Waikato Journal of Education
Not a member yet
650 research outputs found
Sort by
Governing in crises: Rural school board experiences of urbanisation during Covid-19
No full textEncroaching urbanisation into small and rural communities across Aotearoa New Zealand is becoming increasingly common. This phenomenon is the result of multiple crises: strong and continued population growth, a housing shortage, rising housing unaffordability, and Covid-19. This paper offers a critical analysis of how these intersecting crises have intensified existing inequities during the Covid-19 pandemic. Focus group data of 18 boards of trustees illustrates how school board trustees navigated a range of social, educational, and economic challenges. Several key aspects of school governance during times of crises emerge from the study findings, including an increasing need for student pastoral care due to widening rural educational disparities such as the digital divide and the ongoing challenge of maintaining a rural identity for students and the local school communities they serve. As part of the second phase of a larger study about the impact of urbanisation on rural schools in Aotearoa New Zealand, study findings build upon existing knowledge and capacity to adapt to educational crises in a new post-pandemic landscape from a rural perspective and will also be of interest to both rural and urban schools experiencing the effects of changing demographics due to urbanisation in their local communities.
Protecting New Zealand's agricultural legacy through education
No full textRenowned globally as a country that produces high quality goods, New Zealand has a reputation second to none when it comes to science and research related to increasing primary produce. Hence, New Zealand’s reliance on export of primary produce to drive the economy is no secret. However, education related to protecting this industry appears to be scant, including in schools.
New Zealand’s primary produce driven economy is protected through maintaining biosecurity. Biosecurity plays an expansive role, from protecting the economy through stopping pests and diseases of economic significance from arriving and establishing to protecting human health and sociocultural values. Given the emphasis on education to help manage the biosecurity pandemic caused by the outbreak of Covid-19, as a society we need to look beyond legislation, including the Biosecurity Act 1993, to manage biosecurity.
The long-term prospect for biosecurity in New Zealand might be said to be relatively secure, considering that New Zealand is an island nation with biosecurity regulations that have been in place for decades. However, the critical importance of maintaining biosecurity requires a strategic long-term approach. This conceptual article advocates for biosecurity education in New Zealand schools. Maintaining biosecurity not only prevents pests and diseases from arriving, but eradicating pests and diseases already present contributes to the conservation of endemic flora and fauna.
Further, New Zealand has a reputation for providing businesses with a highly transparent and democratic environment to operate. This foundation is built upon a strong economy that, nonetheless, is susceptible because, unlike other countries, New Zealand relies on the export of primary produce to drive its economy (International Trade Administration, 2023). Primary produce industries, such as dairy farming, that heavily rely on monoculture are prone to risks posed by diseases, such as foot and mouth. Subsequently, educating future generations on biosecurity can help maintain a stable agricultural sector, critical for a robust democracy and economy
Revisiting the mathematical content knowledge and attitude of pre-service primary teachers a decade on
No full textThis research investigated the mathematical content knowledge and attitudes of a cohort of primary education student teachers and is a comparative study to that of Young-Loveridge et al. (2012a, 2012b), which was undertaken 10 years prior. In both studies the student teachers were about to commence their first compulsory mathematics education paper. The focus was on student teacher understanding of the mathematics concepts involved in solving word problems that included two-digit whole numbers, decimals, and fractions. As with the initial study the findings indicate that there was minimal difference in the number of tasks correct between those with UE and those without. Overall, there was little difference in student teacher beliefs and attitudes towards maths. There was very little difference in their mathematical understanding—when solving the tasks most of the students used algorithmic procedures and a range of misconceptions were identified. This raises questions about the nature of mathematics education during the school years and the position of mathematics content knowledge development during initial teacher education (ITE). In this study student teachers were asked to evaluate their confidence in the accuracy of their answers. Their responses indicated a concerning inaccuracy in judging the reasonableness of their answers. Combined, these findings have significant implications for the proposed entry requirements to ITE programmes
Intermediate Phase mathematics teachers’ conceptions of learner-centred teaching
No full textThe 2030 Sustainable Development Goals of UNESCO places a focus on quality education for all learners. However, meeting the requirements for quality education seems far-fetched for some developing countries, such as South Africa. The reason being that mathematics performance in South Africa is still an area of concern. The assumption is that this is because mathematics teachers still rely on outdated, teacher-centred strategies to teach mathematics. To address this problem of poor performance, South African curriculum policies advocate learner-centred strategies to meet the needs of diverse learners in the classroom. However, curriculum transformation has not had the desired effect. The purpose of this article therefore is to explore how mathematics teachers in the Intermediate Phase (Grades 4–6) interpret learner-centred teaching. Ernest’s analytical model of beliefs provide the frame for the article. A qualitative multiple case study methodology was used with the participation of 10 mathematics teachers who teach Intermediate Phase learners in KwaZulu-Natal. The data collection method used was semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that the mathematics teacher participants had limited understanding of learner-centred strategies; they misinterpreted how to implement learner-centred strategies; they manipulated learner-centred strategies prescribed by the policy to suit how they taught; and the many contextual factors they experienced influenced the way they taught. Recommendations are that teachers are provided with professional development in using learner-centred strategies and that they form networks with other mathematics teachers to collaborate on culturally responsive methods of teaching as a way to address the needs of the multilingual and multicultural learners that they teach. Further research should be conducted into alternative approaches that includes learner-centred strategies
Development of a questionnaire for understanding mathematics teachers' situated learning practices in the Philippines
No full textThis study sought to understand Philippine mathematics teachers’ practices in relation to situated learning theory (SLT) by developing and administering a questionnaire. Following a five-step process for developing a questionnaire by Harlacher (2016), the final items reflected the teachers’ performance indicators identified in the Framework for Philippine mathematics teacher education by the Science Education Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (SEI-DOST) and Philippine Council of Mathematics Teacher Educators Incorporated (MATHTED Inc.), and three of Herrington and Oliver’s (1995) features of SLT: authentic context (AC), authentic activities (AAc), and authentic assessment (AAs). The final questionnaire, comprised of 22 items, was disseminated to 68 mathematics teachers at both elementary and secondary levels. Findings revealed that despite the low familiarity of teachers with SLT and the Framework for Philippine mathematics teacher education, questionnaire responses showed that the majority of teachers implement aspects associated with SLT “two to four times a week”. Moreover, teachers' SLT knowledge was determined to correlate with the implementation of the three characteristics of SLT inside their classrooms, whereas other factors, such as primary or secondary teaching level, years of teaching experience, and teachers' knowledge about the Framework, had no significant correlation with SLT implementation. The study suggests that Philippine teachers should be given adequate training and teaching resources to ensure the practice of SLT inside their mathematics classrooms.
The impact of digital technologies on children and adolescents in Aotearoa New Zealand: A case for the development of best-practice recommendations for schools
No full textThe use of digital technologies is increasing in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) schools to support future-focused learning and allow students to gain 21st century skills that can enable them to participate and thrive in a digital future. NZ students have among the highest use of digital technologies in the world, and digital devices present both opportunities and risks to educational outcomes and health/well-being. Pragmatic guidelines have been developed internationally to support the safer use of digital technologies in education settings, and a review was carried out to examine the need for such guidance in a NZ context. While studies present mixed results, emerging evidence from analysis of international and national standardised assessments indicates that the impact of digital technologies on learning outcomes is not neutral, and while some use can benefit learning, frequent use has been associated with reduced learning outcomes. Conditions and context of use seem important, including factors such as task selection, length of use, and whether device use is teacher-led or independent. Further research is needed to better understand the most effective ways to use digital technologies for learning. Additionally, emerging evidence highlights numerous negative health impacts that are associated with frequent and extended use of digital devices. Informed recommendations for the use of digital technologies in NZ schools may allow students to get the best that digital technologies can offer to learning, with lower risk
Book review: Wooldridge, A. (2023). The aristocracy of talent: How meritocracy made the modern world
No full textn/
Your words matter: The language of fractions
No full textThis article is based on the main finding of an action research study that investigated how primary school teachers could improve the teaching of fractions. The study primarily focused on what pedagogical strategies might be employed when shifting teaching and learning from procedural application to conceptual understanding. The research aimed to unpack what key elements of lesson design could be utilised to raise student achievement and understanding of fractional concepts. Language development was deemed to be one of the most beneficial to the teachers’ practice and the research team explored the significance of developing shared mathematical language and the important role vocabulary plays in conveying meaning and internalising understanding. The journey of two teachers is described here in this article
Understanding inspiring teaching and learning in mathematics through prospective teachers’ experience
No full textUnderstanding how mathematics teacher educators (MTEs) inspire prospective mathematics teachers (PMTs) is essential for advancing mathematics pedagogy and developing future mathematics. This study explored the qualities of inspiring MTEs, the nature of their classroom environments and teaching practices, and the impact of their teaching on PMTs’ development. Through a case study approach combined with narrative inquiry, data were gathered via two rounds of semi-structured interviews with 20 undergraduate PMTs. Narrative analysis revealed that inspiring MTEs embody a blend of personal and professional qualities—knowledgeability, self-discipline, friendliness, authoritativeness, graciousness, enthusiasm, humour, and humility—which underpin a supportive and engaging learning environment. Their teaching practices featured clear, insightful explanations; a balance of challenge and support; and encouragement of self-discipline, independent learning, and creative mathematical thinking. These experiences fostered not only academic growth but also shaped PMTs’ beliefs, attitudes, and aspirations as future educators. The findings highlight the need for teacher education programmes to intentionally cultivate such qualities and practices in MTEs to prepare mathematics teachers who can inspire and empower their students