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Item Investigating the social validity of an early literacy assessment tool in New Zealand classrooms : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Educational Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand(Massey University, 2018) Davidson, LaurenThere is vast evidence that emergent literacy skills provide the foundation for reading success. Print concept knowledge and listening comprehension are two emergent literacy skills that make important contributions to reading and can be developed in early childhood. However, some children may start school without the necessary knowledge to succeed with formal literacy instruction and will be at-‐risk for underachievement. Appropriate assessment and subsequent support can produce positive outcomes for these children, however, there are currently few tools dedicated to assessing print concept knowledge and listening comprehension in the early stages of schooling. The current research involved the development of an assessment tool that assessed these skill areas. Four Year 0-‐1 teachers in New Zealand then trialled the tool with children who they perceived may need additional literacy support. Interviews were conducted to seek teacher perceptions about the tool’s social validity. Findings suggest this tool could be an effective resource for teachers who prefer authentic assessment and it has the potential to provide valuable information about a child’s understanding of print concept knowledge and listening comprehension abilities to inform teacher planning. Future directions for related research are discussed including the recommendation for a larger scale study seeking feedback from a greater number of teachers in New Zealand.Item Assessing four-year-old children's learning : New Zealand early childhood teachers' purposes, practices and knowledge : 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) Cameron, Monica JaneAssessment is a core element of quality teaching and learning experiences for all children enrolled in early childhood education settings. This study explored New Zealand early childhood teachers’ purposes, practices and knowledge related to assessing four-year-old children’s learning. Understanding teachers’ beliefs related to the assessment of four-year olds is particularly important for supporting effective transition to school and continuity between early childhood and school contexts. To investigate teachers’ assessment purposes, practices and knowledge, a mixed methods sequential research design was developed. Phase one involved a nationwide survey of early childhood teachers, while phase two involved 14 key informant interviews with teachers representing nine different service types. Interview questions were derived from the survey results. Interviewees were asked to complete the survey and to share three pieces of assessment documentation. Descriptive statistics and thematic coding were utilised to analyse the data gathered. Findings from both phases were used to answer the study’s research questions. Findings demonstrated that teachers recognised the important role of assessment but their assessment knowledge, purposes and practices varied widely. Teachers favoured informal methods and focussed on sharing information with others as a primary purpose for assessment. Teachers’ knowledge of assessment was predominantly developed through their experiences in the sector, thereby conserving established assessment practices. Learning stories were found to dominate teachers’ assessment practices, which focused on specific aspects of children’s learning. Assessing four-year-old children’s learning was considered to be important in relation to transition to school, though challenges associated with sharing assessment information were repeatedly identified. The findings of this study, along with those of extant research, are of concern because New Zealand early childhood teachers’ assessment purposes, practices and knowledge in relation to assessing four-year-olds appear to be constrained relative to international recommendations for quality assessment in early childhood. One implication is that teachers need additional support to develop their knowledge of assessment and understand its multiple purposes. The development of a repertoire of assessment tools would further assist the advancement of teachers’ assessment practices. Early childhood and new entrant teachers need support to develop their understandings of each other’s assessment methods, so that methods with appropriate fit for purpose can be used to promote children’s successful transition to school. Continued research, professional development and initial teacher education need to play a key role in challenging current rhetoric and misunderstandings around assessment.Item Ability, effort and control : can attribution theory be valid in the New Zealand classroom? : a thesis submitted to the Education Department, Massey University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy (Education)(Massey University, 1993) Watson, Sue AnneThe validity of basic assumptions of attribution theory, that ability is conceptualised as an internal, stable and uncontrollable cause of success and failure in achievement situations, and effort is an internal, unstable and controllable cause, was investigated in relation to New Zealand school students. Two groups of students, Form One (11 years) and Form Four (14 years) responded within the classroom on three occasions in different school subjects to questionnaires about their ability and effort in regard to the tasks they had just been engaged in. Their achievement, ability and effort levels were rated by their teachers. A subset of students was also interviewed. Both age groups perceive ability (intelligence) as unstable, capable of being increased by schoolwork, yet rated their ability the same in the three different subject areas. In both age groups most students rated their specific and general effort as stable within subject areas but as unstable over three subject areas. Their general effort ratings correlated significantly with the teachers' ratings for effort. So, students perceive their effort as unstable but their relative effort level was stable. The controllability dimension was measured by the number of cognitive strategies given to improve ability and to demonstrate effort. The "controllability of ability" variable was a significant contributor for achievement for Form One students and the "controllability of effort" to achievement for the older students. The lowest achievement group had significantly fewer metacognitive statements than the other two groups which suggests that for them effort is not controllable. The findings suggest that some key principles of attribution theory may not be appropriate for New Zealand school children because their conceptualisations of ability and effort do not fit the constructs of attribution theory.