title: Developing an individual and collective self-efficacy scale for the teaching of writing in high schools

authors: Locke, Terry

abstract: The study reported on here focuses on self-efficacy in relation to high-school teachers’ teaching of writing. 140 New Zealand teachers from four schools completed a teacher-of- writing self-efficacy scale (TWSES) based on a rhetorical model of the writing process and incorporating five hypothesized dimensions. An initial principal components analysis was undertaken on 25 individual self-efficacy items to investigate the dimensionality of the data and the extent to which it reflected the dimensions hypothesized. A two-component solution emerged, termed “pre-writing instructional strategies” (accounting for 52% of total variance) and “compositional strategy demonstration” (7% of variance). Further principal components analyses conducted on groups of items deemed to be thematically coherent, that loaded on each component, confirmed that the data set for each group, treated sepa- rately to any other items, was approximately uni-dimensional. Measurement scales were calibrated to each group of items, and served as the dependent variables for comparisons of teachers’ self-efficacy in different subjects. Statistically significant variations occurred in the resultant scale locations for teachers of English, the humanities, science and mathe- matics. The study findings have implications for the teaching of writing as conceptualized in the secondary school, and indicate a value in viewing disciplinary literacies in rhetorical terms.

text: Developing an individual and collective self-efficacy scale for the teaching of writing in high schools The study reported on here focuses on self-efficacy in relation to high-school teachers’ teaching of writing. 140 New Zealand teachers from four schools completed a teacher-of- writing self-efficacy scale (TWSES) based on a rhetorical model of the writing process and incorporating five hypothesized dimensions. An initial principal components analysis was undertaken on 25 individual self-efficacy items to investigate the dimensionality of the data and the extent to which it reflected the dimensions hypothesized. A two-component solution emerged, termed “pre-writing instructional strategies” (accounting for 52% of total variance) and “compositional strategy demonstration” (7% of variance). Further principal components analyses conducted on groups of items deemed to be thematically coherent, that loaded on each component, confirmed that the data set for each group, treated sepa- rately to any other items, was approximately uni-dimensional. Measurement scales were calibrated to each group of items, and served as the dependent variables for comparisons of teachers’ self-efficacy in different subjects. Statistically significant variations occurred in the resultant scale locations for teachers of English, the humanities, science and mathe- matics. The study findings have implications for the teaching of writing as conceptualized in the secondary school, and indicate a value in viewing disciplinary literacies in rhetorical terms.

year: 2016

title: Connection: how can a teacher help students stay connected?

authors: Williamson, Myra Elsie Jane Bell

subjects: Connection

abstract: This session will discuss the things I tried during 2020 to keep my students connected with each other, with the paper, and with me as their teacher during the transition to online learning and their sudden loss of physical connection on campus. I found that connection is the most important thing to learning - it is more important than transmitting material/information. If students do not feel connected they will not only stop engaging with the material, but their mental health will also suffer, then no learning will be able to take place. Lecturers can do some simple things to help students feel connected. I will use Xorro with my audience (assuming that they have their own device with them) to get them involved from the beginning of the session and to invite them to contribute their thoughts.

text: Connection: how can a teacher help students stay connected? This session will discuss the things I tried during 2020 to keep my students connected with each other, with the paper, and with me as their teacher during the transition to online learning and their sudden loss of physical connection on campus. I found that connection is the most important thing to learning - it is more important than transmitting material/information. If students do not feel connected they will not only stop engaging with the material, but their mental health will also suffer, then no learning will be able to take place. Lecturers can do some simple things to help students feel connected. I will use Xorro with my audience (assuming that they have their own device with them) to get them involved from the beginning of the session and to invite them to contribute their thoughts.

year: 2020

title: Pakeha students and a pro-Treaty analysis: Teaching issues in a diploma of clinical psychology programme

authors: Yensen, Helen

subjects: Maori

abstract: We ran Treaty/biculturalism workshops for the Diploma on an ad hoc basis in 1990, 1991, and 1992. This year we have contracted for a fuller package which involves work with first and second years and staff. Next year this will continue with third year students. We believe biculturalism training for non-Maori has two major aspects and, although they overlap in various ways we think that it is useful to separate them: the first one is awareness of Maori cultural practices, values, etc, which can perhaps be called ‘cultural sensitivity training’. This needs to be under the control of Maori and have major input from Maori. The second aspect is where our focus is, and that is awareness of the effect on the Maori world of the loss of sovereignty by Maori; of their marginalisation over the last one hundred and fifty years by Pakeha; of their oppressed status; loss of economic base, and the implications for change that flow from those events. We believe that, at least initially, Pakeha have the responsibility for educating themselves and other pakeha in this area.

text: Pakeha students and a pro-Treaty analysis: Teaching issues in a diploma of clinical psychology programme We ran Treaty/biculturalism workshops for the Diploma on an ad hoc basis in 1990, 1991, and 1992. This year we have contracted for a fuller package which involves work with first and second years and staff. Next year this will continue with third year students. We believe biculturalism training for non-Maori has two major aspects and, although they overlap in various ways we think that it is useful to separate them: the first one is awareness of Maori cultural practices, values, etc, which can perhaps be called ‘cultural sensitivity training’. This needs to be under the control of Maori and have major input from Maori. The second aspect is where our focus is, and that is awareness of the effect on the Maori world of the loss of sovereignty by Maori; of their marginalisation over the last one hundred and fifty years by Pakeha; of their oppressed status; loss of economic base, and the implications for change that flow from those events. We believe that, at least initially, Pakeha have the responsibility for educating themselves and other pakeha in this area.

year: 1993