Massey Documents by Type

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/294

Browse

Subject: search.filters.subject.Home and school

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Understanding Pasefika perceptions and experiences of the school system in Years 7 to 10 : 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, 2009) Malaulau, Dinah
    Drawing on questionnaires and interviews of Pasefika students, their parents, and teachers, this case study provides an understanding of their perceptions and experiences of the school system in Years 7 to 10 within a family resource framework. Essentially, the financial, social and cultural resources available to Pasefika students within the context of their family's cultural capital, and their prior cognitive ability and non-cognitive dispositions have greater influence on their engagement and success at school than their culture or ethnicity. Respondents' suggestions for changes to enhance schooling and the social and educational needs of Pasefika students, including the support for a middle-school structure and provision of an extra year prior to NCEA qualifications, reiterate similar multivariate recommendations and findings of other studies.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    "Everyone learns and everyone teaches everyone else" : family learning and teaching : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education (Adult Education), Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2008) Tracey, Kay
    This thesis explores family learning and teaching by constructing a picture of families as learning communities. Making visible family learning and teaching is necessary as the everyday practices of families are seldom recognized, acknowledged and valued for their role in developing people's ability as learners and teachers. Families and parents are named the 'first educators' of children without significant attention being paid to the nature of family learning and teaching. How family learning and teaching contributes to the growth and development of the adults in the family also receives little attention, possibly because of a focus for adult learning on the gaining of qualifications and credentials for employment. Within Aotearoa/New Zealand the growth and development of citizens is divided into the public domain of institutions, and the private domain of families. Learning and teaching development is assigned to educational institutions and the role of families is considered to be mainly about care and socialization. Study and research of family learning and teaching can compliment the body of work on learning and teaching within Aotearoa/New Zealand which is dominated by interest in formal institutional education. There is a growing emphasis on the need for collaboration between school, family and community to ensure educational achievement. A greater understanding of family learning and teaching capability and potential can enhance the quality of the relationship with families as they come to be seen as more than assistants to schools. Recognizing the uniqueness of families as a place of learning can enable a shift towards a strengths based view of families and valuing their contribution to building our societies ability to progress in a world focused on knowledge and information. Initial information gifted and gathered for the first phase of the research project, Learning and teaching within families with children: conversations with some Playcentre families, is used to make visible family learning and teaching. This information provides evidence of how families describe their engagement in learning and teaching. Identification of families as learning communities is made using Etienne Wenger's work on communities of practice. I show how these families are groups of people who share a passion for learning and teaching. Relationships, interactions and experiences within their families intentionally support their growth as learners and teachers.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    An exploration of teacher engagement practices with families of primary aged students categorised as at risk of educational underachievement : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Sociology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2016) McNeil, Christine Marie
    Current education policy in Aotearoa New Zealand signals that parents of students who are ‘at risk’ of educational underachievement should be drawn into the educational field to assist those children to reach the outcomes specified by the normative National Standards framework. An ‘educationally powerful relationship’ is advanced as being the optimum way to link home and school. Framed in this way, the home/school relationship emerges as an instrument of governance. The re-calibration of education-as-governance represents an emergence of teacher/parent relations as a means to address at-risk sub populations. Caught up with the administration of ‘at-risk’ families, the work of the teacher reflects capital(ism) in its tendency towards a crisis in social reproduction more generally. Identified by Nancy Fraser, this crisis refers to both the undermining and the overuse of the capacity of actors to establish emotional bonds, and of the contradictions that consequently emerge. Similarly, in the field of education, the emotional capacities of teachers are put to work to meet bio-political ends of producing productive populations. This research asks teachers to talk about their experiences of engaging parents of ‘at risk’ children. Using an inductive methodology, underpinned by a Foucaultian theoretical framework, data was generated by conducting semi-structured open-ended interviews in the Marlborough region. Findings point to a series of further contradictions at the site of the school. The following contradictions speak of the discontinuities inherent in the work of the teacher. Constituted to provide universal education, schools have established corrective mechanisms with which to address student underachievement. Accommodating the effects of adverse home conditions, teachers predominantly rely on in-school learning. Teachers try to be approachable yet may find themselves acting in ways that are inconsistent with their knowledge of family systems because of administrative requirements associated with the operation of National Standards. School management systems may disrupt tentative relationships with parents amplifying the tendency for parental involvement to diminish as children advance through the school years. It transpires that institutional practices work against the establishment of an effective home/school relationship, thereby illustrating the contradictions within Fraser’s crisis of social reproduction.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    In what ways does principal leadership impact on whānau engagement in a mainstream secondary school? : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy Māori at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2007) Wilson, Dianne Lynette
    In what ways does principal leadership impact on whānau engagement in a mainstream secondary school? Principal leadership is an integral dimension in the schooling process. The principal ideally leads a team of professionals, guiding, supporting, and nurturing their development toward positive outcomes for Māori students including whānau engagement, to achieve this goal. In addition, s/he will ideally provide a framework of expectations, these being based on a theoretical and practical knowledge base as well as values that inform decision making. Within the framework of Māori education, the dimension of whānau participation continues to be a dimension needing further exploration in terms of its potential contribution to positive academic, social and cultural achievements of students. The focus of this thesis is to explore the role of the principal as both the leader of staff and the wider school community to support and enhance Māori student achievement in mainstream schooling. Principals lead from their knowledge base and their underpinning attitudes. It is the interweaving of these two elements, how attitudes inform behaviours and how these discrete set of skills required for leadership foster successful whānau participation which will be developed. A role of the principal is to empower staff to take a leadership role. In terms of whānau participation, an area of the schooling process that continually needs fostering, principals set the direction for staff to develop relationships with the Māori community. The set of skills required to achieve this will be explored, expanded and reflected upon. This thesis is a case study of one inner city secondary school which is a lead school in the Ministry of Education's Te Kauhua professional development project. Data will be collected from the principal, staff and whānau within this school community.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Secondary school for students with disabilities : strengthening collaborative partnerships between home and school : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in Special Education at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2005) Wills, Robin Jane
    Experiences of secondary school, for parents whose children have a disability, are often vastly different from those of other parents. This study examined the culture and practices of one secondary school in order to describe how relationships with these parents are created and maintained, how well they work for parents and how their experiences could be enhanced. A single case study approach, situated within the complex home-school ecological context, was employed. The perspectives of 24 parents, 23 students and five special education teachers were obtained through semi-formal interviews. In addition sixteen IEP meetings were observed and 13 student home-school diaries were analysed as were the IEP documents from 24 previous IEP meetings and various other of the school's documents, such as its relevant policies and correspondence with the Ministry of Education. The data were analysed employing a matrix style theoretical model, which clustered identified themes into three powerful spheres of influence: school climate, school systems and personal relationships. The levels of satisfaction with school culture and practices were found to be very high for all participant groups in this study. They were particularly positive about the strong individual relationships they had been formed. However, the degree of active, equitable participation in many school activities was influenced not only by factors within the school, but by educational policy and practice and by society at large. There were a significant number of barriers identified in each of these areas, which limited participation for each group. Improved systems for communication, greater flexibility regarding IEP format and higher levels of inclusion were among the improvements sought by parents and teachers. Potential improvements in each of the nine clusters of themes represented in the matrix were identified as ways to achieve a more equitable role for these parents and their teenagers. The study suggests that describing home-school relationships utilising the matrix provides a particularly suitable platform for identifying, maintaining and celebrating positive practices, while revealing, acknowledging and acting on those areas that are shown to need development, both within IEP practices and across the school community.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Parent engagement in mathematics education : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education (MEd) at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2015) Haenga, Lisa Jane
    While parents can partner with schools in many ways, research in both the New Zealand and international contexts draws attention to need for schools to further consider how they can more effectively engage with parents to achieve positive outcomes on learning (Robinson, Hohepa & Lloyd, 2009). This study, grounded in a sociocultural perspective and drawing on ‘funds of knowledge’ ideas, seeks to better understand ways in which home-school partnerships that respect the needs and contributions of all participants—students, parents/whanau and teachers—might be developed in the area of mathematics. Of particular interest are the everyday activities in which families are involved and how improved parent awareness of the mathematical opportunities presented in these activities might increase parent confidence to participate in mathematical discussions with their children at home and in their community setting. A review of the literature identifies; parents’ beliefs regarding their role in the learning, parents’ sense of personal efficacy in relation to their ability to effectively help their child, the relationship between teacher and parent, and parents’ life context, all as impacting the development of effective home-school partnerships. In addition, the historical positioning of parent’s is also recognised as playing a part in determining parents expectations for involvement and the way in which they relate to their children’s teachers and school leadership. This study draws on qualitative research methods and uses a Design Based Research approach. Sixteen parents along with their students ranging from year five to year eight from a New Zealand primary school participated in a series of six mathematics workshops aimed at exploring the research question: In what ways can parents’ confidence to engage in mathematics learning be better supported? A secondary question considered is, how might the increased awareness of opportunities connected to everyday experiences/activities support parent confidence to engage in mathematical discussions at home and in their community setting? Semi-structured interviews, were conducted both before and after the workshops to gain information as to what parents saw as being necessary supports to facilitate their engagement in mathematics learning, and what activities from the workshops had been effective in achieving these aims. A researcher reflective journal was also used to gather data and monitor the success of the workshops as they progressed. The study revealed that shared learning opportunities—involving both parents/whanau, students and teachers—can provide an effective means for: supporting parent understanding of current ii approaches to teaching and learning in mathematics, provide better understanding of the language associated with the Numeracy Development Project and facilitate positive relationships between teachers and parents. Furthermore, adopting activities which model mathematics in everyday activities, similar to those in which families are involved, can act as an effective scaffold for parents to engage more effectively in mathematical discussions with their children in their own home and everyday setting. In addition, opportunities to watch teachers interact with students was found to be a powerful mechanism for parents to develop more productive communication strategies through which they could better support their children’s learning.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Collaborative support for reading development : parent partnership in practice : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Education, Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2015) Jackson, Jayne Helen
    There is a wealth of existing research which reports on programmes aiming to improve the reading skills of children who are struggling to learn to read. This thesis builds on one specific research area where parents are central to the process of reading remediation and are engaged to promote learning and improve reading skills. In this research the Participatory Intervention Model was used to guide the development and implementation of a collaborative intervention in support of reading development. The researcher and parents jointly developed reading support strategies which linked child assessment data, existing home literacy practices and research led literacy instruction practices. Parents then implemented these strategies during iterative cycles of support and review. The findings focus on three aspects of the process. Factors which enhanced and inhibited the effectiveness of collaboration are explored. The particulars of parental enactment of strategies to coach children’s reading are revealed. Finally, the impact of parental reading support on the children’s reading skills is highlighted. Finally, the study presents a new way of conceptualising an intervention as a collaborative endeavour. It proposes a new term; home based pedagogy to describe the actions parents and the researcher took in supporting each child.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Using parent newsletters to enhance junior primary school mathematics : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Educational Studies (Mathematics) at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1998) Savell, Janice Robyn
    Parent Newsletters were investigated as a means of increasing home-school contact in the Junior Primary School mathematics classroom. An action research model using three cycles, was used to develop and trial the newsletter. The first newsletter was based on BSM activities and used by five teachers at a school sited in a military housing area. The second and third formats of the newsletters were written in consultation with one teacher to integrate with her topic based mathematics programme in a Palmerston North primary school. A questionnaire was used to gather background information and invite parents to be interviewed for further comments. Teachers and responding parents were interviewed in a semi-structured format. Participants commented on a range of other home-school contact issues. A follow-up interview was conducted with the parents from the Palmerston North school three months after the newsletters had ceased. Teachers and parents were positive about the benefits of the newsletters. Newsletters did increase parental awareness of the junior school mathematics programme. For one child with special needs an obvious improvement in classroom performance was directly attributable to the effect of the newsletters. Interviews revealed a number of inconsistencies between parents and teacher views of their roles and responsibilities. Problems of parent-school communication were highlighted. Teachers supported the newsletters, but felt that heavy workloads did not allow time for teacher production. The research tentatively confirms the value of mathematics newsletters as a means of helping children and as a means of keeping parents informed. additionally, the research gives rise to questions on the duality of information flow and equality of benefits accrued.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Structure and relationships of standard environmental, personality and ability factors in secondary school adolescents : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1972) Webster, Alan Charles
    Over 2,000 pupils of two state coeducational secondary schools and five single-sex private secondary schools in the same New Zealand town completed aptitude tests, and questionnaires on family background, attitudes, interests, affective states, adjustment, personality, beliefs and occupational preferences. Responses were subjected to descriptive analysis and were factor analyzed and regression analyses were carried out on dominant intellective and non-intellective variables. Higher socio-economic status was associated with more pre-school education, more private school education, less mother employment, less father absence, greater continuance at school, less delinquency, more parental pressure to succeed in school, more regular going out with parents, more positive family climate, more positive attitudes to teachers and higher primary school reading and arithmetic levels. Lower class was characterized by greater father absence, large families, less parental concern about school success, less family outings, deficient family climate, lower primary school reading and arithmetic levels, more negative views of how teachers regarded them, lower expectation of opportunity, and lower self-rating of happiness. Factor analyses produced six factors of the structural variables of home environment, five factors of parental child-rearing practices, eight factors of family relations, three intellective factors, ten non-intellective factors. Coefficients of multiple determination showed that home environment predictors of language aptitude and average attainment were father's education, smaller family, parental attitudes against smoking, parental expectation of household duties by adolescent, low parental anger-rejection, high father-permissiveness. Personality predictors of aptitude and attainment were general ability, adjustment to reality, scientific preference, sociability, less practical preference, more perceived favourability with teachers, and greater sensitivity. Joint effects of intellective, home environment and personality predictors were almost as great as the independent effects of intellective predictors. Joint effects of intellective, home environment, and personality predictors were half of the total multiple prediction of conformity problems and about equal to those of personality predictors. High ability pupils were found to be more influenced than others in aptitude by home environment factors. Males were more influenced than females by mother support and by extrinsic motives. Lower ability and lower socioeconomic level pupils were more influenced by intellective factors than by home environment. It was concluded that the home environment factors could be examined as a possible focus of experimental programmes aimed at enhancing adolescent adjustment and attainment.