title: The Te Kotahitanga Observation Tool: Development, use, reliability and validity.

authors: Berryman, Mere

subjects: chool reform

abstract: Te Kotahitanga is a New Zealand school reform project aimed at improving the pedagogical contexts in mainstream classrooms in which the indigenous Māori students have traditionally been marginalised. It does this by assisting teachers to implement an Effective Teaching Profile. Part of this process uses an observation tool to monitor the degree to which participating teachers are incorporating the interactions and relationships described in the Effective Teaching Profile into their day-to-day teaching. Given the central importance of these tasks, the Te Kotahitanga team undertook to test the observation tool for measurement reliability and validity. In order to undertake this study, the team conducted synchronous observations amongst trainers (the Professional Development Coordinator and Regional Coordinators) to ascertain their level of consistency when using the tool. The team then conducted synchronous observations between trainers and 38 in-school facilitators in the 12 schools involved in Phase 3 of the project. In total 41 teachers were observed and over 200 Māori students were involved in these observations. This study suggests that the tool can produce consistent and reliable results when observers have been effectively trained.

text: The Te Kotahitanga Observation Tool: Development, use, reliability and validity. Te Kotahitanga is a New Zealand school reform project aimed at improving the pedagogical contexts in mainstream classrooms in which the indigenous Māori students have traditionally been marginalised. It does this by assisting teachers to implement an Effective Teaching Profile. Part of this process uses an observation tool to monitor the degree to which participating teachers are incorporating the interactions and relationships described in the Effective Teaching Profile into their day-to-day teaching. Given the central importance of these tasks, the Te Kotahitanga team undertook to test the observation tool for measurement reliability and validity. In order to undertake this study, the team conducted synchronous observations amongst trainers (the Professional Development Coordinator and Regional Coordinators) to ascertain their level of consistency when using the tool. The team then conducted synchronous observations between trainers and 38 in-school facilitators in the 12 schools involved in Phase 3 of the project. In total 41 teachers were observed and over 200 Māori students were involved in these observations. This study suggests that the tool can produce consistent and reliable results when observers have been effectively trained.

year: 2011

title: ‘Hospitality’, boundary crossing and thresholds applied in education: Embodying manaakitanga and whanaungatanga

authors: Wright, Noeline

abstract: In everyday understanding, ‘hospitality’ refers to paid work contexts; commodities and transactional tasks. Hospitality can, however, have much broader significance. It can be understood in cultural and social terms within and beyond transactional contexts. In Māori cultural knowledge and practices for example, hospitality has reciprocal, relational nuances. Perhaps both views imply that ‘hospitality’ is an act of ‘crossing boundaries […] or thresholds’ as Still (2013: 4) suggested. Relational, reciprocal, boundary-crossing practices may also infer ritual understandings of respect, kindness, generosity and harmony. Crossing thresholds is a central concept in Māori knowledge and practices and is central to this article exploring concepts and practices of hospitality in a new primary school focused on building its practices on relational and reciprocal values. In Aotearoa New Zealand educational contexts, hospitality is a cultural, social reciprocal and relational practice. Thus, through examining ‘hospitality’, ‘borders’ and ‘thresholds’ across the boundaries of education and commerce, we hope to illuminate both connections and differences. We do so through reviewing both literature about ‘hospitality’, ‘borders’ and ‘thresholds’ and interview data from a new school intentionally valuing whanaungatanga.

text: ‘Hospitality’, boundary crossing and thresholds applied in education: Embodying manaakitanga and whanaungatanga In everyday understanding, ‘hospitality’ refers to paid work contexts; commodities and transactional tasks. Hospitality can, however, have much broader significance. It can be understood in cultural and social terms within and beyond transactional contexts. In Māori cultural knowledge and practices for example, hospitality has reciprocal, relational nuances. Perhaps both views imply that ‘hospitality’ is an act of ‘crossing boundaries […] or thresholds’ as Still (2013: 4) suggested. Relational, reciprocal, boundary-crossing practices may also infer ritual understandings of respect, kindness, generosity and harmony. Crossing thresholds is a central concept in Māori knowledge and practices and is central to this article exploring concepts and practices of hospitality in a new primary school focused on building its practices on relational and reciprocal values. In Aotearoa New Zealand educational contexts, hospitality is a cultural, social reciprocal and relational practice. Thus, through examining ‘hospitality’, ‘borders’ and ‘thresholds’ across the boundaries of education and commerce, we hope to illuminate both connections and differences. We do so through reviewing both literature about ‘hospitality’, ‘borders’ and ‘thresholds’ and interview data from a new school intentionally valuing whanaungatanga.

year: 2021-03-01

title: Creating public dialogue: bridging the divide between television policymakers and citizens

authors: Macbeth, Rose M. S.

abstract: This thesis identifies a lack of public participation in both the historical and contemporary communication dimensions of New Zealand’s media regulation. It illustrates how this situation is evident even in policies such as the Codes of Practice which dictate programme standards for broadcast television. The thesis then argues this situation can be resolved and shows how Citizens’ Juries can act as dialogue bridges between media organisations and citizen representatives to enable community opinion to inform and benchmark policy decisions. 

The research programme first considers the twin narratives of social power and the restrictions of public participation in policy dialogue. This is addressed through data gathered from a series of literature reviews of the historical development of New Zealand’s press and broadcasting services. An additional review clarified the impact of British and American socioeconomic principals in the regulatory policies of New Zealand media, especially television broadcasting. Interviews with television officials and researchers in Britain and America informed this investigative review which disclosed a triangulation of influences in New Zealand media models. 

The thesis is framed in the context of an “action research” programme designed to specifically address the historic lack of public dialogue evident even in television policies that have a widespread community impact. The study confirms the documented ability of “action research” inquiry to provide large quantities of rich descriptive data and to generate new theoretical insights. A list of fifteen characteristics applicable to an action research study aimed at organisational change is used to validate this study’s methodology. The action research inquiry method closely matches this type of exploratory problem-solving research, as it requires interdisciplinary theoretical scanning. This proved beneficial as it enabled specific interacting theories to be located to precisely explain the social issues and situations that can emerge in a programme designed to resolve a real-world issue in a complex social setting. The action inquiry method also acknowledges the value of practice-based knowledge and other informal experiences that contribute to this research programme.

As the preface relates, reflections about the action steps (part of the action research inquiry structure) were shown to increase understanding and theoretical insights, and propel the research process forward. These “active thinking” phases led to an investigation of the Citizens’ Jury methodology, its international practice and the planning of the Waikato Citizens’ Jury. In this event 12 Waikato residents debated the “good taste and decency” Code of Practice for Free-To-Air television with a number of television experts, including broadcasting executives, Broadcasting Standards Authority staff members, academic researchers and different aged television viewers. The thesis provides a rationale for the design and operation of the Waikato Citizens’ Jury as well as its evaluation procedures. The EPPT (Equal Preparation Participation Time) formula was an outcome of the Waikato Citizens’ Jury held from 2-4 July 1999.The formula components are designed to act as a policy guideline for the management of public dialogue events between policy-makers and citizen representatives. 

This study contends that the Citizens’ Jury model is a more ethical, and valuable public opinion gathering method than the polling theoretical methods in present widespread use, as its practice engages both parties in a process of informed face to face dialogue. The Jury structure works to equalise the normally asymmetrical relationship between policy-makers and citizens. The thesis asserts that the Waikato Citizens’ Jury demonstrates both a solution to the dialogue divide between television policymakers and citizens, and the problem of resolving public participation in New Zealand media regulatory practices. It also demonstrates action research displays the tenets of sound scientific research practice and the success of the EPPT dialogue formula in action. The thesis ends by concluding that New Zealand media organisations due to their persistent refusal to consult directly with citizens, especially about policies with a widespread community impact, exhibit a syndrome the author terms “institutional NIMBYism”.

text: Creating public dialogue: bridging the divide between television policymakers and citizens This thesis identifies a lack of public participation in both the historical and contemporary communication dimensions of New Zealand’s media regulation. It illustrates how this situation is evident even in policies such as the Codes of Practice which dictate programme standards for broadcast television. The thesis then argues this situation can be resolved and shows how Citizens’ Juries can act as dialogue bridges between media organisations and citizen representatives to enable community opinion to inform and benchmark policy decisions. 

The research programme first considers the twin narratives of social power and the restrictions of public participation in policy dialogue. This is addressed through data gathered from a series of literature reviews of the historical development of New Zealand’s press and broadcasting services. An additional review clarified the impact of British and American socioeconomic principals in the regulatory policies of New Zealand media, especially television broadcasting. Interviews with television officials and researchers in Britain and America informed this investigative review which disclosed a triangulation of influences in New Zealand media models. 

The thesis is framed in the context of an “action research” programme designed to specifically address the historic lack of public dialogue evident even in television policies that have a widespread community impact. The study confirms the documented ability of “action research” inquiry to provide large quantities of rich descriptive data and to generate new theoretical insights. A list of fifteen characteristics applicable to an action research study aimed at organisational change is used to validate this study’s methodology. The action research inquiry method closely matches this type of exploratory problem-solving research, as it requires interdisciplinary theoretical scanning. This proved beneficial as it enabled specific interacting theories to be located to precisely explain the social issues and situations that can emerge in a programme designed to resolve a real-world issue in a complex social setting. The action inquiry method also acknowledges the value of practice-based knowledge and other informal experiences that contribute to this research programme.

As the preface relates, reflections about the action steps (part of the action research inquiry structure) were shown to increase understanding and theoretical insights, and propel the research process forward. These “active thinking” phases led to an investigation of the Citizens’ Jury methodology, its international practice and the planning of the Waikato Citizens’ Jury. In this event 12 Waikato residents debated the “good taste and decency” Code of Practice for Free-To-Air television with a number of television experts, including broadcasting executives, Broadcasting Standards Authority staff members, academic researchers and different aged television viewers. The thesis provides a rationale for the design and operation of the Waikato Citizens’ Jury as well as its evaluation procedures. The EPPT (Equal Preparation Participation Time) formula was an outcome of the Waikato Citizens’ Jury held from 2-4 July 1999.The formula components are designed to act as a policy guideline for the management of public dialogue events between policy-makers and citizen representatives. 

This study contends that the Citizens’ Jury model is a more ethical, and valuable public opinion gathering method than the polling theoretical methods in present widespread use, as its practice engages both parties in a process of informed face to face dialogue. The Jury structure works to equalise the normally asymmetrical relationship between policy-makers and citizens. The thesis asserts that the Waikato Citizens’ Jury demonstrates both a solution to the dialogue divide between television policymakers and citizens, and the problem of resolving public participation in New Zealand media regulatory practices. It also demonstrates action research displays the tenets of sound scientific research practice and the success of the EPPT dialogue formula in action. The thesis ends by concluding that New Zealand media organisations due to their persistent refusal to consult directly with citizens, especially about policies with a widespread community impact, exhibit a syndrome the author terms “institutional NIMBYism”.

year: 2002