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    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.
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    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.
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    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 bin
    The 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.
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    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.
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    Parent-teacher relationships at a secondary school : parent and teacher perceptions of their own and each other's role in the functioning of the school : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education, Department of Education, Massey University
    (Massey University, 1991) Naidoo, Nadas Narismaloo
    This study compare the perceptions of parents and teachers on parent-teacher relationships at a secondary school. A random sample of 320 parents were drawn on the basis of their ethnic classification. All the teachers at the school participated in the study. The findings were analysed by comparing: (1) The total parent responses with the teacher responses. (2) Within the parent group according to ethnicity and (3) within the parent group according to socio-economic status. The results indicate that there was a general agreement between and within the groups but also some important differences concerning how they perceive their own and each others' role within the school. One of the most significant findings was that the teachers' willingness to participate in the specified school activities was lower than their actual involvement. The opposite result was obtained for the parents. The reason for this could be traced to the parents' and teachers' attitudes. A survey and analysis of their attitudes are also included. It was generally concluded that although the school structures are efficient there needs to be an evaluation of their effectiveness in realising the objectives they were designed to achieve.
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    Making decisions : a critical analysis of factors affecting decision making processes for parents and caregivers of students with special needs : a thesis submitted as partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education (Special Education), Massey University
    (Massey University, 1998) McLachlan, Karen J
    This thesis examines the experiences and perspectives of parents and caregivers and professionals in the education of students with special needs. Special education is reviewed and the move towards parent-professional partnerships is examined In the past, there has been little critical evaluation of the role of parents in educational decision-making This study recognises the difficulties encountered by parents, caregivers and professionals in creating efficient partnerships. Without documenting the experiences of the people significantly concerned in the education of children with special needs, many erroneous assumptions may be made. The study involves using semi-structured interview questions to record the narratives of 21 parents and caregivers of children with special needs and 7 professionals. In-depth individual interviews were conducted with each person The findings suggested that whilst professionals considered their open approach enabled parents and caregivers to be fully informed, comments made by parents contradicted this view. Many parents expressed feelings of isolation and neglect as they remained ignorant of educational decisions and starved of information. Comments by participants are used to illustrate significant themes which emerged from the interviews. A participant questionnaire summarises relevant issues derived from the interview questions and provides the data presented in computer generated charts. In most cases, the responses indicated agreement with the statements. An analysis of the data shows many parents and caregivers have not been included in significant aspects of their child's education. Although there are compelling reasons for their non-participation, if recent educational policy aims to include students and their families in educational decision-making, there is much work to be done by educators to foster effective parent/professional partnerships.
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    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.