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Item An ethnographic study of autistic children’s social experiences at school : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand(Massey University, 2024) Narayanan, VaniSocial experiences form a ubiquitous part of school life for all children, and this is no different for autistic children. Although these children have been described as having difficulties in social contexts within their school, this thesis challenges the notion that the social lives of autistic children are compromised. Autistic children included in educational settings indicate that positive social experiences are imperative for their sense of belonging and inclusion. However, the unique nature of the social needs and experiences for each child and the context within which these take place, requires intent listening to children and their specific experiences. Children’s rights to be heard and for their active participation in matters that affect them, including in research, are underscored by policies and conventions such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This study followed the social experiences of two autistic primary school-age boys within their school over two school terms. Foregrounding the two children’s experiences of their social lives at school was enabled by engaging them as co-researchers. An ethnographic methodology with participatory methods grounded within this approach were used, and a Children’s Research Advisory Group was consulted to facilitate children’s involvement in research as partners. The participants themselves guided the data collection process, thus enabling them to share and lead their stories. The findings showed a complex and agentic picture of the autistic children’s social world that included: multidimensional friendships; meaningful play; and self-determined interactions. The findings also showed that social inclusion and social exclusion can be viewed beyond a binary understanding of solely inclusion or exclusion. A relational understanding of social inclusion and exclusion is emphasised. Children’s awareness of how they are perceived by their peers and their motivation to engage with their peers in ways that were significant to them, played a role in how they deliberately navigated their social world at school. The ethnographic methodological approach allowed for the promotion of children as competent rights-holders through three key aspects: (i) following the child’s interests, (ii) engaging in reflexive partnership, and (iii) meaningful researcher engagement over time. Through the children’s active involvement in this research, their stories emerged authentically and organically and this facilitated new understandings of autistic children’s social experiences. This study invites a reconsideration of some existing conceptualisations of autistic children’s social experiences and assumed ideas around labels.Item Te Kura i Huna : te whakahāngai i ngā pūrākau hei wheako akoranga tino whai hua i ngā kura kaupapa Māori : He tuhinga rangahau hei whakatutuki i ngā tikanga o Te Tohu Kairangi i te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa, Papaioea, Aotearoa(Massey University, 2023) Moeahu, Alishia RangiwhakawaitauKa whai mana tonu ngā mahi pūrākau i te mātauranga Māori, i te mea kei te pupuri ēnei kōrero i ngā taonga tuku iho ā wō tātau tūpuna. Ka taea hoki ngā pūrākau te whakarato i ngā pūmanawa ako i roto i te akomanga. Nā reira ko te kaupapa matua o tēnei rangahau, ko te tūhura ki te whakahāngai i te pūrākau, i te pakiwaitara, i te kōrero tuku iho hoki, hei wheako akoranga tino whai hua i roto i ngā kura kaupapa Māori. I whakahāngaitia anō tētahi huarahi rangahau, tikanga Māori, mā te whakamahi i tētahi anga o ‘Ngā Tai o Whakaaro’ me ngā mātāpono o Te Aho Matua, hei wetewete i ngā raraunga, me te whakaatu i ngā uara e huna ana i ngā pūrākau. I whakamahia te tātaringa kaupapa (thematic analysis) i ngā tikanga arohaehae me ngā kaupapa pūputu i ngā raraunga (Braun & Clarke, 2006). I whakamaheretia te rangahau nei, ki ngā pātai, mai roto i ngā uiuinga, ki te tirotiro ki te whakamahinga o ngā pūrākau, ki roto i ngā mahi whakaako o ngā kaiako e waru, i roto i ngā kura kaupapa Māori. Ko te pātai matua: He nui ngā hua i puta mai i ngā kitenga i ngā kaupapa maha, me te hononga anō o ngā kaupapa ki ngā mātāpono o Te Aho Matua. Ka tirotiro e te rangahau nei ēnei tino hua. Ko te whakamahinga o te pūrākau, he whai mana ki te whakatinana i te mātauranga Māori, kua mau ki roto i ngā pūrākau. E whai hua ana te whakamahi pūrākau hei whakaakoranga i ngā wheako ako. Kua kitea te angitū me te orangatonutanga o te mātauranga i roto i ngā kura kaupapa Māori nā te whakamahi pūrākau. Kua kitea hoki te whakaritenga anō o te pūrākau, kia torotoro i te kaha o te ako, hei tautoko i ngā mahi ako mō te roanga o te wā. Ko te whanaketanga ahurea anō hoki tētahi āhuatanga kua kitea.Item Gamification in education for engaging tāne ākonga Māori in their learning spaces : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Māori Studies, Te Pūtahi-a-Toi Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand(Massey University, 2024-04-04) Te Riaki, TamzynThis PhD research project sought to identify how the motivation and engagement of tāne ākonga Māori (Māori boy students) could be enhanced in English medium education settings in Aotearoa, New Zealand, through a Māori gamification model. The rationale for this focus is to provide tāne ākonga Māori with learning experiences in English medium education settings that better cater to their needs compared to what they are currently receiving. This is critical considering that Māori are a minority in Aotearoa and must conform to an education system not designed to cater to their needs. Furthermore, only 1.9% of kaiako (teachers) in Aotearoa are tāne Māori (Māori men). Consequently, tāne ākonga Māori would benefit from additional support to help meet their needs. This research project is, therefore, embraced by Kaupapa Māori research methodology and consists of two phases of data collection. Phase One involved Pakeke Kōrero, discussion groups with pakeke (older tāne Māori aged 17 and above) that provided pakeke with the opportunity to share their wisdom regarding how to best support the next generation of tāne ākonga Māori. The kōrero (discussions) from Phase One guided Phase Two, the Gamification Implementation, where action research was conducted in a English medium primary school. During Phase Two, feedback was gained from the kaiako and ākonga (student) participants. The data collected provided an intergenerational perspective from tāne Māori, which was then compiled and examined concerning how gamification in education could be tailored to the needs of tāne ākonga Māori. Two factors were identified as significant to the effectiveness of tailoring gamification in education to the needs of tāne ākonga Māori: their cultural needs and their needs as male learners. This project is the first Aotearoa-based doctoral research investigating gamification in English medium primary school education settings catering to the needs of tāne ākonga Māori. The findings from this PhD research prove that gamification in education is highly effective for enhancing the engagement and motivation of tāne ākonga Māori and their non-Māori and female peers. The findings are significant because they contribute to a gap in research and knowledge base in the emerging field of gamification in education.Item Problematizing Māori achievement in education policy : an exploratory mixed-methods study on teacher enactment of Ka Hikitia : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Education at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand(Massey University, 2022) Niwa, Timu-o-te-rangiThis thesis analyses and describes a range of factors that impact upon mainstream primary school teachers’ enactments of the Māori education policy strategy, Ka Hikitia (Ministry of Education, 2013, 2018, 2020). Where this study differs is that it goes beyond the traditional implementation approach to policy research and seeks to identify and investigate the ‘messier’ aspects of interpretation, subjectivity and context, factors that are often missing in accounts of how policy works in schools. It has utilised an exploratory, two-phase mixed-methods approach to collect the data. The initial phase was a series of one-to-one interviews with a small cohort of primary school teachers from the Manawatū region of New Zealand. The data collated helped to develop a set of initial themes that were used to formulate the second phase survey that was sent out to a wider cohort. The themes from both two phases of the study have been used in a complementary manner to engage with research and literature from the fields of Māori education, culturally responsive pedagogy and critical policy enactment. This study concludes that teachers rely heavily upon school context and personal subjectivities to interpret and enact Ka Hikitia. It contends that teachers respond to Ka Hikitia in three key ways: considered enactment, perfunctory enactment, and/or enactment resistance. While teacher enactment is a focus of this study, it is purported that a broader consideration of how government and institutional factors impact upon teacher enactment of Ka Hikitia needs to be taken into account. Solely focusing on teachers as mere ciphers of policy reinforces institutional invisibility. This study calls for a broader understanding of how Māori student achievement is understood and problematized in Ka Hikitia. While supporting the necessity for Māori language, culture and identity to be an integral part of mainstream primary schools, this research urges policy makers and Māori academics to re-consider and re-calibrate the impact of socio-economic factors upon Māori student achievement and, henceforth, rework policy designed to address this.Item Transition to school for children with challenging behaviours : family/whānau and teachers' perspectives : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Educational Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand(Massey University, 2019) MacMillan, Gina MarieChallenging behaviours are complex and are exhibited in a range of ways as a result of many different personal and environmental factors. When a child who is already predisposed to exhibiting these behaviours transitions from early childhood to primary school, the new and unknown circumstances can add to those challenging behaviours and create a negative experience for the children, families and teachers involved. Upon reviewing existing literature on transitions to school, there is an apparent gap in the literature on how to create a positive transition experience for children with challenging behaviours, particularly in the New Zealand context. This study started to address this gap by gaining the perspectives of parents and teachers on the transition to school for children with challenging behaviours. Semi-structured interviews involving 11 adults (parents, teachers/management) who were involved in transitioning three children to school in the last 12-18 months were used to draw out their voices. A qualitative approach within the framework of appreciative inquiry placed positive experiences as the focus. This meant barriers were addressed as a starting point for positive change. A thematic analysis was used to identify positive factors and barriers to successful transitions. The findings of this research highlighted that the building of positive, collaborative and trusting relationships, and open communication within transition teams was at the centre of positive transition practices, whether it be for children with challenging behaviours or for all children. The study also highlighted the importance of ecological adaptations needed in both the early childhood centres and schools for transitions to be effective. Children and parents needed to be well prepared for what to expect when starting school. This drew attention to the importance of bridging existing pedagogical gaps and gaps in policy between early childhood education and primary school. As is common in the New Zealand context, where Māori values such as aroha, whanaungatanga and manaakitanga are well integrated into practice, the teachers in the study were committed to providing children and their families with the best level of support possible during their children’s transition. However, issues of funding, time and professional expertise were identified as barriers. It is hoped that changes proposed under the government’s Learning Support Action Plan (Ministry of Education, 2019) will be a step in the right direction to address these barriers.Item A dyslexic-type profile, anxiety and school-related stress in primary aged students : a New Zealand study : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Educational Psychology at Massey University, New Zealand(Massey University, 2019) Smith, Heather MayThe acknowledgement and identification of dyslexia are long overdue in New Zealand’s education system, and there is currently little understanding of the prevalence or emotional correlates of dyslexia in Aotearoa. Research offers a range of prevalence rates (3-20%), based on various operationalised definitions. The literature also suggests that a variety of emotional difficulties often co-exist with dyslexia, yet aspects of anxiety specific to research on primary school-aged groups are underrepresented in the literature. This study had two aims. First, this study aimed to identify the prevalence of a dyslexic- type profile (D-TP) in New Zealand for 8-10-year-old students. Secondly, this study explored the difference in anxiety and school-related stress experienced by students with a D-TP, when compared to generic poor readers and students with no significant reading difficulty. It was hypothesised that students with a D-TP will report significantly more anxiety and school-related stress than their peers. A quantitative approach, using Nicholson and Dymock’s (2015) SVR operationalised definition of dyslexia was employed with 54, 8 to 10-year-old students attending six different primary schools in the South Island of New Zealand, to establish a prevalence figure for a D-TP. Two standardised questionnaires (Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale and the School Situational Survey) were administered to all participants, to gauge group differences in anxiety, across six dimensions, and school-related stress, across seven dimensions. The results indicated an 11% prevalence rate for a D-TP, based on the SVR criteria: a figure that appears elevated in comparison to other countries; may only represent moderate to severe dyslexia, and is likely an underestimate of the prevalence of a D-TP. Questionnaire response analyses showed that the D-TP group reported significantly greater anxiety and school-related stress than their peer groups. The study contributes towards an understanding of how the SVR-based methodology may be utilised in New Zealand for 8 to10-year-olds as an assessment for the identification of a dyslexic-type profile. It is also concluded that students with a D-TP experience greater anxiety and school-related stress than poor readers and proficient readers: a feature that not only distinguishes this group but calls for awareness in relation to their well-being.Item Culturally relevant tasks and Påsifika students' participation and engagement in mathematics : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in Mathematics Education, Massey University (Manawatu), New Zealand(Massey University, 2019) Cunningham, Libby SaraPåsifika students’ academic achievement in mathematics continues to remain a priority for New Zealand education (Ministry of Education, 2013). Research in both the New Zealand and international contexts identifies the need for New Zealand classrooms to foster culturally responsive and mathematical practices that align with Påsifika students’ cultural values, backgrounds, interests and experiences. As a result, Påsifika students will have increased opportunities to participate and engage in mathematics while developing a cultural identity within New Zealand classrooms. This study utilised the Påsifika students’ and their families’ funds of knowledge to design culturally relevant mathematical tasks. These tasks were used within the students’ mathematics classroom where the teacher was supported to implement culturally responsive and mathematical practices. It examined how the use of culturally relevant tasks while enacting the reviewed cultural and mathematical practices could foster Påsifika students’ participation and engagement in mathematics. This study used qualitative research methods with an ethnographic case study approach while drawing on Påsifika research frameworks (Lemanu, 2014; Sauni, 2011). 11 Year 5 and Year 6 students who descended from the Pacific Islands participated in this study. Semi-structured interviews were completed at the beginning and end to find out the Påsifika students’ perspectives about their experiences of their culture and mathematics. Throughout the study, photoelicitation interviews were used to identify Påsifika students’ cultural funds of knowledge and mathematical experiences that they engaged in outside of school. This information was used to work with the classroom teachers to design culturally relevant mathematics tasks. Observations were made of the students’ behaviour and interactions while working on these tasks within their classroom setting. After each observation, focus group interviews were conducted to gain insight into the students’ perspectives of the task and learning experience. The use of a variety of methods provided greater evidence of data that I drew on to support my findings. The results illustrated key findings and recommendations that have been visually represented using a frangipani (kalosipani/ pua fiti/ fiti pua/ tipani)1 ulalei2. Each petal on the frangipani flower represents the key themes that emerged. These are as follows; mathematics at home and school, culturally relevant tasks, funds of knowledge, collaborative grouping and mathematical disposition and cultural identity. These key themes are supported by a group of learners which include parents, teachers and students and are bound together by the core Påsifika values. The key themes, community of learners and cultural values form the ula-lei. This study revealed these components as being effective practices that educators should develop to support Påsifika learners’ participation and engagement in mathematics.Item An exploration of language acquisition through peer scaffolding and sociocultural interactions in a New Zealand primary school : a thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Second Language Teaching, Massey University, Manawatu, Aotearoa, New Zealand(Massey University, 2017) Gonzales, Vera InsertoIn recent years, New Zealand’s continued commitment to accept migrants and refugees from other countries has caused our schools to be impacted by a significant influx of English language learners from many different ethnic backgrounds. As a result, teachers have needed to modify their practices to cater for the needs of increasing numbers of English language learners (ELLs) in mainstream classrooms. This study seeks to identify the influences that sociocultural interactions and peer-scaffolding can have on the language development of young ELLs in primary schools. Utilising a qualitative case-study design and participant observations as the main data collection instrument, this research investigated classroom and playground peer-interactions involving two junior primary ELLs over the course of two school terms. The classroom teachers and parents of the two case students were also interviewed for background information in order to explore their roles as mediators of language acquisition. Findings revealed the significance of interactions between ELLs and their peers during both mainstream classroom and playground activities. The complexity of the communicative exchanges and linguistic strategies utilised by the ELLs with their peers highlighted their ability to develop agency within their social networks and to use both linguistic and non-linguistic tools to effectively engage with these. The ELLs’ second language development was also facilitated by their parents and classroom teachers through mediated interactions that encouraged sociocultural and language development within the school, home, and wider community. Throughout the study, a focus on Vygotsky’s (1978) sociocultural theory and Lave and Wenger’s (1991) community of practice model help to explain the ELLs’ strategies in coping with the linguistic challenges and the sometimes complex pre-existing relational structures within the mainstream educational environment.Item Achieving goal 02 of the United Nations' millennium development goals : problems and prospects for Brazil : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Education at Massey University(Massey University, 2007) Formiga, Marcela Figueiredo NobreTo help fight inequalities and other factors that negatively affect its education system, the Brazilian government has signed many agreements with international agencies, among which are the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) established by the United Nations (UN). Through analysis of the world scenario and the global initiatives towards education, this study aims to draw a correlation between the completion of Goal 2 of the MDGs, i.e., achieve universal primary education, and the problems and prospects for Brazil. Indeed, the importance of education to society is unquestionable as it influences many different aspects of life, by helping combat poverty, aiding in development and assisting in health issues, among others. Furthermore, it is crucial not only to the personal development of individuals, but it also provides greater understanding of social rules, which increases understanding of diversity. In a country as big and diverse as Brazil, it is fundamental to take into consideration the cultural, geographic and socio-economic differences in order to find solutions that can be used towards the development of the country. Although the Brazilian government has taken effective measures to ensure that all children have access to primary education, the same cannot be said about its quality, as the numbers in educational exclusion in the country are staggering, with more than 16 million illiterates. The major issues relating to education in the country have to do with the poor quality of what is being provided to the students, and the present study points to many factors that help explain this situation. High repetition and dropout rates mark the country's education system, making it crucial to develop strategies and measures that will assure that students learn effectively. Nevertheless, Brazil's decentralised education system makes it hard to put in practice national changes and implement policies that could help improve the quality of education. Drawn widely from analysis of figures from the Brazilian 2005 school census, the findings revealed that there are many issues that still need to be addressed in order to guarantee that Brazilian students have an equal and just opportunity to learn.Item Gifted and talented education in Aotearoa New Zealand : a primary school perspective : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand(Massey University, 2016) Wallace, Jami KimbroughThis research explores the state of gifted and talented education in New Zealand following the 2008 change in government and consequent shift in educational priorities. This case study examines the provision of gifted and talented education in a full, co-educational primary school in a provincial area. Data gathered from a variety of stakeholders indicate that, in its recent history, the school’s provision varied considerably – from applying a structured, whole-school approach to lacking official policies and practices, to re-establishing school-wide provision. Provision was dependent on management priorities that often echoed national priorities that took the focus off of gifted and talented learners. These findings suggest that if national priorities do not explicitly include gifted and talented learners along with learners with special educational needs, then these students may be left vulnerable as schools shift their focus elsewhere. Recommendations for further research and effective provision of gifted and talented education are included.