title: Educational engagement practices of Tongan parents in relation to their children's learning

authors: Naufahu, Mefileisenita

abstract: This study explores the parental engagement of Tongan parents in relation to their children’s learning and designs an engagement framework to enhance this engagement. Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological systems theory framework was employed to conceptualise and inform the analysis of parental engagement of Tongan parents in this research.  

Talaloto, a new Pacific research methodology which I developed for use in this study, was utilised for data collection from Tongan parents, as a way of capturing their authentic voices, grounded within their culture. Talaloto provides a space for personal lived experiences to be told. Focus group interviews were used for gathering data from teachers and students. Initial data collection motivated me to develop and implement an intervention to enhance parental engagement practices, for a sample of Tongan parents, students, and teachers, associated with a local primary school.  

The findings showed that parental engagement is an holistic process, requiring collaboration between home, school, and the wider community to enable both participation and interaction. Recognition of and valuing home funds of knowledge as well as the implementation of home visits by teachers, were found to be significant contributors to transforming relationships and lifting student achievement.  

The intentional creation of an Engagement Broker role for the purposes of the intervention demonstrated the importance of such a role in providing guidance to all participants as they navigated differing contexts and new roles and relationships.  

A key outcome of this study was the development of the ‘Kato Alu ‘framework, where a cultural metaphor is used to conceptualise and contextualise the understanding and use of parental engagement practices by Tongan parents in their children’s learning. I used the four stages of crafting the Kato Alu: Tokonaki (preparation), Lalanga (weaving), Teuteu’i (decoration) and Foaki (presentation), to symbolise the four steps for guiding the parental engagement process. The hope is that this framework may be applied in other Pacific settings and can be adapted for broader use.

text: Educational engagement practices of Tongan parents in relation to their children's learning This study explores the parental engagement of Tongan parents in relation to their children’s learning and designs an engagement framework to enhance this engagement. Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological systems theory framework was employed to conceptualise and inform the analysis of parental engagement of Tongan parents in this research.  

Talaloto, a new Pacific research methodology which I developed for use in this study, was utilised for data collection from Tongan parents, as a way of capturing their authentic voices, grounded within their culture. Talaloto provides a space for personal lived experiences to be told. Focus group interviews were used for gathering data from teachers and students. Initial data collection motivated me to develop and implement an intervention to enhance parental engagement practices, for a sample of Tongan parents, students, and teachers, associated with a local primary school.  

The findings showed that parental engagement is an holistic process, requiring collaboration between home, school, and the wider community to enable both participation and interaction. Recognition of and valuing home funds of knowledge as well as the implementation of home visits by teachers, were found to be significant contributors to transforming relationships and lifting student achievement.  

The intentional creation of an Engagement Broker role for the purposes of the intervention demonstrated the importance of such a role in providing guidance to all participants as they navigated differing contexts and new roles and relationships.  

A key outcome of this study was the development of the ‘Kato Alu ‘framework, where a cultural metaphor is used to conceptualise and contextualise the understanding and use of parental engagement practices by Tongan parents in their children’s learning. I used the four stages of crafting the Kato Alu: Tokonaki (preparation), Lalanga (weaving), Teuteu’i (decoration) and Foaki (presentation), to symbolise the four steps for guiding the parental engagement process. The hope is that this framework may be applied in other Pacific settings and can be adapted for broader use.

year: 2024-04-09

title: Funding patterns and priorities: An international perspective

authors: She, Hsiao-Ching

abstract: Research in literacy and science education converge onto science literacy for all found in many international reforms (Hand, Prain, & Yore, 2001) and the commonalities in targets (all students), goals (science literacy composed of fundamental literacy and understanding the big ideas in science), and pedagogy (constructivist approaches and authentic assessment) across English language arts and science (Ford, Yore, & Anthony, 1997; Yore, Pimm, & Tuan, 2007). Similar claims apply to mathematics literacy and technology literacy. This convergence and the international move to enhance research quality suggest potential relationships amongst research policy, practices, and funding for literacy and science education. Furthermore, such connections should be growing in importance and fiscal priority for funding agencies. In the United States, explicit connections can be seen for research policy and preferred research practice in federal laws—but are there similar connections between policy and practice with research funding of literacy and science education research? Do such relationships exist in other countries?
Two recent policies in the United States illustrate the potential connection. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB, 2002) reauthorized a number of federal programs aiming to improve the performance of primary and secondary schools by increasing the standards of accountability for states, school districts, and schools as well as providing parents more flexibility in choosing which schools their children will attend. The NCLB Act, which is open for renewal in 2008/09, requires states to develop assessments in language arts, mathematics, and science to be given to all students in certain grades—if those states are to receive federal funding for schools. The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA, 2002) reauthorized and strengthened the principal education research, statistics, and evaluation activities of the Department of Education. This act funds the national data collection system that allows federal agencies to oversee the entire national education system and promotes a strong, scientifically rigorous research capacity within education. It is believed that such legislation is critically important to the successful implementation of the education reforms and to transform education into an evidence-based field, commonly called the Gold Standard.

text: Funding patterns and priorities: An international perspective Research in literacy and science education converge onto science literacy for all found in many international reforms (Hand, Prain, & Yore, 2001) and the commonalities in targets (all students), goals (science literacy composed of fundamental literacy and understanding the big ideas in science), and pedagogy (constructivist approaches and authentic assessment) across English language arts and science (Ford, Yore, & Anthony, 1997; Yore, Pimm, & Tuan, 2007). Similar claims apply to mathematics literacy and technology literacy. This convergence and the international move to enhance research quality suggest potential relationships amongst research policy, practices, and funding for literacy and science education. Furthermore, such connections should be growing in importance and fiscal priority for funding agencies. In the United States, explicit connections can be seen for research policy and preferred research practice in federal laws—but are there similar connections between policy and practice with research funding of literacy and science education research? Do such relationships exist in other countries?
Two recent policies in the United States illustrate the potential connection. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB, 2002) reauthorized a number of federal programs aiming to improve the performance of primary and secondary schools by increasing the standards of accountability for states, school districts, and schools as well as providing parents more flexibility in choosing which schools their children will attend. The NCLB Act, which is open for renewal in 2008/09, requires states to develop assessments in language arts, mathematics, and science to be given to all students in certain grades—if those states are to receive federal funding for schools. The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA, 2002) reauthorized and strengthened the principal education research, statistics, and evaluation activities of the Department of Education. This act funds the national data collection system that allows federal agencies to oversee the entire national education system and promotes a strong, scientifically rigorous research capacity within education. It is believed that such legislation is critically important to the successful implementation of the education reforms and to transform education into an evidence-based field, commonly called the Gold Standard.

year: 2009

title: The recruitment dynamics of post-settlement juvenile toheroa and the potential applications for aquaculture

authors: van der Lee, Marieka

subjects: Toheroa

abstract: Managing the recovery of threatened species due to anthropogenic disturbance is one of the most challenging problems in ecological monitoring. Researching species ecology is vital to help us improve ecosystem health and subsequently develop better management strategies in the environment. Humanity is entirely reliant on ecosystem services for food security. With the world population expected to reach ten billion by 2050, there is a growing need for more sustainable food sources. With the exploitation of many environmental resources worldwide, aquaculture has been championed as a sustainable option for future seafood production. In New Zealand, the toheroa (Paphies ventricosa) has been identified as a potentially valuable asset to the aquaculture industry and for possible conservation strategies via the implementation of reseeding populations with hatchery-reared spat.

Toheroa faced inadequate resource management and exploitation in the 1900s which ultimately led to the closure of an important recreational, cultural and commercial fishery. However, toheroa populations have failed to recover despite over 40 years of protection. It has been proposed that the continued decline of toheroa populations is not due to a lack of juvenile recruitment. Very little is known about juvenile toheroa recruitment, and there is no available information that could facilitate restoration management or determine the appropriate action to take for monitoring juvenile populations. From both a conservation and an aquaculture perspective, understanding the underlying ecology will be pivotal for future endeavours.

My thesis aimed to investigate the distribution dynamics of post-settlement juvenile toheroa on Ripiro Beach and the potential applications for aquaculture. Population surveys were conducted on Ripiro Beach in February and May to establish a sampling methodology that accurately captures the juvenile population both spatially and temporally. Surveys on vertical substrate stratification significantly affected both density and shell size with increasing sediment depth. Additionally, in contrast to the hypothesis formed on the basis of traditional knowledge that juvenile distribution is limited to the dunes and upper intertidal, spat appeared to have far more varied littoral distributions than previously theorised. The data from these surveys were used to make estimates of the total juvenile population on Ripiro Beach with attention to changes spatially (habitat type), temporally (seasonally), and by size cohorts (mm). My results indicated that toheroa populations are not recruit-limited. Estimates for the total February population ranged between 580 (±190) million and 650 (±200) million. By May, large abundance losses (> 90%) dropped the estimated population to between 30 (±15) million and 37 (±17) million, indicating significant bottleneck mortality during the early growth stages. However, the high abundances of small spat (< 5 mm) indicate that toheroa aquaculture is potentially viable. In aid of future aquaculture applications, I investigated how handling, harvesting, and different transportation methods could impact toheroa health, survival, or performance. This experiment aimed to mimic real-world applications wherein juvenile spat would be harvested and ongrown in hatcheries. To do this, I utilised the burrowing behaviour of juvenile toheroa as a quantitative indicator of stress. I found that if appropriate storage methods were implemented, initial handling and harvesting had a greater impact than actual transportation.

The research in this thesis demonstrated that populations do not appear to be recruit-limited. Furthermore, the findings indicate that aquaculture built on the foundation of wild-harvested juveniles is potentially viable. However, further research is required in order to quantify potential annual recruitment variation both spatially and temporally. Additionally, in order to establish a conservation approach, we must first define the niche requirements of toheroa to determine the obstacle (or obstacles) inhibiting recovery.

text: The recruitment dynamics of post-settlement juvenile toheroa and the potential applications for aquaculture Managing the recovery of threatened species due to anthropogenic disturbance is one of the most challenging problems in ecological monitoring. Researching species ecology is vital to help us improve ecosystem health and subsequently develop better management strategies in the environment. Humanity is entirely reliant on ecosystem services for food security. With the world population expected to reach ten billion by 2050, there is a growing need for more sustainable food sources. With the exploitation of many environmental resources worldwide, aquaculture has been championed as a sustainable option for future seafood production. In New Zealand, the toheroa (Paphies ventricosa) has been identified as a potentially valuable asset to the aquaculture industry and for possible conservation strategies via the implementation of reseeding populations with hatchery-reared spat.

Toheroa faced inadequate resource management and exploitation in the 1900s which ultimately led to the closure of an important recreational, cultural and commercial fishery. However, toheroa populations have failed to recover despite over 40 years of protection. It has been proposed that the continued decline of toheroa populations is not due to a lack of juvenile recruitment. Very little is known about juvenile toheroa recruitment, and there is no available information that could facilitate restoration management or determine the appropriate action to take for monitoring juvenile populations. From both a conservation and an aquaculture perspective, understanding the underlying ecology will be pivotal for future endeavours.

My thesis aimed to investigate the distribution dynamics of post-settlement juvenile toheroa on Ripiro Beach and the potential applications for aquaculture. Population surveys were conducted on Ripiro Beach in February and May to establish a sampling methodology that accurately captures the juvenile population both spatially and temporally. Surveys on vertical substrate stratification significantly affected both density and shell size with increasing sediment depth. Additionally, in contrast to the hypothesis formed on the basis of traditional knowledge that juvenile distribution is limited to the dunes and upper intertidal, spat appeared to have far more varied littoral distributions than previously theorised. The data from these surveys were used to make estimates of the total juvenile population on Ripiro Beach with attention to changes spatially (habitat type), temporally (seasonally), and by size cohorts (mm). My results indicated that toheroa populations are not recruit-limited. Estimates for the total February population ranged between 580 (±190) million and 650 (±200) million. By May, large abundance losses (> 90%) dropped the estimated population to between 30 (±15) million and 37 (±17) million, indicating significant bottleneck mortality during the early growth stages. However, the high abundances of small spat (< 5 mm) indicate that toheroa aquaculture is potentially viable. In aid of future aquaculture applications, I investigated how handling, harvesting, and different transportation methods could impact toheroa health, survival, or performance. This experiment aimed to mimic real-world applications wherein juvenile spat would be harvested and ongrown in hatcheries. To do this, I utilised the burrowing behaviour of juvenile toheroa as a quantitative indicator of stress. I found that if appropriate storage methods were implemented, initial handling and harvesting had a greater impact than actual transportation.

The research in this thesis demonstrated that populations do not appear to be recruit-limited. Furthermore, the findings indicate that aquaculture built on the foundation of wild-harvested juveniles is potentially viable. However, further research is required in order to quantify potential annual recruitment variation both spatially and temporally. Additionally, in order to establish a conservation approach, we must first define the niche requirements of toheroa to determine the obstacle (or obstacles) inhibiting recovery.

year: 2022