Journal Articles

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915

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    Navigating roadblocks and gates: longitudinal experiences of highly accomplished teachers following professional development
    (Taylor and Francis Group, 2023-07-04) Cooper R; Carpendale J; Cutler B; Berry A; Mitchell I
    Highly Accomplished Teachers (HATs) think deeply about skilled pedagogy in ways that illuminate its complexity and the challenges of pedagogical change. The sophistication, breadth, and depth of their thinking often goes well beyond the way that teachers and their responses to professional development (PD) are typically positioned in the extensive, and often quite pessimistic literature on teacher PD. This study extends our previous research with a cohort of HATs immediately following their participation in an intensive PD programme, where we reported how they took ideas from the programme and extended and amplified them by exerting agency and high degrees of professionalism. Our current study reports research with the same cohort 2 years post-PD as they sought to introduce ideas inspired by the PD within their schools. While there were some clear successes, some of their ideas challenged existing thinking and practices in ways that school leadership did not expect. Thus, they encountered barriers that in some cases they were able to navigate and overcome. This paper foregrounds the new complexities of both pedagogy and change that flowed from the HATs’ ideas as well as how they exerted their professionalism to tackle these.
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    Interpreting academic integrity transgressions among learning communities
    (BioMed Central Limited, 2021-12) Mathrani A; Han B; Mathrani S; Jha M; Scogings C
    Educational institutions rely on academic citizenship behaviors to construct knowledge in a responsible manner. However, they often struggle to contain the unlawful reuse of knowledge (or academic citizenship transgressions) by some learning communities. This study draws upon secondary data from two televised episodes describing contract cheating (or ghostwriting) practices prevalent among international student communities. Against this background, we have investigated emergent teaching and learning structures that have been extended to formal and informal spaces with the use of mediating technologies. Learners’ interactions in formal spaces are influenced by ongoing informal social experiences within a shared cultural context to influence learners’ agency. Building upon existing theories, we have developed an analytical lens to understand the rationale behind cheating behaviors. Citizenship behaviors are based on individual and collective perceptions of what constitutes as acceptable or unacceptable behavior. That is, learners who are low in motivation and are less engaged with learning may collude; more so, if cheating is not condemned by members belonging to their informal social spaces. Our analytical lens describes institutional, cultural, technological, social and behavioral contexts that influence learner agency.
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    New Zealand teachers' overall teacher judgments (OTJs): Equivocal or unequivocal?
    (New Zealand Council for Educational Research, 1/03/2012) Poskitt JM; Mitchell K
    Central to New Zealand National Standards is the concept of overall teacher judgments (OTJs). This paper examines the concepts of OTJs and standards through international literature and experiences of a sample of New Zealand teachers in 2010. Standards contain expectations – what is, what could be, and what might be desirable – implicit degrees of performance. Teacher capacity to judge current and future performance is important. With multiple opportunities to gather pertinent information, teachers are best placed to make valid (unequivocal) judgments on student achievement when they have shared understandings of standards. Because standards are comprised of multiple criteria, not all of which are evident in samples of student achievement, teacher understanding of standards develops through professional conversations and moderation processes. In 2010 New Zealand teachers had mixed (equivocal) understandings of National Standards, applied them in different ways and had minimal experience of moderation processes.
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    Increasing the emotional engagement of first year mature-aged distance students: Interest and belonging
    (Queensland University of Technology, 8/08/2014) Kahu ER
    This research followed 19 mature-aged distance students through their first semester of undergraduate study. The analysis of interviews and video diaries presented in this paper focuses on two key elements of emotional engagement: interest and belonging. Findings highlight the importance of interest triggered by personal preferences and experiences. Interest led to enjoyment, increased behavioural engagement with greater time and effort expended, and improved cognitive engagement in terms of depth and breadth of learning. In contrast, there was less evidence of the social side of emotional engagement, belonging. Participants felt little connection to the university, but connecting with fellow students through face-to-face courses and online forums was important for some to reduce their sense of isolation. However, distance study was not for all. The findings highlight the need for staff to consider emotional engagement when designing and delivering the curriculum and when interacting with students, particularly in the all-important first year.
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    Engineering Research Teams: The Role of Social Networks in the Formation of Research Skills for Postgraduate Students
    (Georgia Southern University, 2011) Sampson K; Comer KV
    This study explores learner experiences regarding skills acquisition of a cohort of engineering doctoral students enrolled in a New Zealand university. Employing a qualitative methodology, we interviewed 28 PhD students about the range of experiences and exchanges that comprised their pathways to skill acquisition. Students reported that research projects with application enabled the development of ‘real world problem solving’ by drawing on bonding and bridging network ties. Indeed, informal structures and disciplinary norms operating in the culture of postgraduate engineering research are principle contributors to successful progression, degree completion and outputs. Research practices emphasising repetition and doability establish productive environments for postgraduates, enhancing support for collective endeavours and increased outputs. In the absence of formalised skills development programmes, the approaches discussed in this paper contribute to postgraduates’ timely acquisition of skills. This research can assist supervisors, academic developers and administrators from a range of disciplines in improving postgraduate research environments.
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    Making subject choices: Influences on adolescents' decision making
    (Adolescent Success, 2016) Poskitt JM; Bonney I
    Middle Years students are required to make critical educational decisions with respect to subject choices. These decisions occur in adolescence - a period of intense identity formation, strong emotions, living in the moment and peer affiliation - characteristics which may affect decision making. Subject choices either broaden or narrow future pathways, so what influences adolescent student decisionmaking? A case study research investigation at one middle school involved teachers, students and their parents/caregivers through the use of questionnaires, interviews and document analysis to reveal various influences. Significant others (family, friends, older students and subject teachers), website sources and course information booklets were among the most frequently cited influences, although there were gender, ethnic and year-level variations. Structural issues related to school resourcing and timetabling affected some students’ choices. Of concern was inadequate awareness of: subject information, subjects required for entry to particular tertiary courses or career options, how to access information or who to approach. The school careers’ advisor was rarely sought, and subject teachers sometimes had little knowledge of progression in their field or career options. Implications arise from the study about effective ways to support adolescents in making appropriate subject choices.
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    Identifying discipline-based study skills: A preliminary needs analysis
    (Adam House Press, 2018) Ishii D
    As undergraduate students begin their first year of study, they are expected to possess a set of transferable study skills. Teaching and learning support staff are typically called upon to provide assistance, through institution-wide skills workshops, for students in need of further skills development. An alternative approach is the movement towards embedding study skills within the curriculum to better address the specific study skill needs of each disciplinary community. This study used survey data from 191 students, collaboration with academic staff, and classroom observations as a means of conducting a preliminary needs analysis of students’ study skills in three, first-year undergraduate courses. A hierarchical regression analysis revealed particular study variables (i.e., tutorial attendance, comprehending readings, integrating knowledge sources into writing) were significant predictors of final term grades. The findings of this study may assist academic departments who wish to embed study skill support within their undergraduate courses.
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    Revitalisation, relationships, resources: Assessment 3Rs for New Zealand teachers
    (New Zealand Council for Educational Research, 1/10/2018) Poskitt J; Hill, M