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Item Enhancing Rangatahi Wellbeing in Secondary Education Through Implementation of the Meke Meter™(Springer Nature on behalf of the New Zealand Association for Research in Education, 2025-06-02) Armstrong D; Jagroop-Dearing A; Forrest RHAdolescent wellbeing is crucial, yet secondary schools face challenges in effectively addressing it. The Meke Meter™, an indigenous self-reflection tool, shows promise in promoting wellbeing, but its application in secondary schools remains unexplored. This study investigates the suitability and efficacy of the Meke Meter™ in capturing the self-evaluated wellbeing of rangatahi (adolescents) in Aotearoa New Zealand secondary schools. A qualitative multiple case study design was employed, involving two case studies: one in a mainstream co-educational school using the paper-based Meke Meter™, and another in an alternative education program using the online version. Data collection involved questionnaires for students and teachers, analysed through inductive thematic analysis and appreciative inquiry. Both students and teachers found the Meke Meter™ appealing and valuable for self-reflection and goal-setting. The tool’s ease of use, visual design, and alignment with the curriculum were highlighted. It facilitated pastoral care, student voice, and co-construction of learning. However, challenges in data tracking and the need for clearer explanations and additional resources were identified. The Meke Meter™ shows promise in promoting rangatahi wellbeing in secondary schools. Future development should focus on a mobile app with goal-setting, gamification, and notification features. Comprehensive consultation with stakeholders is crucial to ensure cultural safety and effectiveness.Item Parental considerations in the allocation of places at secondary colleges at form three level : an ethnographic study of the placement of fifty one children from state and private schools and the thoughts of their families before placement : presented... for a Masters Degree at Massey University(Massey University, 1984) Scott, DavidThe purpose of this educational research was to discover the relative influences of a child's family and the controlling educational authority upon the college placement of pupils and the degree to which this was related to family status and previous schooling. During the year preceding their entry to college, I interviewed fifty-one families of children in two Form Two classes. One class was chosen from a State school and the other from an Independent Anglican school. The ethnographic nature of the research was firmly placed in the Interpretative paradigm of the New sociology of Education. The families were questioned about their motivations for choosing a particular school and this information was related to the structural provision of educational facilities. The stated preferences and reasons were noted and related to an underlying theory of social class and status. The system of zoning within the Education Board area was considered in relation to the experiences of families from a range of social strata and the degree of importance that was placed upon the selection of college and the ultimate choice was seen in a context of a socially reproductive society.Item Whaia te tika : Hato Paora College, the first fifty years : a thesis as part fulfilment of the requirements for the MA Degree, Massey University(Massey University, 1996) Lawton, Tata RThis thesis is about the context within which Hato Paora College has developed. The study explores the establishment of a Māori Church boarding school was established and its relevance to Maori developmental needs within an environment of religious patronage. The thesis attempts to link the evolution of Hato Paora with changing policies of Māori, the Church and the State. Examined within a two dimensional framework are the contributions made by each Rector in regards to governorship and administration, curriculum, religion, taha Māori, extra-curricular activities, cadets, old boy's association, community, amenities and, the farm. The Rector-centred approach enabled a systematic explanation of the College performance and the often contradictory expectations of staff, pupils and the wider Māori community. Literary research, interviews, and a questionnaire were used to gather the appropriate information. The thesis concludes that Hato Paora College has played a significant role in preparing Māori to assume positive roles in a changing society, but cautions that future contributions may require fundamental changes if the College is to remain relevant in the 21st century.Item Learning through language : implications in a mathematics class : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Educational Studies (Mathematics), Massey University(Massey University, 1997) Arnold, Phillipa MareeaMathematics is a subject that can be said to be have a language all of its own. The language of mathematics, the language of teaching and the language of the students all impact on the mathematics classroom. With the ever-increasing numbers of ESOL and NESB students in our classrooms there is a need for an awareness of the benefits when we use language activities particularly in the mathematics classroom. The New Zealand Mathematics Curriculum has mathematical processes as a central focus. Communicating mathematical ideas is a sub-strand of mathematical processes. With these two thoughts as background stimulus this research examines the effect that learning through language activities used in a mathematics classroom have on student understanding and communication. Learning through language is active learning strategies for the classroom and is based on the philosophy that all teachers need an understanding of language processes. They can then build language-based interactive strategies into the teaching of their subject. Learning through language aims to help teachers cater for the language and learning needs of their students especially those from Non-English speaking backgrounds. The research findings indicate that the use of learning through language activities in the mathematics classroom has a positive effect on the willingness of students' to communicate in mathematics. There is also an indication that the quality of this communication has improved. Student understanding has not been affected by the use of these strategies, but it was difficult to draw any major conclusions based on evidence collected.Item What factors influence self-efficacy in teachers using mobile digital technology within the secondary school classroom? : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand(Massey University, 2014) Tilton, Josephine AnneAs digital technologies develop and change so do the way these tools are integrated into classrooms. In particular as mobile digital technologies develop further, there is a need to investigate how teachers engage with these both personally and in the classroom. Research has consistently indicated that a key element regarding the use and integration of digital technologies in the classroom are teachers’ underlying beliefs and attitudes, including self-‐efficacy theory. In this study, changes in and factors influencing mobile digital technology self-‐ efficacy are examined using a mixed methods research design. The study focused on the perspective of teachers in their first year of implementing a one-‐to-‐one iPad mini device programme within the context of an international school in Germany. Over the course of the implementation, all teachers reported some increase in the use of the iPad mini in the classroom, regardless of their own personal self-‐efficacy concerning the device. Findings included self-‐efficacy influences such as enactive experiences, modeling and coaching, with enactive experience being a foremost contributor to the development of teacher mobile technology self-‐efficacy. A sense of classroom collective efficacy was also a key finding. This sense of collective efficacy demonstrates a shared confidence between teacher and students in the classroom context regarding the use of the iPad mini devices. Device affordances in student organisation, differentiation (by difficulty and interest), and the encouragement of student agency were also evident as additional findings in the data, and contributed to the teachers’ perceived value of the iPad mini device.Item Building bridges into the adolescents' world and their learning community : exploring issues of diversity, special education and the role of Resource Teachers of Learning and Behaviour in secondary schools : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education (Adult Education), Massey University(Massey University, 2006) Guild, Diane MaryThe increasing diversity of our student population, advances in technology, socio-economic changes and increasing awareness of human rights have resulted in the need for a change in the way secondary schools respond to diversity. This would necessitate a reframing of the current deficit paradigm of special education. This thesis investigates the validity of the notion that the concept of learning community could provide a means to bringing about this change. A small learning group of four Resource Teachers of Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) and two Ministry of Education: Special Education (GSE) fieldworkers was the vehicle for exploring this concept. One of the features of this learning group was the capacity the group had for providing a context for multi-dimensional learning. Analysis of the findings resulted in three strands of learning. The first strand of learning focused on the features and processes of effective groups. The impact of the power of the group and how participants experienced that power provided the basis for the second strand of learning. The third strand of learning resulted from themes arising out of the analysis of the group's discourses. These themes not only revealed the complexities of the work of RTLB in secondary schools but also informed and reinforced all three strands of learning. In addition to the influence that participating in the group had on the personal and professional life of each participant, the work of the group provided an insight into, and affirmed a number of, possibilities for the development of learning communities. The values, attitudes and beliefs inherent in a culture of learning community have the potential to set the stage for reframing the current deficit paradigm of special education. This change in paradigm and the findings in evidence-based research relating to what constitutes quality teaching more than imply - they necessitate - reforms that include changes to funding mechanisms, school and community cultures, school systems and teaching and learning methods. A powerful way to achieve this change is to develop whole-school learning communities where all students are valued and provided with opportunities to be contributing members. There is potential for RTLB to have a significant role in fostering, learning communities within schools. Recognition of, and advocating for, the role that RTLB could have in further development of both these aspects would contribute considerably to increasing the effectiveness of RTLB support - particularly in secondary schools. This could also assist, both directly and indirectly, with clarifying the role and expectations of the RTLB. This investigation demonstrated the potential for a small learning group to become a vehicle for growing a wider culture of learning community in education contexts. It also confirmed that a culture of genuine learning community, in which diversity is celebrated and effective teaching and learning strategies are practised, would build bridges into the adolescents' world and their learning community and enable all members to participate in an inclusive context.Item Building an enterprising generation : an evaluation of the young enterprise scheme : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Studies in Management at Massey University(Massey University, 2002) Lewis, KateEnterprise education aims to develop in individuals (particularly the young) a set of skills and/or attitudes that will allow them to be both job creators and job seekers. In the context of the heightened interest in the potential contribution of enterprise education to the 'knowledge economy', the promotion of self-employment as a legitimate work option in schools is evidenced by increasing participation levels in programmes like the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) (administered by the Enterprise New Zealand Trust). Currently there is little empirical evidence in New Zealand relating to the impact of enterprise education programmes like the YES, or the different ways students manifest the qualities of enterprise. This responsive evaluation of the YES was grounded in the axioms of the naturalistic paradigm. It was based on parallel cycles of data collection that involved observation, interviewing and the dissemination of a questionnaire. Respondents included both adult stakeholders and YES student participants. The evaluation established that the benefits of an experiential, enterprise education opportunity like the YES are wide ranging. They vary from issues of personal development to the accumulation of a portfolio of 'enterprising' skills. It appears that the YES also has some influence on the career intentions and employability of participants. This impact appears more influential on students who are exposed to enterprising role models through their own family or friends. In terms of programme delivery, stakeholders described teachers as the primary influence on how successfully the YES is facilitated. The evaluation identified a number of areas for future research including the role of mentors in the programme, aspects of regional diversity in terms of programme delivery, the need to track the future activities of YES participants, and compare the attitudes and behaviours of YES participants and non-participants. Within the evaluation a transferable framework is proposed for classifying enterprise education programmes in terms of key definitional criteria and proposed programme outcomes.Item Competing discourses : a genealogy of adolescent literary discourses in New Zealand secondary education, 1870-2008 : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Education at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2013) Kilpin, Kenneth GordonThe thesis is a Foucauldian genealogy of adolescent, or secondary school, literacy discourses within Aotearoa New Zealand. It links cycles of competitive tension between local discourses of adolescent literacy to larger conflicts between national and international socio-economic discourses. Using Foucault’s view of discourse as epistemic formations that reflect the material contingencies of their time and place, I analyse why certain historical conditions generated particular taken-for-granted truths, knowledge and beliefs about literacy education and schooling for adolescent New Zealanders between the years 1870 and 2008. I apply Foucault’s analytic tools of discipline and control, biopower and governmentality to explore the complex relationship within New Zealand between adolescent literacy and early discourses of colonial economic development and social control (1870-1935), mid-twentieth century Keynesian national economic reconstruction and socially progressive education reform (1930s-1970s), and recent neo-liberal market and globalisation reforms of education (1980s-2008). In particular I examine the effect of international neo-liberal economic rationalist discourses advocated by the Organisation for Economic and Cultural Development (OECD) since the late 1960s, on contemporary conceptualisations of adolescent literacy and secondary schooling. I explain how the OECD’s international Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests reflect the OECD’s deeper discursive advocacy of managerial rationalist principles to frame an international policy consensus for national education policy making and reforms. Since 2000, PISA has emerged as a powerful global instrument of neo-liberal education policy standardisation that aims to comparatively measure the effectiveness of national secondary schooling systems and their teachers to generate literate adolescents as privatised human capital necessary to service the demands of the neo-liberal global economy. I conclude that New Zealand adolescent literacy education discourses have been continuously shaped by a priori positivist principles of post-Enlightenment scientific rationalism. These have variously emerged within subsequent discourses of classical, social and neo-liberal forms of economic rationalisation, policies of curriculum or syllabus reform, and historical conceptions of teacher identity. Notwithstanding their particular socio-cultural aspirations or intentions, all reflect the hegemonic dominance of the laws of market capitalism, and the need for schooling systems to satisfy its demands for trained, literate and credentialed human capital.Item Key College, a school for homeless youth : a follow-up of ex-students : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MEdPsych in Educational Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand(Massey University, 2013) Martin, Abby V FHomelessness has a detrimental impact on health, social, and economical outcomes. Although homelessness affects all groups, young people have the highest rates and are the age group most at risk of experiencing homelessness. Interventions which seek to address youth homelessness are varied and many have not undergone rigorous evaluation. One approach to intervention is to improve homeless youths’ ability to engage with society and through employment. Employment improves economic resources which in turn supports housing stability. However homeless youth may lack the skills to obtain and maintain employment and therefore education and training is an important step towards this goal. This study sought to follow up ex-students of an alternative education programme for homeless youth located in Sydney Australia. Thirty one participants consented to their involvement and were administered an online survey. The survey examined ex-students’ current situations in terms of employment/education, housing, finances, life satisfaction, and their perspectives of their time at Key College. The results show 38% of those surveyed are still homeless, 64% are unemployed, 55% are living below the poverty line, 73% are satisfied with their lives overall, and almost all participants expressed positive perspectives of Key College. The results were compared to data sets of comparable populations. It was concluded that although the ex-students remain disadvantaged, they have made considerable progress towards stabilising their lives.Item Back to school : an observational study of adult students at secondary school(Massey University, 1988) Cocklin, BarryThe objectives of this study were two-fold: to establish a profile of the adult student returning to secondary school on the basis of a selected sample [N=36], and to derive from an indepth and systematic view of the everyday experiences of this sample an account of the processes involved in becoming an adult student. In meeting these objectives, a further priority for the study was: to elaborate upon the application of field research techniques within an educational setting. This involved the provision of an ongoing autobiographical component to the report, detailing the 'processes, pitfalls, dilemmas, and discoveries' encountered during the development and implementation of methodological and analytic strategies. Throughout the 1984 school year, data was collected from the sample of adult students, school Principal, Dean of Adult Students and classroom teachers, using a selection of field research techniques (e.g., participant observation, interviews, questionnaires, diary accounts, and documentary materials). The data was gathered within a broadly categorised symbolic interactionist perspective and subjected to a 'grounded theory' form of analysis. This 'emergent' form of analysis, combined with the data gathering strategies, provided a basis for the elaboration of the social and cultural landscape necessary in this initial attempt at documenting the processes of becoming an adult student. The outcome of using these two approaches in tandem was the identification of six 'factors of influence' as organizational headings to subsume the day-to-day experiences of becoming an adult student: Returning to School; School Policy, Adult Status and the Role of the Dean; In the School; In the Classroom; Decision Points; and, Goal Achievements. Furthermore, two overriding themes indicated the processes through which the adult student was, at one and the same time, both 'integrated' into the overall school culture and 'differentiated' as a member of the separate adult student subculture. The notion of these processes of becoming was subjected to a theoretical elaboration incorporating the establishment of a conceptual model and explanatory constructs. From this cumulative form of theory development, linkages were indicated suggesting a group of 'common processes' existing across a variety of different comparative contexts. In addition to the recommendation that the further development of theories of such processes need to explore such linkages, the final sections of this report discuss a number of implications and uses which might be derived. For instance, it is suggested that this preliminary, yet extensive, investigation provides both descriptive data and theoretical categories which may be of use to: teachers, adult students, policy-makers and researchers interested in the study of adult students in secondary schools, developments within the areas of methodological and analytical strategies, and in elaborating the processes of becoming. Finally, an overall implication arising from the report is that the complex, dynamic and individualistic nature of the processes involved in becoming an adult student lends little support to deterministic models and theories, or to superficial accounts derived from 'one-shot methodologies and perspectives of such processes and experiences.