1,720,962 research outputs found
Gender identity: Exploring struggles & school support among New Zealand senior secondary students
This research was undertaken with an intention to contribute to the existing literature and research on issues related to struggles and support for gender diverse students in New Zealand secondary schools. Gender diversity is a classification of individuals who do not see themselves as just male or female. LGBTQIA [lesbians, gays, bisexual, transgender and Queer] has been an acronym used to describe individuals of alternative lifestyles. The main objective of this study was to investigate in-depth to understand the positive and negative experiences of gender diverse students in New Zealand Secondary schools. A qualitative research approach was utilised and pragmatics as the research paradigm, as the focus was on the experiences of the learners and view of the teachers. Semi-structured interviews were used as this is regarded as a process of in-depth inquiry which has generated detailed descriptions. The outcomes of this research have been in line with the current and existing literature related to the experiences of gender diverse students in secondary schools in New Zealand. A review of existing literature indicates that gender diverse students are subjected to negative academic and social experiences such as verbal slurs, emotional harassment and abuse. Further, the disengagement of the curriculum and the support of the teachers in schools. The positive indication of this research was the support of the heterosexual students and teachers in the school however, there is a need for more support. It is recommended from this research that the school needs to provide professional development for its teachers and design their curriculum to create equality in the school
Supporting successful learning outcomes for secondary Pacific students through home-school relationships
A need to improve learning outcomes for Pacific students has been highlighted by the Ministry of Education in Aotearoa/New Zealand, with the reflection that the education system has not adequately catered for these learners. The development of home-school relationships is recognised by the Ministry as one way of promoting the achievement of Pacific students; closer links with Pacific families are encouraged so that students’ needs may be better met. The aim of this research was to explore how secondary schools could develop relationships with Pacific families and communities in order to support students’ successful learning outcomes.
A qualitative case study, using a grounded theory approach, was employed. An Appreciative Inquiry framework helped guide the research design to facilitate the exploration of how home-school relationships worked well within the context of a New Zealand town, and how they can be enhanced to benefit secondary Pacific learners. A Communities of Practice lens supported analysis; and an appreciation of Pacific relationality was supported by the theoretical frameworks, Teu le va and Talanoa Research Methodology (TRM).
Key findings demonstrate the willingness and expertise from members of the Pacific community to support schools’ endeavours to cater for Pacific learners, helping address any barriers to family engagement. Despite the strong commitment from teachers and school leaders to work more closely and creatively with Pacific families, this study concludes that knowledge and ideas do not always flow freely between home and school. An inherent risk is that schools hold onto decision-making processes although there is a capacity within the Pacific community to offer effective solutions. To alleviate this risk, school structures need to open up to permit a freer exchange of information, prioritising relationships that accord with Pacific values. The bricolage of frameworks employed in this study have the potential to be applied to school settings for the review and development of home-school practices for Pacific families
What are young Pacific peoples understandings of leadership in Aotearoa New Zealand?
This thesis is an exploration of the way leadership is understood by young Pacific peoples. It looks at the possible relationship between leadership and education outcomes for young Pacific peoples. It is located in an interpretative paradigm, and uses qualitative methods and seeks phenomenological date. This is because individuals interpret experiences differently, therefore understanding how these young Pacific people interpret ideas can help answer the thesis question. As Pacific research it foregrounds Pacific concepts such as vā and Pacific methods such as talanoa. These features seek to alignment with the community participating in the study. The findings suggest that young Pacific peoples understand leadership as a negotiation between Pacific and Western ideas. This negotiation is performed contextually. However, young Pacific peoples are also redefining leadership for themselves and a way they are doing this is by combining their Pacific and Western understandings of leadership. From the research there were three implications found for young Pacific peoples. Firstly, too much focus on culture can become a problem. Secondly, the different contexts that young Pacific peoples are being raised in influences their leadership beliefs, especially compared to the older generation. Lastly, young Pacific peoples need to receive recognition for their ability to negotiate ideas between the Pacific and Western worlds. Therefore, recommendations for future research come under two main categories environment. This is focused on rethinking leadership, firstly for young Pacific peoples in New Zealand-Pacific context, then rethinking for young Pacific peoples in a Western context. The second recommendation discusses ways to improve leadership development programs for young Pacific peoples in New Zealand
Connections, Identity and Resilience Amongst International Students at Victoria University
This study used a re-storying methodology to develop narratives of 13 Asian students who came from overseas to study in New Zealand at Victoria University. These narratives considered connections the students made both on and off campus and their reflections on how these connections shaped cultural identity. The research also explored students’ experiences of resilience and agency. Their stories revealed strong connections made with other international students but less well formed relationships with domestic students, where ties are superficial despite programmes designed to facilitate these connections. The exception was the stronger connections students developed with domestic minority learners, such as Pasifika and Maori students. Volunteering, rather than paid work or homestays, were contexts that offered community connections. Student narratives suggest that the experience of studying at VUW refreshed home country identity but also encouraged a flexible identity with a growing awareness of cultural diversity, which for some students, constituted a global citizen perspective. While all students reported struggles, they maintained resilience in the face of challenges, using their networks to sustain them, rather than formal support services. They demonstrated agency in making moves to improve their situation and that of prospective students. Micro-aggressions encountered did cause social suffering but students confronted racism, in their own way, trying to enlarge cultural space at university. Leadership opportunities taken, along with the difficult social encounters they navigated, lead to personal change and growth. Implications of these findings, for policy makers and providers of support services, are discussed
Tama Samoa: Exploring Identities in Secondary School
This paper draws on a recent doctoral study which demonstrated ways that Tama Samoa (Samoan boys) enact their identities as Samoans authentically within the New Zealand secondary school context. Identity is complex and is not generally taken into consideration in the literature on education success and achievement of Pacific students in New Zealand. Recognising Pacific identities as being fluid, diverse and multi-dimensional, and engaging with the voices of tama Samoa enables a greater understanding and thus better support for tama Samoa and their educational success within the secondary school context.</jats:p
Tama Samoa Stories: Experiences and Perceptions of Identity, Belonging and Future Aspirations at Secondary School
This thesis investigates the experiences of twelve strong, articulate and thoughtful tama Samoa (Samoan boys) through their participation in secondary schools and lives outside the classroom and through the stories of others. The study looked at how the students enacted their identities as Samoans, as learners and as young men who are anticipating the future. The study is premised on the view that Pacific identities are fluid, diverse, multi-dimensional and include a range of different perspectives relating to social class, ethnicity, culture and gender. Such a view of identity as complex is not generally taken into consideration in the literature on educational success and achievement of Pacific students in New Zealand.
The study employed a phenomenological qualitative design, using focus groups and semi-structured interviews by talanoa (conversations). As the study involved a group of indigenous tama Samoa, the Samoan fa’afaletui method was used. Participants were a group of twelve tama Samoa in three Wellington secondary schools and their twelve nominated persons.
The study found that there are key aspects to making the experiences of tama Samoa positive and successful within the secondary school. These include acknowledging tama Samoa and their multiple identities while attending secondary school; supporting the development of a sense of belonging through everyday interactions with peers and teachers, and affirming the belief by tama Samoa that secondary school socialisation serves to help them make future decisions.
This study argues that the experiences of tama Samoa are deeply embedded within wider social, economic and political trends. Indeed, their “voices” are shaped in part by these broader forces that construct and represent them as being historically “disadvantaged” and socio-economically “underserved.” Further, this study advocates for the diverse voices of tama Samoa, along with their experiences, stories, hopes, aspirations and dreams to be brought to light and placed alongside the official accounts of Pacific “disadvantage” to enable more balanced critical discourses taking place.
It is hoped that this study will offer further insights into the experiences of tama Samoa in the New Zealand secondary school context, from which valuable knowledge is derived to inform and support schools in improving the New Zealand secondary school experiences of Samoan adolescent boys
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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