 were compared to 2009 educational inequalities still exist, however in 2012 the positive relationship between decile rating and achievement is marginally weaker than in 2009. Human ethics approval was required to survey one Christchurch secondary school community of students (aged between 12 and 18), teachers and staff, parents and caregivers during October 2011. Participation was voluntary and without incentives, 154 completed questionnaires were received. The Canterbury earthquakes and aftershocks changed the lives of the research participants. This school community was displaced to another school due to the Christchurch earthquake on 22 February 2011. Research results are grouped under four geographical perspectives; spatial impacts, socio-economic impacts, displacement, and health and wellbeing. Further research possibilities include researching the lag effects from the Canterbury earthquakes on school age children.

The outcome of demographics which point to a rapid increase in the number of older adults in the population has been widely debated in the literature. However, it has been examined primarily from the perspective of an unrealistically optimistic or unduly pessimistic view of the future, with few attempts to provide other alternatives. This thesis is structured in three sections. The first backgrounds the context of the research question, the relevant literature, the prospect of gender bias in that literature and the historical development of government policy towards ageing. The second section presents a theoretical perspective for social change, examines the development of social movements and puts a case for a new social movement arising out of the increasing number of older adults and supporting educative processes. The third section reports on empirical research based on interviews in Australia and New Zealand with leaders of organisations involved with older adults and focuses on drawing conclusions from the research in relation to the research question. The theory proposed in this thesis is based on the premise that an opportune time in history exists for older adults to contribute to social and political change. However, for senior members of society to undertake this role will require education in some form, to act as an agency or catalyst to initiate an organised social movement. Findings of this research support the view that the majority of older adults remain fit and healthy and do not conform to the medicalisation approach to ageing on which government policy and, to a large extent, public attitudes, have been formed. While there would be problems of organisation in the formation of a new social movement there are no insurmountable obstacles to overcome. The greatest difficulty would seem to lie in overcoming inertia, sectional interests, generating the leadership and developing innovative and imaginative educative processes.
Subscription resource available via Digital Dissertations only.

This study is a conceptual analysis of specific terms and constructs that have become entrenched within education policy and practice in New Zealand within the 21st century – namely diversity , and Pasifika education. It is uncommon for users of these terms (educators, policy makers and researchers) to make their understandings and use of such terms explicit. In the absence of close and careful critique, limited and partial understandings of groups of learners constructed as diverse and different escape interrogation. The overall risks of this lack of conceptual clarity are: simplification and even misapprehensions of key dimensions of groups such as Pasifika learners and their communities. This results in unarticulated assumptions having undue influence over educators’, policymakers’ and researchers’ perspectives and their subsequent decision-making. The philosophical research questions of this study are addressed through a deconstructivist research framework that draws on the theorisations of J.R. Martin; M. Foucault’s theorisations relating to the historical analysis of ideas; and discourse theorising of a primarily post-structuralist nature. Six analyses were developed in order to address the research questions. Three focused on the level of national policies, macro-level influences, and post-colonial indigenous visioning. Three analyses are based on a selection of narrative accounts of Samoan women across time and space, examining education as a process of change, and its effects on personal identity and culture. The study critically reflects on the underlying values and belief systems of both policy and practice. It identifies and examines the tension between the state’s priorities for the provision of education for Pasifika peoples on the one hand, and Pasifika peoples’ motivations for pursuing and participating in education on the other. This is done in an effort to challenge complacency, provide alternative perspectives, deepen insights and strengthen understandings amongst those actively engaged as educators, policy makers and researchers in the education and development of Pasifika peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand.

This study of the governance of theological education examines significant policy and management decisions within Presbyterian ministry training in New Zealand between 1961 and 1997 in the light of Edward Farley�s integrated goal for theological education, theologia. Edward Farley�s argument that theologia, integration of theology (scientia) and theology (habitus), was fragmented from the first use of modern research university education as professional education for ordained ministry in the 1880s, provides a theoretical framework for analysing the influence of governance on theologia, through its effect on institutional organisation, structure and curricula. International unease about theological education is reflected in New Zealand Presbyterian ministry formation, though little sustained critical analysis is yet published in New Zealand. The period under study begins in 1961 when the Special Committee on Theological Training called for a Chair in Pastoral Theology to 1997 when the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand opened its Centre for Advanced Ministry Studies, later renamed the School of Ministry. Criteria signifying recovery and/or fragmentation of theologia drawn from Farley�s arguments are searched for in the beginning of University theology at Berlin and the beginning of ministry formation in Dunedin, New Zealand. The intervening time till 1960 is similarly analysed. Governance decisions about Pastoral Theology in the first case study and governance decisions about University, church and theology in the second, are then assessed. Constant rearranging of pastoral theology programmes symptomises increasing fragmentation of theologia as does the creation of a Pastoral Chair. Pastoral theology is left with the integrative responsibility, rendering other disciplines more scientific as feared by some Theological Hall teachers. Outside the University from 1876-1946, New Zealand Presbyterian ministry formation was still influenced by University expectations from Scotland and Berlin. After 1946, teaching within the University of Otago Faculty of Theology, Presbyterian teachers enjoyed considerable opportunities for integrated teaching. Fragmentation of theologia was therefore delayed and to some extent retarded. Increased University influence from 1992 meant these opportunities were lost. Finally, around the 1996 withdrawal of direct University engagement with Presbyterian ministry formation, formational goals were set for the Church�s new Centre of Advanced Ministry Studies. These aimed to integrate theology (scientia) and theology (habitus) retrospectively for ordinands after foundational theological education elsewhere. Earlier 1990s governance decisions affected achievement of these goals. This work argues that between 1961 and 1997 most governance decisions in New Zealand Presbyterian ministry formation exacerbated existing structural fragmentation of theologia. Differing arrangements to alleviate this were attempted, and integration of (scientia) and (habitus) occurred for some students and at different periods. Structurally, however, the University-approved four-fold programme continued, making pastoral theology�s role remained ambiguous and theologia�s fragmentation inevitable. While the New Zealand Presbyterian Church set its own ministry formation goals from 1961-1997, finance, prestige and educational philosophy prevented development of its own programme. Time and money were put into supporting University theology instead, and the University used to produce an educated ministry. It is now inevitable that the Church has to integrate theology (scientia) and theology (habitus) retrospectively for its students after theological education elsewhere.

This is a detailed study of the values embodied in and transmitted by state primary schools in New Zealand between 1890 and 1914. After describing the creation of a network of primary schools and the means by which regular attendance was secured it describes the schools' role in fostering the conventional virtues and certain widely held social attitudes through the "hidden curriculum", through school discipline, and through teachers' example. The social and moral content of schoolwork is then analysed with particular attention to what was said about New Zealand itself and about Maoris and racial differences. A detailed examination is made of a number of attempts to enlist the schools in particular social and moral causes: religious education, temperance, the inculcation of patriotism, sex education, military training, "correct" speech, and secular moral instruction. The closing chapters consider the differential impact of schooling and credentialling on children from different social classes and on boys and girls. This study draws on a wide variety of sources and makes extensive use of a large collection of school texts of the period~ The values schools transmitted reflected a middle class consensus, not seriously challenged by workers. The content of schooling was chiefly contested by middle class groups seeking to purify and improve the existing social order. Middle class groups were ambivalent towards the emergence of a distinctive national identity, but the schools fostered, often as unintended consequences, certain aspects of national identity.

This Master's thesis is a history of apprenticeship in New Zealand. Apprenticeship has traditionally been the main route for entry into the skilled trades. At one level apprenticeship is a way of training people to do a particular job. The apprentice acquires, in a variety of formal and informal ways, the skills necessary to carry out their trade. The skills involved with each trade, tied inextricably to the technology that is used, are seen as the 'property' of the tradesperson. Learning the technical aspects of the job, however, is only a part of what goes on during an apprenticeship. The apprentice is also socialised into the customs and practices of the trade, learning implicitly and explicitly the hierarchies within the workplace, and gaining an appreciation of the status of his or her trade. Apprenticeship must also be viewed in the wider context of the relationship between labour and capital. The use of apprenticeship as an exclusionary device has implications for both worker and employer. Definitions of skill, and the ways in which technological advances are negotiated, are both dependent on the social setting of the workplace, which is mediated by social arrangements such as apprenticeship. This thesis thus traces the development of apprenticeship policies over the years, and examines within a theoretical context the debate surrounding those policies. Several themes emerge including the inadequacy of the market to deliver sustained training, the tension between educators and employers, and the importance of a tripartite accord to support efficient and equitable training. Apprenticeship has proved to be a remarkably resilient system in New Zealand. This thesis identifies factors that have challenged this resilience, such as changes in work practices and technology, and the historically small wage differentials between skilled and unskilled work. It also identifies the characteristics that have encouraged the retention of apprenticeship, such as the small-scale nature of industry in New Zealand, and the latter's distinctive industrial relations system. It is argued that benefits to both employer and worker, and the strength of the socialisation process embodied in apprenticeship, will ensure that some form of apprenticeship remains a favoured means of training young people for many of the skilled trades.

Technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) is the knowledge required for effective technology integration in teaching. In this study, New Zealand high school science teachers’ TPACK was assessed through an online survey. The data and its analysis revealed that New Zealand’s high school science teachers in general had a high perception of their understanding of TPACK and its related constructs. Science teachers had high mean scores on all the constructs on a five- point Likert scale except technological knowledge. There is thus an indication that science teachers in New Zealand perceived themselves as being able to teach with technology effectively. Correlation analysis revealed that all six constructs correlated significantly with TPACK (also referred to as TPCK). Multiple and stepwise regression analyses revealed that Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK) and Technological Content Knowledge (TCK) made statistically significant unique contributions to Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK). Pre-registered teachers indicated that their levels of TCK and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) were lower than more experienced teachers. This implied that recently graduated teachers found it difficult to appropriate the affordances of technology to affect the content they taught. Also, these recently graduated teachers lacked the experience to represent content in a format that made it comprehensible to their learners. The contextual factors that influenced teachers’ use of technology as well as teachers’ TPACK levels were investigated through multiple embedded case studies of six teachers who were regular users of technology in their teaching. The case studies revealed that science teachers used technology to support inquiry learning in a wide range of ways in lower levels of high school but mostly to clarify concepts and theories when it came to the senior level of high school. Teachers demonstrated different levels of expertise and engagement in the use of technology for transferring different types of knowledge from one teaching and learning context to another and for addressing differences amongst learners. This signalled that science teachers’ TPACK apparent developmental levels shifted depending on the context of the assessment requirements of the students. This is a major finding in this study because although previous researchers have assumed that context influences teachers’ TPACK characteristics and development, this study provides evidence of how specific aspects of context influences teachers’ TPACK. This evidence shows examples of how the development of an individual’s TPACK can be considered as dynamic where the interacting constructs and characteristics shift and change based on the context. The recommendations from this study propose that teacher education programmes should ensure that there is a focus on teaching preservice teachers how to appropriate the affordances of technology to teach specific content instead of teaching one technology skills based course. The evidence from this study indicates that teachers in New Zealand schools use collegial approaches in the use of technology. Therefore professional learning programmes should target groups of teachers in the same school or cluster of schools rather than targeting individual teachers. This will enable teachers to share ideas and provide leadership for their colleagues in terms of how to use technology. Again, technology related professional development programmes should move away from enriching teachers’ technological skills to emphasising how teachers can appropriate the affordances of technology in their classroom practices to meet their instructional goals as well as students’ learning outcomes. There is a consequent obligation for teacher educators, educationists and stakeholders to enable teachers to understand how best to harness the increased knowledge retrieval capacity that Information and Communication Technology affords, its information sharing abilities as well as the capacity to engage young people to act as experimenters, designers and creators of knowledge.

This research investigates the relationship between principalship and policy in small New Zealand primary schools. A distinctive feature of small primary schools is that their principals typically have to teach as well as manage. Overseas research indicates that in times of educational reform, teaching principals face particular difficulty and may need special support. Following the watershed educational reforms of 1989 and a decade of ‘hands-off’ policy in education (1989-1999), central policy towards school support in New Zealand is now more ‘hands-on’. The impact of this policy change on small schools has not been researched hi New Zealand, where such schools make up over fifty percent of all primary schools. The aims of this study are to analyse the impact of current support policy in New Zealand on small primary school principalship, and to evaluate the extent to which policy adjustment might be needed in the future. Using multiple methods and a case study approach to gather data, the study focuses on small school principalship in one New Zealand region - the Central Districts region. It also considers the recent policy initiatives, their rationale and the extent to which they appear to be meeting the support needs reported by the principals whose work has been researched in the study. Broadly, the study has found that within small schools, the role-balance within a teaching principal’s work is a critical factor, as the ratio within the principal’s role-balance between the teaching role and the management role creates variation in work-demands, work-strategies and types of support needed. Teaching principals in New Zealand generally feel better supported now than they did in the 1990s and the study identifies factors associated with this change. However the analysis in this study suggests that the current policy aim to both rationalise and strengthen the small school network as a whole is rather problematic. Without better targeted support policy in this area, old style parochial and competitive attitudes between schools are unlikely to change in the future.

The purpose of this thesis is to reflect upon the complex process of educating the sons and daughters of immigrant parents from diverse cultural communities. The study stresses the importance of valuing the language and culture of students in Aotearoa-New Zealand for whom English is another language. It is argued that the discourse of what shall be called ‘technocratic pedagogy’ falls short of meeting this goal. What is needed is more expansive and inclusive programmes that apprehend the social, economic, and political contexts of learning. This is necessary if the students are to continue their education not simply to absorb prescribed information and ideas but to actively understand, question, challenge, and change the school and the classroom. The thesis is written from the perspective of an indigenous Maori teacher trained in technocratic approaches of practice looking to aspects of her intimate culture, Tongan and Samoan ways of representing the world, and Paulo Freire's critical pedagogy to transform contemporary education that tends to exclude the adolescents from learning in school. This thesis is not simply another contribution to the ways in which teachers of school English in general think about methodologies and approaches to learning; rather, it is addressed more specifically to those Maori, Tongan, and Samoan teachers in this country who work with and alongside communities who are from the Kingdom of Tonga and the islands of Samoa. Thus, there is great value placed on educational experience with indigenous Tongan and Samoan teachers and students in an educational project referred to in the thesis as a ‘School-within-a-school’. The School-within-a-school refers to a site of education for teaching school English to immigrant adolescents within a large, state, secondary school in the city of Auckland. Particular attention is also paid to educational experience with indigenous teachers in a Curriculum Committee and Maori and Tongan grassroots organisations located within the same school. A fresh approach to teaching English accepts culture as the ground on which to begin to reflect on a practice within a specific context. The teachers who have a dynamic relationship with students argue that culture is a primary site for contradictions and that a revolutionary challenge to technocratic pedagogy is necessary, but not sufficient, to value and actively include the students in school. Since the English language and its attendant practices, values, traditions, and aspirations are the grounds for the students' marginalisation, immediate, consciously organised changes in the teaching beliefs, contents of education, and society at large in Aotearoa are necessary parts of any reintegrative pedagogy. On this account, the belief is that pedagogy is vitally important since it can enable the students to understand the technocratic discourse and draw upon the personal and collective experiences to counter the tendency that denies them full participation in school and the classroom.
Subscription resource available via Digital Dissertations only.

As a physical education teacher educator and Olympic educator I have become conscious that many physical education teachers have heard of Olympism, but are confused about what it encompasses. Furthermore they are challenged to understand how to teach Olympism in their physical education programmes. The potential of the educative and social value of Olympism is, as yet, unfulfilled. My study is about the content knowledge teachers require for teaching Olympism, the successful pedagogies they use, and the meanings that students derive from putting Olympism into action within, and outside of, the gymnasium. My qualitative case study uses teacher and student interviews, and observations to gather data as it follows the teaching and learning of Olympism in the Year 9 physical education programme of a New Zealand secondary school. In my attempt to understand what teachers need to know and do to make Olympism a reality in physical education programmes I have drawn on aspects of Shulman‟s (1987) seminal framework of teacher knowledge, to understand the content knowledge needed for teaching Olympism, the pedagogical content knowledge required, and the knowledge of students and their characteristics as they learn about Olympism. My findings reveal that teachers require various forms of content knowledge to teach Olympism, such as knowledge of students and their needs, a clear definition of Olympism for the setting, Olympism as a personal life-stance, ethical situations in games, and a holistic physical education curriculum. Pedagogies that the teachers used were found to be the transformation of Olympism into manageable concepts for teaching, the use of experiential and social teaching models in games contexts, and the extensive use of questioning and discussion strategies to develop critical thinking. Evidence shows the range of the students‟ learning, and the development of deeper meanings of Olympism. The students regarded the teacher as a role model of Olympism, and varied in their ability to transfer Olympism understandings into their wider lives. My detailed account of how teachers understand and teach Olympism, and the extent to which students apply their knowledge in class and beyond, offers a practical example of what Olympic education can look like when it has Olympism at its core. Such teaching I have named Olympism education.

This thesis asks: ‘How can tertiary education nurture entrepreneurial creativity?’ Entrepreneurship is considered to be a vital determinant of economic growth and the entrepreneur is understood as someone who innovates and commercialises their own innovation. The setting is New Zealand which is struggling to make the shift from relying on primary production to becoming a ‘creative economy.’ The creative individual has been identified as a new mainstream but it is argued that in New Zealand, education provision is inadequate for supporting the development of the practice of entrepreneurship. The problem is not unique. Various writers are critical of business education generally, and of the mismatch between the passion and chaos in entrepreneurs’ lives and the way education programs are typically organised as a linear sequence of discipline-based courses with prescribed content, activities and outcomes. Rich data were gathered from in-depth interviews with twelve nascent, new or experienced entrepreneurs and two associates (one a marketer, the other a scientist). Each participant was drawn from a different area of economic endeavour. They were asked to share their stories and views about creativity, the connections between creativity and entrepreneurship, business success, formal and informal education, and ways to improve tertiary education programs. The research found that a suitable environment for nurturing creativity will most likely have structure but will also enable chaos. It will present opportunities for experiencing diversity, and will stimulate unconscious and conscious mental processes. It will provide scope for hard work that is fun and involves authentic risk-taking, and will enable both individual and purposeful teamwork. The study also found that business success is not based on knowledge but is rather about being resourceful. The becoming of the creative entrepreneur thus includes developing capability to network with peers and mentors and communicate with customers and staff, and developing passion for and resilience in the pursuit of a dream. The findings suggest that in an age of uncertainty, nurturing entrepreneurial creativity and resourcefulness requires learning to be viewed as a practice-based community process where knowing and doing are interwoven with being. It is argued that this needs to align with Ronald Barnett and Kelly Coate’s (2005) notion of ‘a curriculum for engagement.’ It is suggested that an entire program might simply invite students to work collaboratively to identify and exploit an entrepreneurial opportunity by producing and commercialising an appropriate product/service innovation; to undertake this work as two separate projects – one within an existing organisation, and the other as a new venture; and to theorise their work. It is proposed that a suitable framework lies in William Doll’s (2002) advocacy for a curriculum based on a matrix of five Cs: ‘currere,’ complexity, cosmology, conversation, and community. To these, creativity is added as a sixth C.

In this thesis I portray through a history of music and art education in New Zealand the forms knowledge production took in these subject and the discourses within which they were embedded. This enables a more comprehensive understanding of curriculum and unearths connections with what Lyotard (1984) described as 'grand narrative' used to legitimate knowledge claims and practices at certain historical moments. Through such histories we may chart the progress of European civilization within the local context and provide the historical raison d'être for the present state of affairs in music and arts areas of the New Zealand curriculum. Curriculum and its 'reform' representing in part the distribution of public goods and services, has been embroiled in a market project. I seek to expose the politics of knowledge involved in the construction of the notion of The Arts within a neo-liberal policy environment. This environment has involved the deliberate construction of a 'culture of enterprise and competition' (Peters, 1995: 52) and, in the nurturing of conditions for trans-national capital's freedom of movement, a withdrawal from Keynesian economic and social policy, an assault on the welfare state. The thesis delves beyond the public face of policy-making. It follows and scrutinizes critically the birth of The Arts in the New Zealand Curriculum to the production of the first draft of the proposed policy presented by the Ministry of Education in 1999. I examine it as a site of the 'accumulation of meaning' (Derrida, 1981: 57) through a discussion of the history of meaning of 'art' and 'art' education. There is much of value in the Draft document. In particular, the arts have been invested with a new intellectual weight and the professionalism, passion and dedication of those involved in its writing shines through in each of the subject areas within the arts. However, through a process of analysis, I will show that there has been, in fact, a fashioning of a new container for the isolation of artistic knowledge. This is despite official sentiments mentioning possibilities within the document for flourishing separate Music, Art, Dance, and Drama education that implies increased curriculum space. The Draft Arts (1999) document both disguises and rehashes the 'master narrative' of universal rationality and artistic canons and is unlikely to work towards revitalising or protecting local cultural identities though not through lack of intention. I use Lyotard's notion of 'performativity' to critique notions of 'skills' and their 'development' which are implicitly and explicitly stated within the 'levels' of development articulated in the Draft Arts (1999) document. It is argued that this conflation works to enforce cultural homogeneity. There are clear dangers that the Draft Arts' (1999) conception of 'Arts Literacies' might operate as mere functional literacy in the service of the dominant culture's discourse of power and knowledge-one which celebrates the art-as-commodity ideal. It is argued that the Education Ministry's theoretical and epistemological construction of The Arts as one area of learning is unsound, and in fact represents a tightening of modernism's hierarchical notion of culture. New Zealand, now post-colonial or post-imperialist, both bi-cultural and multi-cultural, is situated on the south-western edge of the Pacific Rim. Culturally, it now includes Pacific Island, Asian, and new immigrants, as well as Maori and people of European descent. This therefore necessitates aesthetic practices which, far from promoting a set of universal principles for the appreciation of art - one canonical rule or 'standard' - recognise and reflect cultural difference. Merely admitting cultural difference is inadequate. By working away critically at the deeply held ethno-centric assumptions of modernism, its selective traditions concerned with 'practices, meanings, gender, "races", classes' (Pollock, 1999: 10), its universalising aesthetics of beauty, formal relations, individuality, authenticity or originality, and self-expression, of 'negativity and alienation, and abstraction' (Huyssens, 1986: 209), it is possible to begin to understand the theoretical task of articulating difference with regard to aesthetics. The development of the arts curriculum in New Zealand is placed within the modernism/postmodernism and modernity/postmodernity debates. These debates have generated a number of questions which are forcing us to re-examine the assumptions of modernism. The need for the culture of modernism to become self-critical of its own determining assumptions in order to come to understand its cultural practices, is becoming an urgent theoretical task, especially in disciplines and fields concerned with the transmission of acquired learning and the production of new knowledge. The culture of modernism is often taken as the historical succession of twentieth century avant-gardes (B. Smith, 1998) yet the culture of modernity, philosophically speaking, strictly begins with René Descartes several hundred years earlier, with a pre-history in the Florentine renaissance and the re-discovery of Graeco-Roman artistic and literary forms going back to the thirteenth century. Aesthetic modernism identifies with consumer capitalism and its major assumptions are rationalist, individualist and focus upon the autonomy of both the 'work of art' and the artist at the expense of the artwork, its reception and audience within its localised cultural context. The ideological features of humanism/liberalism - its privileging of the individual subject, the moral, epistemological and aesthetic privileging of the author/artist - are examined as forces contributing to modernism's major values (or aesthetic). Such approaches, it is argued, were limited for dealing with difference. The security and reproductive nature of modernistic approaches to curriculum in the arts areas are destabilized by thinking within the postmodern turn, and the effects of the changes questioning the basic epistemological and metaphysical assumptions in disciplinary fields including art/literature, artchitecture, philosophy and political theory, are registered here, within the field of the education in and through the arts. In a seminal description or report on knowledge, Jean-François Lyotard defines postmodernism as 'incredulity towards metanarratives' (1984: xxiv). Postmodernism, he argues, is 'undoubtedly part of the modern', 'not modernism at its end but in its nascent state and that state is constant (1984: 79). After Lyotard, postmodernism might be seen, therefore, not just as a mode or manner or attitude towards the past, but also as a materializing discourse comprising a dynamic reassessment and re-examination of modernism and modernity's culture. The thinking subject (the cogito) seen as the fount of all knowledge, its autonomy, and transparency, its consideration as the centre of artistic and aesthetic virtuosity and moral action, is subjected to intellectual scrutiny and suspicion. The need for an aesthetics of difference is contextualised through an examination of western hierarchies of art and the aesthetics of marginalized groups. I use the theories of poststructuralist, Jacques Derrida and Jean-François Lyotard, to examine the concept of difference. These theoretical inspirations are used as methodological tools for offsetting the privileging of the liberal individual and individualism. Rather than the mere consideration of difference in curricula, I seek to insert and establish the principle of an aesthetics of difference into relations of pedagogy and curricula. The implications for professional practice resulting from a recognition of a politics of representation are examined and a politics of difference. I argue that art education in all its manifestations can no longer avoid the deeper implications of involvement with representation, including forms of gender, ethnicity and class representation as well as colonial representation. The Western canon's notion of 'artists' and their 'art', often based upon white bourgeois male representations and used in many primary school classrooms, are part and parcel of 'social and political investments in canonicity', a powerful 'element in the hegemony of dominant social groups and interests' (Pollock, 1999: 9). Difference is not appreciated in this context. School art, music, and drama classrooms can become sites for the postmodern questioning of representation of 'the other'. In this context, an aesthetics of difference insists upon too, the questioning of images supporting hegemonic discourses, images which have filled the spaces in the 'chinks and cracks of the power/knowledge-apparati' (Teresa de Lauretis, 1987 cited in Pollock, 1999: 7-8). What would an 'eccentric rereading', a rediscovery of what the canon's vicarly cloak disguises and reveals, mean for music, and for the individual arts areas of the curriculum? I hope to reveal the entanglements of the cultural dynamics of power through an examination of the traditions of Truth and Beauty in imagery which are to be disrupted by inserting into the canon the principle of the aesthetics of difference. Art education as a politics of representation embraces art's constitutive role in ideology. This is to be exposed as we seek to unravel and acknowledge which kinds of knowledges are legitimised and privileged by which kinds of representations. Which kinds of narratives, historical or otherwise, have resulted in which kinds of depictions through image? A recognition of the increasing specification of the subject demands also the careful investigation of colonial representation, the construction of dubious narratives about our history created through visual imaging and its provision of complex historical references. How have art, music, dance, drama been used in the service of particular political and economic narratives? Through revisioning the curriculum from a postmodern perspective, suggestions are made for an alternative pedagogy, which offsets the ideological features of humanism/liberalism, one in which an aesthetics of difference might pervade cultural practices - 'systems of signification', 'practices of representation' (Rizvi, 1994). I draw upon Lyotard's notion of 'small narratives' (1984), and present an investigation of what the democratic manifestation of 'the differend', and multiple meaning systems, might indicate in terms of 'differencing' music education as a site in which heterogenous value systems and expression may find form.
Whole document restricted, but available by request, use the feedback form to request access.

In the Western world, and specifically in New Zealand, a major impetus for retraining has arisen quite recently and gone largely unnoticed. The new social phenomenon, retraining in the sense of education for occupational change, is examined in this study. Alongside the three traditionally recognised groups of adult learners: those learning for leisure; second chance learners who have been previously educationally disadvantaged; and upskillers who seek to enhance their existing credentials through further tertiary education; is a fourth; the reskillers, those who are seeking education for occupational change. Women are shown to be pioneers in leading social change in this area of retraining. The key questions investigated in this thesis concern the existence of this new phenomenon in New Zealand; whether it is national or worldwide; and whether its origins are local or international. Whether there are distinctive characteristics to the manifestation of this phenomenon in New Zealand is investigated by examining current policy and practice. Additional questions concern whether there are feature of New Zealand employment or education which make upskilling and reskilling more or less likely in this country; the significance of women being the first to take up education for occupational change and what can be learnt from comparison with other countries specifically the Netherlands and England. Education takes place within a set of intersecting socio-political contexts. In the modern world these are simultaneously international, national, local and institutional. They impact on participants in a course of study yet are not often manifest to the individual. 'Learning for life’ is a significant area of both international and national socio-political concern, manifesting itself in a significant set of public discourses and in social phenomena which, as in this case of education for occupational change, are little researched or understood. The historical evolution of public policy relating to adult learners, internationally, and in New Zealand, is documented, with a particular focus on the period from the 1960s onwards. The major theoretical and ideological constructs are outlined and critiqued particularly with reference to public policy in New Zealand. Analysis shows an inexorable shift over time away from knowledge and skills attained through praxis, to knowledge and skills attained through formal institutionalised learning. At the same time as this change was taking place, participation rates in first secondary, and then tertiary, education rose. Concurrently more and more women entered tertiary education in order to make their way into an increasingly credentialised workforce. It is suggested that, credentials are used for screening purposes in addition to providing individuals with knowledge and skills needed for the occupations they enter. Case studies are used to illustrate and document these changes. Policies relating to learning for life are examined with reference to three different countries: New Zealand, England and the Netherlands. Provision of tertiary education for adults is investigated, and then illustrated through the coverage provided by institutions in three cities, Christchurch, Leicester and Utrecht. These studies show that different countries are subject to international geo-political and ideological forces but respond to them in locally and historically determined ways. The case study/qualitative analysis of the Christchurch Polytechnic’s Next Step Centre for Women and the New Outlook for Women courses illustrates the ways in which the twists and turns of public policy in New Zealand over thirty years have affected women wishing to seek education for occupational change. A quantitative study of mature students and their motivations for returning to study at the Christchurch Polytechnic allows for the impact of public policy and institutional provision on a group of mature individuals to be assessed. The study concludes that education for occupational change appears to be more advanced in New Zealand than in the European countries chosen for comparison. This may result more from individual initiative and the conditions which promote this, than from state policy direction or institutional provision. Policy consequences are proposed on the basis of these findings.

This thesis investigates and analyses the Report of the Commission on Education in New Zealand,1962, also known as the 'Currie Report', paying particular attention to the policy process surrounding the written and oral submissions. Views expressed during the submissions and their ideological basis are related to wider power relationships within society. The submissions emanating from outside the Department of Education are revisited as well as the departmental submissions to establish whether there are any grounds to challenge the consensual, liberal interpretations that have been attached to this important New Zealand historical educational document. The issues raised and avoided in the submissions coalesce around specific themes, which are related to the broader issues of the development of New Zealand educational history. Attempts to counteract, mute and marginalise dissent and to encourage optimal social control are witnessed in the organizational structure of the commission and in its methods. The interaction and networking of key participants is studied and the important inter-relationship between central bureaucratic interventions and powerful educational pressure group activity points to the continuing operational success of central government processes. The often competing forces of provincialism and centralism in New Zealand education underlie many of the conflicts surrounding educational change. Religion, race, gender and class are forces that continually interact to create legitimation crises. The governmental attempt to minimise or at least rationalize these socially contested differences in education from 1960-1962 is the subject of this thesis. An analysis is made of the process by which public dissatisfaction regarding education in the fifties and sixties was mediated and largely marginalised by the educational bureaucracy. This is done by a thorough examination of the interaction of pressure groups, unions, media and governmental agencies during the two year submissions to the Commission on Education 1962. The distinction between the commission's report and the submissions and interrogations leading up to the report is important, as the primary data extracted from the primary resource material in the submissions, at times, contradicts the departmental view as expressed in the report itself. In this way it is hoped to move beyond the rhetoric that informs previous commentaries and move closer to an interpretation based upon the primary data.

This study examines the work of Elwyn Stuart Richardson, director and teacher of Oruaiti School between 1949 and 1962, an experimental school in Northland, New Zealand and places it with the context of the history of art education in New Zealand. After documenting the historical and educational reform contexts of the first half of the twentieth century, Richardson’s philosophy of art education is framed through an analysis of moments of his early life, schooling and teaching experiences. Richardson (1925-) is best known for his book In the Early World published by the New Zealand Council of Educational Research in 1964. The book describes his work as a teacher at Oruaiti and highlights his pedagogical belief that the most powerful learning arises out of children’s own lives and experiences, that learning through the arts raises students’ potential for self-knowledge, critical discernment, imagination, understanding, awareness and empathy for others, and that the arts have an important role to play in the fostering of community and social reform. The administration of art and craft education in the New Zealand primary school during Richardson’s years at Oruaiti was shaped by early advances in manual and technical education. The development of these reforms and the varied educational doctrines school officials used to advocate for the inclusion of these subjects in the curriculum are examined from 1885 to 1920. As well, significant educational policies and events in the 1920s provided exposure to progressive education ideology from abroad. These initiatives contributed to the great interest in child art which grew out of the New Education movement of the 1930s. New ideas about the development of artistic ability in children led to innovative policies in art and craft education that transformed teaching practices and the place of art and craft in New Zealand schools during the 1940s and 1950s. The newly formed Art and Craft Branch of the Department of Education in 1946 reorganised the administration of art education to change public perceptions of art, create contexts of art appreciation and develop community education in tandem with primary school art education. Examining Richardson’s educational biography is another lens used to understand his philosophy and pedagogy. Oruaiti's status as an experimental school is explored through the unique relationship of Oruaiti School to the Art and Craft Branch of the Department of Education. Further, Richardson’s developing educational philosophy, in particular his ideas about artistic ability in children and the growth of aesthetic standards, is explored relative to the teaching practices of his day. The study also uncovers the critical role that science played in Richardson’s educational pedagogy and curriculum and the profound influence Richardson’s early educative experiences were to have on the development of his educational philosophy. Locating Richardson’s work within its historical context demonstrates both that he worked in an environment which was hospitable to educational experimentation in the field of art and crafts, and that, on many levels, he transcended the educational practices of his times.

Despite rapid uptake overseas environmental education has received no formal commitment from the New Zealand education system. This study is a multidisciplinary examination of four key questions that are considered to frame the implications of environmental education for educational policy in New Zealand, now. Findings are considered to have international implications.

This thesis examines the quality and effectiveness of diabetes education in New Zealand. It is said that a global diabetes epidemic is underway. If diabetes rates increase as predicted it will become one of the world's main public health problems. Diabetes also presents a huge burden, socially and economically to societies. Education is perhaps one of the most modifiable social determinants of health. Education is vital for diabetes, due to the importance of self care, the severity of complications that can result, to create awareness and help prevent an initial diagnosis. There are many ways in which people can receive diabetes education. One educational provider of importance, in New Zealand is Diabetes New Zealand (DNZ). DNZ is a voluntary organisation and has 41 affiliated societies across New Zealand. In order to improve diabetes educational services and help reduce the burden of diabetes in society it is necessary to gain an understanding of diabetes educational provision. Geography, with its fusion of place and people can offer a valuable contribution to the study of diabetes education. There has been a lack of attention given to public health issues by geographers. A health geography approach that incorporates the concept of place is important as it can provide insight into the way in which people experience different educational spaces. By focusing on aspects of the local environment and investigating elements of place, for example, rural and urban environments or health system organisation, another dimension to understandings of health and people's experiences within health care environments can be obtained. This thesis argues that to improve patient education and diabetes outcomes, people's perceptions and experiences within diabetes educational spaces must be investigated and understood. In addition, the extent to which diabetes educational spaces are utilised must also be explored if educational services are to be improved. The diabetes societies in New Zealand have a vital role in the provision of diabetes education for members. However, there are variations among members' perceptions and experiences within this educational space. To improve educational services, the extent to which they are utilised must also be explored. Again, it is necessary to gain an insight into the perceptions of the consumers, in relation to utilisation, to obtain a holistic understanding of diabetes educational services in New Zealand. A geographical approach to exploring the role of the voluntary sector in diabetes educational provision also provides insight into the geographies of voluntary organisations involved in diabetes education.

This thesis project is undertaken in order to expose and analyse the philosophies of music education of the New Zealand educational system at the primary level. Research is conducted and presented in the disciplines of philosophy, the philosophy of music, the philosophy of education and the philosophy of music education so that this analysis might be as conceptually broad and deep as possible. Information is also gathered from New Zealand governmental documents on the subject of music educational philosophy and previous surveys of New Zealand music education are explored. Current information is also gathered through the conducting of a survey of 1247 New Zealand schools. This thesis is a vehicle both for the presentation and analysis of data gathered through this survey of New Zealand primary, intermediate and middle school music education and for the presentation and philosophical analysis of the discipline of the philosophy of music education. Using data collected through the survey instrument, the de facto philosophies reported by music educators and principals as operating in New Zealand schools have been established. The data collection involves qualitative questioning regarding the philosophy of music education as well as quantitative questioning regarding philosophy, methods, curriculum and materials utilised. The responses are analysed, as are many other competing philosophical viewpoints for logical validity and empirical relevance. Efforts are also made to place them within the context of the history and philosophy of music education. The conclusions of this exposition and analysis are that there is a discernable philosophy of music education predominantly operating in New Zealand schools as demonstrated by teacher practice (the philosophy of music education de facto) and that this philosophy is in some ways inconsistent with the predominant philosophy of music education as articulated in New Zealand Ministry of Education documents (the philosophy of music education de jure). Based on its validity and efficacy, I recommend that a particular philosophy of music education bridging the two be developed and be adopted, both de jure and de facto, by New Zealand officials and educators.

This dissertation is a case study into participant perceptions of innovation in education. The participants in this research were four directors from two 'designated character' schools, which were set up to be foundationally different from traditional schools through opportunities to explore radical innovation. That is, both schools were conceptualised as sites for exploring radical rather than incremental change. The central questions asked in this study were - what makes for radical innovation in schools; and how is the use of ICT implicated in innovation in schools? The literature review indicated that while there has been an increase in the information regarding innovation in education there has been little research into how this was being developed in non-traditional settings, or in ways that were radical. The role of ICTs in developing innovation was also reviewed, given that the two 'designated character' schools being studied had strong support for ICTs. The main aims of this study were: to identify the features of radical innovation in schools; to explore the barriers against, and drivers for, innovation in schools; to provide insight into the use of ICTs to influence innovation in schools; to contribute to the literature regarding innovation in schools; and to identify future opportunities to innovate. This study was a qualitative one, with symbolic interactionism as its theoretical underpinning. Data were gathered through the use of concept mapping, interviews and a focus group activity. The findings of the study were that radical innovation in schools occurs when there is a cultural shift in the whole notion of schooling. This is difficult to achieve, even for schools that have been set up to be foundationally different. However, such schools can provide examples of some innovative practices that are 'greenfields'. The use of ICTs, while not required for innovation, helps schools create innovative ideas, especially those ideas based around the needs of individual learners. There is a greater chance that this will lead to innovation being sustained. These findings have implications for policy makers to allow schools that are more innovative to try new ideas and to be supported to do so.

Alternative disciplinary strategies for K-12 educational institutions have been gaining popularity around the globe for challenging the epidemic of suspensions and expulsions that foster unsafe school climates and position youth on the pipeline-to-prison. This study used a qualitative approach to investigate Restorative Practices (RP) an innovative, alternative approach to discipline that appears to make a difference in New Zealand schools. The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to gain qualitative insight from twelve experienced professionals in RP in New Zealand into an approach that appears to transform school cultures and helps students remain in school and continue learning. The data collected from participants included their perspectives on the purpose and significance of the RP approach and offered insight into the implementation process and suggestions for long lasting sustainability. Participants also stressed how harsh disciplinary policies can impede positive school climates, which ultimately in large measure shape our society. Furthermore, it has been well documented that punitive practices, such as zero-tolerance are largely responsible for the enormous number of suspensions and expulsions that disproportionately impact primarily students with disabilities and students of color. California and other states around the US are currently using the RP model to address problems. The approach has been noted in this study as a paradigm shift in school culture that largely depends on leadership buy-in and effective implementation for success. The objective of this study was to investigate the purpose and significance of the RP for schools using qualitative methods to conduct twelve in-depth interviews of professionals with significant experience of RP in the region of Auckland, New Zealand. Findings from this study suggested that RP is a useful approach for attending to relational harm, which threatens to breakdown social structures in educational institutions. RP was also found to strengthen relationships, improve classroom and school climates and cultures and build social capital. Findings also indicated that RP shifts the power dynamic in the classroom, empowering students by enabling voice and agency, while improving teacher-student relationships, known to help narrow achievement gaps. Moreover, findings showed that RP teaches students valuable life skills, enabling them make better decisions, have healthier relationships, and be positive contributors to society. Finally, the findings suggested that RP repositions education significantly amounting to a huge revolution that can potentially change the future of education. Astute educational leaders and institutions around the globe recognize the need for systemic transformation. New Zealand is highlighted in this study as the leading country for RP in schools worldwide, as it has experienced transformative success with this approach so far.

Research has observed an ever-increasing emphasis which is placed on the international dimension in higher education. This thesis is particularly interested in the question, why internationalisation? It constitutes a case study of the rationales driving the national policies for the internationalisation of higher education in New Zealand, the findings of which are compared with those of the seven European countries (Austria, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and the United Kingdom) analysed as part of a recent European Union 5th Framework Programme project. The available research suggests that economic rationales increasingly drive internationalisation and the first phase of the above project reaffirmed that this was the case at the national level in those countries analysed. This thesis provides an opportunity to corroborate this research and assess whether the same is true in New Zealand. Above all, it intends to contribute to an improved conception of the phenomenon of increasing internationalisation in higher education from which informed discussion and critical debate about its future can take place.

Since 1984, when the fourth Labour Government was elected to office, there have been major changes in the structures of society in Aoteroa/New Zealand. A wide range of reviews and reforms of economic and social policy have been undertaken, and not surprisingly the structures and policies of adult education have come under scrutiny and been subject to major changes. The purpose of this paper is to examine the politics of policy formation over a six-year period. Using official and unofficial reports and other documents, the paper seeks to identify some of the key changes in adult education policy that have taken place in recent years and to locate them within the context of the contradictory pressures operating upon and within government and the field of adult education.

Since the earliest days of the Christian Church, ordained ministers and priests have accompanied soldiers into battle. The religious presence in the war machine has been the subject of many debates, particularly those involving the conflict of ethics presented by the representation of a gospel of peace and love participating in a profession of violence and killing. New Zealand is a secular country with a relatively well-developed system of secular pastoral care services. However the New Zealand Defence Force continues to request the churches' involvement in the military and those churches which respond continue to participate in work which appears contrary to their teaching. This study examines the relationship of church and military. It investigates the place of the church in the New Zealand Defence Force through an examination of the appropriate literature and other relevant information, and an empirical survey of the work and views of current, and some retired, chaplains. The global military scenario has changed in recent years with the development of war technology. The New Zealand military focus is now largely directed towards policing New Zealand's economic zone and the preservation of independence of smaller neighbouring island states, while its active service role is one of participation in international peace-enforcement and peacekeeping. This thesis considers these changes and looks at the possible effects they may have on the future of military chaplaincy within the secular, multicultural context of the New Zealand state. The study concludes with a rationale for the presence of the Christian Church in the New Zealand Defense Force and presents issues which the current chaplaincy-providing churches need to consider if they wish to continue to provide effective chaplaincy for the military.

This thesis traces the development of the New Zealand education reforms which began in the late 1980s from their ideological and theoretical foundations, especially those of human capital theory, through policy development and implementation. Polytechnic business programmes are used as a case study to illustrate the impact of the reforms and of one of the principal mechanisms by which the reforms were expected to be implemented-the National Framework. Evidence is provided that leads to policy questions regarding the implementation of the Framework under the aegis of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. These concerns include competency based learning and administration and delivery complexities. The links between the reform intentions and the actuality of implementation are also examined. The assumption that the education reforms are expected to have significant impact on the country's economic performance is examined and factors which impact on workplace organisation and productivity and which may constrain the effects of improved worker education and training are discussed. The instrument of ‘the market’ as a means of achieving both efficiencies and effectiveness in tertiary education is also reviewed. There appears to be an absence of a common understanding of the nature, composition and behaviour of education markets. Indicative evidence is also provided regarding the complexity of student investment decisions with regard to tertiary education decisions. This study provides evidence to support human capital theory as a force influencing the decision to undertaken tertiary education, but as part of a much more complex model of the tertiary education decision making process than it would appear that policy makers have considered. Evidence is presented that leads to questions regarding the assumption that industry will take ownership of the reform processes. Evidence is presented of industry indifference and inertia to the reforms. Recommendations for the re-examination of developments to date are made, together with research programmes to provide a sound empirical base for future policy making. Without a structured critical review of the reform intentions versus the emerging actuality, there is a danger that the reforms may, in part at least, prove to be both inefficient and ineffectual.
Subscription resource available via Digital Dissertations only.

This thesis examines history teaching in New Zealand primary schools between 1900 and 1940, situating the discussion within an intertwined framework of the early twentieth-century New Education movement, and the history of Pakeha settler-colonialism. In particular, it draws attention to the ways in which the pedagogical aims of the New Education intersected with the settler goal of ‘indigenisation’: a process whereby native-born settlers in colonised lands seek to become ‘indigenous’, either by denying the presence of the genuine indigenes, or by appropriating aspects of their culture. Each chapter explores a particular set of pedagogical ideas associated with the New Education and relates it back to the broader context and ideology of settler-colonialism. It examines in turn the overarching goals of the New Education of ‘educating citizens’, within which twentieth-century educationalists sought to mobilise biography and local history to cultivate a ‘love of country’ in primary school pupils, exploring the centrality of the ‘local’ to the experience-based pedagogy of the New Education. Next, it argues that the tendency of textbook histories to depict governments – past and present – in an overwhelmingly positive light, served important ongoing colonising functions. Next it examines the influence of the Victorian ideal of ‘character’ in textbooks, particularly during the first two decades of the twentieth century, through a pedagogy centred upon the assumption that the lives of past individuals or groups could be instructive for present generations.
By the 1920s and 1930s, the normative models of behaviour represented by character had come under challenge by the more flexible notion of ‘personality’ and its associated educational aims of expression, creativity and self-realisation, aims that emerged most clearly in relation to the use of activity-based methods to teach history. The juxtaposition of textbooks and activity-based classroom methodologies in the primary school classrooms of the 1920s and 1930s brought to light some of the broader tensions which existed within the settler-colonial ideology of Pakeha New Zealanders. The longer-term impact was a generation for whom the nineteenth-century British intrusion into Maori lands and cultures from which Pakeha New Zealanders massively profited was normalised.

This is a research study on enterprise education in a New Zealand secondary school. Over the past two decades, enterprise education has become a feature of secondary education globally. The emergence of this new phenomenon exists in a context of global neo-liberal initiatives. Within New Zealand, enterprise is now a mainstream feature of secondary education. The practice of enterprise education has a significant impact on schools and student learning. The emergence of enterprise within secondary education is a story of power. This research examines who has power in terms of enterprise education and who are the winners and losers. A sole case study assists in providing answers to these research questions. The case study school is a national role model for enterprise education. The school has experienced extraordinary success and has developed a social enterprise model. Stakeholders’ relationships within and outside the school are explored. In order to explore power, Lukes’ (2005) three-dimensional model of power has been adopted. This model is broad and captures all the dimensions of power, including the work of other theorists of power. The results show that power is vested in several stakeholders. Different weight is attached to different stakeholder voices. Tensions in the commercial world between social enterprise and commercial enterprise are also reflected at the school. There are few concrete examples of decision making. Most power is exercised through non-decision making and as a result of a new culture of enterprise supported by media attention. A social enterprise model has embraced existing school values and provides for partnerships with the community. There is fluidity between winners and losers from the model; however, the former include enterprise students, and school, state, Catholic Church and business interests. The latter are those who are not fully engaged with enterprise, through the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES), and those within the college community and stakeholders who have been denied a voice. The case study school has developed a unique social enterprise model. The model has diffused sharp business values to provide an acceptable model for the school. The model has developed, but on occasion lacks authenticity and appears tokenistic. A need exists for genuine opportunities for consultation with all stakeholders. This research has captured a journey of power, which operates at different levels. There is a power that exists within the school community and wider stakeholders. Power is intimately linked to the notion of interests. It is clearly in the interests of the case study school to survive within a neo-liberal environment, which has affected the structure of all schools. This insight into the power of enterprise education can inform best practice and influence policy.

As the title of this thesis suggests, this is a project of salvaging practice from the site of 20th century art education in New Zealand, engaged in through research practice and its materialisation into text. Through exploring this site I ask what makes art useful to educational practice, using the voice of an embodied artist/researcher? The 20th century answers to this question range from developing a visual literacy that can be applied to the image-saturated world of mass media to the liberation of human potential through arts-based inquiries. My project includes the critical interrogation of these positions, contextualised within an argument that value in the practices of art comes from the contextual and contingent disciplinary understandings of art. Whilst the predominant logic of the research is founded in a theoretical hybridism of art and education, using the methodologies of art practice and narrative inquiry, each chapter represents a different way of thinking about the initial proposition on the value of art practice, using representational forms that are integral to their epistemologies. In the pursuit of the value of art practice, I have explored a number of rich art educational contexts. These have included investigating multiple depictions of the phenomenology of teaching and learning art as well as piecing together constructions of historical art education practice and the representation of both of these in academic discourse throughout the 20th century. The complexity of these contexts demands complex and multidimensional analyses. The significant findings of this text are the recommendations for recognition of the embodied nature of art learning, whereby art meanings are actively constructed within thinking and working, albeit contingent, bodies. This is a position that is undermined by a textualisation of culture that positions bodies entirely as discursive abstractions, removed from their phenomenological existence. I find that the re-examination of the significance of material effects to individual subject bodies re-inserts positions f!om which to speak on the value and ethics of art education, however, contingent subjectivities mean that an ethical art pedagogy needs careful consideration. Examining critical and emancipatory practices in art provides a guide for how this may be achieved.

This research investigates drama teaching practice in New Zealand primary and secondary schools, through a case-based qualitative inquiry into the practice of six experienced drama teachers. The study reveals that whilst drama education is couched within the Arts learning area of the national curriculum, the educational philosophy enacted by participants encompasses a broad vision for drama education, which extends learning beyond a technical knowledge of theatre and theatre-making towards the domains of social and personal meaning-making and emancipatory knowledge. Explored through the lenses of Artist and Co-artist, the study identifies the socio-cultural nature of the practice of these teachers. Teachers’ artistry is revealed through creative use of drama tools and processes to create aesthetically-rich learning experiences. The significance of relational pedagogy to teaching and learning in these drama classrooms is also examined within the study. Teachers’ accounts reveal the ways they seek to develop interpersonal relationships with and between students, and establish ensemble-based approaches to learning in drama. As co-artists, participants employ pedagogies that empower students to actively participate in a community of drama practice, intentionally developing students’ capacities for collaboration, creativity and critical thinking, while discovering and developing their artistic-aesthetic capabilities. These teachers share power with students through acts of negotiation, creating dialogic learning opportunities in order to develop student agency as artists and citizens. Attempts to navigate tensions that arise due to increased performativity pressures on teachers and to avoid prescriptive and technocratic delivery of drama curriculum are also explored. In-depth interviews were conducted with participants to discover the complexities of their teaching practice, the philosophy of drama education they hold, and the decisions they make in curriculum content and pedagogy. Observations of classroom practice were also undertaken, along with an analysis of planning documents and an interview with their students. The study provides six rich case studies of drama practice in New Zealand schools, contributing to local and international understandings of enacted drama education within school settings. Implications for educational policy, curriculum design, classroom practice and teacher education arise from this investigation.

Freshwater ecosystems are extremely important, both socially and ecologically, in Aotearoa/New Zealand. However, through detrimental practices of land-use change and the introduction of non-indigenous aquatic species, the health of freshwater areas is increasingly under threat. Coarse fish are one group of non indigenous fish that are largely perceived to have a negative effect on freshwater biodiversity and water quality. Despite this, there are people in New Zealand that value coarse fish highly, and consider their lives to be enriched through the practice of coarse angling. This thesis examines the diversity of perceptions and values ascribed to coarse fish by a variety of different environmental managers and resource users to understand how these multiple meanings influence approaches to freshwater biodiversity management in Aotearoa/New Zealand. As coarse anglers are often considered responsible for deliberate translocation of coarse fish, a space for communication and compromise between these stakeholder groups is also identified. Additionally, appropriate and effective educational methods to raise awareness of freshwater ecosystem restoration and non-indigenous invasive fish are discussed. Social factors are often the primary determinants of whether conservation efforts succeed or fail. Grounded in the theoretical perspectives of social construction, environmental perception, political ecology, and critical environmental adult education, this thesis provides an important contribution to the practice of interdisciplinary research by demonstrating the ways in which social science complements scientific approaches to environmental management. Utilising semi structured interviews with multiple stakeholder groups and an internet survey targeted at coarse anglers this research found that, while a multitude of perceptions of coarse fish exist, there is also willingness on both sides to engage in communication and develop effective practices to aid in managing the freshwater environment. A number of suggestions for improving legislation that addresses invasive freshwater fish, and several ideas regarding education and compliance, also emerged.

The vibrant school of printmaking which emerged and flourished in New Zealand between 1900 and 1950 forms the subject of this thesis. It examines the attitudes of the printmakers, many of whom regarded the print as the most democratic of art forms and one that should reflect the realities of everyday life. Their subject matter, contemporary city scenes, people at work and leisure, local landscapes, Maori and indigenous flora and fauna, is analysed and revealed as anticipating by over a decade that of regionalist painters. They are also identified as the first New Zealand artists to draw attention to social and environmental issues. Trained under the British South Kensington art education system, New Zealand printmakers placed great importance on craftsmanship. Although some worked in a realist style others experimented with abstraction and surrealism, placing them among the forefront of New Zealand artists receptive to modern art. Expatriate New Zealand printmakers played significant roles in three major printmaking movements abroad, the Artists' International Alliance, Atelier 17 and the Claude Flight Linocut Movement. The thesis redresses the failure of existing histories of New Zealand art to recognise the existence of a major twentieth-century art movement. It identifies the main factors contributing to the low status of printmaking in New Zealand. Commercial artists rather than those with a fine arts background led the Quoin Club, which initiated a New Zealand school of printmaking in 1916; Gordon Tovey's overthrow of the South Kensington system in 1945 devalued the craftsmanship so important to printmakers; and the rise of modernism, which gave priority to formal values and abstraction, further exacerbated institutional indifference to the print. The adoption of Maori imagery by printmakers resulted in recent art historians retrospectively accusing them of cultural appropriation. Even the few printmakers who attained some recognition were criticised for their involvement in textile and bookplate design and book-illustration. Key artists discussed in the thesis include James Boswell, Stephen Champ, Frederick Coventry, Rona Dyer, Arnold Goodwin, Thomas Gulliver, Trevor Lloyd, Stewart Maclennan, Gilbert Meadows, John L. Moore, E. Mervyn Taylor, Arthur Thompson, Herbert Tornquist, Frank Weitzel, Hilda Wiseman, George Woods, John Buckland Wright and Adele Younghusband. Details of the approximately 3,000 prints created during this period are recorded in a database, and summarised in the Printmakers' Survey included in Volume Two. In addition reproductions of 156 prints are illustrated and documented; while a further 43 prints are reproduced within the text of Volume One.

This thesis describes a study of the attitudes towards science and learning environments among junior secondary school science students in New Zealand, focussing particularly on Maori and Pacific Island students. The rationale for the research was that ethnic minority group students often experience difficulties in adapting to modern science education. The study was restricted to forms three, four and five of the New Zealand education system in order to focus attention primarily on the development of recommendations for enhancement of science education outcomes which relate to the early years of science education.The study aimed to investigate student attitudes towards science and their perceptions of their learning environments by using questionnaire surveys and interviews in order to produce complementary information about students' attitudes and perceptions. The study produced some unexpected findings. For example, Maori and Pacific Island students displayed more positive attitudes towards science than others, and female students displayed more positive attitudes than males. These findings contradict those of many previous studies.The findings of the study are used to provide input to the development of recommendations for the enhancement of educational outcomes for all students, but especially for ethnic minority students in science.

Thesis (PhD--Education)--University of Auckland, 2009.
"A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education, University of Auckland, New Zealand, August 2009." Includes bibliographical references.

Abstract This thesis examines the progress of pupils through New Zealand schools in the last two decades of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth century. The purpose of this study was to apply demographic techniques to primary historical education data to enable the progress of pupils to be quantified and to allow comparisons to be made among different Education Districts and longitudinally over a period of some three decades. The present work applies demographic methods using cohort and period analyses to overcome difficulties in direct comparisons of historical education data because of differences in population structure and differing examination pass rates in various Education Districts. This approach allows the determination of retention rates of pupils both by age and by level from Standard 4 to Standard 6 using primary data from the nineteenth century. In addition, gender differences in retention by age are analysed from the 1880s to the end of the first decade of the twentieth century. Previous published work considered school attendance only in general terms and usually on a national basis, but generally without analysing specific educational data on gender differences. Studies prior to the present work have suggested that in the nineteenth century Education Districts differed in school enrolments (Hodder, 1996) and it is thus likely that there were differences in school retention of pupils between various Education Districts. Pilot research to the present work developed demographic methods for studying retention of pupil populations allowing for changes in the number and structure of the pupils populations over time (Hodder, 2005). These pilot methods are applied in the present research to study pupil retention in all thirteen Education Districts over the approximately 30 years from the 1880s. In addition to age and level cohorts, gender differences are analysed. Direct comparisons among all Education Districts and over time are now possible. This study has used a novel approach to the analysis of historical education data. The results enable comparisons to be made among all thirteen Education Districts and across several decades; such comparisons have not previously been possible and will facilitate future research on the possible factors affecting pupil retention particularly in relation to employment opportunities for school leavers and differences according to gender. __________ Hodder, C. (1996). Cambridge District High School and its community, 1880 - 1888. Unpublished Master of Arts thesis, Department of Education Studies, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. Hodder, C. (2005). Old data, new methods: the use of demographic methods to study historical education data. Unpublished Directed Study, Department of Societies and Cultures, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand.

'Public Choice Theory' is defined by its proponents as 'the application of economics to politics'. This thesis attempts to describe Public Choice Theory in its component parts and as a coherent and potent contemporary factor in the political and educational scene. The methodologies used are Foucauldian 'genealogy' and 'immanent critique', that is, the theory is examined in its historical context and in terms of its own logic. The process by which this theory has affected the educational situation in New Zealand is examined, and set in the context of the wider application of economics to politics in this country generally. Some of the major policy documents concerning Education are read closely in order to identify the extent of the Public Choice Theory influence on them, Whilst Public Choice Theory is commonly associated with the 'New Right' it is also the key element of 'analytic Marxism'. Whether from 'left' or 'right,' Public Choice Theory, as a basis for the content or organisation of education is presented as a historically contingent theory, making dubious claims to scientific validation, and bringing about consistent changes in the nature of education and the construction of persons engaged in it.

This project arose out of a desire to see if computers were starting to fulfil their potential in engaging higher order thinking skills in pupil users. The.choice of educational software to evaluate was prompted by the availability of a wide ranging series of teacher-written, easily-available HyperCard-based courseware collectively called "HyperEd NZ" for the Apple Macintosh computer. These titles have been acclaimed overseas, and there are equivalent HyperCard-like platforms being developed for other computer families. To establish which titles of this series were being used in New Zealand schools in 1992, and to what extent their users thought they were achieving worthwhile learning outcomes a teacher attitude questionnaire was sent out to a number of schools with Macintosh machines. It was seen that 20 titles of the 28 had been used in at least one class. One title, "School Certificate Mathematics" was reported on by seven classes, all to useful effect. Other responses showed that in some cases teacher directed activities through specific tasksheets improved the possibility of positive learning outcomes. A significant number of titles involved the pupils in elements of simulation, transferring of knowledge to other work and other higher order thinking skills. In a few cases less successful learning outcomes could be explained by unfamiliarity with the then-new computer environment or inadequate direction from teachers. Overall, however, the HyperEd series was seen to be well-designed and useful courseware, providing many useful examples of interesting and worthwhile supplements or alternatives to other learning experiences. The titles are good examples of hypertext-based courseware. This feeling was reinforced by pupil attitude questionnaires and a limited case study carried out using "Hype-Poet" with two 6th Fom Certificate English classes using the pre-test and post-test model. Some of the doubts expressed by teachers regarding the use of HyperCardbased software were allayed by the study. For instance, the slow response to buttons noted by many reviewers was not seen as a problem by most pupils, even on the larger titles such as 'Hyperf-oet". This was especially so if they were paired and using a suitable task-sheet. Instructions were sometimes unclear, but never enough to deter learning. The software was generally 'well-behaved' in the hands of pupils and navigation tools were sufficient and suitable. Most pupils were in pairs or greater numbers and in keeping with earlier research the pairs and trios seemed to achieve higher learning outcomes than individuals. Pupils tended to see the courseware as better tha.n an equivalent textbook, . while teachers were more circumspect in this comparison. Some gender differences were found in the copmpletion of tasks and pupils' opinions of the programme. Females tended to complete the tasks set more often and males were more inclined to be critical of the programme look and feel. Both teachers and pupils found the courseware highly motivational - many mentioning the novelty or innovative factors.

This thesis is about factors which aid and hinder successful completions for New Zealand-born Samoans. The thesis explores the proposition that educational marginalisation of minority students will be perpetuated until AUT adopts policies and procedures which enable culturally responsive educational pedagogies and practices which honour indigenous minorities. The thesis asked New Zealand-born Samoan students, what is the nature of their aiga (family) and cultural support frameworks (structures), and, further, to what extent and how and why do these students engage with such networks (processes)? This study used a qualitative approach within which six New Zealand-born Samoan students were interviewed using a semi-structured approach to gathering data. The interview data were transcribed and a thematic analysis was manually completed both within and across the six cases. The turnaround time in gaining ethics approval impacted upon the capacity of the investigator to conduct this research in what she considered to be a culturally appropriate manner and the cautious vigilance of the final ethics committee approval was perceived as a barrier to making culturally appropriate contact. It was discovered that Samoan structures, especially family, are paramount in supporting educational success because of the Fa’a Samoa processes which they engender. A further discovery was that New Zealand-born Samoans retain cultural affiliations so their lifestyle shows deep regard for Fa’a Samoa identity. Through these affiliations, meaningful life metaphors become applied. It was concluded that transforming staff so that they understand Pasifika peoples is crucial to growing Pasifika educational success. Staff development must, therefore, be planned so that meaningful understandings of Pasifika concepts and frameworks become nurtured and that is a challenge which AUT must embrace and action.

This is a study of the New Zealand English curriculums, 1969-1996. The study is organised around three phases of reform: the initial changes made to the teaching of English in the first three years of secondary school; the later reform of the senior-school English syllabus; the more recent development of an integrated national curriculum statement for the teaching of English. These reforms are charted in a narrative fashion, although the thesis does not purport to be a full history of English teaching in the period under review. Instead, the various developments and changes to English teaching in New Zealand secondary schools, during a thirty year period, are contextualised under the interpretative paradigm: the management of knowledge. It is argued herein that knowledge, and, in this case, the subject English, has been managed - consciously and unconsciously - in the interests of dominant socio-cultural and socio-economic groups. I aver that even alleged progressive developments in the pedagogy of classroom life have been routinised in the curriculum statements. Consequently, there has been an official sanctioning of established or conservative perspectives on the way English language and literature should be taught, thus often denying the emancipatory themes of respect for the human subject and human agency. My contention is advanced and supported through a careful examination of the curriculum text discourses, and, in several instances, through an examination of the transmission process from the draft statement to the published statement. I am therefore able to argue that the English curriculums must be understood as part of wider social and political processes: the curriculums are produced, managed and reproduced. The influences of the social environment and, in particular, the ideological struggle between State and society, are to be found in the English teaching discourse. This notion is captured in the subtitle of the study: text and context. The thesis concludes with a brief, personal reflection on how an English curriculum might be theorised so that it does not impose on students a definition of reality that declares the values and symbols of the social elites. I assert that an understanding of discourse, or the discourses of knowledge, can provide a way forward for the theorising of the subject English.

The perspectives of New Zealand parents of children with Down syndrome regarding their children’s experience of school were explored in the present analysis, based on a study carried out by the Champion Centre, an early intervention service in Christchurch, New Zealand. Participants were 137 parents of children with Down syndrome who had experienced the New Zealand formal education system. They took part in a survey, designed to explore the outcomes and achievements of individuals with Down syndrome in New Zealand. The results of the present analysis indicated that parents are typically satisfied with the experience their children with Down syndrome have of school. It highlighted considerable variation in the experiences they have of school, but also emphasised some general trends and themes. Such efforts to clarify individual as well as shared characteristics and experiences among children with Down syndrome will contribute to ongoing efforts to enhance their experience of school and consequently, their active, valued participation in the classroom, school, and society in general.

This thesis is a retrospective review and analysis of the processes and information gathered and used by the Ministry of Education in its development of Pasifika education strategic plans from 1993 to 2009. This is a high level strategic analysis, adopting interdisciplinary approaches from across the social sciences particularly from education, public policy and management, and Pacific studies. It draws on information gathered by the Ministry of Education through talanoa ako (consultation), ngaahi fekumi (literature review) and ngaahi ngāue (policy stocktake), to review whether Pasifika strategic plan development met Pasifika and non-Pasifika requirements; fulfilled authorising environments’ expectations; created public value and leadership across the education sector; and, identified what worked and why. The thesis draws upon Tongan and Pasifika values and methodologies and demonstrates how these integrate and create value across Pasifika and non-Pasifika worlds, using tools specifically created to address the methodological challenges in this thesis. The thesis finds that it is important to formulate Pasifika strategic plans with Pasifika communities, and that the Pasifika Education Plans worked in focusing the Ministry of Education and consequently the education sector on Pasifika students, parents, families and communities’ education expectations and aspirations. Keys to successful Pasifika education plan formulation included engaging Pasifika students, parents, families and communities in education discourses; improving the education workforce’s responses to Pasifika peoples; placing Pasifika learners at the centre of pedagogy and epistemology; faster scaling up of what worked in raising participation, engagement and achievement; and, having more choice for Pasifika communities to realise their education potential and exercise their voice at all levels of education governance and decision making. It identifies the successful coordinating factor to be the growing of champions and leaders within the Ministry of Education, Pasifika communities and in the education sector to lead and sustain change through ownership, responsibility, accountability and monitoring for Pasifika success.

Transactional Analysis, or TA, has been used for more than four decades to enhance interpersonal relationships and promote personal growth through counselling and psychotherapy. It has been used to advantage in organisations, principally in the business world. It was thought at the outset of this study that TA could also be of benefit to schools.The aim of this study was to find out whether TA methods could be used in schools to improve student outcomes in science and mathematics, to enhance interpersonal relationships and to promote positive behaviour. The study trialled TA by using it with a group of at-risk students to discover whether its use would bring about positive change.A group of ten at-risk students became part of a mentoring programme, using TA. This programme focussed on the behaviour and academic progress of the students, and sought to empower them to make positive changes. This group referred to as the sample group, was compared with a control group. The Adult ego-state (thinking) was promoted in the students in order to shift their 'locus of control' from their Negative Adapted Child ego-state, the source of much non-productive, inappropriate and rebellious behaviour.The study upheld the reliability and validity of the questionnaires used, namely the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction, the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (School Form) and the Mooney Problem Checklist. The study prompted the construction of an informal test, the Ego-State Questionnaire, which proved to be informative.Poor attendance and school behaviour records were good indicators of a student's 'at-risk' status. At-risk students were found to be already achieving below their potential in science and mathematics at entry to secondary school.The mentoring programme ran for six months, and at the end of this the sample group had improved behavioural records and increased self ++
esteem. Their number of perceived problems had dropped dramatically, and their academic results were improved.Interpersonal relationships between the sample group and their science teachers were better than the interpersonal relationships with their mathematics teachers, indicating a continued difficulty with abstract ideas at the end of the programme and a need to run such programmes over a longer time span. Interpersonal relationships did improve out of school with parents and peers. Clear preferences were indicated for what students preferred in the behaviours of their ideal teacher: understanding, helping/friendly, leadership and strict behaviours.Encouragement of Adult ego-state was shown to be an appropriate and productive approach to the improvement of academic and behavioural outcomes for at-risk students in science and mathematics. The study also showed that at-risk young people had a lower than average Nurturing Parent ego-state available to them.Teachers rated their TA101 course highly, and found that it gave them a fresh perspective on classroom difficulties. Both teachers and students benefited from the use of TA in this study.