title: Stories from the inside: A narrative analysis investigating the professional lives of three New Zealand secondary school heads of English departments

authors: Wright, Noeline

subjects: Head of department

abstract: This research is a narrative analysis based on an investigation into the professional lives of heads of English departments (HODs) in three New Zealand secondary schools. The main data collection methods of interviews and observations used in this study, fall within an interpretive paradigm.
The research breaks through prevailing silences about the realities of three HODs' professional lives. I propose that while these HODs play a pivotal role in secondary schools, their ability to engage in not only effective curriculum and pedagogical leadership but also effective classroom teaching, is seriously constrained. These constraints have occurred partly as a result of the accumulating effects of over a decade of continual educational reforms in New Zealand, partly because there have been Jew changes to staffing ratios to accommodate intensified workloads, and partly because secondary schools' basic timetable structures have not been able to change sufficiently to reflect other changes. Because consequences of the reforms on the work of these HODs have been largely ignored, I also contend that effective teaching and learning, which is the core focus of schools, is compromised.
Emotions and relationships, coupled with the effects of time constraints and complexity, are highlighted as major concerns and significant hindrances to the three HODs' work. In order to demonstrate the impact of such effects, a fictionalised short story 'from the inside' makes the personal political, exposing some of the human costs to HODs' professional lives.
This fictional story is from the inside' for at least two important reasons: the data from participants plus my own prior knowledge and experiences as an HOD. The effect of this on the research is also discussed.
Essentially, the circumstances in which the three participant English H0Ds work, may be symptomatic of an educational crisis that requires urgent attention, particularly in relation to the amount of time available for HODs to carry out their leadership roles. This research may be one step towards promoting that attention.

text: Stories from the inside: A narrative analysis investigating the professional lives of three New Zealand secondary school heads of English departments This research is a narrative analysis based on an investigation into the professional lives of heads of English departments (HODs) in three New Zealand secondary schools. The main data collection methods of interviews and observations used in this study, fall within an interpretive paradigm.
The research breaks through prevailing silences about the realities of three HODs' professional lives. I propose that while these HODs play a pivotal role in secondary schools, their ability to engage in not only effective curriculum and pedagogical leadership but also effective classroom teaching, is seriously constrained. These constraints have occurred partly as a result of the accumulating effects of over a decade of continual educational reforms in New Zealand, partly because there have been Jew changes to staffing ratios to accommodate intensified workloads, and partly because secondary schools' basic timetable structures have not been able to change sufficiently to reflect other changes. Because consequences of the reforms on the work of these HODs have been largely ignored, I also contend that effective teaching and learning, which is the core focus of schools, is compromised.
Emotions and relationships, coupled with the effects of time constraints and complexity, are highlighted as major concerns and significant hindrances to the three HODs' work. In order to demonstrate the impact of such effects, a fictionalised short story 'from the inside' makes the personal political, exposing some of the human costs to HODs' professional lives.
This fictional story is from the inside' for at least two important reasons: the data from participants plus my own prior knowledge and experiences as an HOD. The effect of this on the research is also discussed.
Essentially, the circumstances in which the three participant English H0Ds work, may be symptomatic of an educational crisis that requires urgent attention, particularly in relation to the amount of time available for HODs to carry out their leadership roles. This research may be one step towards promoting that attention.

year: 2002

title: The happy story of small business financing

authors: Vos, Ed

subjects: small-to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

abstract: We examine two data sets, one from the UK (n = 15,750) and one from the US (n = 3239), to show that SME financial behaviour demonstrates substantial financial contentment, or ‘happiness’. We find fewer than 10% of the UK firms seek significant growth and only 1.32% of US firms list a shortage of capital other than working capital as a problem. Financial performance indicators (growth, return on assets, profit margin) were not found to be determinants of SME financing activities, as might be expected in a ‘rational’ risk–return environment. Younger and less educated SME owners more actively use external financing – even though more education reduces the fear of loan denial – while older and more educated (‘wiser’) SME owners are found to be being less likely to seek or use external financing. The contentment hypothesis for SME financing also extends to high-growth firms in that we show that they participate more in the loan markets than low-growth firms. By way of contrast to the finance gap hypothesis, the contentment hypothesis observes the importance of social networks (connections) [for finance] and confirms the ‘connections – happiness’ linkage in the literature on happiness while doubting the theoretical suitability of Jensen and Meckling [Jensen, M., Meckling, W., 1976. Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs, and ownership structure. Journal of Financial Economics 3, 305–360.] base-case analysis for SMEs.

text: The happy story of small business financing We examine two data sets, one from the UK (n = 15,750) and one from the US (n = 3239), to show that SME financial behaviour demonstrates substantial financial contentment, or ‘happiness’. We find fewer than 10% of the UK firms seek significant growth and only 1.32% of US firms list a shortage of capital other than working capital as a problem. Financial performance indicators (growth, return on assets, profit margin) were not found to be determinants of SME financing activities, as might be expected in a ‘rational’ risk–return environment. Younger and less educated SME owners more actively use external financing – even though more education reduces the fear of loan denial – while older and more educated (‘wiser’) SME owners are found to be being less likely to seek or use external financing. The contentment hypothesis for SME financing also extends to high-growth firms in that we show that they participate more in the loan markets than low-growth firms. By way of contrast to the finance gap hypothesis, the contentment hypothesis observes the importance of social networks (connections) [for finance] and confirms the ‘connections – happiness’ linkage in the literature on happiness while doubting the theoretical suitability of Jensen and Meckling [Jensen, M., Meckling, W., 1976. Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs, and ownership structure. Journal of Financial Economics 3, 305–360.] base-case analysis for SMEs.

year: 2007

title: Participant responses to a tertiary-level Māori language immersion programme: Reporting on a questionnaire-based survey

authors: Nock, Sophie

subjects: Hamilton (N.Z.)

abstract: The article reports about a research project which was aimed at collecting and analyzing data related to the views of the students about a degree programme related to the Māori language in University of Waikato in 2008. As mentioned, a questionnaire was conducted to obtain the responses of the students. But the study revealed that success inhibiting factors were there which affected learning ability of learners, and students had little language proficiency.

text: Participant responses to a tertiary-level Māori language immersion programme: Reporting on a questionnaire-based survey The article reports about a research project which was aimed at collecting and analyzing data related to the views of the students about a degree programme related to the Māori language in University of Waikato in 2008. As mentioned, a questionnaire was conducted to obtain the responses of the students. But the study revealed that success inhibiting factors were there which affected learning ability of learners, and students had little language proficiency.

year: 2010