Supports and barriers to achievement in secondary school chemistry : exploring the teaching and learning of year 12 chemistry in Samoa : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand

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dc.contributor.authorSuaalii, Faguele
dc.date.accessioned2014-09-09T02:35:29Z
dc.date.available2014-09-09T02:35:29Z
dc.date.issued2013
dc.description.abstractWithin the Samoan context, education is seen as critical to furthering the national goal of have sufficient qualified citizens who can create opportunities within an increasingly more technical and market-orientated economy. Science education is seen as playing an important role in this, yet despite significant government investment students’ achievement in science has continued to be a concern. This research focused on exploring the supports for and barriers to students’ achievements in Year 12 chemistry in Samoa. The study involved students and teachers from one chemistry classroom from each of three government co-educational secondary schools: two from urban areas and one from a rural area in Upolu, the main island of Samoa. Using participants’ interviews, classroom observations, and samples of students’ work, case study methodology was used to investigate participants’ perspectives of supports and barriers to learning and teaching senior chemistry in Samoa. Analysis of both common and distinctive ideas across the three case studies revealed the ways in which factors that relate to Samoan cultural values, the institution, and the classroom could act as barriers or supports to students’ chemistry achievement. This happened in complex ways. While some factors were considered by both teachers and students to be either a barrier or a support to chemistry learning, others were perceived differently by teachers and students, and depended on context. Implications for practice include: the use of fa’a-Samoa to support learning, the need for professional development around teachers’ beliefs and classroom practice, the need to take into account students’ perceptions of meaningful learning in chemistry, and the role of Samoan language in the learning and assessment in chemistry in Samoa.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10179/5663
dc.identifier.wikidataQ112904063
dc.identifier.wikidata-urihttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q112904063
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherMassey Universityen_US
dc.rightsThe Authoren_US
dc.subjectSecondary school chemistryen_US
dc.subjectChemistry teaching, Samoaen_US
dc.subjectScience education, Samoaen_US
dc.subjectStudent learning, Samoaen_US
dc.subjectYear 12 chemistryen_US
dc.subjectBarriers to learningen_US
dc.titleSupports and barriers to achievement in secondary school chemistry : exploring the teaching and learning of year 12 chemistry in Samoa : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealanden_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
massey.contributor.authorSuaalii, Fagueleen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineEducationen_US
thesis.degree.grantorMassey Universityen_US
thesis.degree.levelDoctoralen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)en_US
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