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Item Emotions in the classroom : exploring relationships between students' perceptions of teachers' practices and students' strengths and difficulties : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2020) Edwards, AmyDespite recognition of the importance of schools as a zone of social-emotional development, there is a gap in knowledge regarding students’ perceptions of teachers’ social-emotional practices and how these perceptions relate to students’ strengths and difficulties. This thesis addresses this gap through three studies. Students’ conceptual understandings of 88 social-emotional practices were examined using Multidimensional Scaling (MDS), creating a three-dimensional map depicting item relationships. Study two used this map as a lens for analysis of survey data collected from 335 students, focussing on both student-perceived teachers’ practices and student variables including psychological flexibility, connectedness, and emotional, social, and behavioural strengths and difficulties. Findings indicated positive correlations between perceptions of social-emotional practices and students’ connectedness, which in turn was associated with fewer social-emotional difficulties. Existing social-emotional strengths of teachers were highlighted; students reported frequently perceiving teachers’ use of social-emotional practices. Importantly, however, these perceptions were not always related to students’ strengths. Study three sought to deepen insights into the findings of study two by investigating potential differences in the relationships between perceived teachers’ practices and students’ strengths and difficulties according to student gender, in recognition of common views that social-emotional variables are affected by student gender. Findings revealed few gender differences in the relationships observed between perceived teachers’ practices and student variables.Item Territoriality in educational settings : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Education(Massey University, 1971) Hulbert, Murray EdwinThe concern of this thesis was territorial behaviours in classroom settings, namely: 1. The teacher's use of geographic space, and 2. Verbal interaction patterns resulting from teacher - pupil exchanges. One expectation held was that the teacher would occupy a particular location in preference to all other areas. Another expection was that the centre of the classroom would be the focus for interaction between the teacher and pupils, with diminishing numbers of verbal exchanges toward the outer edges of the room. The effects of changing the pupils' location was also investigated it being thought that following such change the number of interactions received by the pupils would vary considerably. Observations were made in two classrooms and data collected. A trained Observer recorded the teacher's use of classroom space and the pupil 'targets' of all verbal exchanges between teacher and individual pupils. The verbal behaviour of the teacher was recorded and later encoded into five qualitative categories. Analysis of these data revealed that: (a) both teachers occupied the centre front of the room in preference to all other areas. (b) the distribution of verbal interactions by the teachers was uneven, and (c) the changing of pupil location had inconclusive effects upon the numbers of verbal exchanges they participated in. The teacher's verbal behaviour, when considered qualitatively, was found to be little affected by the position occupied by the teacher and was democratically distributed over the classroom.Item Parent and teacher beliefs and teacher-pupil interaction : a pilot survey : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Education.(Massey University, 1972) Ashcroft, Eric RobertThis investigation reports a quasi experimental study of teachers' verbal contacts with pupils during their first year of formal schooling. It was expected that consensus of certain beliefs about teaching priorities held between teacher and parent would be related to the frequency of teacher approval expressed towards pupils – and also that the frequency of teachers' expressed disapproval towards pupils would be related to parent-teacher disensus. The gross propositions directing this study are that: 1. Parents hold a variety of beliefs concerning the activities which will facilitate success at school for their children. 2. These beliefs are transmitted to the children during the socializing process. 3. Teachers also develop a variety of beliefs concerning pupil activities which will facilitate success at school. 4. When parental socialization practices produce in their children behaviours that are in relative agreement with a particular teacher's expectations for the pupil role, teacher approval will be a characteristic feature of teacher-pupil interaction. 5 When parental socialization practices produce in their children behaviours that are in relative disagreement with a particular teacher's expectations for the pupil role, teacher expectations are affronted and teacher disapproval will be the characteristic feature of teacher-pupil interaction. 6. Parent teacher disensus-consensus will be reflected in teacher treatment of pupils and will be expressed through different patterns of verbal contact during classroom interaction. Six statements, paired in all possible combinations, describing the different ways in which pupils might behave in order to succeed in school were presented in a questionnaire to 21 teachers of five year old school pupils. Of these 21 teachers, the six used were those holding the strongest preferences for one of each category of beliefs about school success. Over 80% of parents of children in these six classrooms completed the same questionnaire. Subsequent analysis determined which parents held views most similar to or different from their child's teacher. The 32 pupils whose parents' beliefs were most isomorphic with those of their child's teacher, and the 32 pupils whose parents' beliefs were most contrary to those of their child's teacher, were selected for the study. Of the 64. pupil subjects, half were boys and half were girls. Each of the six teachers was observed for three hours. Two trained observers, using a radio microphone, tape recorder and written records collected data covering all teacher verbal contacts with the selected pupil subjects during the period. Only those teacher verbal contacts categorized as negative and positive sanctions or negative and positive directions, were recorded. Analysis of the data revealed that parent-teacher disensus and consensus of beliefs is significantly related to differences in both quality and quantity of teacher verbal contacts with the children observed during their first year at school. Such differences in teacher contacts with pupils occurred independently of pupil sex status although sex status served to compound the direction of results.Item Small task-oriented groups : a systems analysis : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Education at Massey University(Massey University, 1972) Nolan, Clarence James Patrick; Harvey, Judith Ceridwen IranganiWhere two or more people are gathered together in order to engage in social interaction - there is a social system". (Anon.) The question of why it is that people come together in systems of interaction and how these systems persist as viable social arrangements is one which has been taken up by social philosophers and sociological theorists as far back as Hobbes. Subsequently Spencer, Durkheim, and such contemporary figures as Homans, Merton and Parsons have also taken issue with this problem. The present thesis shares a similar concern with the problem and derives its stimulus from the way in which sociologists have attempted to formulate adequate explanatory theories. The thesis exhibits a convergence in the interests of the two authors - on the one hand, an interest in the application of parsonian theory' to small group phenomena, and on the other, the use of 'systems theory' in the explanation of social interaction in educational settings. The specific focus of attention is on those groups which have the properties of being small and task-oriented. Such groups are ubiquitous in educational contexts. At the most general level the thesis uses Parsons' voluntaristic theory of social action as the frame of reference from which a theory of small task-oriented groups can be derived. The thesis is therefore an expedition into the realms of sociological theory and an exploration of the way in which parsons' theory in particular can be applied to an empirical situation. Elements of general systems theory have been employed to further limit the scope of the investigation by focussing only on the internal dynamic of small task-oriented groups, rather than the way in which they adapt to their surrounding environments, thus enabling such groups to be conceptualised as discrete social systems in their own right. [From Introduction]Item School performance and reference group orientation to achievement : a pilot study : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Education at Massey University(Massey University, 1976) Moxon, David JohnThe main purpose of the study was to test the thesis that a relationship exists between a pupil's performance at school and the orientation towards achievement obtaining from his 'reference group'. This concept was understood principally in terms of social psychology, although conceptual strands from sociology were woven into the theoretical considerations. The study examined the interrelationships of the main variables with socioeconomic status, ethnic origin, class s tream, pupil teacher affect and ses of proposed occupation. An (untestable) causal logic was implicit in the design, namely that a reference group orientation to achievement served as a mediator between the independent variables of (1) SES, Ethnic Origin, IQ, Class Stream and previous grades and (2) the dependent variables of Teacher-pupil affect, Pupil-teacher affect, SES of proposed occupation and present grades. The report contains a justification of the thesis, an account of the pilot study conducted with eighty four fourth form pupils from three streamed classes of a co-educational secondary school, the findings and a discussion of the implications of the study. The empirical phase called for the gathering of data by interview, questionnaire and a search of school records. As well it entailed the development of an index to measure reference group orientation to achievement. The subsequent statistical analysis relied principally on cross tabulation and step-wise multiple regression analysis. The results revealed that reference group orientation to achievement did not appear to mediate between independent and dependent variables but rather that it acted independently intervening to yield a higher correlation with present grades and SES of proposed occupation than any of the variables tested. Further, Reference Group Orientation to achievement emerged as a partial function of SES and ethnic origin, also correlating positively with a simple measure of pupil definition of the school situation and with pupil sociometricrejection.Item South Korean teachers' social-emotional practices and their association with student connectedness : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Educational Psychology at Massey University, Distance Learning, New Zealand(Massey University, 2016) Han, SharonTeachers’ social-emotional practices provide a promising avenue for fostering student well-being, particularly in countries such as South Korea where students experience disproportionate levels of stress. Little research has been conducted on teachers’ social-emotional practices internationally, and even less in the South Korean context. In the present research, two studies were conducted with South Korean middle-school students to explore Korean teachers’ social-emotional practices as perceived by students. Data were used to explore the underlying structure of students’ perspectives of teacher behaviours and group these behaviours into cohesive domains and profiles. A refined 88-item version of Harvey et al.’s (2003, 2012) teacher social-emotional behaviour inventory was used. In Study one, 30 students completed a card-sorting task where they sorted 88 social-emotional behaviour items according to perceived similarity. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis were applied to the data to produce visual representations of the structure of student-perceived teacher social-emotional practices. In Study two, 222 Korean middle-school students completed a rating task wherein they rated the extent to which they perceived their teacher to engage in each of the 88 social-emotional behaviours. A connectedness questionnaire assessing student feelings of connectedness to their teacher, school and peers was also completed. Application of Horn’s parallel analysis and rotated factor analysis on student rating data revealed five factors or themes of teacher social-emotional behaviours, interpreted as Social-emotional coaching, Relationship-building, Classroom and emotion management, Attitude to teaching, and Emotional transference. Then, factor analysis and Q-factor analysis were applied to identify profiles, where each profile represented a group of students who reported similar patterns of teacher behaviours for their homeroom teacher. Hierarchical cluster analysis and k-means cluster analysis were further applied to refine profiles by optimising case assignment to profiles. The resulting eight profiles were labelled: Enthusiastic Manager, Disengaged, Job-focused, Indifferent, Coach, Assured Coach, Transparent Manager, and Relationship-builder and Coach. Finally, the associations between the identified factors and profiles with student connectedness were explored using ANOVA. Results are compared and contrasted with existing literature and discussed with regard to potential usefulness of teacher social-emotional factors and profiles for enhancing student well-being.Item Parent-teacher expectations : parent-child relationships and teacher-child interactions with new entrants in peninsular Malaysia : a thesis ... for the degree of Master of Arts in Education at Massey University(Massey University, 1976) Hashim, Mohamed Amir Sharifuddin binThe concept of the self-fulfilling prophecy used by Merton (1948) to explain large scale social and economic phenomena, such as prejudice in everyday life and the causes of bank failures, has been introduced into classroom research by Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) in terms of teacher-expectation studies. This thesis reports a naturalistic study concerning teacher-pupil interactions in the classroom and parent-child relationships in the home arising from parent and teacher expectations of the children's ability, in the context of Malaysia – a non-Western culture. It was expected that the quality and quantity of teacher-pupil interactions in the classroom, and parent-child relationships in the home would be related to parent and teacher expectations of the children's ability. The general propositions guiding this study are given as a research model outlined below: i) Early in the child's life, even before he enters school, his parents have formed their expectations concerning the child's ability. ii) Parent expectations are translated into self-fulfilling prophecies. The quality of parent-child relationships may be determined by the parents' expectations of the child's ability. iii) When the child enters school, teachers also form their expectations regarding the child's ability. Perhaps because both parents and teachers are influenced by overt child behaviours, in most cases the expectations teachers hold towards the child would match the expectation held by the parents. iv) Teacher expectations are also translated into self-fulfilling prophecies. Thus teachers begin to treat each child differently in accordance with their expectation of the child's ability. v) Finally, the cycle of self-fulfilling prophecies operates so that the more able child finds support to develop his talents both at home and at school, while the less able child is constantly reminded of his weaknesses. The results from 30 hours of classroom observation of teacher-pupil interaction with 48 new entrants classified by their teachers (N = 4) as 'highs' (N = 24) and 'lows' (N = 24) using teacher-pupil observation schedules based on Brophy and Good (1969) and Ashcroft (1972) support the hypothesis that teachers treat pupils differently according to teacher expectations concerning the pupils' ability. The results from individual home interviews with parents of the same children using standardized interview schedules based on Marjoribanks (1971) also support the hypothesis that parents treat children differently according to parent expectations concerning the children's ability (high, medium or low). It is suggested that there exists a supportive network of expectations between the parents and the teachers. It is further suggested that closer attention be given to this network of expectations between home and school, and not expectations of each in isolation to explain the relative performance of children at school. The implications of the above results for Malaysia, in particular, is that current emphasis on educational improvement should also focus on the interpersonal factors arising from teacher and parent expectations of the children, and their consequences.Item Maoritanga : a study of teacher sensitivity : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts at Massey University(Massey University, 1976) Nightingale, Michael DriesFor many years it has been recognised, both by official and unofficial sources, that as a group, Maori children do less well in school than Pakeha children. The major explanations for this have usually involved reference to lower socio-economic status or linguistic variables. While not denying that these variables are important, this study has attempted to place much greater emphasis on variables related to the discontinuity between the teachers' background and the sub-cultural and minority group status of their Maori pupils. Ranginui Walker's statement that teachers are predominantly monocultural and not sensitised to react to biculturalism or the minority group needs of Maori pupils, was taken as a hypothesis. A Questionnaire was designed and circulated amongst groups of Pakeha teachers and psychologists. A group of Maoris was also selected to complete part of this Questionnaire. The results suggest that by and large Pakeha teachers seek few experiences which would lead them to a greater understanding of the "Maori side" of their Maori pupils' lives. Furthermore they appear to have a poor knowledge of Maoritanga. This conclusion was found to be true of teachers in areas where there was a relatively high percentage of Maori pupils, as well as their counterparts in areas where relatively few Maori pupils are on school rolls.Item 'O mātou 'o le fatu 'o le fa'amoemoe - fesili mai! : we are the heart of the matter - ask us! : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2015) Knight-de-Blois, LyndaThis study explored the perspectives of junior secondary school students of Pacific heritage and asked them what enhanced their learning. A qualitative, interpretive framework was used for this multi-‐site case study and grounded theory was used to analyse data. Three groups of Year 9 and 10 students from three North Island city schools, representing a range of Pacific nations, socio-‐economic areas and genders, participated in focus group interviews and questionnaires. Pacific concepts, values and research methodologies were explored and integrated into both the research process and discussion of the findings. An innovative approach was trialled which involved “insider” research assistants facilitating the focus group interviews: four Samoan teenagers worked with the researcher to draw out the opinions and ideas of the participants about what helped them to learn. Data analysis led to the identification of ten pedagogical attributes and strategies. The voices of the participants in this study echo the findings of earlier New Zealand research, which demonstrate that the key factor for successful Pacific learning is the strength of the relationship between teachers and learners.Item Relationships : the heart of teaching? : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education (Adult Education) at Massey University(Massey University, 2004) Monk, HilaryLearning and teaching are courageous acts. They involve journeying through unknown and unexplored terrain. The journey can he joyous and/or painful. Teaching and learning can evoke strong commitments to personal action. Both teachers and learners experience the complexity of the learning and teaching task. This grounded theory study sought to 'wonder' about the essence of teaching and learning; to investigate the relationship/s that teachers identified within teaching and learning, and to search for priorities, connections, similarities and differences. Melody, Kath, Nadine, Tori, Kerryn and Kaye were the six participants of the study who shared the beliefs and values they held as early childhood educators engaged in various teaching and learning contexts. They participated in interviews, created and discussed teaching and learning metaphors and joined together to take part in a focus group discussion. Emerging from the data were two theoretical metaphors that revealed relationships to be at the H.E.A.R.T. and R.O.O.T. of teaching and learning. The letters of each metaphor represented a category of inter-related properties inherent in teaching and learning relationships. As the project progressed, these two metaphors merged into one revealing relational connectedness within teaching and learning to be Holistic, Embedded, Authentic, Reciprocal and Transformational. Participants confirmed that the emergent metaphor H.E.A.R.T. had a strong sense of "fit, relevance and working" (Glaser, 1992, p. 15) in relation to their day-to-day teaching and learning experiences. Therefore, this thesis highlights the importance of relational connectivity in teaching and learning.