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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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    Non-suicidal self-injury in New Zealand secondary schools : an investigation of school staff attitudes, beliefs and knowledge of non-suicidal self-injury : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MSc Psychology, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2019) Wall, Courtney
    Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) is a self-destructive, maladaptive behaviour with high prevalence rates among adolescents. In New Zealand, prevalence of NSSI has been identified at high rates among our adolescent populations, which is cause for concern. Increasingly, calls for advocacy and action in supporting adolescents have turned towards schools, as adolescents spend much of their time in education settings and school staff are primed in an optimal position to support students. But how equipped are school staff for this additional job, and how do they feel about students engaging in NSSI? This research aimed to investigate staff’s current attitudes, beliefs and knowledge of NSSI throughout New Zealand Secondary Schools. An online survey-based design was used, which included a mixture of multi-choice, Likert scale and open-ended questions. Participants were 458 Secondary School staff from throughout New Zealand. School staff roles included senior and middle management, guidance teams and school nurses, teaching staff and support staff. Findings provide evidence of a mixtures of attitudes and beliefs towards students engaging in NSSI and reasonable levels of staff knowledge of NSSI as behaviour and how to identify signs of NSSI among students. In total, 77% of participating Secondary School staff had encountered at least one student engaging in NSSI, with results identifying relative levels of self-disclosures to staff and teaching staff as being in a valuable position to notice physical and behavioural signs of NSSI behaviour amongst students. Training was identified to be associated with increases in positive attitudes and beliefs and increases in knowledge across varying professional school staff roles. It was associated with increased competence and confidence in engaging in conversations regarding NSSI with students, and more positive attitudes towards supporting students engaging in NSSI. Results identified low levels of NSSI staff training in New Zealand, and a consequential call for action from staff for training in this area. Just 10.9% of participants had received training in the area of NSSI, with upwards of 85% of staff in most staff categories identifying they would benefit from further training in NSSI.
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    Barriers and enablers for school leaders implementing PB4L Tier 2 with fidelity in New Zealand secondary schools : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education, Educational Administration and Leadership Subject at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2019) Andrews, Stephanie Tania
    This thesis explores the barriers and enablers to implementing Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) Tier 2 with fidelity in New Zealand secondary schools. PB4L was introduced to New Zealand schools in 2010. It provides a framework that schools use to guide the implementation of evidence-based practice with the goal of reducing problem behaviour and providing a positive school culture. With a focus on evidence-based practice, fidelity of implementation is a core principle of PB4L. PB4L consists of three tiers that provide a continuum of behaviour supports for students. Tier 2 of the continuum targets approximately 15% of students within a school and offers small group response before students develop habitual patterns of behaviour. This mixed method, sequential explanatory design was conducted in two phases. In Phase I a quantitative survey was administered to principals and Tier 2 team leaders in New Zealand secondary schools. This was used to identify the extent to which schools were implementing Tier 2 interventions within their school, and to the identify barriers and enablers schools were experiencing in implementing PB4L Tier 2. In Phase II qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews with PB4L Tier 2 team leaders who had a wide range of experiences in the implementation of PB4L Tier 2, adding depth of explanation to the quantitative data. A number of barriers and enablers were identified, often the barrier or enabler was a different side of the same coin. Key enablers that emerged from this mixed methods research included the facilitation of shared learning between secondary schools, schools establishing strong external relationships with outside agencies, and proactive school leadership. Significant barriers included the time investment required to achieve ‘fidelity’ in interventions, efficient access to data, the complexity of the secondary environment and the limited range of easily resourced evidence-based interventions for use in a secondary school context.
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    Responses to linguistic and cultural diversity in New Zealand state secondary schools : a qualitative study : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Linguistics at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2019) McCarthy, Geraldine Anne
    Demand for English language learning (ELL) in New Zealand has intensified since the millennium, alongside marked increases in immigration to cater for businesses such as construction and agriculture, and the impacts of episodic earthquake damage. ELL assistance in state secondary schools in New Zealand is centred on the dynamics surrounding English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) departments. This study seeks to gain an understanding of the layered contexts surrounding and within ESOL Departments by using a conceptual framework of ecology and a qualitative, case study paradigm. It draws on data from interviews, observations, documentation and researcher journaling to examine ESOL Department systems and practices in three state secondary schools with differing locations, deciles and ESOL Department structures. The findings reveal the significant weight of wide-ranging regulatory and ideological interactions connected with ESOL Departments associated with colonial aspirations, ‘Tomorrow’s Schools’ legislation and New Zealand’s bicultural status. Findings also highlight the affordances and constraints experienced in ELL by staff and students in the case study schools and explore the costs and benefits as set against the pressures of local, national and international dynamics. The study concludes with implications for personnel responsible for ELL at national and local levels. It calls for more professional development initiatives and specific ELL regulation of resources for educationalists to assist with ELL linguistic, social and cultural integration. Results are intended to enhance ELLs’ educational opportunities in schools as well as contribute to efforts for increased social cohesion between people of diverse ethnicities in this rapidly diversifying nation.
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    The amalgamation of secondary schools : a case study of amalgamation culture shock in a rural New Zealand Catholic community : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Educational Administration at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 1999) Hills, Madeleine Claire
    This case study examines the process which led to the formation of Chanel College by the amalgamation of St Bride's and St Joseph's colleges in 1978. From 1970 - 1999 a radical restructuring of Catholic secondary education in New Zealand resulted in the closure of twelve single sex secondary schools for girls and the amalgamation of twenty-six secondary schools. Chanel College was the first New Zealand Catholic secondary school to bypass the co-institutional transitional phase of amalgamation and to be a co-educational college from its beginning. As time passes there is the possibility that important understandings that were part of the history of the merger might be lost and stakeholders in each of the merging organisations might feel that their own roots and mission have not been given enough recognition and respect in the new organisation. The community which provides the focus of this case study had experienced a long period of stability followed by years of rapid cultural, educational, and leadership change. The tortuous progress of amalgamation for the Catholic community in the Wairarapa provides an ideal opportunity to examine the importance of leadership and process in the management of significant educational change. The importance of managing the culture shock of amalgamations is often underestimated or overlooked. This form of culture shock involves the confusion, disorientation and severe emotional stress associated with moving from a familiar culture to one most unlike the old environment. If this management issue is not addressed effectively there can be a significant area of 'unfinished business' which leaves a bitter legacy for a new school struggling to create an accepted culture of its own. The stakeholders also find themselves involved in a situation which is often not of their choosing where they face the often unwelcome task and ongoing process of creating a new culture where the unconscious taken for granted beliefs, thoughts and values which had provided the foundation for the merging schools must be revisited until a new culture develops which is accepted by the new community as appropriate to its needs. In the Conclusions and Recommendations section the stakeholder and community management issues often encountered in the amalgamation process are summarised and management recommendations are made and solutions proposed.
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    Educational administration in Toronto : a description : in part fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Educational Administration, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 1990) Huse, Christopher James
    This paper is an attempt to describe the administration of secondary education in Toronto. As New Zealand is making a dramatic change in the administration of its education system, it could be useful for New Zealand teachers and administrators, struggling to interpret, and reconcile, the intentions of the government, the demands of lobby groups and the instructions of boards of trustees, to take a brief look at another system. The major change in Tomorrow's Schools from the system that predated it, is the locus of control. The degree to which control, over a significant number of facets of the education delivered in the classrooms has shifted, is remarkable in itsetf, but the fact that the shift occurs in a single event, makes it more so. In the past, New Zealand has been cautious and conservative in its approach to educational change. It had not embraced the progressive decentralisation of many aspects of educational administration seen in Australia, Canada, United States and Britain over the last twenty years. Then in one act, New Zealand has created what could be described as one of the most decentralised systems of school management of all of these countries.
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    A case study of the philosophies, policies and practices of educational management at the Church College of New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1999) Leqakowailutu, Semiti Koroi
    This thesis explores the Educational Management practices at the Church College of New Zealand (CCNZ) in Hamilton. It has examined, analysed and presented answers to the research question which is: How effective is the LDS Church College in following both the philosophies and policies of the LDS Church Board of Education and those of the Ministry of Education in New Zealand?. This college belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a church that is also known as the LDS Church. The research was done through a case study approach because of the need to use a mixture of methods. Some of these methods are personal observation, use of current and historical data, semi-structured interviews, study of relevant records and documents at the Church College, the New Zealand Government through the Educational Review Office (ERO) and from private sources. The thesis initially looks at the Educational Management in general before it examines how management principles are applied at this Church College. I have arranged the various management positions at Church College into three groups. The first group is the Top Management that includes two people, the New Zealand Country Director and the Church College Principal. The second group is the Middle Management consisting of the Deputy Principal, the Assistant Principal, the Director of Finance and the Physical Facilities Director. The third group is the First Line Management that includes the Deans, the Heads of various Academic Departments, two Supervisors at the Physical Facilities Department, the Head Boy & Head Girl and finally, the Dorm Parents. Through interviews, I have examined their areas of responsibility and how they are fulfilling their management roles. While exploring the Church College historical background, I discovered that a number of LDS Church schools were built and operated in New Zealand before the existence of CCNZ. The LDS Church built these earlier schools because of the lack of educational facilities in New Zealand at the time. These schools were eventually closed down when the number of state schools increased to the point where the LDS Church schools were considered by the church leaders to be unnecessary. However, a few years later, the Church Mission President in New Zealand at the time persuaded the church leaders in Salt Lake City to approve the building of another school to be used to educate future church leaders in New Zealand. This was the beginning of the existence of the Church College of New Zealand in Hamilton. This thesis has analysed and produced evidence that the Church College is meeting the initial objectives of educating future church leaders in New Zealand. First, the school is producing the biggest number of full-time missionaries in the country when compared to the numbers from other church units in New Zealand. Second, many of the LDS Church leaders in New Zealand today were educated at Church College. Third, the Maori and Pacific Islands students' exam pass-rates at Church College are much higher than the national figures. The Church College is succeeding in educating their students both spiritually and academically. The balance between these two is creating good leaders in the church and in the society. The 1997 ERO Assurance Audit Report clearly states that the college is meeting its obligation to the Ministry of Education in New Zealand. It is also fulfilling the expectations of the LDS Church Board of Education by teaching religious education on campus. The Church College is successful in educating Maori and Pacific Island students. The exam pass rates for Maori and Pacific Island students are higher at Church College than the national figures. Finally, the management and administration of Church College is of high quality and that they are very effective and efficient in following both the philosophies and policies of the LDS Church Board of Education and those of the Ministry of Education in New Zealand. This conclusion was confirmed by most of the research participants as well as documents from the Educational Review Office.
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    The impact of an international unit on a school culture : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Educational Administration at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2002) Hegarty, Terrelle Ann
    This thesis presents a single site case study that investigates the impact of an international unit on the organisational culture of a Catholic Girls College in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. Four main data collection procedures were employed in this study to obtain relevant material useful for describing the school culture and for identifying any apparent changes to the organisational culture between 1996-2002. Statistical searches, document searches, on-site observations, and interviews occurred at various times throughout the school year. Incoming data was analysed to search for emergent themes consistent with the literature. Results from the study relate to identifying demographic patterns, describing the school culture, examining and describing the cultural change process and describing the corresponding impact on the culture elements of this school community. Two basic directions underpin this study. One is concerned with the intangible and tangible manifestations within the school culture that have been subject to change, and the other with the implications of change on the members of the school community. The examination of cultural elements was aligned with the framework of school culture provided by Beare, Caldwell & MilliKen (1989). A school culture model is provided to give insight into the main cultural characteristics of Villa Maria College. A second culture model, the Change Wave Process Model is introduced as an analysis framework for a selection of cultural change examples applicable to the development of the international unit at this school. This study has revealed that a school is a culturally unique learning organisation that is directly, indirectly or unconsciously changed by people for the purpose of providing positive impacts on the people and the organisation as a whole. The major outcomes from this study indicate that the development of a new international unit at Villa Maria College has produced a number of positive and negative interactive forces that have in various ways impacted on the organisational culture. The changes that have occurred since 1996 as the international unit has grown and became established have affected the composition of a number of cultural elements that lie at different levels within the school organisation. The surface manifestations that are obvious in physical features or human interaction patterns have been further enhanced as new staff roles and responsibilities, rituals, ceremonies and symbols have been introduced with the formation of the international unit. The subsurface manifestations such as the values and the underlying assumptions of the school have also been subjected to change though to a lesser degree. A broadening assumption base has appeared in the most recent decade as the school has introduced new policies and programmes in an attempt to meet the standards set down in the national policy and curriculum frameworks relating to the education of international students. As a result key values such as equality, social justice, appreciation, tolerance and respect have been openly expressed and accentuated with the introduction of this new group to the school. The study concludes with an action-based model that encourages members of the various cultural units of this organisation to be involved in ongoing critical cultural evaluation activities that enable members of the school to inspect cultural change processes in the future.
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    Duty to serve?: the role of secondary schools in preparing New Zealand soldiers for enlistment in the First World War : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Defence Studies) at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2015) Carruthers, Stephen James Stiūbhart
    It is over a century since World War One impacted on the lives of those who taught at or attended both Otago High School and Waitaki Boys’ High School. The war lasted from1914- 1918, yet for many of those who participated their schooling occurred before the declaration of hostilities. It is mainly this pre-war period that this thesis will concentrate on. This thesis examines how Otago High School and Waitaki Boys’ High School encouraged their students to lead lives that were based in duty and service. It focuses on the period 1890 through until the early 1920s and looks at how both schools approached the issue of student development for life beyond the classroom. They did this by using local and international events, especially those that were Empire and nationally focused, to encourage their students to lead dutiful lives. Students were taken on excursions to visit public shows of loyalty or, in some cases, teacher-led discussions guided students towards adopting values that fitted into societal expectations. The promotion of sport was another method used to encourage students to lead a dutiful life and, along with military training, it gave a practical application to the concepts of duty and service. As World War One unfolded both schools used this event to encourage their current and former students to ’do their bit’. It is at this point that the thesis examines five former students of Otago High School and Waitaki Boys’ High School and determines that there was some influence from their former school on the decision to enlist. In the main this was as a result of the schooling these Old Boys had received. The study of how schools influenced their students over the period of this thesis is an area seldom trod by historians. This thesis highlights the need to explore this area further, because war is not just about generals and army’s, it is also about communities, values and beliefs.
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    Competing discourses : a genealogy of adolescent literary discourses in New Zealand secondary education, 1870-2008 : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Education at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2013) Kilpin, Kenneth Gordon
    The thesis is a Foucauldian genealogy of adolescent, or secondary school, literacy discourses within Aotearoa New Zealand. It links cycles of competitive tension between local discourses of adolescent literacy to larger conflicts between national and international socio-economic discourses. Using Foucault’s view of discourse as epistemic formations that reflect the material contingencies of their time and place, I analyse why certain historical conditions generated particular taken-for-granted truths, knowledge and beliefs about literacy education and schooling for adolescent New Zealanders between the years 1870 and 2008. I apply Foucault’s analytic tools of discipline and control, biopower and governmentality to explore the complex relationship within New Zealand between adolescent literacy and early discourses of colonial economic development and social control (1870-1935), mid-twentieth century Keynesian national economic reconstruction and socially progressive education reform (1930s-1970s), and recent neo-liberal market and globalisation reforms of education (1980s-2008). In particular I examine the effect of international neo-liberal economic rationalist discourses advocated by the Organisation for Economic and Cultural Development (OECD) since the late 1960s, on contemporary conceptualisations of adolescent literacy and secondary schooling. I explain how the OECD’s international Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests reflect the OECD’s deeper discursive advocacy of managerial rationalist principles to frame an international policy consensus for national education policy making and reforms. Since 2000, PISA has emerged as a powerful global instrument of neo-liberal education policy standardisation that aims to comparatively measure the effectiveness of national secondary schooling systems and their teachers to generate literate adolescents as privatised human capital necessary to service the demands of the neo-liberal global economy. I conclude that New Zealand adolescent literacy education discourses have been continuously shaped by a priori positivist principles of post-Enlightenment scientific rationalism. These have variously emerged within subsequent discourses of classical, social and neo-liberal forms of economic rationalisation, policies of curriculum or syllabus reform, and historical conceptions of teacher identity. Notwithstanding their particular socio-cultural aspirations or intentions, all reflect the hegemonic dominance of the laws of market capitalism, and the need for schooling systems to satisfy its demands for trained, literate and credentialed human capital.