title: Climate change is here:  Teachers’ and students’ perceptions about education for It

authors: Bevins, Patricia Anne

subjects: Climate change

abstract: Climate change is the greatest threat humans have ever faced. The unprecedented anthropogenic activity impacting on the environment is having catastrophic effects across the globe and could continue for thousands of years. Mitigation to prevent further environmental harm and adaptation to the already-changing conditions are essential strategies in addressing climate change and, therefore, education for these strategies is imperative. Educators have an opportunity to prepare our learners with the knowledge and skills they will need to combat the impacts and effects of climate change. Climate change education offers young people a chance to develop their knowledge, critical and creative thinking and problem-solving skills while building their resilience and adaptive capacity to act in this crisis. But are our young people getting these learning opportunities?
This was an interpretive study that focused on the perceptions of climate change and climate change education of students, teachers and leaders at a secondary school in the Waikato region of New Zealand. A mix of quantitative and qualitative data was gathered by using an on-line questionnaire and focus groups with students and semi-structured interviews with their teachers and leaders. The data were divided into four sections: beliefs, knowledge, attitudes and actions for both the student data and the teachers’ and leaders’ data, and were thematically analysed using NVivo. 
The data clearly showed in this study that the students were worried about how climate change was going to affect their future lives and the lives of the people closest to them and most wanted to change their behaviour and take action to try and reduce the effects of a changing climate. In order to do this, the students wanted to learn more about climate change, raise their awareness, and the awareness in their community, so that everybody could be prepared for the changing climate. The findings indicated that the teachers all agreed that climate change education is important for students and wanted to know more about climate change so they could inform their students about climate change through education. The leaders indicated that it is vital that the students’ are thoroughly prepared for the changing climate and a change in behaviour, but they also felt that the teachers needed to be supported as well, and not just those teaching about climate change, but to make sure everyone is prepared for an uncertain future. 
This study recommends the Ministry of Education to firstly, consider how climate change education can be made available to all children and young people, and then to provide guidance on how educators in schools and teacher education throughout New Zealand could teach about climate change to all our learners.

text: Climate change is here:  Teachers’ and students’ perceptions about education for It Climate change is the greatest threat humans have ever faced. The unprecedented anthropogenic activity impacting on the environment is having catastrophic effects across the globe and could continue for thousands of years. Mitigation to prevent further environmental harm and adaptation to the already-changing conditions are essential strategies in addressing climate change and, therefore, education for these strategies is imperative. Educators have an opportunity to prepare our learners with the knowledge and skills they will need to combat the impacts and effects of climate change. Climate change education offers young people a chance to develop their knowledge, critical and creative thinking and problem-solving skills while building their resilience and adaptive capacity to act in this crisis. But are our young people getting these learning opportunities?
This was an interpretive study that focused on the perceptions of climate change and climate change education of students, teachers and leaders at a secondary school in the Waikato region of New Zealand. A mix of quantitative and qualitative data was gathered by using an on-line questionnaire and focus groups with students and semi-structured interviews with their teachers and leaders. The data were divided into four sections: beliefs, knowledge, attitudes and actions for both the student data and the teachers’ and leaders’ data, and were thematically analysed using NVivo. 
The data clearly showed in this study that the students were worried about how climate change was going to affect their future lives and the lives of the people closest to them and most wanted to change their behaviour and take action to try and reduce the effects of a changing climate. In order to do this, the students wanted to learn more about climate change, raise their awareness, and the awareness in their community, so that everybody could be prepared for the changing climate. The findings indicated that the teachers all agreed that climate change education is important for students and wanted to know more about climate change so they could inform their students about climate change through education. The leaders indicated that it is vital that the students’ are thoroughly prepared for the changing climate and a change in behaviour, but they also felt that the teachers needed to be supported as well, and not just those teaching about climate change, but to make sure everyone is prepared for an uncertain future. 
This study recommends the Ministry of Education to firstly, consider how climate change education can be made available to all children and young people, and then to provide guidance on how educators in schools and teacher education throughout New Zealand could teach about climate change to all our learners.

year: 2020

title: Experiences of NCEA: The challenges and limitations

authors: Arnerich, Amelia

subjects: NCEA

abstract: Aotearoa New Zealand is not exempt from the prevailing issue of student disengagement in education that has worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic. Failure to adequately engage in schooling can prove harmful as it increases the risk of an individual becoming NEET. Youth not in Employment, Education and Training (NEET) is a policy concern, as it demonstrates disengagement in both education and the community which can be detrimental to the economy and society. An engaging curriculum, relevant to the 21st century, is necessary to retain student interest in school. In 2002, the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) was introduced as Aotearoa’s main senior secondary school qualification system. The standards-based qualification attempted to address educational inequalities and respond to the need for a dynamic and engaging curriculum. Specifically, NCEA intended to improve accessibility and achievement for marginalised students, providing all individuals, regardless of ethnicity or social standing, the equal opportunity to achieve a senior secondary school qualification. NCEA’s objectives are to prepare students for further training, education, the labour market and to equip them with the skills necessary to actively participate in wider society. This thesis carried out a study on NCEA. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the establishment, implementation, and reform of NCEA policy and practice, to better understand experiences, challenges and limitations encountered by students. The research questions included: How have education policies changed over time in Aotearoa?; What are some of the issues and problems associated with NCEA in practice?; According to academic commentary and past student views, to what extent has NCEA achieved its purposes and objectives? How do some past students view their experience of NCEA? This study utilised a mixed methods approach, examined relevant literature and conducted a survey of past NCEA students. The online survey was designed to evoke insights on student engagement; views on NCEA’s capacity to provide access to relevant 21st century learning; fairness in assessment practices; the extent to which students felt prepared for the workplace and civic duties, school implementation of the qualification system and the NCEA Change Programmes' policy refinements. The survey was an opportunity to enhance past student voice in policy discussion. Findings revealed that the majority of participants were engaged in their learning in some capacity. However, the survey also revealed there was widespread dissatisfaction with NCEA. The literature demonstrated that although NCEA was founded on egalitarian principles and implemented to alleviate educational disparities, it continues to perpetuate pre-existing inequalities. Disengagement and NEET youth remain an ongoing issue. Participants who attended higher decile schools generally had a better NCEA experience. Participants who attended lower decile schools were dissatisfied, in part due to the lack of available educational opportunities. This thesis argues past student experiences highlight engagement and relevance issues in the education system. Additionally, NCEA’s flexible design which enables interschool variation can negatively affect marginalised individuals such as Māori, Pacific Peoples and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Finally, this thesis argues there are historical and contemporary systemic barriers to achieving educational equality.

text: Experiences of NCEA: The challenges and limitations Aotearoa New Zealand is not exempt from the prevailing issue of student disengagement in education that has worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic. Failure to adequately engage in schooling can prove harmful as it increases the risk of an individual becoming NEET. Youth not in Employment, Education and Training (NEET) is a policy concern, as it demonstrates disengagement in both education and the community which can be detrimental to the economy and society. An engaging curriculum, relevant to the 21st century, is necessary to retain student interest in school. In 2002, the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) was introduced as Aotearoa’s main senior secondary school qualification system. The standards-based qualification attempted to address educational inequalities and respond to the need for a dynamic and engaging curriculum. Specifically, NCEA intended to improve accessibility and achievement for marginalised students, providing all individuals, regardless of ethnicity or social standing, the equal opportunity to achieve a senior secondary school qualification. NCEA’s objectives are to prepare students for further training, education, the labour market and to equip them with the skills necessary to actively participate in wider society. This thesis carried out a study on NCEA. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the establishment, implementation, and reform of NCEA policy and practice, to better understand experiences, challenges and limitations encountered by students. The research questions included: How have education policies changed over time in Aotearoa?; What are some of the issues and problems associated with NCEA in practice?; According to academic commentary and past student views, to what extent has NCEA achieved its purposes and objectives? How do some past students view their experience of NCEA? This study utilised a mixed methods approach, examined relevant literature and conducted a survey of past NCEA students. The online survey was designed to evoke insights on student engagement; views on NCEA’s capacity to provide access to relevant 21st century learning; fairness in assessment practices; the extent to which students felt prepared for the workplace and civic duties, school implementation of the qualification system and the NCEA Change Programmes' policy refinements. The survey was an opportunity to enhance past student voice in policy discussion. Findings revealed that the majority of participants were engaged in their learning in some capacity. However, the survey also revealed there was widespread dissatisfaction with NCEA. The literature demonstrated that although NCEA was founded on egalitarian principles and implemented to alleviate educational disparities, it continues to perpetuate pre-existing inequalities. Disengagement and NEET youth remain an ongoing issue. Participants who attended higher decile schools generally had a better NCEA experience. Participants who attended lower decile schools were dissatisfied, in part due to the lack of available educational opportunities. This thesis argues past student experiences highlight engagement and relevance issues in the education system. Additionally, NCEA’s flexible design which enables interschool variation can negatively affect marginalised individuals such as Māori, Pacific Peoples and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Finally, this thesis argues there are historical and contemporary systemic barriers to achieving educational equality.

year: 2024-12-18

title: Eke panuku, eke tangaroa! How Black Ferns 7s athletes navigate Instagram and inspire the next generation in Aotearoa

authors: Keet, Thandiwe Maia

subjects: Gender

abstract: This thesis considers the role of Instagram in the lives of players on the New Zealand Black Ferns 7s rugby team, and audience engagement with players’ social media accounts. Using a mana wāhine methodology, this study explores how Black Ferns 7s players utilize and navigate Instagram, through mixed-methods enquiry, including a social media analysis of 8 players’ accounts, interviews with 3 Black Ferns 7s players, and talanoa sessions with members of the women’s rugby community in the Bay of Plenty, supplemented by input from Black Ferns players and fans via direct messages on Instagram. The quantitative social media analysis identified 4 key themes in players’ Instagram posts: achievement, team & rugby, life outside rugby, and culture & vulnerability. The analysis reveals that players post the most regarding their “team & rugby”, generating an “athlete first” self- representation. It finds a statistically significant difference in the thematic content of Instagram posts based on squad seniority and the number of followers a player has. Followers were found to engage most with posts regarding “achievement”, and the least with posts regarding “culture and vulnerability”.
The interviews elaborate upon these quantitative differences by highlighting why athletes specifically use Instagram, insights into Black Ferns aspirational team dynamics, and the importance of a player’s life outside of rugby. The thematic analysis also reveals the digital economic and collective labour involved in producing social media content as a member of this team, and what it means to be culturally “authentic” online in Aotearoa. It reveals the unique elements generated by the team-sport context of this study, including intra-team differences in social media usage. Furthermore, hauora, Indigenous role modeling, and Tall Poppy Syndrome emerge as factors particularly unique to the cultural context within which this study takes place. The discussions culminate in the establishment of a layered understanding of the external, internal, and individual factors which shape Instagram posting habits, and the features which most significantly impact why audiences follow the curated displays Black Ferns 7s athletes provide online.
This project contributes to international literature on sportswomen’s use of social media, demonstrating the powerful ways that players support one another in what, when, and how they post, and the importance of cultural identity in Māori and Pasifika players’ social media engagement. It further reveals the importance of team culture in shaping individual players’ social media and audience engagement. This thesis also highlights the significance of sporting and cultural histories and intersectional identities in digital self-representation and fan engagement with sportswomen’s social media usage.

text: Eke panuku, eke tangaroa! How Black Ferns 7s athletes navigate Instagram and inspire the next generation in Aotearoa This thesis considers the role of Instagram in the lives of players on the New Zealand Black Ferns 7s rugby team, and audience engagement with players’ social media accounts. Using a mana wāhine methodology, this study explores how Black Ferns 7s players utilize and navigate Instagram, through mixed-methods enquiry, including a social media analysis of 8 players’ accounts, interviews with 3 Black Ferns 7s players, and talanoa sessions with members of the women’s rugby community in the Bay of Plenty, supplemented by input from Black Ferns players and fans via direct messages on Instagram. The quantitative social media analysis identified 4 key themes in players’ Instagram posts: achievement, team & rugby, life outside rugby, and culture & vulnerability. The analysis reveals that players post the most regarding their “team & rugby”, generating an “athlete first” self- representation. It finds a statistically significant difference in the thematic content of Instagram posts based on squad seniority and the number of followers a player has. Followers were found to engage most with posts regarding “achievement”, and the least with posts regarding “culture and vulnerability”.
The interviews elaborate upon these quantitative differences by highlighting why athletes specifically use Instagram, insights into Black Ferns aspirational team dynamics, and the importance of a player’s life outside of rugby. The thematic analysis also reveals the digital economic and collective labour involved in producing social media content as a member of this team, and what it means to be culturally “authentic” online in Aotearoa. It reveals the unique elements generated by the team-sport context of this study, including intra-team differences in social media usage. Furthermore, hauora, Indigenous role modeling, and Tall Poppy Syndrome emerge as factors particularly unique to the cultural context within which this study takes place. The discussions culminate in the establishment of a layered understanding of the external, internal, and individual factors which shape Instagram posting habits, and the features which most significantly impact why audiences follow the curated displays Black Ferns 7s athletes provide online.
This project contributes to international literature on sportswomen’s use of social media, demonstrating the powerful ways that players support one another in what, when, and how they post, and the importance of cultural identity in Māori and Pasifika players’ social media engagement. It further reveals the importance of team culture in shaping individual players’ social media and audience engagement. This thesis also highlights the significance of sporting and cultural histories and intersectional identities in digital self-representation and fan engagement with sportswomen’s social media usage.

year: 2022