scholarly journals Text choice for the English (language arts) classroom in New Zealand: Balancing needs and environment in the face of a potential move to increased accountability at Years 9 and 10

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 78
Author(s):  
Gillian Hubbard
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Language Arts ◽  
English Language ◽  
Adolescent Literacy ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Face ◽  
Zealand Secondary School ◽  
Primary And Secondary School

The approaches of 17 experienced secondary school teachers of English in New Zealand to choosing text, reported through semi-structured interviews, aligns well to one strand of theory about adolescent literacy. This theory, based on empirical research, advocates taking account of students’ interests and backgrounds when choosing texts. New Zealand secondary school English teachers’ sense of unencumbered autonomy to choose texts may come under pressure from signalled policy moves for increased accountability for progress in literacy between the primary and secondary school years. The pattern internationally has been for movements to increase accountability to result in a narrowing of curriculum approaches.

scholarly journals Tama Samoa Stories: Experiences and Perceptions of Identity, Belonging and Future Aspirations at Secondary School

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Fuapepe Rimoni
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
School Context ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Future Aspirations ◽  
Zealand Secondary School ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Key Aspects ◽  
Critical Discourses

<p>This thesis investigates the experiences of twelve strong, articulate and thoughtful tama Samoa (Samoan boys) through their participation in secondary schools and lives outside the classroom and through the stories of others. The study looked at how the students enacted their identities as Samoans, as learners and as young men who are anticipating the future. The study is premised on the view that Pacific identities are fluid, diverse, multi-dimensional and include a range of different perspectives relating to social class, ethnicity, culture and gender. Such a view of identity as complex is not generally taken into consideration in the literature on educational success and achievement of Pacific students in New Zealand.  The study employed a phenomenological qualitative design, using focus groups and semi-structured interviews by talanoa (conversations). As the study involved a group of indigenous tama Samoa, the Samoan fa’afaletui method was used. Participants were a group of twelve tama Samoa in three Wellington secondary schools and their twelve nominated persons.  The study found that there are key aspects to making the experiences of tama Samoa positive and successful within the secondary school. These include acknowledging tama Samoa and their multiple identities while attending secondary school; supporting the development of a sense of belonging through everyday interactions with peers and teachers, and affirming the belief by tama Samoa that secondary school socialisation serves to help them make future decisions.  This study argues that the experiences of tama Samoa are deeply embedded within wider social, economic and political trends. Indeed, their “voices” are shaped in part by these broader forces that construct and represent them as being historically “disadvantaged” and socio-economically “underserved.” Further, this study advocates for the diverse voices of tama Samoa, along with their experiences, stories, hopes, aspirations and dreams to be brought to light and placed alongside the official accounts of Pacific “disadvantage” to enable more balanced critical discourses taking place.  It is hoped that this study will offer further insights into the experiences of tama Samoa in the New Zealand secondary school context, from which valuable knowledge is derived to inform and support schools in improving the New Zealand secondary school experiences of Samoan adolescent boys.</p>

An exploration of teachers’ perceptions of Syrian students in Turkey and implications for school social work

2021 ◽  
pp. 002087282096978
Author(s):  
Tuba Yüceer Kardeş ◽  
Ezgi Arslan Özdemir ◽  
Münevver Eryalçin ◽  
Burcu Özdemir Ocaklı
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
School Social Work ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Refugee Students ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Social Work Interventions ◽  
Primary And Secondary School

Low rates of school enrolment emerge as a significant problem among Syrian students in Turkey; however, enrolment in the school brings about new challenges not only for the Syrian refugee students but also for Turkish students and their teachers. In order to address this issue, this study aims to depict the perceived problems experienced by Syrian and Turkish students and their teachers. In the scope of the study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 primary and secondary school teachers to gather their perceived opinion on the issue. The findings are discussed within the context of school social work interventions.

scholarly journals New Zealand Secondary School Teachers' Perceptions and Practices Toward Curriculum Integration

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Susan Arrowsmith
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Curriculum Integration ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Senior Managers ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Zealand Secondary School

<p>Curriculum integration is an approach that aims to integrate teaching across traditional subject boundaries. Curriculum integration has received a growing level of interest in recent years in New Zealand, even from secondary schools that up until now have largely retained disciplinary boundaries. However, in spite of this recent popularity, curriculum integration remains a contested concept in terms of its definition, theoretical grounding, and practice, and we still know very little about how and why teachers are enacting this idea.  This study investigated New Zealand secondary school teachers’ perceptions and practices pertaining to curriculum integration. Participants included 25 teachers and senior managers from four New Zealand secondary schools currently employing curriculum integration. A collective case study design was utilised, gathering qualitative data through focus group sessions, semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis. The data was analysed thematically.  The findings indicated that teachers’ theoretical understanding of integration was limited, and that most of the programmes were pragmatically founded. Factors that appeared to enhance the success of curriculum integration were the historical roots, whether the programme was initiated by teachers or senior managers, the type and degree of integration employed, if the programme ran as a special curriculum or across the whole school, the level of support received, and the timing of the programmes.  It was apparent that whilst curriculum integration has been advocated by the New Zealand Curriculum, there are still many challenges for secondary schools wishing to employ it. If this is indeed an area of future growth, then the Ministry of Education have a responsibility to provide a clear definition of, and professional development for, curriculum integration. This would help to strengthen the progressive, integrated curriculum espoused in the New Zealand Curriculum so that it is on far less shaky ground than at present.</p>

scholarly journals Tama Samoa Stories: Experiences and Perceptions of Identity, Belonging and Future Aspirations at Secondary School

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Fuapepe Rimoni
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
School Context ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Future Aspirations ◽  
Zealand Secondary School ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Key Aspects ◽  
Critical Discourses

<p>This thesis investigates the experiences of twelve strong, articulate and thoughtful tama Samoa (Samoan boys) through their participation in secondary schools and lives outside the classroom and through the stories of others. The study looked at how the students enacted their identities as Samoans, as learners and as young men who are anticipating the future. The study is premised on the view that Pacific identities are fluid, diverse, multi-dimensional and include a range of different perspectives relating to social class, ethnicity, culture and gender. Such a view of identity as complex is not generally taken into consideration in the literature on educational success and achievement of Pacific students in New Zealand.  The study employed a phenomenological qualitative design, using focus groups and semi-structured interviews by talanoa (conversations). As the study involved a group of indigenous tama Samoa, the Samoan fa’afaletui method was used. Participants were a group of twelve tama Samoa in three Wellington secondary schools and their twelve nominated persons.  The study found that there are key aspects to making the experiences of tama Samoa positive and successful within the secondary school. These include acknowledging tama Samoa and their multiple identities while attending secondary school; supporting the development of a sense of belonging through everyday interactions with peers and teachers, and affirming the belief by tama Samoa that secondary school socialisation serves to help them make future decisions.  This study argues that the experiences of tama Samoa are deeply embedded within wider social, economic and political trends. Indeed, their “voices” are shaped in part by these broader forces that construct and represent them as being historically “disadvantaged” and socio-economically “underserved.” Further, this study advocates for the diverse voices of tama Samoa, along with their experiences, stories, hopes, aspirations and dreams to be brought to light and placed alongside the official accounts of Pacific “disadvantage” to enable more balanced critical discourses taking place.  It is hoped that this study will offer further insights into the experiences of tama Samoa in the New Zealand secondary school context, from which valuable knowledge is derived to inform and support schools in improving the New Zealand secondary school experiences of Samoan adolescent boys.</p>

scholarly journals Teaching in superdiverse multicultural classrooms: Ideas from New Zealand secondary school teachers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bronwyn E. Wood ◽  
Shona McRae ◽  
Meredith Raukura
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Teaching Strategies ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Supportive Relationships ◽  
Zealand Secondary School ◽  
Multicultural Classrooms ◽  
Ethnic Students

Increased migration in recent years means that New Zealand classrooms are growing in cultural diversity—and in some communities, the extent and complexity of this has reached levels of “superdiversity”. This article reports on how teachers (n = 23) in four superdiverse secondary schools in New Zealand were responding to the growing cultural diversity in their classrooms. Four key approaches that were used by teachers in all schools to develop supportive relationships and foster greater inclusion are outlined. In addition, several teaching strategies are provided to help support teachers to face the growing complexity of mixed, hybrid, and evolving identities of multi-ethnic students in their classrooms.

Factorial Validity and Measurement Invariance of the Principal Leadership Questionnaire in Greek Educational Context

2021 ◽  
pp. 003329412110091
Author(s):  
Aikaterini Gkolia ◽  
Nikolaos Tsigilis ◽  
Maria Evangelou ◽  
Athanasios Koustelios
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Principal Leadership ◽  
Concurrent Validity ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Educational Context ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Validity Data ◽  
Primary And Secondary School

The purpose of this study was to investigate the applicability of the Principal Leadership Questionnaire (PLQ) to Greek educational context and to present the most important aspects describing educational leadership in a centralized educational context. It was sought to examine; a) the factorial structure of PLQ b) its invariance across teachers’ levels of education and c) its concurrent validity. Data were collected from 730 Greek primary and secondary school teachers of 77 schools. Teachers were asked to fill in the PLQ and Teacher’s Satisfaction Inventory (TSI). A bi-factor model was selected as the most tenable among five completive PLQ structures to describe teachers’ responses. Moreover, PLQ was found to be invariant across primary and secondary school teachers. Multiple-group analysis results indicate that primary, compared to secondary school teachers, reported more often that their principals behave as a transformational leader. On the contrary, secondary school teachers’ perceptions revealed that their principal implemented practices related to factor “intellectual; stimulation” more often than primary school teachers. Structural equation modeling showed that the general factor of the PLQ significantly and substantially predicted the “principal” facet of teachers’ job satisfaction, providing evidence of concurrent validity of the Greek version of the PLQ. Implications and suggestions for future research and policy are discussed.

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