STUDENT & EMERGING RESEARCHER CAUCUS VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

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Presentation Information

9am to 10am, Room A, Teacher development

 

Presenter: Fatimah Alsaleh

Emerging researcher

Presentation based on doctoral thesis supervised by Professor Glenda Anthony and Dr. Jodie Hunter.

Massey University, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa - Palmerston North 

The Impact of Practicum Experience on Female Mathematics Pre-service Teachers’ Sense of Preparedness

The practicum is a key component of initial teacher education. Besides providing a realistic context for pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) learning, it also influences the development of PSTs’ sense of preparedness. Drawing on a larger study, this paper explores the practicum’s influence for a sample of female Saudi mathematics PSTs sense of preparedness. Data from questionnaire and interviews suggested that PSTs perceived the practicum to have strongly influenced their feelings of preparedness and efficacy. However, while acknowledging the potential for positive influence, many PSTs described how challenges related to the school environment and culture lowered their sense of preparedness. The gap between theoretical knowledge and practice, especially regarding classroom and behaviour management, made PSTs feel less prepared. PSTs indicated that more time in the practicum and improved support from mentors would help increase feelings of efficacy. This study concludes that better communication between ITE providers and schools is needed to help Saudi PSTs benefit fully from their practicum.

 

Presenter: Jo McMillan-Chabot

Doctoral student, supervised by Professor Linda Mitchell and Dr. Katrina McChesney

University of Waikato, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato  

Collective Teacher Efficacy in the United Arab Emirates in Uncertain Times

Teachers do not work in isolation and they are often more effective when they collaborate to change the educational outcomes for children. Collective Teacher Efficacy (CTE) influences how educators think, feel, behave and motivate themselves, therefore it is a major contributor to a school’s culture (Bandura, 1993). American public schools have been the focus of CTE research to date, this provides an opportunity to gain a broader understanding of what are the elements that enhance or inhibit CTE within a school in a more global context.

In contrast, the present research is being conducted with teachers in the United Arab Emirates, a wealthy country in the Middle East that attracts millions of overseas workers. This research explores the elements that impact on CTE in international schools in the UAE. Data collection combines traditional focus groups, interviews and surveys with the more unconventional collage elicitation technique (Gavel,2000, Zaltman & Coulter,1995). Early data collection and analysis have highlighted some thought-provoking elements that have impacted on CTE, including; COVID-19 and the associated remote learning, school closures and staff reductions, the role of religion and collectivist cultural orientations, and the differences between expatriate Arab and Western teachers. This study will provide new insights into the factors that impact on CTE in a non-Western setting with teachers from a wider range of cultural backgrounds than previously explored.

 

Presenter: Niusila Faamanatu – Eteuati

Emerging researcher at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington.

Presentation based on doctoral thesis supervised by Dr Lex McDonald and Dr Margaret Gleeson,  Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington.

Faamanatu mai le Matāmatagi. A central voice echoed in the winds of changes

Teaching students with challenging behaviour is the predominant encounter faced by educators in the 21st century. This research presentation is about Samoan teachers’ experiences of classroom behaviour management, a qualitative study which examined the discourses of challenging behaviour, the strategies teachers use in the classroom, the language and exploring culturally inclusive pedagogies in relation to Samoan concepts of tupu’aga (heritage) and faasinomaga (identity). Using the guiding principles of ‘va fealoa’i’ (respectful relationship) and the methodology of umufonotalatalaga (deep dialogue in the Samoan way), data was collected from teachers with more than five years of teaching in colleges and secondary schools in Samoa. The research unravelled stories from Samoan teachers of how their cultural knowledge facilitated strategies to engage students and elicit their cooperation in class. The findings were conceptualised into a matāmatagi model that illustrates the central and culturally restorative roles of teachers, showing how their unique identities, specific qualities, and experiences contribute to Samoan education and students’ well-being. ‘O le faamanatu mai le matāmatagi, e logo i tino matagi lelei - the body can sense a favourable wind. E tautala aso!

 

9am to 10am, Room B, Tertiary 1

 

Presenter: Lan Nguyen

Doctoral student supervised by Dr. Gillian Ward and Dr. Christine Biebricher.

University of Auckland, Te Whare Wānanga o Tāmaki Makaurau 

Enhancing Students’ Intercultural Communicative Competence: Vietnamese University English Teachers’ Practices

Globalization brings both opportunities and challenges to people from diverse cultural backgrounds to be involved in intercultural interactions. In this context, the development of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) is crucial to all global students, especially to those from the countries where English is used as a lingua franca. This paper presents findings from one phase of a qualitative case study research which explored Vietnamese university English teachers’ (VUET)’s beliefs and practices about ICC. The paper reports six VUET’s practices of English language teaching to investigate if and in what ways they enhanced their students’ ICC in their lessons. Data were collected from interviews, classroom observations, and documents and then analyzed thematically. Findings show that these six teachers just acknowledged their role as transmitters of cultural knowledge and paid little attention to enhancing their students’ cultural attitudes, skills, or awareness. When transmitting cultural knowledge, they primarily relied on cultural content in the prescribed textbooks and their personal knowledge to integrate ICC knowledge incidentally in their lessons. The underlying factors for VUET’s teaching practices were also uncovered. Several pedagogical implications and suggestions for the betterment of enhancing students’ ICC are also discussed in this paper.

 

Presenter: Ha Tran

Doctoral student supervised by Dr Noeline Wright, Dr Chelsea Blickem and Associate Professor Chris Eames

University of Waikato, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato  

Implementing blended language learning in a Vietnamese university: Students’ perspectives

The adoption of blended learning (BL) in higher education has increased significantly over the last decade in many developing countries, including Vietnam. Previous research has shown that the adoption of BL in higher education can be affected by numerous factors relating to institutions, teachers and students. Thus, my study aims to add to this research, by exploring factors that affect the teaching and learning of English in a BL approach in a Vietnamese university. Qualitative data were collected from semi-structured interviews with 7 students at the university. The collected data were then analysed and interpreted using Engeström’s (1987) Activity Theory as a framework. Key findings indicated that students’ learning in their English blended courses were mediated by the Learning Management System (LMS) structure, the institutional regulations and their roles. The constraints of the LMS such as a lack of communicational tools within the LMS and its behaviouristic features hindered students’ BL experience. Several online learning challenges inhibited students’ BL experience including students’ limited self-regulated learning skills, teachers’ inadequate online facilitation; online assessment issues; and technical problems. This study has several implications and recommendations for Vietnamese higher education institutions who wish to implement BL. These include raising institutional awareness of developing BL programmes to fit intended educational outcomes, considering students’ knowledge and skills needed for blended courses, and providing ongoing professional development and support for both designing and teaching staff. Moreover, addressing technical issues and improving the LMS will make BL experiences more rewarding.

 

Presenter: Lan Anh Thi Nguyen

Doctoral student supervised by Associate Professor Claire Sinnema and Associate Professor Mei Kuin Lai.

University of Auckland, Te Whare Wānanga o Tāmaki Makaurau 

Quality assurance officers’ approaches to student evaluation of teaching in higher education: A case study in Vietnam

Internationalisation of higher education has resulted in competitiveness and greater attention to global ranking, accreditation, audit and other quality assurance (QA) activities. Despite intended purposes of transforming higher education quality, QA activities have been found to yield mixed consequences on teaching and learning. My study seeks to investigate how QA officers utilise student evaluation of teaching (SET) for the improvement of teaching and learning in higher education. This paper draws out findings from a qualitative case study that involved SET document analysis and individual interviews with four QA directors from four higher education institutions in Vietnam. It adopts the framework of Problem-Based Methodology (Robinson, 1993)  with in-depth analysis of QA officers’ theories of action (Argyris & Schon, 1974) . Findings indicate that QA officers mostly complied to SET policy requirements and failed to accommodate SET to support teachers’ instructional improvement. These approaches to SET were caused by QA officers’ limited perception of roles, lack of authority and inadequate professional capacity in SET implementation. While teachers’ SET rating scores remained high, all QA officers were uncertain about the impact of SET on teaching and learning improvement. The study calls for a shift from accountability to improvement priority so that an authentic culture of QA can be sustained. 

 

10:30am to 11:30am, Room A, Leadership and policy

 

Presenter: Waseema Fikuree

Doctoral student supervised by Dr. Frauke Meyera, Associate Professor Deidre Le Fevrea and Dr. Mohamed Alansarib.

a: University of Auckland, Te Whare Wānanga o Tāmaki Makaurau 

b: NZCER, Rangahau Mātauranga o Aotearoa 

Do principal characteristics play a role in improving student achievement: Evidence from the Maldives

The decisions school leaders make depend on their context, ability, and experience. Studies suggest that principals’ characteristics such as their gender, qualifications, and experience might play a vital role in the decision they make to improve school effectiveness. However, little is known about what type of experience is important. The purpose of this study is to explore the relation between principal characteristics and student achievement. Further, this study measures three different types of principal experience: years of principalship, duration in principalship at current school, and duration at current school (contextual experience). This study employed a quantitative research design using surveys to collect data on principal characteristics from all public secondary schools in the Maldives. In addition, grades from secondary school exit examinations in Mathematics and English as a Second Language (ESL) were collected. T- tests and ANOVA tests were used to test the mean difference of student achievement with regards to principal characteristics. Hierarchical regressions were used to examine the predictive ability of principal characteristics on student achievement. The findings showed significant positive relations between principals’ gender and years of experience in the current school and student achievement. Schools with female principals and principals who had served in their own school for longer had higher student achievement in ESL. Interestingly, principals’ overall experience did not predict student achievement. This study highlights the importance of principals’ contextual experience in improving student achievement. The findings have implications for principal tenure in school, especially at the policy level, where provisions of incentives can be one way to ensure principals’ services are focussed on one school for a prolonged period, rather than being dispersed through various schools within the system.

 

Presenter: Suskya Goodall

Doctoral student supervised by Associate Professor Joanna Higgins, Dr. Cherie Chu-Fuluifaga and Dr. Michael Johnston

Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington 

Transforming the wellbeing focus in education: A document analysis of policy in Aotearoa New Zealand

Understanding the nature of wellbeing as multidimensional and complex provides a policy window to generate a strengths-based policy orientation to promote wellbeing in education settings. The purpose of this exploratory study was to map how wellbeing is interpreted across public education policy documents in Aotearoa New Zealand. To theorise the narrative that this group of documents weave, I draw on the notion of hauora within Sir Mason Durie’s Te Whare Tapa Whā, a systems approach of Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems and the strengths-based organisational philosophy of Appreciative Inquiry. Policy documents were analysed using text mining software to track notions of wellbeing; their occurrence and co-occurrence with related concepts. Key findings include the predominance of student wellbeing over the wellbeing of other educational stakeholders and associations between concepts of wellbeing, relationships and practices. The document analysis highlighted the potential for education policy to interpret wellbeing as relational and practical, while taking an inclusive systems approach valuing the wellbeing of all stakeholders. I argue that interpreting such documents through a wellbeing lens demonstrates the complexity and disparity in how wellbeing is currently conceptualised and contextualised. I assert that it is critical to explore possibilities for deliberate and ecological wellbeing connections within educational policy and practice for the good of all stakeholders. 

 

Presenter: Julie Hest

Doctoral student supervised by Emeritus Professor Roger Moltzen, Dr. Nadine Ballam and Dr. Simon Taylor

University of Waikato, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato  

The pedagogical architecture of Modern Learning Environments (MLE) and “being with others”.

The New Zealand Ministry of Education’s 2011 directive that all state-owned and integrated schools were to adopt the Modern Learning Environment Building Standard has led to an increase in the physical size of learning environments at many secondary schools.  

The increase in physical size has led to an increase in the number of teachers, students and subjects timetabled into learning environments simultaneously.  In turn, this has led to increased interactions with “others” - classmates, colleagues, and ideas - that students and teachers may not necessarily have interacted with in pre-MLE learning environments.  

These are preliminary findings from my doctoral research which is in progress and focuses on data gathered from case studies of four New Zealand secondary schools that have MLE(s).  Three data sources at each school were collected: an interview with the principal, individual interviews with teachers assigned to MLEs, and a focus group discussion with some learners of each MLE.  

This presentation will report on ways “being with others” can be seen to intentionally and unintentionally affect teaching and learning in MLE.  Participants suggested “being with others” can have a positive effect on educational experience in general and aid in developing the Key Competencies of the New Zealand curriculum specifically.  Considering “being with others” as a feature of the pedagogical architecture of MLE from the varying perspectives of principals, teachers and students may offer insight into how purposefully engaging with “being with others” can potentially enhance teaching and learning for both teachers and students in MLE. 

 

Presenter: Nicola Leete

Doctoral student supervised by Dr David Small and Associate Professor Natalie Baird

University of Canterbury, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha 

Student discipline: law, policy & practice in New Zealand secondary schools.

All New Zealand children have a legal right to an education. However, for some children this right is denied when they are stood-down, suspended, excluded or expelled from school. Alarmingly, a disproportionate number of the students facing these formal discipline measures are male, Māori, from decile one and two schools and/or students with learning and behavioural difficulties. Notwithstanding these trends, data from the Ministry of Education shows substantial variation across schools in the rates of formal discipline measures. Additionally, there is evidence of increasing numbers of children being unlawfully removed from school on disciplinary grounds. This is concerning given that New Zealand’s legal and policy framework guarantees equal educational opportunities for all children and specifies that children should only be removed from school pursuant to the provisions in the Education and Training Act 2020. The purpose therefore of this interdisciplinary mixed methods study is to examine the extent to which school discipline policies and practices in New Zealand secondary schools are consistent with the law. During the first phase a survey was developed to explore principals’ familiarity with the relevant law. The survey data was used to inform the selection of participants for phase two of the study which involved semi-structured interviews. A key feature of these interviews was vignettes involving student discipline scenarios which were used to provide an insight into how principals apply the law.  The focus of this presentation will be on sharing some of the results from phase one of the study. These results are likely to be of interest to principals, children’s rights organisations and lawyers practising in the education sector.

 

10:30 to 11:30am, Room B, Learner agency and inclusion

 

Presenter: Hui Lin

Graduated PhD student / emerging researcher

Presentation based on doctoral thesis supervised by Associate Professor Mary Hill and Associate Professor Lexie Grudnoff, University of Auckland, Te Whare Wānanga o Tāmaki Makaurau 

The influence of the role of Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) on New Zealand SENCos’ identities

The lack of training, qualifications and formal recognition of the role of Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) seems at odds with the vital part SENCos play in New Zealand’s inclusive education system. Such omissions could present challenges to SENCo identity formation. Hence, the study presented aimed to investigate how the SENCo role influences New Zealand SENCos’ identities. Adopting a qualitative interpretive case study approach, data were gathered from five primary school SENCos in Auckland, New Zealand, through semi-structured interviews, work shadowing and school documents. Utilising Gee’s approach to discourse analysis, the study found that the SENCo role led to a strong sense of agency, significant amounts of emotional labour, and perceptions of insufficient role recognition. Gee’s notions of institution-identity, discourse-identity and affinity-identity were powerful in interpreting the findings. The study offers insights into policies and practice regarding recruiting, supporting and retaining SENCos. The findings may also inform the implementation of Learning Support Coordinators given the substantial overlap of responsibilities of that newly established role with the SENCo role.

 

Presenter: Anna Perry

Doctoral student supervised by Dr Kerry Earl Rinehart and Dr Sashi Sharma.

University of Waikato, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato  

The Role of Special Education Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) in New Zealand Secondary Schools

Since the year 2000, Special Education Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) have been an integral part of the special education resourcing provisions in New Zealand secondary schools.  However, little is yet known about the people in the SENCO position working in the secondary schools, or the roles they perform in practice.  Until now, a SENCO’s position has been characterized by flexibility, with each school having complete autonomy over the roles and duties that SENCOs perform.  This autonomy in the role aligns with New Zealand’s self-managing school policy.  

In response to increasing special educational needs in New Zealand’s classrooms and the special education sector showing strain, the Ministry of Education has recently rolled out a Learning Support Delivery Model.  The Model encompasses the new regulated role of Learning Support Coordinator.  How these two roles may function alongside each other is yet to be understood in practice.  Now is a crucial time to understand the role of SENCO and the experiences of the individuals filling these roles. 

In this presentation, I will examine the gaps in the existing literature to demonstrate the importance of studying the SENCO role in a New Zealand context, where this role is now facing considerable changes.  I suggest that, despite the perceived importance of the SENCO role, little is known about the SENCO position in a New Zealand context.  This presentation will also briefly explore the emerging results of my survey and semi-structured interviews at the mid-point of my study. 

Presenter: Silky Sharma

Doctoral student supervised by Professor Linda Mitchell and Dr Janette Kelly Ware

University of Waikato, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato  

Understanding how ableism affects the inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood education

Despite the implementation of significant legislation and policy initiatives related to human rights and inclusive practices (Education  Act,  1989;  Human  Rights  Act,  1993; New Zealand Government, 2010; Office for Disability Issues, 2016; United Nations, 2006) children with disabilities can still experience discrimination and exclusion in multiple areas of their lives, including in early childhood education (ECE). Recent studies have connected this discrimination to the idea of ableism. Drawing from the perspectives of symbolic interactionism, critical disability studies and studies of ableism, this research aims to examine normalising and ableist discourse in education policies and practices of teachers and other people involved in the ECE setting. There are two sets of data involved in this study - two policy documents [Te Whāriki, (MoE, 2017); Success for All, (MoE, 2014)] and the case study of an ECE setting. The data has been analysed using Fairclough’s (1995; 2003) approach of critical discourse analysis. 

This presentation offers a definition of ableism and initial findings from the current doctoral study are then discussed. Finally, the author briefly discusses how wider understandings of ableism within ECE might help transcend the policy–practice divide in ways that are productive in respect of the inclusion of all disabled children in ECE settings. 

 

12 to 1pm, Room A, Indigenous and multicultural education 

 

Presenter: Brian Ristow

Doctoral student supervised by Dr. Hiria McRae and Dr. Fuapepe Rimoni.

Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington

Bicultural Education in a Multiethnic Aotearoa New Zealand: Sustaining te ao Māori

Since the 1980s, the provision of a bicultural education, one which acknowledges the central place of te ao Māori (the Māori world) alongside of the western world, has underpinned education in Aotearoa New Zealand (Lourie, 2016). Parallel to this bicultural orientation there has been an explosion of ethnic diversity across the country, the volume of which is significantly reshaping education. As schools are responding to this increased diversity, it is unknown how the commitment to a bicultural education is being impacted.    This research aims to better understand the perceptions and dispositions of ethnically diverse students towards te ao Māori, exploring how school experiences have shaped those dispositions.  Preliminary findings will be shared from a qualitative case study examining the ways in which three secondary schools are sustaining the teaching and learning of te ao Māori within their increasingly ethnically diverse settings.  Shaped by theories of critical multicultural education (May & Sleeter, 2010) and kaupapa Māori (Stewart, 2017), this study offers crucial insight into the current state, and future prospective, of a bicultural education within a dynamic, multiethnic Aotearoa New Zealand.

 

Presenter: A. M. Leal Rodriguez

Doctoral student supervised by Dr. David Mayeda and Dr. Kirsten Locke.

University of Auckland, Te Whare Wānanga o Tāmaki Makaurau

Taught Domination: A History of Philippines’ Colonial Constructions of Universities and Patriarchal Domination

The Philippines sees multiple gender issues in universities, despite government-mandated gender mainstreaming policies for education (CMO-1). The colonial history of universities in the Philippines plays a stark role in how gender relations are maintained and challenged within these universities, and larger society. However, colonial issues are overlooked when discussing gender issues in education. 

This paper outlines the history of Philippine universities as institutions formed by colonial interests. The paper aims to highlight how each colonial power shaped and continues to shape gender relations, specifically patriarchal domination, and how these are imbedded in university structures. This paper discusses the interplay of religion and higher education during the Philippines’ Spanish colonial period, and details the effect of massed education during the American colonial period on gender relations. The paper surveys historical literature during these two colonial periods as framed by Connell’s (2005) three-fold model on gender’s structure that distinguishes relations of power, production and cathexis (emotional attachment), framed by notions of hegemonic masculinity (Connell and Messerschmidt, 2005). The paper answers the call to analyse gender’s negotiation in relation to globalisation, colonial and post-colonial theory. 

The paper found the stronghold of religion on education during the Spanish colonial era created a moral policing of sexuality that holds true today. The gendering of courses during the American Colonial period feminised certain disciplines and occupations while their harmful manhood practices continue through Philippine fraternities and other university systems. Lastly, private education perpetuates and maintains power among the elite, which influences masculine domination.

 

Presenter: Noah Romero

Doctoral student supervised by Professor Louisa Allen and Associate Professor Te Kawehau Hoskins

University of Auckland, Te Whare Wānanga o Tāmaki Makaurau

Gender Panics, White Nationalism, and the Philippine Diaspora

This paper theorizes how members of the Philippine diaspora can be radicalized into White nationalist and right-wing populist movements. The phenomenon is aided by the parallels between White nationalist discourse and Hispano-Catholic doctrine, especially in the ways by which homophobia, transphobia, and misogyny are prevalent in both. By applying critical hermeneutics to internet content posted on public forums dedicated to diasporic Philippine communities, this study demonstrates how White nationalist messaging resonates with the colonial mentalities imposed upon Filipinos through five centuries of exogenous rule. The ongoing effects of colonial imposition suggest that migration and demographic change will not by themselves stem the tide of White nationalism. As such, this paper calls for the intentional and ongoing decolonisation of Philippine psychology via a recentering of relational epistemologies native to the Philippines. This presentation applies these recommendations to an analysis of ongoing reconciliation initiatives in Aotearoa to demonstrate how decolonisation must continue to be a community-responsive and embodied process.

 

Presenter: Joseph Houghton

Doctoral student supervised by Dr. Richard Manning and Professor Steven Ratuva

University of Canterbury, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha 

Empowering Pasifika Voice in Education

Pasifika voices are often drowned out in schools, as there are competing communities, issues and value systems. Pasifika student voice and Pasifika family voice are crucial for schools if they are going to maximise engagement and achievement, creating sustainable pathways of success. Initial steps for this research involved a talanoa process to refine the research topic and to seek a valid and valued way forward. A number of overarching themes emerged from this process, including understanding Pasifika values, partnerships and relationships within school and community, and the environment in which Pasifika students learn and grow. 

This study will be a qualitative Participatory Action Research with interviews and focus groups as the main form of data collection. The data collection will also engage with two Pasifika research frameworks, namely the Tivaevae Model (Maua-Hodges, 2003) and the Talanoa method (Vaioleti, 2006). The Tivaevae Model will form the basis of the overarching methodology, while the Talanoa method will influence the data collection processes. The participants will consist of four main groups:

  • Students who are a range of ages and Pasifika ethnicities at a Christchurch Secondary School 
  • Members of the Secondary School Pasifika community, including parents and school alumni
  • Teachers within the Secondary School

The aim of the project will be to gather qualitative data to inform on the perspectives, narratives and journeys of Pasifika students, parents and community members, alongside teachers and other members of the school and wider community. 

The purpose of this presentation will be to give an overview of the research so far, specifically the talanoa process that informed the research topic, as well as some initial observations from the first part of the data collection, conducted in the second part of 2020.

 

12 to 1pm, Room B, Tertiary 2

 

Presenter: Trang Nguyen

Doctoral student supervised by Associate Professor Susan Carter and Associate Professor Barbara Kensington Miller

University of Auckland, Te Whare Wānanga o Tāmaki Makaurau

Doctoral students’ use of social media to support research and thesis writing

This study considers how doctoral students use digital resources to learn about the PhD process (e.g. research, supervision relationship, academic writing and PhD life). It investigates the affordances of social media for the doctorate as a complement to traditional support mechanisms.

Research questions address the following:

  • How do doctoral students engage with social media?
  • What are the possibilities and challenges of embracing social media in the doctoral education space?
  • What strategies do doctoral students employ to mitigate disadvantages pertaining to social media use?

The research presents results of a PhD study conducted at a New Zealand university. Thematic analysis of 152 survey responses and 27 interviews with doctoral students focuses on evidence of support that social media offer to the doctoral research. Analysis also raises questions about how social media may undermine the experience of learning. 

Theories of Connectivism (Downes, 2012), Community of Practice (Wenger, 1999) and Third Space (Bhabha, 1994) provide the theoretical foundation for understanding doctoral learning through social media. The study finds out that doctoral candidates cultivate social media resources to overcome academic challenges and make progresses in their research processes. Integrating social media in the fabric of graduate studies also affords candidates the contour of a third space to grapple with social isolation and imposter syndrome. However, doctoral students appropriate their use of social media in order to mitigate the distraction that these digital technologies may create. Given that increased use of digital technologies has been acknowledged in doctoral education, the study is expected to provide a source of guidance for current and future doctoral researchers as well as inform library workshops and supervision practices. Authors of online sites targeting at doctoral study may also benefit from the research findings for wider dissemination. 

 

Presenter: Mohammed Al Mallak

Emerging researcher at Alasala University

Presentation based on doctoral thesis supervised by Professor Fawzi Laswad and Associate Professor Lin Mei Tan, Massey University, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa 

Factors Hindering The Development of Generic Skills in Accounting Education

This study examines the perceptions of Saudi accounting graduates and educators regarding the factors hindering the development of generic skills in accounting education at university (i.e. constraining factors). The lack of generic skills among accounting graduates is an issue of ongoing concern as the gaps between the needs of employers and the skills of graduates hinders the economic development in Saudi Arabia. This concern over the development of generic skills in accounting education in Saudi Arabia provided the motivation for this study.

Using Bui and Porter’s (2010) theoretical framework, the study assessed constraints gap of accounting graduates and educators that explained the factors hindering the development of generic skills. The data was collected via a questionnaire (33 Educators; 109 graduates) and an interview (8 educators; 11 graduates). The study examined a list of constraints drawn from prior literature, principally the work of Bui and Porter (2010) and Hassall et al. (2005).

The study revealed a number of constraints hindering the development of generic skills at university, with the most important being the student-related constraint of student ability; students’ own motivation and deficiencies in pre-university education, and the institutional constraint of the curriculum being overly theoretical; large class sizes, and insufficient time.

The constraints revealed by the results are in line with those found in earlier research, and suggest a direction for curriculum change and educational reform that may be of value to education providers in Saudi Arabia.

 

Presenter: Yun Zhou

Doctoral student supervised by Associate Professor Maurice M. W. Cheng and Professor Bronwen Cowie.

University of Waikato, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato  

Medical students’ learning of creating infographics for Evidence-based Storytelling

Abstract: Infographics are increasingly used to support science communication. They can be media for communicating abstract and invisible scientific principles, objects and process in an accessible way. Creating infographics is a way for medical students to practise communicating with patients and laypeople. This study investigates how medical undergraduates learn to create infographics to convey trustworthy information while ensuring accessibility, which corresponds to Evidence-based Storytelling (EBS). A case study will involve nine medical undergraduates in China who participate in an online programme conducted by me on designing infographics for EBS. Student learning process and learning outcomes will be explored through video-recordings of participants’ interactions and student-generated infographics. To explore students’ learning process, firstly, I will identify the criteria they use to analyse some given infographics through their talk over time. Secondly, I will investigate students’ employment of resources such as lived experiences and common knowledge during their learning. To understand the relationship between students’ learning process and outcomes, firstly, I will analyse the types of talk that the students engage in when they co-design infographics, which reflect the quality of their collective thinking (Mercer, 1996). Secondly, student-generated infographics will be assessed based on the level to which their communication was evidence-based and strategies used in creating storytelling. Findings of this study would inform future medical education with respect to preparing students for trustworthy and accessible communication with patients and laypeople. This study is currently in the phase of preparation for the online programme and data collection. In this presentation, I will talk about how infographics can be evidence-based and how infographics tell stories.

 

1:30 to 2:30pm, Room A, Curriculum and classroom practice

 

Presenter: Zhanni Luo

Doctoral student supervised by Associate Professor Billy O’Steen and Associate Professor Cheryl Brown.

University of Canterbury, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha 

The Effectiveness of Gamification for Educational Purposes: A Review

Gamification refers to the use of game-design elements or mechanics into non-game contexts. Empirical studies have reported that gamification is promising in triggering engagement, motivation and learner autonomy, while it also brings negative influences such as deprived long-term motivation and distraction. Therefore, though theoretically promising, empirical studies reported mixed results as to the effectiveness of gamification on students’ engagement in educational practices. To understand this issue better, this author selected 44 articles on the topic of gamification and education with the use of a citation analysis software HistCite, followed by a literature review on these articles. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were discussed. This author examined several issues including 1) how effective the gamification implementations were in previous empirical studies, 2) how the effectiveness has been measured, and 3) what factors influenced the effectiveness of gamification in education. This review plays a significant role in providing an overview of the given topic, as well as suggestions for future studies.

 

Presenter: Swathi RR

Doctoral student supervised by Associate Professor Wendy Fox-Turnbull, Associate Professor Nigel Calder, and Dr. Kerry Earl-Rinehart.

The University of Waikato, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato   

The experience I give them, that is going to be their opinion

Formative assessment is the process through which a teacher recognises student learning, evaluates the learning and acts to augment that learning, mostly during the moment itself or very soon after (Black & Wiliam, 1998; Clarke, 2005; Cowie & Bell, 1999). Formative assessment lies on the border of teaching and assessment and there are many ways to conduct formative assessment in the classroom. This paper focusses on “interactive formative assessment” – formative assessment carried out by interaction between teacher and student(s). 

The context of this study is technology education – a mandatory learning area in the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) introduced in 1999. In order to enable them to carry out conversations with students that could lead to learning growth for both teachers and students, Fox-Turnbull (2018) designed a framework of observation cues and questions called Technology Observation and Conversation Framework (TOCF). The wider doctoral study, on which this paper is based, provided a modified version of this framework aligned to NZC to two NZ primary school teachers for use as a formative assessment guide. 

Both teachers were audio recorded in the classroom for one unit of technology education. All the dialogues between the teacher-student that began with a question from the provided framework were isolated and analysed. Preliminary findings for one of the teachers are presented in this paper. The teacher realised that the classroom experiences she provided greatly influenced the students’ opinions. Her insistence on certain skills caused students to focus on those skills and improve their learning. This paper concludes that teachers need to align their learning goals with the experiences they are providing to the students within the classroom.

 

Presenter: Mike Sleeman

Doctoral student supervised by Professor John Everatt, Associate Professor Alison Arrow, and Dr Amanda Denston

University of Canterbury, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha 

Operationalising the Simple View of Reading: Three Groups or Four?

Poor readers are not a homogeneous group of students. Instead, the aetiology and the magnitude of their reading difficulties varies from student to student. Many researchers have attempted to explain this variation through the use of classification approaches. One of the most frequently cited approaches is based on the simple view of reading (SVR). This model predicts that reading difficulties can result from decoding difficulties, language comprehension difficulties, or a combination of these difficulties, resulting in three poor reader groups. However, when this model is operationalised, classification studies identify a fourth group of students whose reading difficulties are not explained by the SVR model. 

This study investigated whether an alternative classification approach based on the SVR could provide a better fit for the data. It also sought to address other limitations associated with the traditional classification approach. This study included 209 children in Years 4, 5, and 6 (8-10 years-of-age) from New Zealand primary schools. The students completed 14 individually administered tests that assessed various aspects of their reading comprehension, decoding, language comprehension, phonological awareness, and rapid automized naming ability. The results confirmed that poor readers can be accurately assigned to one of three poor reader groups: dyslexia, specific comprehension difficulty, and mixed reading difficulty groups. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were able to predict group membership with far greater accuracy using the approach developed in this research than the traditional classification approach and strengths and weakness profile analyses confirmed that these groups exhibited distinct cognitive profiles. This study provides additional support for the SVR, when operationalised using the classification approach described in this research.

 

Presenter: Rochelle Spicer

Doctoral student supervised by Professor Elizabeth Rata and Dr. Alexis Siteine.

University of Auckland, Te Whare Wānanga o Tāmaki Makaurau

Curriculum Design in Y7 and 8 Social Sciences

This doctoral study, that examines subject knowledge in Year 7 and 8 social sciences, aims to understand how teachers design and plan for social sciences in their classroom curriculum. The study has a particular focus on teachers’ inclusion of knowledge in their design and planning. 

My experience as a primary-trained teacher, specifically my concerns with what I was teaching students, have caused me to follow my curiosity about what subject knowledge is made accessible to students in the curricula of our classrooms. These curiosities have led me to the ‘powerful knowledge’ literature (Young, 2010, Wheelehan, 2010). This literature has emerged from the social realist position which claims that the acquisition of disciplinary knowledge is the primary purpose of schools, and is an issue of social justice.

The social sciences learning area is a historically contested space within the New Zealand curriculum. The multiplicity of approaches and aims of social sciences (McKay & Gibson, 2004), and its weakened relationship with established disciplines (Wood & Sheehan, 2012), make classroom curriculum design challenging for teachers. Additionally, the New Zealand Curriculum reflects the shift towards a ‘21st Century' model of education, the rhetoric of which has led to a pedagogically driven curriculum. 

I will use a realist conceptual methodology to theorise the data I will obtain from interviews with up to six Year 7 and 8 teachers. The Curriculum Design Coherence Model (Rata & McPhail, 2020) will provide the analytical tool with which to interpret that interview data and provide thematic categories for analysis.  

 

1:30 to 2:30pm, Room B, ECE - play and agency

 

Presenter: Hongwei Di

Masters student supervised by Professor Bronwen Cowie and Dr Wendy Carss.

University of Waikato, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato  

Understanding how kindergarten teachers in China Conceptualise play-based learning: A learning story analysis

This dissertation research is based on an international professional development project between a New Zealand University and a kindergarten in China. Play-based learning and learning stories are the two key elements being introduced to the Chinese kindergarten teachers through the international PD programme. The play-based teaching and learning approach attempts to create spaces for the Chinese teachers to reposition themselves and to integrate children’s learning into a relaxed learning environment supportive of holistic development(Pyle et al., 2017). The learning story approach is intended to guide them to notice, recognise, record, respond and revisit the teaching and learning moments they plan with/for children (Carr, 2001). The main purpose of the research is to understand if and how the teachers move towards more learner-centred teaching and learning within the multi-layered value and cultural context for ECE in China (Zhu & Zhang, 2008). A case study method is being used to collect teacher reflections through three-rounds of learning story composition and semi-structured interviews. The stories and interviews are being used to trace whether and how the teachers rebalance their planning and teaching to implement theories and practices that could be interpreted as their understanding of children-centred teaching and learning approach.  Currently, this dissertation research is at the beginning stage of data collection. The research findings are expected to contribute to professional development for Chinese ECE teachers through identifying children’s funds of knowledge (Hedges et al., 2011) and building their understanding of how they might empower children as active learners.

Presenter: Niroshami R. Rajapaksha

Doctoral student supervised by Professor Jan S. Gaffney and Dr. Adrienne Sansom. 

University of Auckland, Te Whare Wānanga o Tāmaki Makaurau

Understanding young children’s agency-for-learning in constructing knowledge 

Children are capable of changing the course of actions (Mäkitalo, 2016), which impacts their learning, development, and well-being (Burger & Walk, 2016; Mashford-Scott & Church, 2011; Prout & James, 1997). This presentation highlights a series of vignettes of video recorded episodes and excerpts of learning stories (i.e., narratives and pictures of learning dispositions) of 4.5-year-old boy, Austin.  The rich array of data manifests Austin exercised agency-for-learning to extend meanings about kinds and construction of vehicles. In this study, agency-for-learning is regarded as the socioculturally situated capacity to act on one’s own to contribute to the process of learning. The capacity is fueled by self-efficacy and expressed via multiple modes. The thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) of Austin’s multimodal interactions in his play and activities with people, places, and things, showed Austin constructed knowledge about planes, trains, and spaceships from their features to functions. He traversed from purposely-built-construction toys, such as Mobilo to a variety of resources at the sandpit with the guidance of teachers and later, on his own. With prolonged interest and motivation, he was competent and confident to transform his everyday knowledge and skills to construct meanings about vehicles. Four enactments that were constituted within social, cultural, and personal boundaries reflected Austin’s agency-for-learning in the learning journey. In this presentation, I will illustrate the four enactments of agency-for-learning, which benefited Austin’s knowledge construction about vehicles. This empirical study opens another space to consider children’s exercise of agency and its impact on their development of learning.

 

Presenter: Yasmine Slater (Ngāti Kahu and Te Arawa)

Doctoral student supervised by Dr. Hiria McRae, Dr. Sophie Alcock and Associate Professor Jenny Ritchie.  

Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington 

Exploring the connection between Kaupapa Māori, outdoor play and young children’s wellbeing

Young children in Aotearoa New Zealand are reportedly experiencing increasing amounts of time in early childhood care and education settings (Education Counts, 2017) and decreasing amounts of time outdoors, and there is growing evidence that this trend is detrimental to their wellbeing (Louv, 2008).  The increase of mental health problems and rates of childhood obesity, asthma, heart disease, and diabetes, have been attributed to children’s disconnection from the outdoors (Carrus et al., 2015; Dowdell et al., 2011).  A possible remedy for many of the aforementioned issues is for tamariki (children) to play outdoors (Louv, 2008; Nedovic & Morrissey, 2013).  Research has identified the many benefits of outdoor play in enhancing all aspects of young children’s wellbeing (Blanchet-Cohen & Elliot, 2011; Nedovic & Morrissey, 2013).  Māori have long recognised the reciprocal relationship that exists between the wellbeing of the environment and of people (Matamua, 2017).  In te ao Māori (the Māori worldview), the environment plays a critical role in the wellbeing of young children (Te Puna Reo o Ngā Kākano, 2018).  A conceptual framework has emerged from the literature review of my PhD which privileges te ao Māori and outdoor play and recognises these kaupapa (principles) as being crucial to supporting young children’s wellbeing (Kopeke-Te Aho & Slater, 2019).  Therefore, I will share the findings from my literature review and the conceptual framework that arose from this work.  

 

 3 to 4pm, Room A, Teaching: Science / environment / maths

 

Presenter: Maansa Bajaj

Doctoral student supervised by Dr. Valerie Sotardi and Associate Professor Misty Sato 

University of Canterbury, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha 

Examining factors influencing students’ self-regulated learning for a science classroom assessment

Self-regulated learning (SRL) is essential to the short and long-term success for young people. SRL is an intentional and active learning process, whereby individuals regulate and reflect on their cognitive, metacognitive, and motivational resources to reach their desired academic goal (Zimmerman, 2013). Students who demonstrate SRL have higher self-efficacy, better academic performance, and are lifelong learners. However, not all students demonstrate SRL skills and competencies because of other factors (e.g., personal, environmental) (Perry, Phillips & Dowler, 2004). This research seeks to examine factors such as perceived achievement, assessment task structure, and teachers’ assessment practices and their relationship to SRL. My research, comprising three studies, will employ a mixed-methods approach to provide a holistic and comprehensive perspective on each of the variables measured. The sample comprises high school students (Year 9) and science teachers from Christchurch, New Zealand. Participants were invited to take part in interviews that consist of a combination of closed and open-ended questions. The data analysis will include statistical tests (correlations and regression analyses) and content analysis. As this research project is still in progress, I will present a preliminary analyses of my findings. The results will include insights on (1) students’ subjective interpretation of achievement, (2) students’ current SRL strategies for assessments, which could help facilitate better support for student learning and performance, and (3) teachers’ practices that support or limit the development of SRL. In conclusion, this research could shed light on students’ SRL strategies in the New Zealand context, future directions for research, and educational practices that aim to support students as they continue to learn.

 

Presenter: Garry Galvez

Doctoral student supervised by Associate Professor Maurice M. W. Cheng

University of Waikato, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato  

Cultivating Filipino students’ submicroscopic understanding of a combination reaction via sketching and feedback synergism

The ability to move between the three levels of representation, i.e., macroscopic, submicroscopic and symbolic (Johnstone, 1997) is the central tenet of chemical thinking. Yet, this remains a challenge for students (Taber, 2018). They need mediation to help them cultivate such a crucial ability. This paper presentation will demonstrate the synergistic effects of sketching and feedback as a teaching-learning intervention in cultivating students’ submicroscopic understanding of the reaction between magnesium and oxygen. This study utilized a quasi-experimental design involving two experimental group conditions: teacher-feedback and peer-feedback.

Participants were Grade 11 STEM students (typical age is 17 years old) who were taking General Chemistry 1 during the first semester of academic year 2018–2019 together with their teacher from a laboratory high school in the Philippines. Both experimental groups performed practical work, sketched their submicroscopic understanding, and received feedback either from their teacher or peers. 

Results show that students in the teacher-feedback group have better quality of revised sketches compared to those in the peer-feedback group. Also, the teacher and the student-peers exhibited different feedback contents (what was the feedback all about) and moves (how the feedback was delivered), which can account for the difference in the quality of their revised sketches. This study reveals a way that was likely to promote better learning from sketching by examining the quality of the needed scaffolding. Consequently, this may help elucidate how peer-feedback can be empowered to cultivate better submicroscopic understanding of chemical reactions via sketching.

 

Presenter: Deepa Goswami

Doctoral student supervised by Dr. Chris Eames and Dr. Philippa Hunter.

University of Waikato, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato  

Learnings from a Pedagogical Intervention: Food Waste Literacy of Intermediate School students of New Zealand

Food waste has become a major problem worldwide due to its environmental and economic footprints. Food waste should be a component of food literacy, however, the definitions of food literacy offered by researchers has included aspects of personal health, food and nutrition, community food security, food skills and better decisions involving food (Cullen, Hatch, Martin, Higgins, & Sheppard, 2015; Vaitkeviciute, Ball, & Harris, 2015). Other definitions show the use of the term is wide ranging spanning from food choices to food production to food marketing (Bellotti, 2010; Howard & Brichta, 2013; Vidgen & Gallegos, 2011). In terms of food waste, individuals and groups need to acquire a specific component of food literacy to manage food and avoid wasteful food practices. However, to date very few references are available to Food Waste Literacy (FWL). Therefore, my research sought to investigate and develop FWL among intermediate school students in New Zealand. Accordingly, a pedagogical intervention was designed and implemented in a classroom. The intervention was aimed at developing students’ knowledge, values and attitudes, and behaviour towards food waste, and nurturing food citizenship (Renting, Schermer, & Rossi, 2012). I will share with you some of the findings which demonstrate the beginning of development of the students into better food citizens (O'Kane, 2016) of the world, in response to the pedagogical intervention. For example, some of the students took the decision of eating foods which earlier they used to waste and most of the students decided to adhere to a collective consciousness of reducing food waste in the class.

 

Presenter: Shweta Sharma

Doctoral student supervised by Dr Sashi Sharma, Associate Professor Brenda Bicknell and Dr. Nicola Daly.

University of Waikato, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato  

“I think it’s 3D because it’s not 2D”

Dimension is one of the fundamental idea for developing a sound understanding of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) shapes in geometry learning and teaching. However, less research attention has been paid to students’ understanding of dimension in primary education settings (Panorkou, & Pratt, 2016); and the research is rarer in multilingual settings. This presentation explores how Year 5/6 multilingual students make sense of dimension as a mathematical idea when learning about shapes in a New Zealand  class of ten-years-olds. A theoretical framework based on Bakhtin’s dialogic theory and Ethnomethodology informed this study. Transcribed data of three key instances of audio-and video-recorded whole-class and group interactions from one school is presented. The analysis revealed that students may retort to the analogy of the “fat vs flat” for explaining what D stands for in 2D and 3D . However, this analogy might not be useful for describing the dimensional property of shapes, and may lead to difficulty in developing a sound conception of dimensional aspect of shapes. The  analysis also reported that the mathematical understanding of dimensions is often taken for granted in mathematics teaching and learning. The presentation will provide insights into how context may define the dimensional aspect of shape. The present study, therefore, underscores  a need for further research in this area to construct a clear understanding of what dimensions implies, as a mathematical construct for teaching and learning of shapes and its properties.

 

 

 

3 to 4pm, Room B, Community connections

 

Presenter: Honglu Zhang 

Doctoral student supervised by Associate Professor Alan Ovens and Dr. Darren Powell

University of Auckland, Te Whare Wānanga o Tāmaki Makaurau

The Governance of Olympic Education in Beijing Primary Schools: Who Benefited?

Olympic education, as a bidding requirement of the Olympics, has become prevalent and attracted multiple players to get involved. However, the existing research on this topic is relatively imprecise, and the dominant research foci are around exposing advantages of implementing Olympic education. This study critically explored Olympic education of the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in primary schools. Three primary research questions were proposed: how do disparate organizations forge their interests together in Olympic education; How does Olympic education is actually enacted; and how do students and teachers understand these activities.  

I conducted a critical ethnography of two primary schools in Beijing, China. My information is gathered from a range of sources, including observations within and outside of the classrooms, note-taking, talking with principal, teachers, students and outsourced teachers, and an in-depth investigation of existing documentation such as annual reports, organisation and school websites.

I have analysed the findings through Foucault’s theorizations of governmentality. Key findings indicated that Olympic education is a technology for related organizations and people to realize their ambitions: China’s government aimed to improve its international profile; equipment companies gained profits; schools attempted to improve their fame; and students and teachers realized their ambitions, such as career opportunity; and students and teachers had their aims in Olympic education.

 

Presenter: Fenmachi Emela Achu

Doctoral student supervised by Associate Professor Sally Peters and Professor Linda Mitchell

University of Waikato, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato  

Distance Learning in Cameroon: Children’s, Parents’, and Educators’ Experiences and Challenges Amidst Covid-19 Lockdown

Following the Covid-19 outbreak in China, the disease has rapidly spread to other regions of the world, including Cameroon in Sub-Saharan Africa. As at September 21, 2020, Cameroon had been seriously impacted by the disease with over 20,431 confirmed cases and 416 deaths (World Health Organisation [WHO], 2020). This presentation explores distance learning techniques by a private nursery school in Douala, Cameroon as a response to COVID_19 Pandemic. A socio-cultural approach using Bronfenbrenner’s (1986) model and African conceptions of childhood (Nsamenang, 2006) is considered for understanding children’s learning and development.

Data was obtained from ten parents, ten children, and four teachers of a private nursery school in Douala. The parents’ and teachers’ views about the COVID-19 pandemic and learning opportunities during lockdown were obtained through zoom interview and WhatsApp messages. The private nursery school headteacher elicited stories and experiences from children through conversation and drawing techniques, children’s thoughts and expressions were written down by the schoolteacher.  Analysis involved establishing themes from the data collected and interpreting the meaning of the identified themes in relation to the research objectives. 

Findings revealed that the education sector in Cameroon has been faced with challenges in mobilizing resources to provide support and learning experiences for children remotely. Families faced difficulties prioritising in-home education to cater for children learning at home and carrying on with work, especially in a country with limited or no social support systems in place. Children have struggled to adapt to remote learning as well as experiencing anxiety in coping with the deadly disease.

The aim of the study was to explore and give voice to children’s stories and experiences during the lockdown, parents’ and teachers’ perspectives as well as the challenges they faced during this period. It reveals their suggestions to present opportunities for administrators and policymakers to strategize for future and unforeseen circumstances.

 

Presenter: Maggie Flavell

Emerging researcher.

Presentation based on doctoral thesis supervised by Dr. Cherie Chu-Fuluifaga and Dr. Fuapepe Rimoni, 

Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington 

Using Appreciative Inquiry to build collaboration in home-school relationships for Pacific secondary learners

In this presentation, I discuss the methodology from my doctoral research on home-school relationships for secondary Pacific students in Aotearoa New Zealand.  Successful home-school relationships recognise the role that family members play in supporting students’ learning, ensuring that collaboration and reciprocity are key qualities in interactions between teachers and families. Indeed, the New Zealand Ministry of Education’s Action Plan for Pacific Education 2020 – 2030 prioritises strong partnerships between Pacific families and educators (Ministry or Education, 2020).  

In this qualitative case study of a rural town in the North Island, I drew on the strength-based lens of Appreciative Inquiry to support my methodology.  Data was gathered from 60 participants through interviews or talanoa sessions. The aim was to discover good practice in how teachers and families work together. Findings recognised the commitment that schools make to engage families and support their Pacific learners.  Findings further recognised the expertise and commitment which Pacific individuals offer to teachers, Pacific students and families to help secure success for students.  However, despite evident strengths, this study concludes that school systems do not always facilitate equitable partnerships between teachers and families.  

My current focus is on how I put into practice what I have learnt.  I believe my methodology could become a practical tool for use in schools to facilitate collaborative decision-making between teachers, students and their families.  I explain why I think this is the case; and I invite feedback on the potential of Appreciative Inquiry to help develop successful home-school relationships with Pacific families.  

 

Presenter: Darcy Fawcett

Doctoral student supervised by Dr. Bronwen Cowie and Dr. Frances Edwards of Waikato University.

University of Waikato, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato  

It worked!  An interim report on the development of data-driven inquiry within a Community of Learning

This presentation will discuss It worked! Data analysis made easy, an ongoing professional development initiative in the Gisborne Community of Learning.   It worked! supports schools with research-level methods and coaching so teachers can make better use of their data to design and evaluate teaching initiatives. A case study of 3 secondary schools will be discussed and critiqued.  

Teaching practices are evidence-based to the extent to which the practice is informed and evaluated by evidence (Mandinach et al., 2008; Millar et al., 2006).  For example, teachers often evaluate initiatives in natural quasi-experiments by comparing the outcomes of one cohort – who experienced the initiative – to those of another cohort – who didn’t (Cohen et al., 2007).  It worked! supports these efforts by developing longitudinal comparisons to better describe the school populations, by providing the research-level analysis in teacher-friendly dashboards, and by coaching teachers through an inquiry process.

We will discuss how It Worked! supported 28 middle leaders from 3 secondary schools to use their NCEA data to evaluate and plan their teaching/learning initiatives. Feedback indicates the middle leaders found It Worked! useful and valuable for analysing and reporting on their data as well as for evaluating, planning and sharing their teaching initiatives.  Middle leaders are confident that their initiatives will lead to improved outcomes, are keen to continue with It Worked! and recommend this approach to other schools.  The It worked! model will be critiqued using models of data-driven inquiry (Gummer & Mandinach, 2015; Lai & McNaughton, 2016; Schildkamp et al., 2018).