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 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 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>

Building school connectedness through shared lunches

2015 ◽  
Vol 115 (6) ◽  
pp. 554-569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Neely ◽  
Mat Walton ◽  
Christine Stephens
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
School Connectedness ◽  
School Context ◽  
Common Humanity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Informal Setting ◽  
Zealand Secondary School ◽  
Ethnographic Methodology

Purpose – School connectedness is a well-established protective factor for young people’s physical, mental, and social health. The purpose of this paper is to explore the promotion of school connectedness through the practice of shared lunches within a secondary school context in New Zealand. Design/methodology/approach – An ethnographic methodology was used to explore in-depth the mechanisms by which food practices included indicators of school connectedness, and used interviews and observations with teachers and 16-18-year-old students in a New Zealand secondary school. Findings – The results describe six key mechanisms by which shared lunches fostered school connectedness: showing common humanity, creating an informal setting, encouraging sharing, enabling inclusive participation, demonstrating sacrifice for the communal good, and facilitating experiences of diversity. These mechanisms contributed to increased social interactions in which people got to know each other better and were able to gain insight into others’ personalities. This allowed for opportunities to establish and strengthen social relationships, and contributed to indicators of connectedness. Research limitations/implications – The study is exploratory with findings reported from one school. Further research in other contexts on the value of shared lunches for building school connectedness is required. Originality/value – Shared lunches, as part of an overall strategy to develop a well-connected school community, are adaptable and can fit into a multitude of situations to meet different needs. The findings of this study contribute to understanding the mechanisms by which shared lunches can affect indicators of school connectedness.

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 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 Use of selection tools in New Zealand secondary school libraries

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Katherine Mary Chisholm
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
School Libraries ◽  
School Librarians ◽  
Online Tools ◽  
The Status ◽  
Book Selling ◽  
Zealand Secondary School ◽  
Selection Tools

<p>The purpose of this research was to investigate the use of selection tools in New Zealand secondary schools, specifically which selection tools are used, how satisfactory the tools are, and which criteria secondary school librarians use in assessing selection tools. Particular attention was paid to the status of evaluative and alerting selection tools in school libraries. A mail questionnaire was sent to a random nationwide sample of 186 secondary school librarians. To gain a richer understanding of the context of selection in secondary schools, 4 focus groups were also held in the Wellington, Horowhenua, Palmerston North, and Wanganui areas. The resulting data was analysed alongside the questionnaire data to provide more comprehensive answers to the study's research questions. The study found that alerting tools were more widely used and considered more valuable than evaluative tools, with the ability to preview an item a key concern for school librarians. Tools supplied by the book selling and publishing industries were the most common tools used, and the features of selection tools considered most important focused on a tool's performance as an alerting tool. Online tools were not widely used, with connectivity problems and lack of time cited as the most common reasons.</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 Use of selection tools in New Zealand secondary school libraries

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Katherine Mary Chisholm
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
School Libraries ◽  
School Librarians ◽  
Online Tools ◽  
The Status ◽  
Book Selling ◽  
Zealand Secondary School ◽  
Selection Tools

<p>The purpose of this research was to investigate the use of selection tools in New Zealand secondary schools, specifically which selection tools are used, how satisfactory the tools are, and which criteria secondary school librarians use in assessing selection tools. Particular attention was paid to the status of evaluative and alerting selection tools in school libraries. A mail questionnaire was sent to a random nationwide sample of 186 secondary school librarians. To gain a richer understanding of the context of selection in secondary schools, 4 focus groups were also held in the Wellington, Horowhenua, Palmerston North, and Wanganui areas. The resulting data was analysed alongside the questionnaire data to provide more comprehensive answers to the study's research questions. The study found that alerting tools were more widely used and considered more valuable than evaluative tools, with the ability to preview an item a key concern for school librarians. Tools supplied by the book selling and publishing industries were the most common tools used, and the features of selection tools considered most important focused on a tool's performance as an alerting tool. Online tools were not widely used, with connectivity problems and lack of time cited as the most common reasons.</p>

scholarly journals Tama Samoa: Exploring Identities in Secondary School

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 112
Author(s):  
Fuapepe Rimoni
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
School Context ◽  
Educational Success ◽  
Doctoral Study ◽  
Zealand Secondary School

This paper draws on a recent doctoral study which demonstrated ways that Tama Samoa (Samoan boys) enact their identities as Samoans authentically within the New Zealand secondary school context. Identity is complex and is not generally taken into consideration in the literature on education success and achievement of Pacific students in New Zealand.  Recognising Pacific identities as being fluid, diverse and multi-dimensional, and engaging with the voices of tama Samoa enables a greater understanding and thus better support for tama Samoa and their educational success within the secondary school context.

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