title: Exploring effective digital technologies programmes: Perspectives of middle school teachers and leaders

authors: Buckle, Shannon

subjects: Digital Technologies

abstract: Recognising the growing demand for digital skills in the 21st century, the Ministry of Education (MoE) introduced a Digital Technologies (DT) element to the Technology Curriculum in 2018, aiming to equip students with the knowledge and capabilities to thrive in a technology-driven world. However, the implementation of this new curriculum, mandated to start in 2020, presented challenges for schools, leaders and teachers, particularly regarding teacher confidence, skill development, and pedagogical approaches. 

This thesis examines the implementation of the digital technologies content of the New Zealand Technology Curriculum (DTC) in New Zealand middle schools, specifically focusing on how schools can effectively implement DT programmes. The research adopts a qualitative, interpretivist, collective Case Study approach, focusing on two middle schools in the Waikato region. Data was gathered through focus groups, document analysis, classroom observations, and interviews with teachers and leaders at the participating schools. This data was then analysed thematically. The findings highlight the crucial roles that both school leaders and teachers play in the effective implementation of DT programmes. The research identified two central themes: ‘Leaders as Catalysts for Digital Advancement’ and ‘Teachers as Digital Technologies Champions’.

Leaders were found to catalyse digital advancement by:
• Establishing clear goals and expectations.
• Allocating resources strategically.
• Attending to their own learning.
• Supporting teachers to build their confidence and competence in DT.

Teachers, in turn, championed successful DT programmes by:
• Understanding and responding to the rationale and purposes for digital technologies.
• Demonstrating learning dispositions towards innovation and change.
• Deliberately utilising a range of DT tools.
• Leveraging pedagogical strategies to enhance engagement and achievement.

The research emphasises the importance of aligning leadership actions with teacher needs to create a supportive environment for DT implementation. Furthermore, a Digital Technologies Content Implementation Tool (DTCIT V2) has been proposed, through partnering the findings of the study with the TPACK model and other scholarship. Literature suggests that the challenges associated with implementation of the DTC – confidence, skill and pedagogy, can be addressed through teachers developing their content knowledge, technological knowledge and curriculum integration.

The findings highlight the need for ongoing, tailored professional learning and development (PLD) opportunities to address teacher anxieties and build confidence and competence in delivering the DTC. It is hoped that the findings of this research will assist teachers and leaders to move through the challenges of implementing the DTC and develop effective Digital Technologies programmes for their learners.

text: Exploring effective digital technologies programmes: Perspectives of middle school teachers and leaders Recognising the growing demand for digital skills in the 21st century, the Ministry of Education (MoE) introduced a Digital Technologies (DT) element to the Technology Curriculum in 2018, aiming to equip students with the knowledge and capabilities to thrive in a technology-driven world. However, the implementation of this new curriculum, mandated to start in 2020, presented challenges for schools, leaders and teachers, particularly regarding teacher confidence, skill development, and pedagogical approaches. 

This thesis examines the implementation of the digital technologies content of the New Zealand Technology Curriculum (DTC) in New Zealand middle schools, specifically focusing on how schools can effectively implement DT programmes. The research adopts a qualitative, interpretivist, collective Case Study approach, focusing on two middle schools in the Waikato region. Data was gathered through focus groups, document analysis, classroom observations, and interviews with teachers and leaders at the participating schools. This data was then analysed thematically. The findings highlight the crucial roles that both school leaders and teachers play in the effective implementation of DT programmes. The research identified two central themes: ‘Leaders as Catalysts for Digital Advancement’ and ‘Teachers as Digital Technologies Champions’.

Leaders were found to catalyse digital advancement by:
• Establishing clear goals and expectations.
• Allocating resources strategically.
• Attending to their own learning.
• Supporting teachers to build their confidence and competence in DT.

Teachers, in turn, championed successful DT programmes by:
• Understanding and responding to the rationale and purposes for digital technologies.
• Demonstrating learning dispositions towards innovation and change.
• Deliberately utilising a range of DT tools.
• Leveraging pedagogical strategies to enhance engagement and achievement.

The research emphasises the importance of aligning leadership actions with teacher needs to create a supportive environment for DT implementation. Furthermore, a Digital Technologies Content Implementation Tool (DTCIT V2) has been proposed, through partnering the findings of the study with the TPACK model and other scholarship. Literature suggests that the challenges associated with implementation of the DTC – confidence, skill and pedagogy, can be addressed through teachers developing their content knowledge, technological knowledge and curriculum integration.

The findings highlight the need for ongoing, tailored professional learning and development (PLD) opportunities to address teacher anxieties and build confidence and competence in delivering the DTC. It is hoped that the findings of this research will assist teachers and leaders to move through the challenges of implementing the DTC and develop effective Digital Technologies programmes for their learners.

year: 2025

title: Investigating the alignment between coaches’ ideological beliefs and academy philosophy in professional youth football

authors: Hall, Joshua

abstract: The impacts of professional sporting culture and institutional discourse on coaching practices and ideologies have largely been unconsidered and undiscussed. Understanding coaching practice from a social perspective can provide insights into the prevailing culture that coaches are immersed within, pointing to patterns of discourse, norms and values that govern coaches’ actions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential for (mis)alignment between coaches’ ideological beliefs and the instituted philosophy of the professional football academy at which they worked. Thirteen male football coaches (M = 36.23 years) were observed coaching on three separate occasions, equating to 2584 min of footage (M = 66.26 min). Each recorded session was analysed using a computerised version of the Coach Analysis Intervention System (CAIS). All participants were interviewed twice (before first observation and after final observation). Coaches were questioned about the academy philosophy and their personal behavioural profiles. Data were subjected to thematic analysis and placed within a theoretical framework utilising concepts of Pierre Bourdieu. Findings highlighted that coaches’ interpretations of the academy philosophy were impacted by their prior socialisation and position within the status hierarchy. The data also demonstrated ‘philosophy’ being used as a ‘buzzword’ throughout the academy, derived from loose interpretations, but offered few specific suggestions regarding how coaches ‘should’ behave. Coach interactions were used as forms of social control rather than addressing pedagogical concerns, with coaches’ personal dispositions proving extremely strong and ultimately prevailing. It is worth questioning, therefore, the extent to which the academy ‘philosophy’ can be displaced, and the mechanisms required to ensure collective acceptance to an instituted coaching approach.

text: Investigating the alignment between coaches’ ideological beliefs and academy philosophy in professional youth football The impacts of professional sporting culture and institutional discourse on coaching practices and ideologies have largely been unconsidered and undiscussed. Understanding coaching practice from a social perspective can provide insights into the prevailing culture that coaches are immersed within, pointing to patterns of discourse, norms and values that govern coaches’ actions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential for (mis)alignment between coaches’ ideological beliefs and the instituted philosophy of the professional football academy at which they worked. Thirteen male football coaches (M = 36.23 years) were observed coaching on three separate occasions, equating to 2584 min of footage (M = 66.26 min). Each recorded session was analysed using a computerised version of the Coach Analysis Intervention System (CAIS). All participants were interviewed twice (before first observation and after final observation). Coaches were questioned about the academy philosophy and their personal behavioural profiles. Data were subjected to thematic analysis and placed within a theoretical framework utilising concepts of Pierre Bourdieu. Findings highlighted that coaches’ interpretations of the academy philosophy were impacted by their prior socialisation and position within the status hierarchy. The data also demonstrated ‘philosophy’ being used as a ‘buzzword’ throughout the academy, derived from loose interpretations, but offered few specific suggestions regarding how coaches ‘should’ behave. Coach interactions were used as forms of social control rather than addressing pedagogical concerns, with coaches’ personal dispositions proving extremely strong and ultimately prevailing. It is worth questioning, therefore, the extent to which the academy ‘philosophy’ can be displaced, and the mechanisms required to ensure collective acceptance to an instituted coaching approach.

year: 2020

title: Comparative fish abundance in the shallow Waikato lakes Whangape and Hakanoa

authors: Hicks, Brendan J.

abstract: The Waikato-Tainui College for Research and Development contracted the University of Waikato to conduct boat electrofishing estimates of the fish abundance in lakes Whangape and Hakanoa; both are shallow, riverine lakes in the lower Waikato River floodplain and are about 2,000 years old. Lake Whangape (latitude 37.46853°S, longitude 175.05120°W) is a large (1,450 ha), shallow (maximum depth 2.7 m) lake to the west of the Waikato River; Lake Hakanoa (latitude 37.55258°S, longitude 175.16859°W) is a 52-ha lake in suburban Huntly with a maximum depth of 2.5 m.
We fished 10 sites for 10 mins in both lakes Whangape and Lake Hakanoa; sites fished were 253-609 m long (1,012-2,436 m² in area) in Lake Whangape and 125-276 m long (500-1,104 m² in area) in Lake Hakanoa.
No submerged aquatic macrophytes were seen in either lake. Fishing was conducted close to the water's edge in Lake Hakanoa, but the shallow margins in Lake Whangape restricted fishing at most sites to 30-70 m from the shoreline. The shoreline was much more accessible in Lake Hakanoa, and was dominated by raupo (Typha orientalis) with willows (Salix spp.) in places. Submerged tree trunks and logs in Lake Hakanoa made navigation difficult in parts of the lake margins.
We caught a total of 118 fish in Lake Whangape, where shortfin eels (Anguilla australis) were the most abundant fish, and 594 fish in Lake Hakanoa, where gambusia (Gambusia affinis) the most abundant species. In Lake Whangape, shortfin eels comprised the greatest total biomass (12.4 kg), with koi carp (Cyprinus carpio) almost equally abundant (11.4 kg). In Lake Hakanoa, koi carp were most abundant (74.4 kg), followed by shortfin eels (22.1 kg).
Fish were unevenly spread among sites in Lake Whangape and koi carp were relatively sparsely among sites. In Lake Hakanoa, in contrast, fish were more evenly spread among sites, but with higher concentrations of catfish (Ameiurus nebulosus) and goldfish (Carassius auratus) at a few sites. Biomass of fish caught in each of the ten 10-min fishing shots reflected the numerical distributions, with some wide variations between sites. Fish densities were generally lower in Lake Whangape than in Lake Hakanoa; however, common smelt (Retropinna retropinna) and grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) occurred in Whangape but not in Hakanoa. Areal fish biomass was dominated by shortfin eels and koi carp in Lake Whangape, but koi carp dominated the fish biomass in Lake Hakanoa, despite the smaller number of carp than eels. This was because of the large mean weight of koi carp (about 1,000 g) compared to the smaller shortfin eels (mean weight about 200 g in both lakes).

text: Comparative fish abundance in the shallow Waikato lakes Whangape and Hakanoa The Waikato-Tainui College for Research and Development contracted the University of Waikato to conduct boat electrofishing estimates of the fish abundance in lakes Whangape and Hakanoa; both are shallow, riverine lakes in the lower Waikato River floodplain and are about 2,000 years old. Lake Whangape (latitude 37.46853°S, longitude 175.05120°W) is a large (1,450 ha), shallow (maximum depth 2.7 m) lake to the west of the Waikato River; Lake Hakanoa (latitude 37.55258°S, longitude 175.16859°W) is a 52-ha lake in suburban Huntly with a maximum depth of 2.5 m.
We fished 10 sites for 10 mins in both lakes Whangape and Lake Hakanoa; sites fished were 253-609 m long (1,012-2,436 m² in area) in Lake Whangape and 125-276 m long (500-1,104 m² in area) in Lake Hakanoa.
No submerged aquatic macrophytes were seen in either lake. Fishing was conducted close to the water's edge in Lake Hakanoa, but the shallow margins in Lake Whangape restricted fishing at most sites to 30-70 m from the shoreline. The shoreline was much more accessible in Lake Hakanoa, and was dominated by raupo (Typha orientalis) with willows (Salix spp.) in places. Submerged tree trunks and logs in Lake Hakanoa made navigation difficult in parts of the lake margins.
We caught a total of 118 fish in Lake Whangape, where shortfin eels (Anguilla australis) were the most abundant fish, and 594 fish in Lake Hakanoa, where gambusia (Gambusia affinis) the most abundant species. In Lake Whangape, shortfin eels comprised the greatest total biomass (12.4 kg), with koi carp (Cyprinus carpio) almost equally abundant (11.4 kg). In Lake Hakanoa, koi carp were most abundant (74.4 kg), followed by shortfin eels (22.1 kg).
Fish were unevenly spread among sites in Lake Whangape and koi carp were relatively sparsely among sites. In Lake Hakanoa, in contrast, fish were more evenly spread among sites, but with higher concentrations of catfish (Ameiurus nebulosus) and goldfish (Carassius auratus) at a few sites. Biomass of fish caught in each of the ten 10-min fishing shots reflected the numerical distributions, with some wide variations between sites. Fish densities were generally lower in Lake Whangape than in Lake Hakanoa; however, common smelt (Retropinna retropinna) and grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) occurred in Whangape but not in Hakanoa. Areal fish biomass was dominated by shortfin eels and koi carp in Lake Whangape, but koi carp dominated the fish biomass in Lake Hakanoa, despite the smaller number of carp than eels. This was because of the large mean weight of koi carp (about 1,000 g) compared to the smaller shortfin eels (mean weight about 200 g in both lakes).

year: 2016