title: Year 11 students’ perceptions of political institutions, political decision-making and political personalities: How do young New Zealanders participate in political processes?

authors: Suppers, Janina

subjects: Political participation

abstract: Thirty-seven percent of young, eligible New Zealanders, aged 18 - 24, did not vote in the General Election of 2014, which is a population of 126,065 people (Electoral Commission, 2014a). While New Zealand is still amongst countries with the highest voting rates, it also has the eighth steepest decline in turnout rate out of 22 advanced democracies (Vowles, 2012). These statistics suggest that current methods to involve and entice formal political participation, like voting, seem to fail. From my experience as a secondary school Social Studies teacher, a narrow definition of what constitutes political participation and an incomplete understanding of how young people perceive political institutions and decision-making processes, could be a reason for this perception of the politically disengaged young New Zealander (Arsenau, 2014; Catt, 2005; Liddle, 2013; McCulloch, 2014). This thesis analyses and presents current literature and philosophical theories around the political participation of young people, and political literacy education in the Social Sciences learning area of the New Zealand curriculum (Ministry of Education [NZC], 2007). The thesis also includes results from research I have conducted which focuses on young people aged below the voting age of 18 (Year 11), and their perceptions of political institutions, political decision making processes and political personalities. Through the use of a mixed methods approach (student questionnaires, semi-structured qualitative interviews with Social Sciences teachers, student focus group conversations), this research endeavours to describe how young New Zealanders aged 14 to 16 perceive and participate in political processes. The information gathered through these methods, is analysed, interpreted and used to provide guidance for political literacy education in the Social Sciences learning area of the New Zealand Curriculum.

text: Year 11 students’ perceptions of political institutions, political decision-making and political personalities: How do young New Zealanders participate in political processes? Thirty-seven percent of young, eligible New Zealanders, aged 18 - 24, did not vote in the General Election of 2014, which is a population of 126,065 people (Electoral Commission, 2014a). While New Zealand is still amongst countries with the highest voting rates, it also has the eighth steepest decline in turnout rate out of 22 advanced democracies (Vowles, 2012). These statistics suggest that current methods to involve and entice formal political participation, like voting, seem to fail. From my experience as a secondary school Social Studies teacher, a narrow definition of what constitutes political participation and an incomplete understanding of how young people perceive political institutions and decision-making processes, could be a reason for this perception of the politically disengaged young New Zealander (Arsenau, 2014; Catt, 2005; Liddle, 2013; McCulloch, 2014). This thesis analyses and presents current literature and philosophical theories around the political participation of young people, and political literacy education in the Social Sciences learning area of the New Zealand curriculum (Ministry of Education [NZC], 2007). The thesis also includes results from research I have conducted which focuses on young people aged below the voting age of 18 (Year 11), and their perceptions of political institutions, political decision making processes and political personalities. Through the use of a mixed methods approach (student questionnaires, semi-structured qualitative interviews with Social Sciences teachers, student focus group conversations), this research endeavours to describe how young New Zealanders aged 14 to 16 perceive and participate in political processes. The information gathered through these methods, is analysed, interpreted and used to provide guidance for political literacy education in the Social Sciences learning area of the New Zealand Curriculum.

year: 2016

title: Introduction

authors: Zirker, Daniel

subjects: Arts & Humanities

abstract: The "Third Wave of Democracy" has had a decidedly mixed impact on the world's military establishments. An increasing appearance of "tribal behavior" and social isolation of military institutions in a post-conscription era, wars of attrition fought conservatively by volunteer forces against ethnic armies, religious tradition versus various versions of modernity, these patterns are rapidly becoming the hallmarks of our age. The end of the Cold War, and of ideology as a driving force of conflict has had profound impacts upon our understanding of socio-political development in virtually all parts of the world. In an important sense, identities-ethnic, religious, linguistic and even historic-have replaced the dichotomous ideological divide that characterized the Cold War. Social science axioms of that now almost-forgotten period have collapsed, along with the major "East Bloc" political systems, while pre-WWI obsessions with conceptualizations of culture, identity, religion and ethnicity have increasingly come to dominate political behavior.

text: Introduction The "Third Wave of Democracy" has had a decidedly mixed impact on the world's military establishments. An increasing appearance of "tribal behavior" and social isolation of military institutions in a post-conscription era, wars of attrition fought conservatively by volunteer forces against ethnic armies, religious tradition versus various versions of modernity, these patterns are rapidly becoming the hallmarks of our age. The end of the Cold War, and of ideology as a driving force of conflict has had profound impacts upon our understanding of socio-political development in virtually all parts of the world. In an important sense, identities-ethnic, religious, linguistic and even historic-have replaced the dichotomous ideological divide that characterized the Cold War. Social science axioms of that now almost-forgotten period have collapsed, along with the major "East Bloc" political systems, while pre-WWI obsessions with conceptualizations of culture, identity, religion and ethnicity have increasingly come to dominate political behavior.

year: 2015

title: An evaluation of Te Rau Puawai workforce 100: Te Rau Puawai support team and staff perspectives

authors: Nikora, Linda Waimarie

subjects: Maori students

abstract: To evaluate the Te Rau Puawai programme, the Ministry of Health commissioned the
Maori and Psychology Research Unit of the University of Waikato in July 2001. The
overall aim of the evaluation was to provide the Ministry with a clearer understanding
of the programme including: the perceived critical success factors, the barriers if any
regarding Te Rau Puawai, the impact of the programme, the extent to which the
programme may be transferable, gaps in the programme, and suggested
improvements.
The Te Rau Puawai support team were identified as an important source of support
for bursars particularly the support provided by the coordinator and administrator.
This report documents the perspectives of four members of the telephone support
team (including the coordinator), and individual interviews held with the coordinator
and the administrator in addressing the objectives of the evaluation.

text: An evaluation of Te Rau Puawai workforce 100: Te Rau Puawai support team and staff perspectives To evaluate the Te Rau Puawai programme, the Ministry of Health commissioned the
Maori and Psychology Research Unit of the University of Waikato in July 2001. The
overall aim of the evaluation was to provide the Ministry with a clearer understanding
of the programme including: the perceived critical success factors, the barriers if any
regarding Te Rau Puawai, the impact of the programme, the extent to which the
programme may be transferable, gaps in the programme, and suggested
improvements.
The Te Rau Puawai support team were identified as an important source of support
for bursars particularly the support provided by the coordinator and administrator.
This report documents the perspectives of four members of the telephone support
team (including the coordinator), and individual interviews held with the coordinator
and the administrator in addressing the objectives of the evaluation.

year: 2002-05-01