Religious Studies Achievement Standards in New Zealand state secondary schools: Philosophy, pedagogy and policy

<p>This thesis outlines and examines the factors that account for the post-2009 growth in the adoption and use of the NCEA Religious Studies Achievement Standards by state secondary school teachers in New Zealand. My specific focus is on identifying differences in philosophy, pedagogy and policy in RS use between the state schools and: 1. other subjects, 2. NZ faith schools and 3. developments in a selection of countries and explaining the significance of these differences. The context for this development is set out in an historical outline that draws in factors that have led up to the seeming anomaly of a set of national RS assessments appearing in 2009. This outline pulls together relevant legal, curricular and societal developments since the late Nineteenth Century, that might help explain the state schools taking up this new opportunity. The most substantial weight of the thesis comes from the field work involving in-depth questionnaires and interviews with a census of state school teachers using the RS assessments. This provides clear patterns of difference in philosophy, pedagogy and policy in the state schools’ adoption and use of the RS ASs compared to other subjects, faith schools and three comparison countries. It is the teachers’ voices that are heard strongly here. This analysis was backed up with my access to extensive NZQA data files of every student entry in RS ASs in New Zealand since 2009. The state school teachers’ use of the RS assessments is then viewed against comparison schools and countries. A comparison with a cross-section selection of local New Zealand faith school teachers using the RS assessments (who also took part in the questionnaire and interview research) and a literature review of the issues and development of RS teaching in the UK, Canada and Australia, helped accentuate and explain the differences in this new development in state schools.</p>

Religious Studies Achievement Standards in New Zealand state secondary schools: Philosophy, pedagogy and policy

<p>This thesis outlines and examines the factors that account for the post-2009 growth in the adoption and use of the NCEA Religious Studies Achievement Standards by state secondary school teachers in New Zealand. My specific focus is on identifying differences in philosophy, pedagogy and policy in RS use between the state schools and: 1. other subjects, 2. NZ faith schools and 3. developments in a selection of countries and explaining the significance of these differences. The context for this development is set out in an historical outline that draws in factors that have led up to the seeming anomaly of a set of national RS assessments appearing in 2009. This outline pulls together relevant legal, curricular and societal developments since the late Nineteenth Century, that might help explain the state schools taking up this new opportunity. The most substantial weight of the thesis comes from the field work involving in-depth questionnaires and interviews with a census of state school teachers using the RS assessments. This provides clear patterns of difference in philosophy, pedagogy and policy in the state schools’ adoption and use of the RS ASs compared to other subjects, faith schools and three comparison countries. It is the teachers’ voices that are heard strongly here. This analysis was backed up with my access to extensive NZQA data files of every student entry in RS ASs in New Zealand since 2009. The state school teachers’ use of the RS assessments is then viewed against comparison schools and countries. A comparison with a cross-section selection of local New Zealand faith school teachers using the RS assessments (who also took part in the questionnaire and interview research) and a literature review of the issues and development of RS teaching in the UK, Canada and Australia, helped accentuate and explain the differences in this new development in state schools.</p>

Building an Academy

Chapter 4 focuses on the relations between Riverside Church (open evangelical) and the local schools it was involved in running, situating this in relation to broader debates about faith schools, neoliberalism, and social class. The chapter examines how members of Riverside Church described the moral and religious significance of their engagement with these schools, drawing on a romanticized narrative of evangelicals’ historic work with the children of the urban poor. The chapter demonstrates how these schools are of central moral significance for the church’s aspiration to affect both the local area and wider British society, and explores how the ways in which those at Riverside talk about the work of these schools at times enact moralizing power relations that are simultaneously held in tension with the church’s inclusivist aspirations and self-understanding.

Universal basic education in Nigeria: can non-state actors make a difference?

Purpose Against the backdrop of falling standards and failing government policies in the education sector in Nigeria, this paper aimed to investigate how and why non-state actors can make a significant impact on the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals for universal basic education (UBE). Design/methodology/approach This study draws from semi-structured interviews of 15 heads and proprietors – six state-funded schools, six faith schools and three other privately owned schools – to examine and compare the different motivations, guiding principles and overall impact of these actors in the education sector. Findings Religious actors, along with private providers, are making a significant contribution to the provision of basic education in Nigeria. Students from faith schools tend to perform better academically and they also tend to be more disciplined and resourceful. However, because these schools are fee-paying, fewer households are able to access them. Practical implications The findings highlight the need to facilitate better cooperation and knowledge transfer activities between public, private and faith schools. It also emphasises the need for better government commitment and investment in provision of resources and facilities, effort in regulating the curriculum and regular inspection and quality monitoring of public schools. Originality/value The study highlights, on the one hand, the superior capacity of non-state actors – especially religious actors – to deploy their vast social capital towards the mobilisation of funds and human resources. On the other hand, while they have made inroads in their share of total national school enrolment, non-state actors have not made significant impact on access to quality education, owing to high fees and entry barriers faced by poorer households.