Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Secondary schools (New Zealand)'

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1

Lynes, Diane Gael. "Resourcing And Support For Careers Advisers In Secondary Schools In Canterbury, New Zealand." Thesis, University of Canterbury. School of Education, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/1048.

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Fifty-three careers advisers in Canterbury secondary schools in New Zealand were asked to complete a questionnaire, assessing their perceptions regarding current levels of resourcing and support for careers advisers in secondary schools. Forty-five returned completed questionnaires, of which ten respondents were male and 35 were female. All were registered teachers. Although there was overall agreement that resourcing had improved over time, the respondents were evenly divided in their opinion that current levels of resourcing were adequate for them to effectively perform their job. Larger schools, in terms of pupil numbers, were better resourced. They had more teaching and ancillary hours for careers. The single most restrictive factor, which was identified as hindering careers advisers from completing their jobs satisfactorily, was time. An analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data has been used to examine present conditions in careers centres in Canterbury secondary schools.
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Owen, Siân Maree. "How the Principals of New Zealand Catholic Secondary Schools Understand and Implement Special Character." Thesis, Australian Catholic University, 2018. https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/download/35a48eeb113a6edee92eb07733a5df8f76387df242fa268f46e8bb08c056665f/2791203/OWEN_Sian_Maree_2018_How_the_principles_of_New_Zealand.pdf.

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The purpose of this study is to explore how Catholic education authorities guarantee the Special Character of New Zealand Catholic schools. Since principals hold primary responsibilities in demonstrating evidence of Special Character of the Catholic school, this study particularly explores how secondary school principals fulfil this responsibility. New Zealand Catholic schools are State integrated schools under the 1975 Private Schools Conditional Integration Act (PSCIA). This Act enabled private schools to be fully government funded, while continuing to maintain and enhance their Special Character. Special Character is important to the Catholic Church because it enables its schools to offer an authentic Catholic education as a State funded school. They are State schools with a Special Character The following specific research questions were generated from the Literature Review to focus the study: 1. What do principals understand by the term Special Character? 2. How do principals implement Special Character in their schools? 3. How do Catholic education authorities understand the role of the Catholic school in mission? An epistemological framework of constructionism underpins this study as it explores the meaning constructed through the experiences of principals. An interpretivist design is adopted, with Symbolic Interactionism providing the particular interpretivist lens. Case study is the methodology chosen to orchestrate the data gathering strategies. The strategies utilised are focus groups, semi-structured interviews and questionnaire. There were 31 participants in the study: 20 principals and 11 members of the National Catholic Special Character review group. The research generates six conclusions that contribute to new knowledge about the Special Character of Catholic schools. First, New Zealand Catholic schools operate in a pluralistic society where the Christian Worldview no longer prevails. This influences the traditional school-family-Church relationships. This lack of clarity of relationships impacts the implementation of Special Character. Second, while Special Character is a term used extensively in New Zealand education, there is a lack of clarity about the precise meaning of this term. Consequently, there is a dissonance between Government and Church expectations of what demonstrates Special Character. Third, principals recognise that the implementation and enhancement of the Special Character of their school is important to both their school identity (Catholic) and purpose (education). Fourth, tensions concerning the status of Religious Education in the timetable have been mitigated with the introduction of Achievement Standards in Religious Education. Religious Education is acknowledged as a primary contributor to demonstrating a Catholic school’s Special Character. Fifth, principals are concerned that Catholic education authorities critique schools’ mission endeavours through evidence concerning students’ personal relationship with Jesus. Principals perceive that Catholic education authorities ‘measure’ this relationship by student attendance at Sunday Mass. Finally, principals are expected to nurture Special Character by assuming the role of faith leader. Principals lack understanding about this role and its practicalities.
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Kokay, Christine Margaret, and n/a. "I.C.T. Decision-Making Processes in Self-Managing Secondary Schools." Griffith University. School of Cognition, Language and Special Education, 2005. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20060802.170325.

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This study examines decision-making processes involved in the development, integration and management of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in self-managing secondary schools and influences that affect these processes. To obtain an holistic view of ICT decision-making processes, a case study is undertaken of three co-educational, state secondary schools within a regional New Zealand city, thereby establishing a multiple case study. The principal, network manager and three staff nominated by the principal as playing an active role in ICT decision-making processes were interviewed using an open-ended interview. Five frequently cited generic decision-making models, developed by theorists to describe specific features of the decision-making process, are examined to provide a theoretical platform against which the interview data are analysed and interpreted. The study concludes that ICT decision-making in the case study schools is influenced particularly by technical knowledge and understandings. Such decision-making tends to be ad-hoc, isolated from other important influences particularly in relation to teaching and learning issues, and 'bounded' because of limited information, the limitations of existing technology, and the inability of schools to keep abreast of technological changes. Six implications are therefore put forward to inform future ICT decision-making in schools. They are: 1. Schools should develop a strategic plan that is underpinned with technical planning requirements; 2. Technical advice and professional development should be provided for principals; 3. Principals should consult outside the school environment for technical advice to assist with decisions; 4. The role of the ICT committee should be redefined to include planning and development of ICT; 5. Principals should ensure that staff receive professional development; and 6. Schools should consider student access and the best way of integrating ICT into teaching and learning. The study highlights the need for schools to develop strategic plans that address teaching and learning issues in the development, integration and management of ICT in self-managing secondary schools. Technical decisions should be made in support of these.
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Kokay, Christine Margaret. "I.C.T. Decision-Making Processes in Self-Managing Secondary Schools." Thesis, Griffith University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/365763.

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This study examines decision-making processes involved in the development, integration and management of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in self-managing secondary schools and influences that affect these processes. To obtain an holistic view of ICT decision-making processes, a case study is undertaken of three co-educational, state secondary schools within a regional New Zealand city, thereby establishing a multiple case study. The principal, network manager and three staff nominated by the principal as playing an active role in ICT decision-making processes were interviewed using an open-ended interview. Five frequently cited generic decision-making models, developed by theorists to describe specific features of the decision-making process, are examined to provide a theoretical platform against which the interview data are analysed and interpreted. The study concludes that ICT decision-making in the case study schools is influenced particularly by technical knowledge and understandings. Such decision-making tends to be ad-hoc, isolated from other important influences particularly in relation to teaching and learning issues, and 'bounded' because of limited information, the limitations of existing technology, and the inability of schools to keep abreast of technological changes. Six implications are therefore put forward to inform future ICT decision-making in schools. They are: 1. Schools should develop a strategic plan that is underpinned with technical planning requirements; 2. Technical advice and professional development should be provided for principals; 3. Principals should consult outside the school environment for technical advice to assist with decisions; 4. The role of the ICT committee should be redefined to include planning and development of ICT; 5. Principals should ensure that staff receive professional development; and 6. Schools should consider student access and the best way of integrating ICT into teaching and learning. The study highlights the need for schools to develop strategic plans that address teaching and learning issues in the development, integration and management of ICT in self-managing secondary schools. Technical decisions should be made in support of these.
Thesis (Professional Doctorate)
Doctor of Education (EdD)
School of Cognition, Language and Special Education
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5

Wanden, Kevin Patrick Win. "Teachers' perception of the purpose of classroom religious education in New Zealand Catholic secondary schools." Thesis, Australian Catholic University, 2009. https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/download/bfad56582f418e3512d81fa976b2bd79d005ccb22db1629b1fad7a1161125e59/2019958/65125_downloaded_stream_350.pdf.

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The nature of Religious Education in Catholic secondary schools has generated significant interest since the Second Vatican Council. A number of theoretical approaches to classroom Religious Education have been used in Catholic secondary schools in New Zealand since the mid 1960s (Crawford & Rossiter, 1985; Groome, 1980; van Caster, 1965). The debate regarding the most suitable approach for classroom Religious Education at this level has largely settled on a Subject-Oriented approach (Larkin, 2006). In New Zealand there has been a considerable investment of resources in the development of curricula and textbooks (Finlay, 2000). However there has been little research about teacher beliefs concerning the purpose of the subject. This thesis reports research into teachers' beliefs about the purpose of classroom Religious Education in Catholic secondary schools in New Zealand. The literature was reviewed to identify the range of purposes in the normative Church documents and in the writings of theorists. In addition it examined a number of issues that could have some bearing on teachers' understanding of purposes. A survey that collected both quantitative and qualitative data was distributed to 37 of the 49 Catholic secondary schools in New Zealand that agreed to participate and resulted in 173 responses. This study found that teachers worked out of a Subject-Oriented approach to the teaching of Religious Education that was consistent with the Understanding Faith curriculum. Teachers perceived Religious Education as a complex subject with multiple purposes. The primary purpose was to teach knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith tradition. The subject also had subsidiary aspirational purposes of faith formation and personal development. The importance of appropriate qualifications and formation of teachers was identified as a challenge facing Religious Education in Catholic secondary schools in New Zealand.;There was a high degree of consensus among respondents related to the purpose of classroom Religious Education. This research contributes to the discourse concerning the purpose of Religious Education. It has implications for theoretical aspects of Religious Education, classroom practice and planning, school based curriculum planning, teacher professional development and curriculum policy.
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Taylor, Simon P. G. "Exploration of collaborative learning environments in New Zealand secondary school science." Thesis, Curtin University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/1148.

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This thesis is based on a project named Please Let Us Take Off (PLUTO) which recognized the need to further consider students’ attitudes and perceptions of their science experiences at secondary school and to examine their immediate learning environment. Nuthall (2005) spent many years in New Zealand classrooms monitoring and analysing student interactions using microphones that recorded student conversations. His major conclusion related to how little teachers knew about what was going on in classrooms. Nuthall claimed the world of learning from a student’s perspective and the specific evidence of what is happening in the student personal learning space can be unknown to the teacher. Most importantly, the project wanted to encourage teachers to take the opportunity to look closer into the student’s personal viewpoint of learning in science lessons.In the year 2008, New Zealand was introducing a new national curriculum and there was also considerable concern for non-engaged students and for Māori students in their early years of secondary school. There was appreciation of the new curriculum and its principles by schools but still an overwhelming necessity to gain further and deeper understanding of the actual learners’ science experiences. Hence the attention of this study, to gain further knowledge of how students view their science learning, initially by the use of the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES). A range of qualitative student voice, including learning drawings made by students, were collected and analyzed to gain additional insight into the experiences of secondary science students.This thesis focuses on students entering secondary school and their learning experiences in science in their first two years at years 9 and 10. It was action-research based and it followed 15 classes of students at years 9-10 (13-15 years old) with their corresponding teachers in 12 secondary schools, over three consecutive years, 2009-2011.The selected geographical region of research incorporated a range of rural and urban secondary schools in the central North island of New Zealand. The study measured students’ attitudes and perceptions of their experiences of the classroom and it intended to generate an opportunity for teachers to discuss and reflect on the research data gathered.The students were surveyed using the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey over two years. The data were analysed using SPSS and comparisons were made between actual and preferred learning environment results. Variations between each year, gender differences and ethnicity differences were also measured and evaluated. Student learning drawings were adopted in the year 2011 to gather qualitative voice and the drawings were analysed by considering the choices that the students made in their drawing. The student audio interviews also added a wealth of student voice to further explore the students’ perceptions of their learning in science lessons. The five scales used in the CLES survey were used in the analysis of the student learning drawings and the nature of the interview questions posed to the students.The PLUTO project endeavoured to support teacher professional learning and act as a catalyst to encourage ongoing professional discourse. It offered the opportunity to make measurements of the learning environment and at the same time help provide reasons to use different teaching methods in the science classes that may have not been used before.
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Fernandez, Teresa Sushama. "From the drawing board into schools : an analysis of the development and implementation of a new physics curriculum in New Zealand secondary schools /." The University of Waikato, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/2551.

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This thesis explored the introduction of a new physics curriculum in New Zealand secondary schools. It was part of a nationwide overhaul of the whole school curriculum from primary to secondary schools, initiated in the early 1990s. The study of curriculum change is inextricably woven with teacher change, as the teacher is seen as central to any real change in curricula in the classroom. Some theories of teacher change are reviewed here and synthesised into a list of criteria relevant to bringing about effective change in teachers and their practices. A sociocultural perspective emerged as being a useful theoretical approach in analysing and explaining these processes of curriculum change and teacher change because it takes a holistic approach that deals with 'people, places and things' and the discourses involved therein. In particular, Wenger's sociocultural theory was used to study the introduction of a new senior physics curriculum. His terms 'reification' and 'participation' were seen to apply to this research: the curriculum document was taken to be a reified communication artifact, and 'participation' is involved in every stage of its development and implementation. In the context of this theorising, data was procured from in-depth interviews with the three curriculum writers and ten physics teachers in and around a provincial city in New Zealand. The teachers were interviewed three times over a period of three years: before, during and after the first year of implementation; namely 1996 to 1998. The interviews showed that most of these ten physics teachers did not undergo any significant change in their teaching because of the introduction of 'Physics in the New Zealand Curriculum'. The reasons or barriers identified, such as lack of guidelines and clarity, and contentment with their own existing practice, were aligned with factors that have been identified by other researchers as important influences on teachers undergoing change, such as clarity of change and need for change. Three key elements were identified from these issues emerging from the data as necessary conditions or resources for teacher change: knowledge, support and time. In the present study, there was very limited knowledge held by the teachers about 'what', 'how' and 'why' changes were being implemented. Secondly, there was little social and system support for the curriculum change. Finally, teachers had little time to focus on and reflect on the change. A model of curriculum change, incorporating Wenger's notions of 'reification' and 'participation', but extended to include 'dereification' emerged from the data. 'Dereification' highlighted an important stage whereby the curriculum document as an artifact, needed to be incorporated into the plane of lived experiences of teachers. The introduction of the term 'dereification' supported the development of this model of curriculum change incorporating teacher change whereby the model outlined processes of reification and dereification involved in a mandated curriculum change. The model of curriculum change developed here also contained a screen that symbolises the lack of intersubjective linkage between teachers and the designers of the new curriculum. There was no follow-up teachers' guide, not enough explanation of the curriculum document, no direct communication between the writers and the teachers, and insufficient professional development for the teachers using it. The research findings led to three propositions: the curriculum document as a key artifact was not sufficient to effect a curriculum change; the lack of transparency of the curriculum document development was a constraint on teachers' commitment to the curriculum change; and the lack of support for teachers in their dereification of the curriculum document impacted negatively on curriculum change. The key elements of knowledge, support and time identified as crucial for teachers to effect any real change in their practice are critical at different points in the model of curriculum change. It is suggested that using such an interplay between the factors underlying teacher change and the sociocultural analysis of curriculum change, might enable more pro-active intervention at the various stages of the process of a curriculum change to effect a real change.
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Pomeroy, David Charles Hay. "Enabling mathematical minds : how social class, ethnicity, and gender influence mathematics learning in New Zealand secondary schools." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2016. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/277623.

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The wide and enduring educational disparities between European and Asian heritage New Zealanders on the one hand, and indigenous Māori and Pacific Islanders on the other, have been a national education policy priority for some time. Such is the degree of focus on ethnic inequalities that very little attention is devoted to sources of privilege and disadvantage related to socio-economic status (SES) and gender, despite international scholarship showing that both of these profoundly influence experiences of schooling. The current study explores the ways in which SES, ethnicity, and gender influence students’ experiences of learning mathematics in New Zealand schools. Mathematics is a ‘gatekeeper’ subject for a range of highly lucrative career pathways dominated by European and Asian heritage men, making access to mathematical success a social justice issue with powerful material consequences. This thesis describes a mixed methods study of 425 Year Nine (age 13-14) students in three New Zealand state secondary schools, which investigated • the relationships between SES, ethnicity, gender, and success in mathematics, • cultural ideas about what types of people have mathematical ability, and • the effect of ability grouping on attainment disparities. European and Asian students had higher mathematics attainment than Māori and Pacific students. Pacific students reported enjoying mathematics despite their low attainment, whereas Māori students had very negative attitudes towards mathematics. Consistent with international studies, girls had lower confidence than boys in their mathematical abilities, despite having equal attainment. Interview data suggested that these differences in perceptions of mathematics were related to cultural ideas of mathematics as a ‘brain’ activity and therefore a natural fit for socially privileged men. Such ideas were further reinforced by ability grouping, which provided successful students with additional enrichment and withheld from low-attaining students the intellectual challenges that could have facilitated a shift to more successful learning trajectories.
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Toubat, Hasan Mohammad. "The use of computer technology in secondary mathematics teaching in New Zealand schools : a survey of teachers." Thesis, University of Canterbury. School of Educational Studies and Human Development, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/2767.

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Information technology development has driven many New Zealand educational initiatives. Projects have been undertaken, and strategies released to integrate computers into classroom teaching and learning processes. Pre-eminent among them was Interactive Education: An Information and Communication Technologies Strategy for Schools setting out a 'National Strategy' for integrating computer technology in schools. Other initiatives included: (a) The New Zealand Curriculum Framework, released in 1993, defining official policy for teaching, learning and assessment in New Zealand schools. (b) The statement of Mathematics in New Zealand Curriculum (MiNZC) (c) Information Technology Professional Development (ITPD) initiative to fund schools to organise and manage their own training and development. (d) Financial Assistance Scheme (PAS) to provide schools with at least half of the cost of approved cabling projects for local area networking, and (e) NetDay to provide practical help for schools wanting to create local area network. Extensive funds were allocated to implement these and other projects and initiatives. However there is a need for further research to reveal to what extent teachers of mathematics and other subjects are actually making use of computers. This is because since the release of the National Strategy no nationwide studies, specifically related to mathematics, have been carried out to investigate the achievement of its goals in the field of secondary mathematics teaching. Now, three years later, this present research attempts to fill that gap, and to provide government, educators, and all concerned people with deeper insight into current practice and application of computer use in the daily teaching of secondary mathematics. This research aims to contribute towards a solid foundation for further research and future planning. This research attempts to answer these questions: - To what extent and for what purposes are computers being used in secondary mathematics teaching? - How do teachers envision the use of computers in the classroom teachinglearning process? This research explores consistency between computer usage and Ministry goals as stated in MiNZC and other official statements on Information and Communication Technologies in teaching and learning. This research reveals that actual use of computers in classroom processes for the teaching and learning of mathematics remains small, comprising less than 1% of actual teaching time. Their use tends to be devoted to extending or practising pre-taught material, and serves mostly the statistics strand within the curriculum. Students seem to have unequal opportunities for use of computers. Junior students' teachers are, in general, more likely to use computers than senior students' teachers. The higher thinking mathematical process skills such as reasoning, exploring and discovering are unlikely to playa vital role in the use of computers. Results also indicate that a large majority of teachers have positive attitudes and perceive a constructive role for computers in the teaching of classroom mathematics. However, they remain cautious and are mindful of barriers to computer usage such as hardware availability, accessibility, software suitability, and professional training. The Ministry of Education hopes to achieve several goals from its computer initiatives. The most important of these is to provide opportunities for students to gain confidence and become competent users of computers in mathematical contexts to prepare them for a technology permeated future. On present evidence this goal is not currently being achieved in many classrooms. In summary, this research indicates that the use of computers in classroom teaching of mathematics is not fully meeting the governments' goals. To clarify and overcome obstacles, and to align classroom practice in using computers to teach mathematics with government goals, still requires further research, debate, cooperation, and determination.
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Logan, Kerina Ann. "The culture of computer classrooms in single-sex and mixed-sex secondary schools in Wellington, New Zealand." Thesis, Curtin University, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/730.

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The participation by females in computing education has become an issue in the Western world. Fewer females than males are observed at all levels of computer education. As the level becomes more advanced the loss of females is both cumulative and progressive. Reports from the United Kingdom, the United States, and New Zealand indicate that at secondary level boys significantly outnumber girls in higher-skill computing courses and at tertiary level the numbers of females enrolling has declined over the past decade. The motivation for this research was a desire to understand why females were not enrolling in computing classes, and when they did, why their retention was poor. A review of the literature regarding females and computing indicated that there were certain features evident in the computing classroom believed to contribute to a unique culture existing in the computing learning environment. These included the context in which computing is historically embedded, the lack of female teachers as role models and the nature of the classroom itself, where male attitudes towards computers and games play a critical role. Throughout the literature the culture of computing was shown to be strongly embedded in male values, and unattractive to many females. For this reason, some researchers suggest that single-sex classrooms or schools may provide a more supportive learning environment for both female and male students. Therefore this study explored the computer classroom learning environment of senior secondary school students at three different types of school, single-sex girls' and boys' schools and mixed-sex schools. A mixed-method research design was adopted to investigate the nature of the classroom learning environment in which computing is situated and to determine ways by which it might be made more equitable.A questionnaire with seven subscales was used to measure students' perceptions of the computer classroom learning environment. Data were collected from senior students taking computing at seven secondary schools in the central Wellington area, and the differences between the perceptions of girls and boys at single-sex and mixed-sex schools were analysed. The results suggested that, on a number of subscales, students from single-sex schools were more satisfied with their learning environment than students from mixed-sex schools, and that girls were less satisfied than boys. These findings suggested that the sex of the student and the type of school attended were associated with students' perceptions of the computer classroom. The questionnaire data were supported by interviews with students and their teachers and by observations of some of the classes. The analysis of the qualitative data confirmed many of the concerns expressed in the research literature, and revealed significant differences in the behaviour of boys and girls in the computer classroom, thus leading to the proposition that both sexes might benefit from single-sex classes. The results also highlight the critical role played by the teacher in the transfer of cultural values in the classroom through the teaching style and organisation of class activities. Taken together, the findings from the study, in the context of the research literature, enabled recommendations to be made for providing a more equitable computer learning environment for both girls and boys. Suggestions for future research, particularly in light of the changing national computing curriculum, are made.
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Logan, Kerina Ann. "The culture of computer classrooms in single-sex and mixed-sex secondary schools in Wellington, New Zealand." Curtin University of Technology, Science and Mathematics Education Centre, 2003. http://espace.library.curtin.edu.au:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=15049.

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The participation by females in computing education has become an issue in the Western world. Fewer females than males are observed at all levels of computer education. As the level becomes more advanced the loss of females is both cumulative and progressive. Reports from the United Kingdom, the United States, and New Zealand indicate that at secondary level boys significantly outnumber girls in higher-skill computing courses and at tertiary level the numbers of females enrolling has declined over the past decade. The motivation for this research was a desire to understand why females were not enrolling in computing classes, and when they did, why their retention was poor. A review of the literature regarding females and computing indicated that there were certain features evident in the computing classroom believed to contribute to a unique culture existing in the computing learning environment. These included the context in which computing is historically embedded, the lack of female teachers as role models and the nature of the classroom itself, where male attitudes towards computers and games play a critical role. Throughout the literature the culture of computing was shown to be strongly embedded in male values, and unattractive to many females. For this reason, some researchers suggest that single-sex classrooms or schools may provide a more supportive learning environment for both female and male students. Therefore this study explored the computer classroom learning environment of senior secondary school students at three different types of school, single-sex girls' and boys' schools and mixed-sex schools. A mixed-method research design was adopted to investigate the nature of the classroom learning environment in which computing is situated and to determine ways by which it might be made more equitable.
A questionnaire with seven subscales was used to measure students' perceptions of the computer classroom learning environment. Data were collected from senior students taking computing at seven secondary schools in the central Wellington area, and the differences between the perceptions of girls and boys at single-sex and mixed-sex schools were analysed. The results suggested that, on a number of subscales, students from single-sex schools were more satisfied with their learning environment than students from mixed-sex schools, and that girls were less satisfied than boys. These findings suggested that the sex of the student and the type of school attended were associated with students' perceptions of the computer classroom. The questionnaire data were supported by interviews with students and their teachers and by observations of some of the classes. The analysis of the qualitative data confirmed many of the concerns expressed in the research literature, and revealed significant differences in the behaviour of boys and girls in the computer classroom, thus leading to the proposition that both sexes might benefit from single-sex classes. The results also highlight the critical role played by the teacher in the transfer of cultural values in the classroom through the teaching style and organisation of class activities. Taken together, the findings from the study, in the context of the research literature, enabled recommendations to be made for providing a more equitable computer learning environment for both girls and boys. Suggestions for future research, particularly in light of the changing national computing curriculum, are made.
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Ivory, David Douglas Charles. "Voices of Enterprise: Power in Enterprise Education within a New Zealand Secondary School." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Management, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/8960.

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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.
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Quinlivan, Kathleen Anne. "On dangerous ground: working towards affirming representations of sexual diversity for students in two New Zealand secondary schools." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Education, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/5918.

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This thesis explores what's possible in terms of affirming sexual diversity in two New Zealand case study schools, Takehe High School and Kereru Girls' College, between 1996 and 1998. The research process was characterised by a number of shifts that arose in the interests of theoretical width and also because of methodological necessity. Initially the research project was developed within an affirmative action model. However over time, the study increasingly became informed by Foncauldian, queer and feminist post-structural frameworks. These theoretical paradigms provided a way to move beyond framing lesbian and gay students in schools as a disadvantaged minority group with personal deficits. The frameworks were also helpful in focusing on the ways in which heteronormative discourses are produced and destabilised within the two case study schools. In addition, Foucauldian, queer and feminist post-structural frameworks provided ways to explore the complex and mutable nature of sexuality, and possible pedagogical directions for students to be able to explore the discursive construction of sexuality and gender in the classroom. Foucauldian analytical tools such as genealogy also proved helpful in accounting for the constraints that arose in the second case study school because of the presence of the project in the school. The final stage of the research process led to what I am describing as an informed action approach. Foucauldian, queer and feminist post-structural frameworks may provide helpful (if challenging) directions in terms of addressing sexual diversity within the formal curriculum. However, I also suggest that affirming sexual diversity in schools should also involve having an understanding of the ideological, structural and micro and macro contextual constraints that will arise when issues of sexual diversity are explored within school contexts. This joint approach may go some way to ensuring that action to affirm sexual diversity in schools can be well informed.
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Lillis, David A. "Ethnic minority science students in New Zealand : attitudes and learning environments." Thesis, Curtin University, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/949.

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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.
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15

Brudevold-Iversen, Tessa. "���It���s finding the balance between everything���: understanding adolescent perspectives on the Key Competencies in New Zealand secondary schools." Thesis, University of Auckland, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/2292/19483.

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its new 2007 curriculum, New Zealand introduced key competencies (KCs) that are intended to ensure students' future participation in both the economy and the community In addition to core subjects such as mathematics, English, and science, the KCs introduce additional metacognitive and socioemotional dimensions that students are expected to attain before they complete their compulsory time in school. They include 1) Managing Self, 2) Relating to Others, 3) Participating and Contributing, 4) Thinking, and 5) Using Language, Symbols, and Texts. One of the goals of the new curriculum is to help students develop into ���confident, connected, actively involved, lifelong learners��� (Ministry of Education, 2007b, 2007c), and it is hoped that the KCs will contribute to this goal. The KCs also have important implications for contributing to students��� long-term wellbeing and resilience. However, the KCs are open to interpretation and schools have conceptualised, implemented, and are teaching them in different ways and to varying degrees. This presents challenges across a number of dimensions. In line with suggestions in the literature for KC development, this thesis aimed to investigate students��� views on the KCs. Students from five schools were interviewed in focus groups and individually to explore whether or not they thought they are valuable to learn, and how they thought they might be taught. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data from ten focus groups and twelve individual interviews that were conducted with students from five schools in the Auckland region. Results show that participants value the KCs and connect them to success in learning and in their future careers. They interpreted the KCs in a variety of ways, though they often failed to discuss the interconnection between the KCs or identify socioemotional aspects of the KCs. Implications for future research and for learning the KCs in school are discussed.
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16

Lillis, David A. "Ethnic minority science students in New Zealand : attitudes and learning environments." Curtin University of Technology, Science and Mathematics Education Centre, 1999. http://espace.library.curtin.edu.au:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=9832.

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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.
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17

Kepa, Tangiwai Mere Appleton. "Language matters: The politics of teaching immigrant adolescents school English (New Zealand)." Thesis, University of Auckland, 2002. http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/fullcit/3046046.

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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.
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18

Zaka, Pinelopi Alexia. "Blended Teaching and Learning in a New Zealand Rural Secondary School: Using an Ecological Framework." Thesis, University of Canterbury. School of Literacies and Arts in Education, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/7011.

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Blended online teaching and learning is a fast developing area for educational providers around the world. In New Zealand, the Virtual Learning Network enables students from more than 250 schools to experience blended learning, by enrolling in blended distance courses in addition to the face-to-face courses that their home schools offer. More and more teachers across the country also implement online content in their face-to-face teaching, experimenting with a variety of tools and offering blended web-enhanced courses to their students. The rollout of Ultra Fast Broadband is expected to increase the uptake of blended approaches in schools across the country. School wide implementation of blended teaching learning is expanding, but it is challenging even for schools that have been part of a rural e-learning cluster for many years. The need to investigate how blended teaching and learning is implemented in schools is increasing to identify the implications for students, teachers, school leaders and other educational stakeholders. A case study methodology was applied to investigate how blended teaching and learning was implemented in 2011 in a New Zealand rural secondary school that was one of the early adopters of blended approaches. Data collection methods included interviews with the ePrincipal of the school’s e-Learning cluster, the school principal and six teachers using blended approaches, observations in one blended web-enhanced class, group interviews with six students from the same class, as well as a review of documents and web resources. The findings focus on the uptake of blended teaching and learning at the school, the support that the school received from its e-Learning cluster and the support the school offered to teachers. School leaders’ and teachers’ vision for student learning was also examined, along with teachers’ practices with blended approaches, the advantages and challenges that participants observed and/or experienced, as well as the school’s future directions regarding blended teaching and learning. The study is the first to apply Davis’s (2008, in press) arena of change with digital technologies in education to present the complexity of change with blended teaching and learning in a secondary school. The roles of multiple stakeholders and their organizations impacting on and being impacted by the development of blended teaching and learning, including students, teachers, other teaching staff, school leaders, parents/community, professional, commercial/OER (Open Educational Resources), bureaucratic and political organizations are discussed. A coherent set of recommendations are made for all levels in the multilevel ecological hierarchy, including school leaders and policy makers.
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19

Soutter, Anne Kathryn. "What does it mean to be well in schools? an exploration of multiple perspectives on student wellbeing in a New Zealand secondary school context." Thesis, University of Canterbury. School of Educational Studies and Leadership, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/7774.

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Despite recognition that wellbeing and academic achievement are compatible educational goals, few education systems have clearly established how wellbeing can be meaningfully and purposefully implemented in educational experiences. The overarching aims of this thesis were to examine the relationships between wellbeing and senior secondary educational experiences, to develop a conceptual framework based on an extensive, multi-disciplinary literature review, to refine the framework through document analysis and experimental study, and to propose a model of student wellbeing that could support both researchers in the development of indicators to monitor student wellbeing and educators seeking to plan for and assess wellbeing-enhancing educational experiences. Implications for the use of the Student Wellbeing Model for the design and review of educational experiences at the classroom level are discussed.
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20

van, der Nest Theo. "Reconceptualising the preservation of special character in Catholic secondary schools: An investigation of the role of the Director of Religions Studies in Catholic secondary schools in the Hamilton Diocese, Aotearoa New Zealand." Thesis, Australian Catholic University, 2015. https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/download/4fa73659af78f6d08891561a07275344a3e17d14d6ecc6afcf3f03166125d3a8/7778194/201511_Van_der_Nest..pdf.

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Since the enactment of the Private Schools Conditional Integration Act in New Zealand in 1975, leadership in Catholic schools has become increasingly complex. Under the legislation Catholic schools are required to develop and maintain the special character of the school. In recent times the position of Director of Religious Studies (DRS) has become a prominent leadership position with a key responsibility to ensure the structural transmission of the special character of the school. Financial or State-aid is dependent upon each school’s ability to develop and maintain its special character. The challenges and demands placed on DRSs to develop and maintain the special character of the Catholic school has impacted perceptions of the role of the DRS to the point where it has become necessary to reconceptualise the role. This study provides insights into the central responsibilities and characteristics of the DRS which are vital to any considerations pertaining to reconceptualising the DRS role for contemporary leadership.
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21

Slater, Stuart K. "Transactional analysis, interpersonal behaviour and science and mathematics outcomes: a case study in a New Zealand school." Thesis, Curtin University, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/172.

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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.
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22

Jennings, Janet. "A composer-teacher in context: Music for the performing arts faculty in a New Zealand secondary school." The University of Waikato, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/2605.

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This thesis examines the processes and outcomes of a composer-teacher's practice in the context of a New Zealand secondary school. The research was undertaken by the composer-teacher/researcher as a case study that integrates an investigation of the context with four action research music composition projects developed as a creative response to that context. Chapters One to Three comprise the background theory. Chapter One provides an introduction and overview of the research; Chapter Two explains and justifies the research methods. Chapter Three peels away and examines five layers of the secondary school context identified as significant in shaping the perceptions of the participants: approaching the context in a multi-layered way enabled coherent synthesis and appraisal of the relevant literature. Chapters Four to Seven comprise the four action research music composition projects. Each action research project focuses on a music score composed by the composer-teacher/researcher for a specific group of students at Macleans College, Auckland. The composition, production, and performance processes are investigated from the perspectives of all the participants. Each music project comprises a four part progression - plan (composition process), data (music score), data analysis (recordings of performances, surveys, and interviews with all participants) and reflection (feedback, and feedforward into the next project). Each phase of the research generated significant outcomes, such as the four original music scores. Chapter Eight summarizes the themes, issues, and patterns that emerged, and makes recommendations for further research. A model of co-constructive practice emerges from this research: teacher and students co-construct artistic worlds through performance. The model is not new (it is common practice, adopted by generations of musician-teachers) but is rarely acknowledged and currently un-researched. This research demonstrates the validity of the practice from both musical, and teaching and learning perspectives, and examines the strengths and limitations of the model. At its best, the creative processes co-constructed by a teacher with her students are shown to provide a crucible within which intense and creative learning experiences occur. Students of all levels of ability are shown to gain confidence in this context, and subsequently develop skills with apparent ease. The co-constructive model is limited in that it cannot meet the musical needs of all students: co-construction should be considered as one model of practice, appropriate for use in association with many others. This research provides 'virtual access' to a particular world of performance practice, revealing the secondary school context as a realm of authentic and valid musical practice.
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23

Hulston, Shirley. ""Blurring The Edges": An in-depth qualitative study of inclusion and the curriculum in a New Zealand secondary school." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Education, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/1065.

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The purpose of this study is to investigate meanings of inclusion at different levels of the education system in relation to the New Zealand Curriculum Framework and Special Education 2000 policies. My specific focus is to make connections between policy and practice in relation to the inclusion of students with disabilities in a secondary school setting. Through using an ethnographic qualitative methodology I am able to gain an in-depth understanding of the perspectives of participants at all levels within the state education system, (students, school staff, parents, support agencies and state representatives), particularly those directly involved within the school. Data was collected by way of participant observation, semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Data analysis was ongoing throughout the study, through a method of modified analytic induction. My analysis draws on the theoretical perspectives of interpretivism and radical humanism, both of which are underpinned by a social construction epistemology. This provides the necessary theoretical link for understanding the connections between macro- and microlevel social action in terms of policy intentions and classroom practices. My findings serve to highlight the inconsistencies, contradictions and points of congruence between the New Zealand Curriculum Framework and Special Education 2000, the intentions of the policy makers and classroom implementation. Six themes emerge from the findings. These are Walking The Tightrope: issues of contestability; Privileged Knowledge; Blurring The Edges; Power Struggles; Maintaining Normality; and Excluding The Included. These themes demonstrate that a shift by the state to utilitarianism diverged from principles of inclusion that were simultaneously being promoted in the curriculum documents. The conflicting messages at a state level were being replicated within the school, and thus the status quo was maintained because the only inclusion models the school had available to them were those based on traditional special educational ideologies. The result was a context of continued exclusion, which continued to permeate through to daily classroom practices.
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24

Solomon, Tereapii Elinora. "A Life-history Analysis of Achievement of Māori and Pacific Island Students at the Church College of New Zealand." The University of Waikato, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/2272.

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The Church College of New Zealand is a private co-educational secondary school located near Hamilton, New Zealand and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Since its opening in 1958, it has hosted a large population of Polynesian students, in particular Māori. The questions that this thesis addresses centre on the nature, history and reasons for what seems to be a disproportionately higher level of achievement amongst Māori and Pacific Island students at Church College than in New Zealand more broadly. Through a life-history approach to research, this thesis provides an overview of the rich history behind the building of the Church College, and highlights the experiences of successful graduates over three particular timeframes - 1951-1969, 1970-1989 and the 1990s. A major contributing factor to the success of the students at Church College is an environment where both religious and cultural values of students are reaffirmed and considered normal. For some students, Church College provided an environment that validated what students were being taught in their own homes. For others, it provided a refuge from a conflicted home. With the growing pressures of social problems within the wider community for many Māori and Pacific Island families, the school environment of the Church College was a key factor in providing stability and security for some students at the College. On June 29 2006, an announcement was made by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of the phased out closure of Church College beginning in the year 2007 and eventually closing at the end of the year 2009. With Māori and Pacific Island students so under-represented in achievement and participation in education settings in New Zealand, the announcement of the closure provided an opportunity to highlight some of the successes experienced at the Church College of New Zealand.
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25

Kay, Joan-Marie. "Listening to the voices of Year 13 Māori students: A case study in a New Zealand secondary school." The University of Waikato, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/2800.

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This research focuses on listening to the voices of Year 13 academically successful Māori students in a large, urban, mainstream, co-educational, decile 4, New Zealand secondary school. Traditionally, researchers have tended to emphasise the poor academic performance of Māori students in New Zealand. In contrast, this qualitative case study, however, seeks to understand what influences and motivates the academically successful Year 13 Māori students who have gained the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level 2 and who returned to school to study for NCEA Level 3. Semi structured interviews as conversations with all thirteen Māori students who had achieved NCEA Level 2 formed the basis of this research. Five of their parents, seven of their teachers and the principal were also interviewed. The findings show that these students all stress the importance of their family, in particular, one family member or significant adult in their lives who valued education and supported the student, influencing and encouraging their motivation and self-efficacy. Building positive relationships with their teachers was the next strongest influence on their academic success followed closely by the positive influence of their friends. Self-motivation was mainly extrinsic. The students perceived that the principal had little effect on their individual achievement. The teachers also acknowledge the importance of building positive relationships with their students and acknowledge the benefits of the reflective practice provided by the Te Kotahitanga project in highlighting this factor. The findings suggest the excellent initiatives currently taking place in the school need to be continued or strengthened and that further interventions which target particular Māori students, rather than are global across the school, should be introduced.
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26

Tyacke, Vicki-Lee. "The preparedness of New Zealand secondary school students for first year undergraduate studies in a digital learning environment." Thesis, Curtin University, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/88381.

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Today’s secondary school students need to be both prepared and confident as they progress into the undergraduate digital learning environment. This research examined the perceived level of preparedness and confidence of final school year students for the digital learning expectations of the Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) tertiary sector. The new knowledge gained from this study will contribute to a better understanding in the secondary and tertiary sectors by providing them with insight into how students view their preparation for the undergraduate digital learning environment.
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27

Slater, Stuart K. "Transactional analysis, interpersonal behaviour and science and mathematics outcomes: a case study in a New Zealand school." Curtin University of Technology, Science and Mathematics Education Centre, 2000. http://espace.library.curtin.edu.au:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=9613.

Full text
Abstract:
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.
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28

Guerin, Annette Patricia. "'The Inside View' Investigating the use of Narrative Assessment to Support Student Identity, Wellbeing, and Participation in Learning in a New Zealand secondary school." Thesis, University of Canterbury. School of Educational Studies and Leadership, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/10486.

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New Zealand education policies and documents (Ministry of Education, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011a, 2014a) situate students at the centre of assessment processes that are underpinned by the New Zealand Curriculum. They identify building student assessment capability as crucial to achieving improvement in learning. Documents recognize the impact of quality interactions and relationships on effective assessment. However these core beliefs about assessment are not observed to guide teaching practices for all students. Disabled students remain invisible in assessment data and practices within New Zealand secondary schools. There appears to be little or no assessment data about learning outcomes for this group of students. This thesis investigates possible ways to recognize the diversity of student capability and learning through the use of narrative assessment. It challenges the absence of disabled students in assessment landscapes as educator roles and responsibilities within assessment, teaching and learning are framed within an inclusive pedagogy. This research project focuses on how a team of adults and two students labeled as disabled make sense of assessment and learning within the context of narrative assessment in the students’ regular high school. The project examines the consequences of narrative assessment on student identity, wellbeing and participation within learning. The study offers opportunities to observe how specialists from outside of the school respond to the use of narrative as they work with the two student research participants. This study undertakes a critical inquiry that recognises the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi – partnership, protection and participation – as pivotal to inclusive practice where all students are valued as learners. It investigates how narrative assessment can honour these principles in everyday teaching practice. The project aims to inform education policy and practice, with a view to enriching learning outcomes and opportunities for disabled students who are frequently marginalized by inequitable assessment processes. It is argued that narrative assessment can support the construction of student identity and wellbeing. It can support the recognition of disabled students as partners in their learning. However the value of narrative assessment can be undermined by the responses of educators and other professionals who continue to work within deficit models of assessment, teaching and learning. Within this thesis adult participants from family and education contexts have clear ideas about the value and validity of assessment practices and processes that do not respect a presumption of competence or a need to establish a relationship with a student being assessed. Their views challenge everyday practices that fulfill assessment contracts, but ignore Treaty of Waitangi and New Zealand Curriculum commitments. Their views can inform better ways of working between specialists and schools supporting disabled students.
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29

Matthews, Nathan W., and n/a. ""He kura Maori, he kura hahi, he kura katorika, he kura motuhake mo te iwi." Hato Paora College : a model of Maori Catholic education." University of Otago. Te Tumu - School of Maori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies, 2007. http://adt.otago.ac.nz./public/adt-NZDU20070921.134919.

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Church initiated and operated Maori secondary boarding schools have existed in Aotearoa in various forms since the arrival of the missionaries in the early 19th century. Since their inception, they have contributed significantly to the development of Maori society, particularly in the production of dynamic Maori leaders who have had a compelling influence on their communities, wider Maori society and in some instances on the nation state. This thesis will examine the Society of Mary�s establishment of Hato Paora College, Feilding, as an example of a Maori Catholic secondary boarding school. The first part contains four general chapters that provide relevant background information to the establishment of Hato Paora. The first identifies key aspects of a Maori Catholic world view and Maori Catholicism. Chapter two traces the arrival, and subsequent development, of the Catholic Church in New Zealand as a mission to Maori. The next chapter looks more specifically at the history of the Society of Mary in New Zealand and the development of the Diocese of Wellington, particularly their Maori missions, under their authority. Finally, Chapter four chronicles the situation of Maori within the New Zealand education system since its inception. Part two of this thesis contains eight chapters that present a detailed case study of Hato Paora. The exploration of the type of educational environment provided by Hato Paora College begins in Chapter six with the examination of its foundation. Chapters seven and eight look at the philosophies and administration of each of the six rectors. The two succeeding chapters describe the defining characteristics of the school, its Maori character and its Catholic character. Chapter eleven evaluates how this school has influenced the boys who attended, using interviews with a representative sampling of old boys. Chapter twelve concerns the relationships that the College early established with the Maori communities that it belongs to. In the final chapter, a model will be presented as a plan for the future of the school. This philosophical model attempts to provide a guide for Hato Paora, using Kaupapa Maori theory as the basic framework, while still retaining the ideals and philosophies of the College�s Marist founders.
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30

Fastier, John Murray Lang. "Teachers' perceptions regarding the implementation of the Level 1 Geography Achievement Standards within the New Zealand Senior Secondary School Context." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Maori, Social and Cultural Studies in Education, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/1052.

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The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) is the recently introduced qualification for New Zealand senior secondary school students. Based on a mix of internal and external assessment against achievement standards, it represents a complete break away from previous norm-reference based qualifications. NCEA was first introduced in 2002 starting at Level 1, involving Year 11 students in their first year in senior secondary school education. The implementation of Level 1 NCEA related assessment changes involved a considerable mind shift in assessment practice for teachers, especially for those with no previous standards-based assessment experience. The use of achievement standards impacted not only on how teachers gathered evidence and made judgements in relation to student work, but also on the ways in which they conducted recording and reporting, and managed procedures such as reassessment and moderation. Change of this nature by necessity, at least short term, was always bound to give rise to implementation concerns and challenges. The focus of this research is on investigating geography teachers' perceptions regarding the implementation of the Level 1 NCEA related geography achievement standards. It aims to identify the factors perceived as supporting or hindering the implementation process, the likely implications of achievement standards-based assessment for teaching and learning, and the types of strategies being developed to ensure the future manageability of NCEA related assessment change.
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31

Mitchell, Moana Erika. ""All we got to see were factories." : scoping Maori transitions from secondary school : a thesis submitted to the Victoria University of Wellington in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Education /." ResearchArchive@Victoria e-Thesis, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10063/1244.

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32

Hayakawa, Sumiyo. "Efficacy of Secondary Level Short Term Study Abroad Programmes between Japan and New Zealand : The Case Study of Darfield High School." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Japanese, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/10245.

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International education has been a growing trend globally over the past thirty years. Since the late 1980s, the popularity of study abroad programme amongst Japanese students has also seen a significant increase following the international education trend. A more recent trend in international education has been the development of shorter term study abroad programmes and the value of these programmes has been widely recognised in Japan. In response to Japanese government initiatives, Japanese secondary schools have developed short-term programmes in order to develop students’ international awareness. As a result, a large number of Japanese high school students have participated in a short-term study abroad programme in the last 20 years. Japan and New Zealand have a long history of sister school relationships. By 2012, 191 Japanese high schools had established sister school relationships, and these school links have provided the impetus for exchange programmes; which means that many Japanese high school students visit New Zealand schools to study in short-term programmes (for less than 3 months) or longer. Several scholars have investigated the learners’ outcomes of the short-term study abroad of university students. From their studies, it has been established that the main learning objectives of study abroad programmes, are second language acquisition, intercultural competence and personal development. However, little is yet known about the outcomes of younger students who have participated in short-term programmes; only a few attempts have so far been made to analyse the case of Japanese secondary school students’ short-term programmes, and few still refer specifically to programmes in New Zealand. One of my main objectives was to determine a) what were the objectives of Japanese secondary students to participation in a short-term study abroad programme in New Zealand, b) whether they feel satisfied that their objectives have been. Also, as other researchers mentioned, could benefits such as second language acquisition, intercultural competence and personal development be claimed by secondary schools participating in these programmes – specifically the Darfield High School short-term programme that is my case study. In order to do this, I conducted two surveys with four different groups of Japanese secondary school students who visited Darfield High School from 2009 to 2012 as a case study. The findings suggest that many Japanese secondary school students expected to improve their English conversation skills, but they did not feel much improvement in this area after the programme, however, upon reflection, after the programme, students recognised that they had gained far more than they had expected in a general sense. For example, many participants expected to learn about some of the aspects of New Zealand culture as a result of the programme and indeed many students felt that they accomplished this objective, in addition to learning more about their own culture. It is anticipated that the results of my research will assist those who organise study abroad programmes, assist students to maximise their learning, and benefit organisations who host students from overseas.
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Silipa, Silipa. ""Fanaafi o fa'amalama" : a light within the light : nurturing coolness & dignity in Samoan students' secondary school learning in Aotearoa/New Zealand." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Department of Education, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/2886.

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This study examines how Samoan students at the secondary school level cope under intense pressure of their dual operation (fa'asamoa-western culture) in their social psychological-cultural learning constructions. A "Samoan fieldwork" study investigated the student-centred learning, particularly the realities of their experiences in the classroom. A Matuaofaiva Model (integrative fa'asamoa perspective) guided the multi-disciplinary methodology employed. Previous relative studies were nevertheless utilised for their exogenous frameworks, themes and concepts. This study developed an expected viable learning process, which allowed Samoan students to engage and cope within learning processes. The study specifically seeks to develop a substantive model of understanding that can interpret and hypothesise on students' invisible and visible behaviours in conjunction with their actions. To examine the coping/managing strategies of learning, I worked with nine Senior Samoan students at a state suburban high school in New Zealand over a period of over a year following individuals and groups. Intensive observations of the student sample was complemented and supplemented by fa'afaletui fonos (forums) and informal discussions with parents, teachers and students' peers and cohorts. Data was analysed during the data collection process, which covered a period of over four years. During this time, it became necessary to broaden not only my understanding of what others were doing, but also substantially to modify my own approach. The cultural conflict faced by Samoan students in their learning has been defined as "wavering" or more specifically, "content wavering" which relates to students' interaction with the content of the curriculum, and "feelings wavering" which relates to socio-cultural and psychological factors. Samoan students search to overcome both forms of wavering by way of: pacifying in apprenticeship; crafting in guided participation; and ascertaining in participatory appropriation. The ways in which they cope reveal a process of "nurturing coolness and dignity", a process that those involved in education need to be aware of and utilise to help Samoans and/or Pasifika students to succeed in the New Zealand education system, particularly in classroom learning.
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Connolly, Maria Josephine. "The impacts of the Canterbury earthquakes on educational inequalities and achievement in Christchurch secondary schools." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Geography, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/7903.

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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.
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Taylor, Rowena Margaret. "Teachers' conflicting responses to change: an evaluation of the implementation of senior social studies for the NCEA, 2002-2006 : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the degree of Doctor of Education (EdD), Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand." Massey University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10179/1023.

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The thesis provides a socio-historical perspective through which to evaluate the first five years of implementation (2002 to 2006) of social studies within the National Certificate of Educational Achievement [NCEA] in New Zealand secondary schools. The experiences of both lead educators, with responsibilities at a national level, and classroom teachers provide insights into the personal, contextual and institutional factors which have enabled and constrained the implementation process, especially at NCEA level one. The inclusion of social studies as a subject for the new qualifications and assessment system in New Zealand, the NCEA, heralded a significant opportunity for this integrated subject to gain academic status and acquire a unique identity within the senior secondary school curriculum. Paradoxically it set a relatively strongly framed assessment system beside a curriculum that has traditionally been weakly classified and framed (Bernstein, 1971). This paradox has created tensions for teachers who have responded in different ways, from full implementation to a more functional approach. Two groups of teachers were identified in the course of this study. The idealists are passionate advocates for senior social studies and are likely to implement it to all three NCEA levels in their school. The pragmatists, on the other hand, are more likely to offer only level one social studies, typically to their more academically able year 10 (Form 4) students for extension purposes, and also to induct them into the assessment requirements of the NCEA system before they study the traditional social science subjects at levels one, two and three. This pragmatic approach reflects past practices of the pre- NCEA, School Certificate era (1945-2001). It continues to reinforce the low status and unclear identity of senior social studies within the social sciences as well as within an already overcrowded senior school curriculum. At the end of this first five year period of implementation the viability of senior social studies is at a critical juncture, with its on-going success not yet assured.
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Page, Nicki A. "Assessing affective elements in New Zealand secondary school general music education: The development of a music attitude assessment instrument based on a taxonomy of affective educational objectives." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Music, 1993. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/4606.

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The purpose of this study was: (1) To examine the issue of assessment in the affective domain, with particular reference to New Zealand secondary school general music education; and (2) To make a practical contribution to the assessment of elements in the affective domain, by addressing problems and concerns raised by the examination of affective domain issues. The affective domain was described as incorporating "positive and negative feelings, as well as emotionally toned attitudes, values, interests and appreciations ... ". It was suggested that too often there is a wide discrepancy between stated affective objectives for a particular course of learning, and any subsequent evaluation of that course . . Specific problems and issues were identified, and these were to form a linking thread throughout the thesis. The taxonomy of affective objectives, developed by Krathwohl, Bloom and Masia, was introduced and discussed, with particular attention being drawn to the position of 'attitude' on the taxonomy continuum. The proposal was to base a music attitude assessment instrument on the model: this forming the "practical contribution" component of the study. A pilot study was undertaken using a previously developed, affective taxonomy-based assessment instrument; the purpose being to gain some indication as to the viability of the proposed project. Using carefully formulated item statements, a New Music Attitude Assessment Instrument (the NMAAI) was constructed and administered to students in New Zealand secondary schools. A particular characteristic of the NMAAI is that, unlike previous Instruments designed according to similar principles, its underlying definition of 'music' is nonspecific. The resultant data were analysed, and validity and reliability studies were undertaken. The "specific problems and issues" introduced in the opening chapters of the thesis were revisited in the light of the NMAAI project, and the findings were detailed. It was concluded that the NMAAI, as an instrument for use in secondary school general music education, contains demonstrably beneficial properties. It has the potential to aid the assessment of objectives from the New Zealand music education syllabus for schools. Implications for further research were identified, both with regard to the NMAAI itself, and for affective domain assessment in general.
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Tito, Janie. "Māori language use in New Zealand secondary schools : what are the issues for teachers and students? : a thesis submitted to the Victoria University of Wellington in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Māori Studies /." ResearchArchive@Victoria e-Thesis, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10063/544.

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Lipine, Tavita. "Education of secondary Samoan students in New Zealand : the road to success : a thesis submitted to the Victoria University of Wellington in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education /." ResearchArchive@Victoria e-thesis, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10063/1317.

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39

Lingemyr, Jesper. "English Varieties in Swedish Upper Secondary School : An analysis of Listening Exercises in Swedish National Tests." Thesis, Högskolan i Gävle, Engelska, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-23579.

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The purpose of this project was to find out what varieties of English that Swedish upper secondary school students are exposed to in the classroom and to what extent they are exposed to different varieties. This was conducted by looking at preparation exercises for the listening part of the Swedish National Tests. These exercises are created by Göteborgs Universitet and are available online for everyone and show how the real national test will be done. By listening and analyzing every speaker’s variety they were sorted into British, American, Mid-Atlantic, Australian or New Zealand varieties. A total of 91 speakers were analyzed and the results showed that Students are exposed to mostly British English with half of the speakers using a British variety. One fourth of the speakers used American English while the rest were divided into Mid-Atlantic, Australian or New Zealand varieties.
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Thorpe, Vicki. "We made this song : the group song writing processes of three adolescent rock bands : a thesis submitted to the New Zealand School of Music in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music in History and Literature of Music /." ResearhArchive@Victoria e-Thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10063/272.

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41

McGeorge, Colin. "Schools and socialisation in New Zealand 1890-1914." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Education, 1985. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/819.

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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.
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Couch, Michael Peter. "Philosophy in New Zealand schools : is it possible?" Thesis, University of Canterbury. Department of Education, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/3824.

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Ever since Socrates walked the agora of classical Athens, philosophy has involved thinking skills. Philosophy was a core part of education until the industrial revolution shifted the educational context towards specific skills/knowledge. Although the current secondary curriculum in New Zealand constantly refers to building critical thinking skills, it is narrowly channelling curiosity due to its orientation to content and outcomes. International recognition of the educational benefits of philosophy started principally in select United States primary classrooms in the 1970s. Philosophy has since spread into many secondary school curricula, with particular success in Ontario and Australia. There has been limited research in New Zealand in this area, and no equivalent call for or against a specific development of philosophy in the curriculum. International literature and educational research into philosophy in the classroom complement literature reviews and comparative studies, all grounded within an historical framework. A case study of Hagley Community College demonstrates the successful introduction of philosophy, while a consideration of psychological research indicates that it can support or oppose philosophy. Local research, based on ideas and opinions of students, teachers and lecturers, adds to the understanding of the support and challenges within the New Zealand educational environment. Questionnaire-based exploratory studies give a range of results that show student support for thinking skills and provide a range of responses that should both concern and encourage curriculum developers. Analysis of the historical and contemporary educational frameworks leads to the conclusion that philosophy has a viable role within New Zealand schools, and that there is extensive support for philosophy. As there are means to address practical concerns and there is a current opportunity to influence the content of the curriculum, this thesis recommends that supplementary research regarding the introduction of philosophy to New Zealand High schools be undertaken.
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43

Collins, Graham J., and mikewood@deakin edu au. "Principalship and policy in small New Zealand primary schools." Deakin University. School of Social And Cultural Studies in Education, 2003. http://tux.lib.deakin.edu.au./adt-VDU/public/adt-VDU20050826.120007.

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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.
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Kozlonskie, Laura M. "Physics and chemistry for pre-secondary students in New Zealand." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Physics, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/5926.

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In 1996 we set out to show that primary teachers could teach the new physical science curriculum with no further training if they had the right books. We searched the literature for didactics which had been shown to positively impact learning so that we could incorporate those features into any books we would make. We conducted a pilot project for which we wrote and printed 30 workbooks for one activity. Next, we sent out a book survey to find what books were available for the subject in New Zealand at that time. Simultaneously, we scoured Europe, Asia and North America for good lesson material. We found material which incorporated the didactic criteria from our literature search and adapted some of it for our study, producing about 12,000 guided workbooks for each of the last four pre-secondary years, 3000 for each age nine to twelve. The books were made available to all New Zealand schools. Two groups of about 12 teachers each formally trialled the books. One group answered questionnaires and the other kept action research journals. Both groups confirmed the principal research premise- teaching hours increased with no further training. Once good books were in hand other problems became apparent. A nationwide resources survey revealed a lack of equipment and other problems such as poor classroom design, awkward grouping of children of different ages and abilities, lack of time, dysfunctional open plan classes of 100 pupils, two-year teaching cycles, competition from free resource packs, and lack of support material such as videos. From this study it can be concluded that the books made a positive impact for teaching physical science. The books gave teachers an international standard of lessons to work from. It was shown by this study that a teacher with no background in physics or chemistry can teach primary physical science at an international standard once good books are in hand as long as poor equipment, space and facilities are not too serious a set of impediments.
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Till, Marisa. "Studies of New Zealand Marine Organisms." The University of Waikato, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/2498.

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The chemical study of three New Zealand marine organisms is described, along with a survey of the chemistry and biological activity of eighty-five marine organisms collected from New Zealand waters. The study of the New Zealand marine bryozoan Pterocella vesiculosa has resulted in the isolation of three new compounds; pterocellin H, pterocellin I and 1-methyl-5-bromo-8-methoxy-β-carboline. These compounds were characterised using high resolution mass spectrometry, one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The biological activity of these compounds was investigated and a discussion of the results including a comparison with the activity of closely related compounds is also presented. The crude extracts of eighty-five marine organisms were surveyed to establish their biological activity and chemical constituents. The results of this study indicated which species had interesting biological activity. The chemical survey allowed geographical and intra-species comparisons of chemical constituents between samples, as well as potentially indicating the presence of known secondary metabolites. For the Pterocella vesiculosa samples the survey methodology clearly illustrated the presence of pterocellins A and B. Two marine organisms were chosen for further investigation based on their biological activity and chemical survey results. Bioactivity directed isolation procedures yielded no new compounds from the organisms. The sterol composition of these species is also presented.
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Burrowes, Jodie Anne. "A functional attributes approach to secondary succession pathways in New Zealand." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Department of Biological Sciences, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/4822.

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While for many years we have been attempting to conserve the remaining natural areas in New Zealand, interest has recently increased in the possibility of restoring degraded areas back to (predominantly) native vegetation. Knowledge of probable secondary succession pathways for such areas would assist their management. A method to describe, and thus compare, succession pathways would help determine the strongest influences on the succession process. If this method did not use plant species, but species grouped according to shared characteristics, comparison of succession pathways between places with different floras would be possible. This thesis is the first use of the functional attributes method to describe succession pathways for New Zealand vegetation. The method was first tested by a quantitative comparison of species and functional attributes data for two New Zealand sites, using ordination and correlation analyses. The results supported the hypothesis that conversion of the data from species to functional attributes will permit, by use of ordination analysis, recovery of the same rank-order of sites in a successional sequence, using field data from New Zealand vegetation. The second test was a qualitative assessment of the method, using four New Zealand sites, involving comparisons between regeneration sequences in the literature, and those generated by functional attributes information. The regeneration sequence generated from functional attributes information was found to approximately reproduce the sequence predicted or observed by researchers for the study sites. The results were very encouraging, and showed that the functional attributes method has potential for representing succession pathways in New Zealand sites. The potential of the method as a land management tool, including modelling responses to introduced species, is discussed. The next step would be the development of a computer model, allowing multiple sequences to be quickly generated with different disturbance regimes and initial vegetation.
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Crossan, Sue. "The perceptions and experiences of immigrant teachers with regard to the literacy requirements of the New Zealand secondary school curriculum a thesis submitted to the Auckland University of Technology University in partial fulfillment [sic] of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (MA) in Applied Language Studies, 2009 /." Click here to access this resource online, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10292/661.

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Thesis (MA--Applied Language Studies) -- AUT University, 2009.
Includes bibliographical references. Also held in print (viii, 104 leaves ; 30 cm.) in the Archive at the City Campus (T 373.110086910993 CRO)
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48

Patrick, Rachel. "Teaching the storied past : history in New Zealand primary schools 1900-1940 /." Connect to thesis, 2009. http://repository.unimelb.edu.au/10187/7057.

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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.
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Lillard, Dorry. "UNDERSTANDING THE PURPOSE OF RESTORATIVE PRACTICES FOR SCHOOLS: A NEW ZEALAND PERSPECTIVE." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2017. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/589.

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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.
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Doig, Cheryl, and n/a. "Innovation in Education in 'Designated Character Schools': a Case Study of the Directors of Discovery 1 and 'Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti'." Griffith University. School of Cognition, Language and Special Education, 2005. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20060220.170614.

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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.
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