scholarly journals Implementing the MY FRIENDS Youth programme in a New Zealand secondary school: The experiences of staff and Year 9 students

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Laurence Fay
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Young People ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
School Context ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Youth Resilience

<p>Increasing rates of young people’s anxiety and depression is a concern for New Zealand secondary schools and this results in issues for students such as decreased wellbeing and school attendance, health difficulties and social isolation. In 2013 the Ministry of Education introduced a pilot of the MY FRIENDS Youth Resilience programme into secondary schools for students in Year 9. This thesis reports on the experiences of teachers and students of the MY FRIENDS Youth programme in one secondary school context. This programme is based on cognitive behavioural therapy principles and has been developed to support young people build their understanding and skills in resilience to enhance their wellbeing. The programme has been implemented and evaluated with young people in a number of countries. Research has shown it to have beneficial effects in promoting emotional resilience and in reducing anxiety and depression in students. The findings of this school case study are explored, and the impact of the programme for the students and their school community is presented. A case study methodological approach was used that enabled the collection of rich data to explore the deep meaning from teachers and students. This involved an in-depth instrumental case study within one secondary school involving teachers, students, the counsellor, the principal and students’ parents. Observations, document analysis and interviews took place to build a comprehensive understanding of how teachers and students learned through the programme. Findings suggest the students see the MY FRIENDS Youth Resilience programme as a positive, useful programme that has enabled them to learn various strategies to deal with challenging scenarios in their life. The findings also address barriers to implementation and possible implications for the future. Several suggestions for the programme are discussed along with certain adaptations of the programme to make it more relevant to the New Zealand context.</p>

scholarly journals Implementing the MY FRIENDS Youth programme in a New Zealand secondary school: The experiences of staff and Year 9 students

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Laurence Fay
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Young People ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
School Context ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Youth Resilience

<p>Increasing rates of young people’s anxiety and depression is a concern for New Zealand secondary schools and this results in issues for students such as decreased wellbeing and school attendance, health difficulties and social isolation. In 2013 the Ministry of Education introduced a pilot of the MY FRIENDS Youth Resilience programme into secondary schools for students in Year 9. This thesis reports on the experiences of teachers and students of the MY FRIENDS Youth programme in one secondary school context. This programme is based on cognitive behavioural therapy principles and has been developed to support young people build their understanding and skills in resilience to enhance their wellbeing. The programme has been implemented and evaluated with young people in a number of countries. Research has shown it to have beneficial effects in promoting emotional resilience and in reducing anxiety and depression in students. The findings of this school case study are explored, and the impact of the programme for the students and their school community is presented. A case study methodological approach was used that enabled the collection of rich data to explore the deep meaning from teachers and students. This involved an in-depth instrumental case study within one secondary school involving teachers, students, the counsellor, the principal and students’ parents. Observations, document analysis and interviews took place to build a comprehensive understanding of how teachers and students learned through the programme. Findings suggest the students see the MY FRIENDS Youth Resilience programme as a positive, useful programme that has enabled them to learn various strategies to deal with challenging scenarios in their life. The findings also address barriers to implementation and possible implications for the future. Several suggestions for the programme are discussed along with certain adaptations of the programme to make it more relevant to the New Zealand context.</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>

Championing Health Promoting Schools: A secondary school case study from Victoria, Australia

2020 ◽  
pp. 001789692096112
Author(s):  
Sarah Meiklejohn ◽  
Anna Peeters ◽  
Claire Palermo
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Document Retrieval ◽  
World Health ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Observation Data ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
The Impact

Objective: School-based prevention interventions informed by the World Health Organization Health Promoting School (HPS) framework aim to improve the health and wellbeing of school-aged children, yet few studies describe factors influencing the successful implementation of this framework in secondary schools. This study sought to explore why and how secondary schools might implement the HPS framework and factors contributing to success. Design: Qualitative case study. Setting: A single secondary school in Victoria, Australia, purposefully selected due to local recognition of an HPS policy. Method: Data collection included semi-structured interviews, document retrieval, drawings and ethnographic observation. Data were analysed using framework analysis. Results: The school had elected to implement the policy as it aligned with its existing health and wellbeing policy framework and provided a flexible yet evidence-based framework to guide a whole-of-school approach to promoting health and wellbeing. Success was perceived to be dependent on selecting easier health priority areas to address initially, the allocation of a designated team to guide policy implementation and access to a skilled health promotion worker to assist implementation. Conclusion: Study findings highlight potential reasons why and how secondary schools might implement the HPS framework and factors contributing to success. Further research is warranted to enhance the transferability of these findings and explore the impact of the HPS framework in secondary schools.

scholarly journals What Counts in the Development of Teachers' Learning Conversations?: a Case Study of a Group of New Zealand Educators Working Together to Improve Learning Outcomes for Students in Year 9 Classes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jeannette Grundy
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
School Context ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Learning Conversations ◽  
Underachieving Students

<p>This research was undertaken in a New Zealand secondary school. Using case study methodology, it examines teachers' learning conversations as they work together in a group to improve outcomes for underachieving students in Year 9 classes. Participants include four teachers from different departments working collaboratively in a team teaching project, a member of the school's senior management team and an external facilitator. My role is as researcher, initially interviewing participants and observing meetings where they examine data and reflect on classroom practices. My analysis of research data finds that learning conversations are complex. Multiple interdependent factors are at play in teachers' professional discussions. Three interrelated threads - beliefs, relationships and structures - provide the framework for the analysis and are examined in detail. I use a weaving metaphor to explain their interaction and to describe the development and outcomes of the teachers' learning conversations. As the groups' work evolves and the threads are woven together, two aspects are recognised in the cloth. Firstly, contradictions arise and these reveal the two sidedness of the fabric of learning conversations. One side represents the ideal as described in current research literature, and expressed in the voices of educational leaders and in the hopes and dreams of participants in this study. The other side represents the reality of such conversations in practice. Secondly, the research describes an emerging learning community embarking on a new project. The fabric of its learning conversations is at times weak and fragile; threads tangle and fray, the texture is loose and lumpy. Previous structures have to be dismantled and old practices unravelled before new approaches can take hold. Developing learning conversations is found to be a complicated and complex process. Finally, consideration is given to implications for researchers, educators and policy makers if planning to implement and support learning conversations is to be effective. Challenges for researchers include: building knowledge of the secondary school context, particularly factors which support learning for disadvantaged and underachieving students at junior levels; continuing the investigation of the nature of teachers' work in the new professional learning environment that is developing in New Zealand and internationally - and supporting teacher research into that development; and further examination of the factors that contribute to contradictions in teachers learning conversations so that practitioners can be more aware of them and develop interventions that are more likely to realise the potential that learning conversations promise.  Recommendations for educators and policymakers focus on strengthening the threads that build the framework of teachers' learning conversations: beliefs, relationships and structural and systemic factors so that professional learning conversations can be implemented effectively.</p>

scholarly journals What Counts in the Development of Teachers' Learning Conversations?: a Case Study of a Group of New Zealand Educators Working Together to Improve Learning Outcomes for Students in Year 9 Classes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jeannette Grundy
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
School Context ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Learning Conversations ◽  
Underachieving Students

<p>This research was undertaken in a New Zealand secondary school. Using case study methodology, it examines teachers' learning conversations as they work together in a group to improve outcomes for underachieving students in Year 9 classes. Participants include four teachers from different departments working collaboratively in a team teaching project, a member of the school's senior management team and an external facilitator. My role is as researcher, initially interviewing participants and observing meetings where they examine data and reflect on classroom practices. My analysis of research data finds that learning conversations are complex. Multiple interdependent factors are at play in teachers' professional discussions. Three interrelated threads - beliefs, relationships and structures - provide the framework for the analysis and are examined in detail. I use a weaving metaphor to explain their interaction and to describe the development and outcomes of the teachers' learning conversations. As the groups' work evolves and the threads are woven together, two aspects are recognised in the cloth. Firstly, contradictions arise and these reveal the two sidedness of the fabric of learning conversations. One side represents the ideal as described in current research literature, and expressed in the voices of educational leaders and in the hopes and dreams of participants in this study. The other side represents the reality of such conversations in practice. Secondly, the research describes an emerging learning community embarking on a new project. The fabric of its learning conversations is at times weak and fragile; threads tangle and fray, the texture is loose and lumpy. Previous structures have to be dismantled and old practices unravelled before new approaches can take hold. Developing learning conversations is found to be a complicated and complex process. Finally, consideration is given to implications for researchers, educators and policy makers if planning to implement and support learning conversations is to be effective. Challenges for researchers include: building knowledge of the secondary school context, particularly factors which support learning for disadvantaged and underachieving students at junior levels; continuing the investigation of the nature of teachers' work in the new professional learning environment that is developing in New Zealand and internationally - and supporting teacher research into that development; and further examination of the factors that contribute to contradictions in teachers learning conversations so that practitioners can be more aware of them and develop interventions that are more likely to realise the potential that learning conversations promise.  Recommendations for educators and policymakers focus on strengthening the threads that build the framework of teachers' learning conversations: beliefs, relationships and structural and systemic factors so that professional learning conversations can be implemented effectively.</p>

scholarly journals Impact Analysis of the Subscale of Aggression in Depression and Anxiety, Among Adolescents Aged 16-18 Years- Case Study: High Secondary School ‘’Luciano Motroni’’ Prizren

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Nderim Rizanaj
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Impact Analysis ◽  
Verbal Aggression ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Indirect Aggression ◽  
P Value ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Adolescent Anxiety

Aggression is a phenomenon that encompasses some very significant subscales and can be manifested through aggressive behaviors, hostility to friends, anger, uncontrolled / inconsistent reactions, and verbal and indirect aggression. These factors need to be carefully considered and followed up with research in order to give young people room to improve behaviors and achieve high achievement, otherwise it can affect adolescent anxiety and depression. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of underlying aggression such as anger, hostility, verbal aggression, indirect aggression, inconsistent response to anxiety, and depression in adolescents aged 16-18. This study included three groups of students, 16 years old, 17 years old and 18 years old, with 50 adolescents in each group, so the total sample is 150 adolescents aged 16-18 years. The research belongs to the quantitative type and the case study was selected 'Luciano Motroni' High Secondary School in Prizren municipality during January 2020. Research results show that depression scales such as verbal aggression have an impact on anxiety and depression (rho = .163 *, p value = .047), anger (rho = .385 **, p value = .000), hostility (rho = .174 *, p value = .033), indirect aggression (rho = .261 **, p value = 001), and inconsistent response (rho = .170 *, p value = .037) which are statistically significant at 1 % and 5% confidence level. Compared to a research conducted in 2019, entitled '' Association between anxiety and aggression in adolescents: a cross-sectional study '' we see that aggression has a significant impact on youth anxiety. Thus, the subscales of aggression represent an important significant link in adolescent anxiety and depresion. Finally, we conclude that sub scales of aggression have a statistically significant impact on adolescent anxiety and depression among young people aged 16-18, in the municipality of Prizren. What we recommend is the training and support of young people during their secondary education journey.

scholarly journals The learning experiences of New Zealand secondary school students with chronic health conditions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Mabél R. Hamon
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Young People ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Chronic Health Conditions ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
School Students ◽  
Zealand Secondary School ◽  
The Impact

<p>Chronic health conditions (CHC) in New Zealand adolescents are on the rise as medical advances continue. Exact numbers of the student population ranges from approximately 17% (Adolescent Health Research Group, 2008) to as high as 37% (Ministry of Health, 2008a). Pasifika and Māori youth are especially hard hit by the increase in numbers of CHCs in New Zealand. Young people with a CHC face additional challenges in the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial domains their healthy peers do not. Prior research shows CHCs can negatively affect learning. This study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, 1995), generally used in nursing and psychological research, and focused on the learning experiences of New Zealand secondary school students with a CHC. It emphasized and gave voice to these students’ experiences that affected their learning. Data were collected from 24 participants in seven secondary schools in a major New Zealand city, through semi-structured individual interviews and focus groups.  Despite a wide range of CHCs and ages represented within the overall cohort of students, they shared many commonalities. Participants considered themselves no different from their peers in school, even as they discussed the different effects and difficulties of their respective CHCs, such as the impact of pain or inability to concentrate. They considered school important and did not want to miss class due to either a CHC or its treatment. The physical, cognitive, and psychosocial impacts of CHCs make learning challenging, especially when students encounter skepticism and teachers with insufficient knowledge of CHCs to meet their learning needs. This lack of understanding or knowledge regarding CHCs and how they impact the student caused additional strain but these young people retained their interest in school, regardless of school decile or ethnicity. Students took responsibility for their learning and attributed learning success to their efforts and coping strategies with strong support given by parents. Teachers or others within the school who knew about the CHC were seen as helpful and understanding; protective factors which contributed to their learning. New and career educators and policy makers in New Zealand need additional instruction in New Zealand on the impact of CHCs on learning as well as greater encouragement of communication between parents and schools regarding health to help these adolescents in their education.</p>

scholarly journals ‘Entextualisation’ Across Institutional Contexts: The Impact of Discourse in School Reports on the Juvenile Justice Trajectories of Roma Youth

Youth Justice ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-24
Author(s):  
Olga Petintseva
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Juvenile Justice ◽  
School Context ◽  
School Experiences ◽  
Youth Justice ◽  
School Based ◽  
Institutional Contexts ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Impact

The school context has been found to be highly influential in youth justice assessments of young people. Using Belgium as a case study and based on a study of court files and interviews with youth justice professionals, this article traces the significance of school-based information in decisions made on Roma youth. More specifically, it examines what these discourses communicate and how they shape young people’s correctional trajectories. The article argues that negative school experiences and discriminatory practices in education towards Roma are often reflected in youth justice professionals’ construction of the problems presented by Roma youth, albeit within a different discursive framing. The article draws on the notion of ‘entextualisation’ (extracting discourse from its original context and re-inserting it in another setting) and its consequences for young people from Roma backgrounds who come into conflict with the law.

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