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    Democracy, freedom, and school : realigning power in Aotearoa New Zealand's secondary schools : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2023-10-30) Smith, Kylie
    This comprehensive study explores positive impacts of democratic systems enacted within secondary schools on students. Responses to democratic practices within schools (including collective decision-making, deliberative discussion, diverse ways of being, and freedom of movement and expression) are examined and analysed. Additionally, the hidden curriculum created by structures and processes inherent in democratic participation is critically reflected on, including consideration of how democratic processes relate to individual and collective well-being within the school environment. The study adopts a qualitative grounded theory research methodology to comprehend the outcomes of learning within democratic settings. Participants, including alumni and staff from two different democratic school environments, share their perspectives through semi-structured one-on-one interviews and question-and-answer emails. Data collection and analysis were conducted concurrently, and the data analysed using constant comparative analysis. Democratic building blocks, based on a foundation of respect for the student as a whole human, emerged from the data. Organising school structures around democratic ideals, reflective of indigenous models of democracy, and aligned with Lundy’s model of space, voice, influence, and audience aimed at implementing Article 12 of the UNCRC, is seen to cultivate a learning environment where diversity is embraced and respected. Effective communication skills are honed through authentic and meaningful deliberative dialogue, enabling students to value diverse perspectives. Alumni valued the challenge of navigating agency in a safe supportive learning environment and felt empowered to contribute and participate towards a strong collective school community. Implications from the research underscore the potential of democratic systems to create more equitable educational environments, enhancing well-being by aligning the hidden curriculum with critical and culturally sustainable pedagogies. The study highlights the importance of continual dialogue and reflection and advocates for active integration of democratic principles within schools to facilitate challenges to oppressive structures. It further stresses the need for adults to approach schooling from an epistemology of trust in and support for the student, enabling genuine equitable dialogue and fostering a sense of dignity, significance, and belonging among students. Ultimately, the research offers tangible examples of schools where student-defined well-being is prioritized and provides a forward-thinking approach based on democratic principles to empower students.
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    From colonial past to New Zealand classroom : the biographical narrative of Will Potter, commercial secondary school teacher (1958-1976) : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2018) Burne, Jacqueline Monique
    This thesis tells the teaching story of one post-primary Commerce teacher, Will Potter—my father. Will taught in five New Zealand post-primary schools from 1958 until his retirement in 1976. This case study of Will looks at what makes his story unique: he was an immigrant of Dutch descent, whose first language was not English and who came to teaching without qualifications at age 51, and went on to write Commerce textbooks. He also began teaching at a significant time in New Zealand post-primary education—the 1950s, with rising school rolls and lack of teachers and facilities. This qualitative study of Will involved document analysis of his memoir, letters, and papers, a focus group discussion with Will’s three other children, and semi-structured interviews with people who taught with or were taught by Will. Four research questions guided the study, and sociocultural–historical theory was used as a framework to reveal the complexity of his personal, interpersonal, and wider contextual teaching story. Two major backdrop influences are revealed about Will’s life: his colonial background in what was the Netherlands East Indies (NEI; now Indonesia) and his internment in Japanese concentration camps during World War II (WWII). Reasons are provided for his decision to go teaching, and his pedagogical approaches are described. Of particular note is his storytelling, mainly of his internment experiences. He wrote eleven Commerce textbooks that were used in New Zealand post-primary and tertiary settings, as well as overseas. This story will add to the store of New Zealand teacher stories as well as contribute to the social history of the Dutch who were forced to leave the NEI post WWII.
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    Towards collaborative pathways of leadership in education for Māori : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education, at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2015) Bowkett, Makao Teresa
    This thesis investigates Kaupapa Maori approaches to leadership that could assist secondary school principals and teachers to foster an environment to facilitate more appropriately, in Maori terms, the learning and teaching of Maori students who are attending mainstream secondary schools and kaupapa Maori schools in Aotearoa/New Zealand. The study included two types of secondary schools: one mainstream secondary school; and one kaupapa Maori school. In each school, interviews were undertaken with the two principals, groups of teachers and groups of parents. The aim was firstly to identify leadership approaches in the two schools that staff and parents there saw as successfully encouraging teaching and learning practices that are meeting the needs of Maori students. In addition two significant Maori leaders in Maori education were interviewed for their insights about the current state of Maori education and the potential future of Maori education. By capturing the perspectives of all the participants through a series of face to face interviews/kanohi ki te kanohi conversations the research investigated a framework for Kaupapa Maori approaches to leadership that is adaptable for mainstream and kaupapa Maori schools. The thesis concludes that there were multiple approaches to kaupapa Maori in terms of unique experiences and understanding, rather than one exclusive form of a Kaupapa Maori approach. The diversity of many Maori worldviews across iwi explained why there was no singular, universal concept found. Respondents identified tikanga Maori values and practices that were iwi specific, inclusive of cultural identity and whanaungatanga family relationships, as significant in kaupapa Maori approaches to leadership, but had reservations about the capabilities of schools’ leadership to adapt. Hence they highlighted the importance of collaborative pathways of leadership that encompass change in order to make a difference for Maori students. An implication of the findings is that principals need to be held accountable for the results of Maori students in their schools. Furthermore, secondary schools need to change the leadership, structure and pedagogy of schooling for the majority of Maori students attending mainstream schools, and for some in kaupapa Maori schools. Strategies for how to implement change implicated in the findings are explored.
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    'A movement reconsidered' : an examination of how black civil rights in the USA, 1954-1970 has been taught as a senior subject in New Zealand secondary schools, and whether or not it accurately reflects contemporary scholarship and new trends of interpretation : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy, History, Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2013) Agent, Roydon
    This thesis examines how Black Civil Rights (BCR) in the USA, 1954–1970 has been taught as a senior subject in New Zealand secondary schools since its introduction into the New Zealand History curriculum in 1988. It provides a historical perspective on the political, economic, and social context in which the National History Curriculum Committee (NHCC) made the decision to introduce this topic into the Form 5 (now Year 11) History curriculum. It is also concerned with whether the conceptions of Black Civil Rights history from 1988 to the present (2013), reflects contemporary scholarship and new trends of interpretation. This thesis argues that the continued reliance on a classical/master-narrative approach to the teaching and learning of BCR in the USA, 1954–1970, reflects a historiography that is frozen in time. The result is that teachers are disseminating a conception of BCR history that is politically slanted, conservative, and Eurocentric. It is an approach that perpetuates the myth that there is inevitability about America’s progressive history; that its lofty notions of democracy, justice, and the equality of all people, will in the end triumph. Furthermore, this thesis contends that as one of the two most popular Year 11 History topics, this selective, sanitized approach to teaching BCR deprives students the opportunity to understand that historiography is subject to change, that historical events are open to interpretation, and that history as it is written is not always history as it was. As an alternative, this thesis advocates a counter-narrative approach that draws on recent scholarship and new trends of interpretation. I acknowledge the Massey University Ethics Committee who approved this research on 28 June 2012 as a Low Risk Notification.