title: Student voices: Experiences of Solomon Islands students in transition from primary school to boarding secondary school

authors: Vasethe, Godfrey

subjects: Solomon Islands

abstract: This study is about students' experiences when in transition from primary schools they attended daily to boarding secondary schools located far from their homes and villages in the Solomon Islands. In particular it explores the positive and negative feelings of students who have left their parents to live in boarding schools. For their first five months these students had no opportunity to contact their parents. The study also explores the strategies they used to overcome their difficulties and problems. It also explores the strategies that boarding schools used to help their students. While much research to date has been carried out in developed and developing countries, no such study as this has been carried out in the Solomon Islands or in the Melanesian region. Therefore, little is known about the students' experiences living in boarding schools for five months before seeing their parents again and the strategies they used to overcome their difficulties and problems. 

Research data were gathered using the qualitative method. Interviews were conducted with 16 students (9 first year students and 7 second year students), 3 principals and 1 deputy principal from four boarding secondary schools. Data gathered were analysed using the thematic approach. The collecting of data was conducted in the Solomon Islands in April and May 2009.

The key findings revealed both positive and negative experiences of the students when they had just arrived at school and the strategies they used to overcome their negative experiences. The positive feelings were feeling happy and all right. The negative feelings were feeling homesick, lonely, shy and afraid. The strategies that students used to overcome these problems were creating friendship with other students and attending social activities. 

The students also came across difficulties and problems like change of status from being senior students at primary schools to being the most junior students at secondary schools, tight school programmes, unfamiliar cultures and languages, and shortage of pocket money to help them to buy some of their needs that schools cannot provide. They also came across positive experiences like happiness, feeling relief and immediate help when they just arrived. Furthermore, they also faced both positive and negative aspects on their academic work, extra-curricular activities, food and accommodation.

The other key findings are the strategies that boarding schools used to help their new students.  These include: good dormitories and classrooms, orientations, class assemblies to talk about academic matters, dorm masters and mistresses helping out the new students in the dormitories, old students helping the new students, and cultural and religious groups.
The strategies provided by boarding secondary schools were not adequate enough from looking at the many difficulties and problems the students encountered, and some of the strategies were their own personal strategies and not the boarding school ones. Therefore, this study is in a position to inform the transition programmes for boarding secondary schools in the Solomon Islands.

text: Student voices: Experiences of Solomon Islands students in transition from primary school to boarding secondary school This study is about students' experiences when in transition from primary schools they attended daily to boarding secondary schools located far from their homes and villages in the Solomon Islands. In particular it explores the positive and negative feelings of students who have left their parents to live in boarding schools. For their first five months these students had no opportunity to contact their parents. The study also explores the strategies they used to overcome their difficulties and problems. It also explores the strategies that boarding schools used to help their students. While much research to date has been carried out in developed and developing countries, no such study as this has been carried out in the Solomon Islands or in the Melanesian region. Therefore, little is known about the students' experiences living in boarding schools for five months before seeing their parents again and the strategies they used to overcome their difficulties and problems. 

Research data were gathered using the qualitative method. Interviews were conducted with 16 students (9 first year students and 7 second year students), 3 principals and 1 deputy principal from four boarding secondary schools. Data gathered were analysed using the thematic approach. The collecting of data was conducted in the Solomon Islands in April and May 2009.

The key findings revealed both positive and negative experiences of the students when they had just arrived at school and the strategies they used to overcome their negative experiences. The positive feelings were feeling happy and all right. The negative feelings were feeling homesick, lonely, shy and afraid. The strategies that students used to overcome these problems were creating friendship with other students and attending social activities. 

The students also came across difficulties and problems like change of status from being senior students at primary schools to being the most junior students at secondary schools, tight school programmes, unfamiliar cultures and languages, and shortage of pocket money to help them to buy some of their needs that schools cannot provide. They also came across positive experiences like happiness, feeling relief and immediate help when they just arrived. Furthermore, they also faced both positive and negative aspects on their academic work, extra-curricular activities, food and accommodation.

The other key findings are the strategies that boarding schools used to help their new students.  These include: good dormitories and classrooms, orientations, class assemblies to talk about academic matters, dorm masters and mistresses helping out the new students in the dormitories, old students helping the new students, and cultural and religious groups.
The strategies provided by boarding secondary schools were not adequate enough from looking at the many difficulties and problems the students encountered, and some of the strategies were their own personal strategies and not the boarding school ones. Therefore, this study is in a position to inform the transition programmes for boarding secondary schools in the Solomon Islands.

year: 2010

title: Innovation and Growth: Theoretical Models and Analytical Simulations of Spatial, Clustering and Competition Effects

authors: Bond-Smith, Steven Craig

subjects: Endogenous Growth

abstract: This thesis expands upon endogenous growth theory to incorporate a more detailed understanding of innovation. The similarities in modelling techniques between endogenous growth theory and the New Economic Geography (NEG) in the existing literature creates an opportunity to incorporate features of innovation within a model of both geography and growth. The thesis explores three key areas. Firstly, innovation is based on knowledge spillovers. But knowledge spillovers are also subject to spatial characteristics in its transfer between firms, locations, regions and nations. Similarly, knowledge is used by innovators in many sectors, not just the sector where the knowledge was originally developed. As a result, innovating firms have an incentive to agglomerate alongside other innovators to benefit from each other’s knowledge. The geographic constraints of knowledge spillovers are incorporated into a regional model of growth with creative destruction. However, spillovers between industries are not equal. Industries or firms producing products which are closely related have a strong incentive to locate in close proximity to benefit from related-technology spillovers. Some of these related innovation clusters could potentially be isolated, but sustainable due to knowledge transfer between related firms within the cluster. It is this innovation clustering which could provide the opportunity for distant or isolated economies to sustain high levels of productivity. Lastly, the thesis considers a way in which firms enter a market such that entry is not necessarily available to all potential entrants. This limit on the market supplied by innovating firms is characterised by discrete instead of free entry. Entry by discrete firms allows entering firms to invest in innovation in response to actual (instead of potential) competitors. They are able to escape competition by sustaining incremental innovations. Greater competition in larger markets has greater investment in innovation by all participants. This thesis provides new insights for endogenous growth theory, emphasising the need for policies regarding innovation and economic growth that are industry and location specific.

text: Innovation and Growth: Theoretical Models and Analytical Simulations of Spatial, Clustering and Competition Effects This thesis expands upon endogenous growth theory to incorporate a more detailed understanding of innovation. The similarities in modelling techniques between endogenous growth theory and the New Economic Geography (NEG) in the existing literature creates an opportunity to incorporate features of innovation within a model of both geography and growth. The thesis explores three key areas. Firstly, innovation is based on knowledge spillovers. But knowledge spillovers are also subject to spatial characteristics in its transfer between firms, locations, regions and nations. Similarly, knowledge is used by innovators in many sectors, not just the sector where the knowledge was originally developed. As a result, innovating firms have an incentive to agglomerate alongside other innovators to benefit from each other’s knowledge. The geographic constraints of knowledge spillovers are incorporated into a regional model of growth with creative destruction. However, spillovers between industries are not equal. Industries or firms producing products which are closely related have a strong incentive to locate in close proximity to benefit from related-technology spillovers. Some of these related innovation clusters could potentially be isolated, but sustainable due to knowledge transfer between related firms within the cluster. It is this innovation clustering which could provide the opportunity for distant or isolated economies to sustain high levels of productivity. Lastly, the thesis considers a way in which firms enter a market such that entry is not necessarily available to all potential entrants. This limit on the market supplied by innovating firms is characterised by discrete instead of free entry. Entry by discrete firms allows entering firms to invest in innovation in response to actual (instead of potential) competitors. They are able to escape competition by sustaining incremental innovations. Greater competition in larger markets has greater investment in innovation by all participants. This thesis provides new insights for endogenous growth theory, emphasising the need for policies regarding innovation and economic growth that are industry and location specific.

year: 2014

title: Are they really at risk? Students' stories of success.

authors: Gray, Sheridan

subjects: Student engagement

abstract: In 2011, as the year level dean for year 13, I was surprised and pleased to see a group of students complete their fifth year of secondary schooling, contrary to teacher expectations, and in spite of earlier signs of disengagement and struggle.  Such students are frequently labelled “at risk” in our secondary schools. Truancy, lack of achievement, conduct issues, learning difficulties and health problems are seen as indicators of an at risk student by teachers. 

Statistically in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika students and students from low socio-economic families tend to be overrepresented among disengaged or early leavers from secondary schools, and so being from these cultures, and being from a low socio-economic group becomes a “risk” factor.   This can lead to assumptions among teachers about the students’ families, how parents value education, and even about the capacity of these groups to be able to succeed in education.  A range of strategies and programmes have been implemented in an attempt to address these issues, including Te Kotahitanga, Ka Hikitia and the Pasifika Education Plan, Resource Teachers Learning and Behaviour, Restorative Practice, and more recently Positive Behaviour for Learning

While there has been a shift in such approaches from deficit of students to emphasising more positive attitudes in teachers, the perspectives of the students themselves are missing from the discussion about these issues.  This study asks students what factors helped them to stay, and to achieve at least a level one NCEA qualification

The findings show that retention and engagement of “at risk” students requires careful attention to the quality of relationships across the school community: students, teachers and parents. They discredit some commonly held assumptions that “at risk” students and their parents do not value education and that teachers cannot support these students sufficiently. These quality relationships are respectful, responsive and tenacious showing a high level of respect for and interest in the students that goes beyond a teaching and learning relationship.  It also suggests that the discourse of “risk” invites a disrespectful response to retention and engagement of students.

text: Are they really at risk? Students' stories of success. In 2011, as the year level dean for year 13, I was surprised and pleased to see a group of students complete their fifth year of secondary schooling, contrary to teacher expectations, and in spite of earlier signs of disengagement and struggle.  Such students are frequently labelled “at risk” in our secondary schools. Truancy, lack of achievement, conduct issues, learning difficulties and health problems are seen as indicators of an at risk student by teachers. 

Statistically in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika students and students from low socio-economic families tend to be overrepresented among disengaged or early leavers from secondary schools, and so being from these cultures, and being from a low socio-economic group becomes a “risk” factor.   This can lead to assumptions among teachers about the students’ families, how parents value education, and even about the capacity of these groups to be able to succeed in education.  A range of strategies and programmes have been implemented in an attempt to address these issues, including Te Kotahitanga, Ka Hikitia and the Pasifika Education Plan, Resource Teachers Learning and Behaviour, Restorative Practice, and more recently Positive Behaviour for Learning

While there has been a shift in such approaches from deficit of students to emphasising more positive attitudes in teachers, the perspectives of the students themselves are missing from the discussion about these issues.  This study asks students what factors helped them to stay, and to achieve at least a level one NCEA qualification

The findings show that retention and engagement of “at risk” students requires careful attention to the quality of relationships across the school community: students, teachers and parents. They discredit some commonly held assumptions that “at risk” students and their parents do not value education and that teachers cannot support these students sufficiently. These quality relationships are respectful, responsive and tenacious showing a high level of respect for and interest in the students that goes beyond a teaching and learning relationship.  It also suggests that the discourse of “risk” invites a disrespectful response to retention and engagement of students.

year: 2012