title: Teachers in training: Their transition experiences and their perceptions of preparedness to teach in Solomon Islands schools

authors: Maelagi, Edward E. R

subjects: Solomon Islands

abstract: This study examines the experiences of seven Solomon Islands teachers who completed the transition from being unqualified teachers (UQTs) to fully qualified professionals (FQPs) through the Teachers in Training Programme (TITP) at the Solomon Islands College of Higher Education (SICHE). It is unfortunate that in many developed and developing countries, such as the Solomon Islands, large numbers of UQTs are employed in schools. The School of Education (SOE) at SICHE, supported by the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD), and with funding provided by the New Zealand government through NZAID, established the TITP to help address the issue of UQTs in Solomon Islands schools. The teachers at the centre of this study worked through this programme during 2007, 2008 and 2009, and took up teaching positions in schools as FQPs in 2010. The study presents the narratives of seven individuals who made this journey over the 2007 – 2010 period. These narratives are analysed to identify key features of the participants‟ transition and to evaluate the impact of the programme on those engaged in it. Research data for this study were collected using qualitative research methods. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to investigate the perceptions of the seven participants of their transition experiences in their work in schools as UQTs; as participants in the TITP; and their perceptions of their teaching at the time of data collection as fully qualified professionals (FQPs). The seven participants were selected from four Community High Schools (CHSs); three schools were from an urban area and one was from a rural setting. The collection of data was done in the Solomon Islands in April and May, 2010. The thematic analysis approach was used to analyse the study data. The data collected and analysed revealed some interesting findings. Of particular interest were the reasons the participants gave for becoming teachers; the professional and personal difficulties they had experienced; their perceptions of the form of support they received; the change of attitudes toward teaching and teaching practices that they experienced; the impact of the TITP in their ii preparation to be FQPs; and their perceptions of their teaching now as FQPs. The findings of the study suggest that UQTs need to be supported and nurtured with the provision of mentors as they make the journey to being teachers in schools. The study findings also suggest that schools need to be supported to accommodate UQTs; and that the TITP as a teacher education programme should be continued and extended until such time as the issue of UQTs in the Solomon Islands is properly addressed.

text: Teachers in training: Their transition experiences and their perceptions of preparedness to teach in Solomon Islands schools This study examines the experiences of seven Solomon Islands teachers who completed the transition from being unqualified teachers (UQTs) to fully qualified professionals (FQPs) through the Teachers in Training Programme (TITP) at the Solomon Islands College of Higher Education (SICHE). It is unfortunate that in many developed and developing countries, such as the Solomon Islands, large numbers of UQTs are employed in schools. The School of Education (SOE) at SICHE, supported by the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD), and with funding provided by the New Zealand government through NZAID, established the TITP to help address the issue of UQTs in Solomon Islands schools. The teachers at the centre of this study worked through this programme during 2007, 2008 and 2009, and took up teaching positions in schools as FQPs in 2010. The study presents the narratives of seven individuals who made this journey over the 2007 – 2010 period. These narratives are analysed to identify key features of the participants‟ transition and to evaluate the impact of the programme on those engaged in it. Research data for this study were collected using qualitative research methods. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to investigate the perceptions of the seven participants of their transition experiences in their work in schools as UQTs; as participants in the TITP; and their perceptions of their teaching at the time of data collection as fully qualified professionals (FQPs). The seven participants were selected from four Community High Schools (CHSs); three schools were from an urban area and one was from a rural setting. The collection of data was done in the Solomon Islands in April and May, 2010. The thematic analysis approach was used to analyse the study data. The data collected and analysed revealed some interesting findings. Of particular interest were the reasons the participants gave for becoming teachers; the professional and personal difficulties they had experienced; their perceptions of the form of support they received; the change of attitudes toward teaching and teaching practices that they experienced; the impact of the TITP in their ii preparation to be FQPs; and their perceptions of their teaching now as FQPs. The findings of the study suggest that UQTs need to be supported and nurtured with the provision of mentors as they make the journey to being teachers in schools. The study findings also suggest that schools need to be supported to accommodate UQTs; and that the TITP as a teacher education programme should be continued and extended until such time as the issue of UQTs in the Solomon Islands is properly addressed.

year: 2011

title: Generalised domain and E-inverse semigroups

authors: Stokes, Tim E.

subjects: mathematics

abstract: A generalised D-semigroup is here defined to be a left E-semiabundant semigroup S in which the \overline{\mathcal R}_E-class of every x\in S contains a unique element D(x) of E, made into a unary semigroup. Two-sided versions are defined in the obvious way in terms of \overline{\mathcal R}_E and \overline{\mathcal L}_E. The resulting class of unary (bi-unary) semigroups is shown to be a finitely based variety, properly containing the variety of D-semigroups (defined in an order-theoretic way in Communications in Algebra, 3979–4007, 2014). Important subclasses associated with the regularity and abundance properties are considered. The full transformation semigroup T_X can be made into a generalised D-semigroup in many natural ways, and an embedding theorem is given. A generalisation of inverse semigroups in which inverses are defined relative to a set of idempotents arises as a special case, and a finite equational axiomatisation of the resulting unary semigroups is given.

text: Generalised domain and E-inverse semigroups A generalised D-semigroup is here defined to be a left E-semiabundant semigroup S in which the \overline{\mathcal R}_E-class of every x\in S contains a unique element D(x) of E, made into a unary semigroup. Two-sided versions are defined in the obvious way in terms of \overline{\mathcal R}_E and \overline{\mathcal L}_E. The resulting class of unary (bi-unary) semigroups is shown to be a finitely based variety, properly containing the variety of D-semigroups (defined in an order-theoretic way in Communications in Algebra, 3979–4007, 2014). Important subclasses associated with the regularity and abundance properties are considered. The full transformation semigroup T_X can be made into a generalised D-semigroup in many natural ways, and an embedding theorem is given. A generalisation of inverse semigroups in which inverses are defined relative to a set of idempotents arises as a special case, and a finite equational axiomatisation of the resulting unary semigroups is given.

year: 2018

title: He whare mātātuhi Tūhoe:  A Tūhoe re-visioning of English language literary texts

authors: Salsano, Marama

subjects: Māori writers

abstract: This thesis urges more Māori to undertake iwi-based readings of English language literary texts. I have chosen to privilege my father’s iwi, Ngāi Tūhoe, and to examine what Tūhoetana means to me and how it might thus enrich my reading of texts. In our ancestral tongue, Ngāi Tūhoe have a rich and pronounced history of storytelling, literary composition, analysis and critique. Unfortunately, this richness is woefully underappreciated within the English language literary landscape. Yet, as the ranks of Māori writers swell, along with the diversity of literary forms that Māori create, so too must Māori – and more specifically iwi – literary scholarship flourish, for if we do not critique the texts that are written about, of, and on behalf of us, who will? Throughout this thesis, I use the terms ‘iwi literary scholars’ and ‘iwi literary scholarship’ to consciously and repeatedly remind the reader of the rich, literary legacies residing within iwi archives; I also hope to highlight the exciting and endless possiblitites for the English language literary landscape to be enriched by readings that are founded within these archives – including the histories, everyday experiences and understandings from our tīpuna. 

Structurally, this thesis is divided into three broad strands. Chapters 1-3 focus on whakawhanaunatana and background information to my research. Because this thesis also represents the singular piece of writing that I wish I had read prior to enrolling in the thesis paper for this Master’s degree, my academic hīkoi – frustrations and all – is a necessary component and is covered in chapter 2. Chapters 4-6 then examine three different types of literary texts created by wāhine. These texts include the short story “Birth Rights” by Ngāi Tahu science fiction and fantasy writer, J.C. Hart (2010), the Instagram post Te Kuharere tapes by Ngāti Kahungungu and Ngāti Tuwharetoa songwriter and storyteller @tekahureremoa (2019) – also known as the performer Ladyfruit – and the young adult novel Dark Souls by Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Manuhiri, and Ngāti Whatua writer, Paula Morris (2011). While 21st century texts published on platforms such as Instagram may not sit easily within a traditional English literary curriculum, and indeed the novelty of these specific forms may well prove fleeting, the ‘everydayness’ of online texts yields rewarding analysis opportunities and is currently amiss within mainstream English literary studies. Each of these analysis chapters contains a focused introduction and conclusion, since chapter 7, the concluding chapter of this thesis, is a letter to future iwi literary scholars. 

Woven throughout this rangahau is a call for iwi scholars to consciously: engage with the literary traditions of their own iwi; identify the colonial thoughts and motives that they bring to the reading of literary texts; bring their tīpuna to the reading, but let the text itself breathe life into the critique and; consider the genres and types of texts that they critique. Ultimately, this thesis considers how engaging with the literary legacies of our tīpuna might broaden the English language literary landscape and thus enhance the body of iwi literary scholarship in Oceania and beyond.

text: He whare mātātuhi Tūhoe:  A Tūhoe re-visioning of English language literary texts This thesis urges more Māori to undertake iwi-based readings of English language literary texts. I have chosen to privilege my father’s iwi, Ngāi Tūhoe, and to examine what Tūhoetana means to me and how it might thus enrich my reading of texts. In our ancestral tongue, Ngāi Tūhoe have a rich and pronounced history of storytelling, literary composition, analysis and critique. Unfortunately, this richness is woefully underappreciated within the English language literary landscape. Yet, as the ranks of Māori writers swell, along with the diversity of literary forms that Māori create, so too must Māori – and more specifically iwi – literary scholarship flourish, for if we do not critique the texts that are written about, of, and on behalf of us, who will? Throughout this thesis, I use the terms ‘iwi literary scholars’ and ‘iwi literary scholarship’ to consciously and repeatedly remind the reader of the rich, literary legacies residing within iwi archives; I also hope to highlight the exciting and endless possiblitites for the English language literary landscape to be enriched by readings that are founded within these archives – including the histories, everyday experiences and understandings from our tīpuna. 

Structurally, this thesis is divided into three broad strands. Chapters 1-3 focus on whakawhanaunatana and background information to my research. Because this thesis also represents the singular piece of writing that I wish I had read prior to enrolling in the thesis paper for this Master’s degree, my academic hīkoi – frustrations and all – is a necessary component and is covered in chapter 2. Chapters 4-6 then examine three different types of literary texts created by wāhine. These texts include the short story “Birth Rights” by Ngāi Tahu science fiction and fantasy writer, J.C. Hart (2010), the Instagram post Te Kuharere tapes by Ngāti Kahungungu and Ngāti Tuwharetoa songwriter and storyteller @tekahureremoa (2019) – also known as the performer Ladyfruit – and the young adult novel Dark Souls by Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Manuhiri, and Ngāti Whatua writer, Paula Morris (2011). While 21st century texts published on platforms such as Instagram may not sit easily within a traditional English literary curriculum, and indeed the novelty of these specific forms may well prove fleeting, the ‘everydayness’ of online texts yields rewarding analysis opportunities and is currently amiss within mainstream English literary studies. Each of these analysis chapters contains a focused introduction and conclusion, since chapter 7, the concluding chapter of this thesis, is a letter to future iwi literary scholars. 

Woven throughout this rangahau is a call for iwi scholars to consciously: engage with the literary traditions of their own iwi; identify the colonial thoughts and motives that they bring to the reading of literary texts; bring their tīpuna to the reading, but let the text itself breathe life into the critique and; consider the genres and types of texts that they critique. Ultimately, this thesis considers how engaging with the literary legacies of our tīpuna might broaden the English language literary landscape and thus enhance the body of iwi literary scholarship in Oceania and beyond.

year: 2021