title: Reading Comprehension Instruction of Effective Grades 5 and 6 Saint Lucian Teachers

authors: Sargusingh-Terrance, Lisa Merlene

subjects: Reading Comprehension Instriction

abstract: This study set out primarily to investigate the nature of reading comprehension instruction in Saint Lucia, and to examine the explanations of teachers with regard to the factors that they perceive contribute to Grade 6 students' failure in the main idea comprehension test in the national Common Entrance Examination in Saint Lucia.  Four effective Grades 5 and 6 teachers (two per grade) from two Saint Lucian primary schools participated in a total of four individual semi-structured interviews and were observed in their regularly scheduled reading comprehension lessons.  A total of 27 lessons were observed and audio tape-recorded to examine the nature of reading comprehension instruction in the classrooms.  From this cohort of lessons, a sample of 16 lessons was randomly selected and transcribed to determine the presence of direct instruction in comprehension strategies, and the quality of instruction that took place. This quality was measured and described in terms of the elements of the Direct Instruction Model (Pearson  Dole, 1987), the nature of questioning, and time allotted to instruction. This data was also used to make comparisons between Grades 5 and 6 classes.  The results show that the four teachers perceived that there are four areas of blame for students' poor performance in reading comprehension: the teacher's inability to instruct, the students' poor decoding and comprehension abilities, the inadequacy of the main idea test, and the teaching materials available for teaching comprehension.  However, the main factor perceived by teachers as contributing to the students' poor performance is teachers' inability to instruct.  Nonetheless, the observation of the Grades 5 and 6 effective teachers' reading comprehension lessons showed that these teachers were indeed teaching a number of comprehension strategies.  They relied predominantly on the question answering strategy in all their lessons which was mainly taught in combination with other strategies.  However, it was the teaching of summarization through the main idea that was the dominant strategy more explicitly taught in 7 of the 16 lessons observed, appearing more frequently in the Grade 6 classes.  An assessment of the quality of the reading comprehension instruction revealed that 11 of1 6 lessons, included all the four elements of direct instruction, and were rated as 'excellent' in quality.  None of the lessons had fewer than two elements identified on the model.  An assessment of the types of questions asked also showed that questioning was used both for the purpose of assessment and as an instructional strategy.  The timing of the lessons support the quality of instruction, as 90% of the total time observed was allotted to instruction.  The greater portion of that time went to guided practice (38%) and independent practice (33%) of reading comprehension strategies.  This study shows that explicit comprehension instruction of strategies is evident in the reading comprehension classes of the 4 effective Saint Lucian Grades 5 and 6 teachers.  It is therefore recommended that educational officials ensure that similar practices are maintained in other Saint Lucian classes, that the reading comprehension instruction practices of a wider cross section of Saint Lucian teachers be examined, and that future research looks into other probable causes of students' failure on the main idea comprehension test.

text: Reading Comprehension Instruction of Effective Grades 5 and 6 Saint Lucian Teachers This study set out primarily to investigate the nature of reading comprehension instruction in Saint Lucia, and to examine the explanations of teachers with regard to the factors that they perceive contribute to Grade 6 students' failure in the main idea comprehension test in the national Common Entrance Examination in Saint Lucia.  Four effective Grades 5 and 6 teachers (two per grade) from two Saint Lucian primary schools participated in a total of four individual semi-structured interviews and were observed in their regularly scheduled reading comprehension lessons.  A total of 27 lessons were observed and audio tape-recorded to examine the nature of reading comprehension instruction in the classrooms.  From this cohort of lessons, a sample of 16 lessons was randomly selected and transcribed to determine the presence of direct instruction in comprehension strategies, and the quality of instruction that took place. This quality was measured and described in terms of the elements of the Direct Instruction Model (Pearson  Dole, 1987), the nature of questioning, and time allotted to instruction. This data was also used to make comparisons between Grades 5 and 6 classes.  The results show that the four teachers perceived that there are four areas of blame for students' poor performance in reading comprehension: the teacher's inability to instruct, the students' poor decoding and comprehension abilities, the inadequacy of the main idea test, and the teaching materials available for teaching comprehension.  However, the main factor perceived by teachers as contributing to the students' poor performance is teachers' inability to instruct.  Nonetheless, the observation of the Grades 5 and 6 effective teachers' reading comprehension lessons showed that these teachers were indeed teaching a number of comprehension strategies.  They relied predominantly on the question answering strategy in all their lessons which was mainly taught in combination with other strategies.  However, it was the teaching of summarization through the main idea that was the dominant strategy more explicitly taught in 7 of the 16 lessons observed, appearing more frequently in the Grade 6 classes.  An assessment of the quality of the reading comprehension instruction revealed that 11 of1 6 lessons, included all the four elements of direct instruction, and were rated as 'excellent' in quality.  None of the lessons had fewer than two elements identified on the model.  An assessment of the types of questions asked also showed that questioning was used both for the purpose of assessment and as an instructional strategy.  The timing of the lessons support the quality of instruction, as 90% of the total time observed was allotted to instruction.  The greater portion of that time went to guided practice (38%) and independent practice (33%) of reading comprehension strategies.  This study shows that explicit comprehension instruction of strategies is evident in the reading comprehension classes of the 4 effective Saint Lucian Grades 5 and 6 teachers.  It is therefore recommended that educational officials ensure that similar practices are maintained in other Saint Lucian classes, that the reading comprehension instruction practices of a wider cross section of Saint Lucian teachers be examined, and that future research looks into other probable causes of students' failure on the main idea comprehension test.

year: 2008

title: Preferences for Early Retirement: The Role of Work Related Factors

authors: Fowlie, Toni Jessica

subjects: early retirment

abstract: This study investigated the work related factors related to the retirement preferences of 132 full time older workers, defined as those aged 55+, in a range of New Zealand organisations. This research is important as due to the ageing population, maintaining the employability of the older worker for as long as possible is vital for economic growth and sustainability. Identifying the work related factors that may be influencing the early retirement preferences of older workers may lead to a better understanding of ways to maintain these workers in employment. The aim of this study was to contribute to the understanding of the factors which can be influenced directly by organisations, as retirement preferences are strongly influenced by norms and attitudes within the workplace.
The research proposed that the predictor variables perceived age discrimination, job flexibility satisfaction, attitudes towards information and communication technologies (ICTs), perceptions of techno-complexity, and perceived threat from organisational downsizing, would have a direct relationship with early retirement preferences. In this study, the older worker was considered to have early retirement preferences if their preferred retirement age was earlier than their expected retirement age. The model predicted that job satisfaction and job security would mediate the relationships between the predictor variables and early retirement preferences.
Correlation and mediation analyses were performed in SPSS to test the proposed hypotheses. Several hypotheses were supported: perceived age discrimination was positively related to early retirement preferences; perceived age discrimination was negatively related to job satisfaction; job flexibility satisfaction was positively related to job satisfaction; perceived threat from organisational downsizing was negatively related to job security; job satisfaction was negatively related to early retirement preferences; and job security was negatively related to early retirement preferences. The other hypotheses were not supported. This may be due to external factors not explored in this study potentially influencing the retirement intentions of older workers more heavily than the work related factors studied.
Non-hypothesized significant relationships were also found. Firstly, perceived age discrimination was significantly related to job flexibility satisfaction, job security, and perceived threat from organisational downsizing. Job satisfaction and job security were also found to be significantly related to perceived threat from organisational downsizing. These results indicate that the work related factors thought to predict early retirement intentions, are perhaps not currently as important to New Zealand employees as past research has shown, as none of the predictor variables except perceived age discrimination correlated significantly with early retirement preferences. Overall, the results indicate that there are likely to be other factors not explored in this study influencing the retirement intentions of older workers in New Zealand organisations.
For organisations who have recently been through organisational downsizing, employers should be mindful of the negative impacts this can have on older workers, namely job security and job satisfaction. New Zealand organisations should strive to create working environments that take into consideration the needs of older workers, and which encourage older workers to want to stay working, even past the age they are eligible for New Zealand Superannuation. Older workers who feel as though they have limited choice when it comes to making decisions surrounding their retirement may have difficulty adjusting to post-retirement life, thus organisations should be doing all they can to encourage flexible transitions to retirement

text: Preferences for Early Retirement: The Role of Work Related Factors This study investigated the work related factors related to the retirement preferences of 132 full time older workers, defined as those aged 55+, in a range of New Zealand organisations. This research is important as due to the ageing population, maintaining the employability of the older worker for as long as possible is vital for economic growth and sustainability. Identifying the work related factors that may be influencing the early retirement preferences of older workers may lead to a better understanding of ways to maintain these workers in employment. The aim of this study was to contribute to the understanding of the factors which can be influenced directly by organisations, as retirement preferences are strongly influenced by norms and attitudes within the workplace.
The research proposed that the predictor variables perceived age discrimination, job flexibility satisfaction, attitudes towards information and communication technologies (ICTs), perceptions of techno-complexity, and perceived threat from organisational downsizing, would have a direct relationship with early retirement preferences. In this study, the older worker was considered to have early retirement preferences if their preferred retirement age was earlier than their expected retirement age. The model predicted that job satisfaction and job security would mediate the relationships between the predictor variables and early retirement preferences.
Correlation and mediation analyses were performed in SPSS to test the proposed hypotheses. Several hypotheses were supported: perceived age discrimination was positively related to early retirement preferences; perceived age discrimination was negatively related to job satisfaction; job flexibility satisfaction was positively related to job satisfaction; perceived threat from organisational downsizing was negatively related to job security; job satisfaction was negatively related to early retirement preferences; and job security was negatively related to early retirement preferences. The other hypotheses were not supported. This may be due to external factors not explored in this study potentially influencing the retirement intentions of older workers more heavily than the work related factors studied.
Non-hypothesized significant relationships were also found. Firstly, perceived age discrimination was significantly related to job flexibility satisfaction, job security, and perceived threat from organisational downsizing. Job satisfaction and job security were also found to be significantly related to perceived threat from organisational downsizing. These results indicate that the work related factors thought to predict early retirement intentions, are perhaps not currently as important to New Zealand employees as past research has shown, as none of the predictor variables except perceived age discrimination correlated significantly with early retirement preferences. Overall, the results indicate that there are likely to be other factors not explored in this study influencing the retirement intentions of older workers in New Zealand organisations.
For organisations who have recently been through organisational downsizing, employers should be mindful of the negative impacts this can have on older workers, namely job security and job satisfaction. New Zealand organisations should strive to create working environments that take into consideration the needs of older workers, and which encourage older workers to want to stay working, even past the age they are eligible for New Zealand Superannuation. Older workers who feel as though they have limited choice when it comes to making decisions surrounding their retirement may have difficulty adjusting to post-retirement life, thus organisations should be doing all they can to encourage flexible transitions to retirement

year: 2016

title: Kei ō tātou ringa te rongoa? Is the remedy already at hand?
The assertion and application of tikanga as a valid and credible response to contemporary issues.

authors: Taitoko, Mikaere

subjects: tikanga

abstract: This thesis examines the notion that tikanga is well positioned to address issues confronting Māori and other indigenous groups who strive to achieve self-determination and the freedom to be and to do.  This work is inspired by the late John Te Rangi-āniwaniwa Rangihau’s statement, “Ko te rongoā kei roto i ō tātau ringa” (1987, p. 24), which promotes the notion that through culture and identity Māori already have within their grasp the answers to contemporary matters of import in te ao Māori.  This thesis inverts that statement and presents it as a question querying whether indeed the remedy is at hand and, if so, could tikanga and cultural identity be that remedy.  To that end this study deliberately sets out to examine if the rongoa of self-determination, power and freedom can be achieved by the assertion and application of Māori ways of being and doing, that is to say by exercising tikanga.
Understanding notions of tikanga, sovereignty, and indigeneity is pivotal to this study as is articulating the notion of third space.  This thesis argues that these four notions are interconnected when considering ideas of self-determination for disempowered groups.  A case study forms a large part of this work and focuses on an indigenous group operating from a pre-contact tupuna worldview and based on He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni 1835/Declaration of Independence of New Zealand 1835.  This particular group was chosen because it presented as being a point of intersect for the four notions of tikanga, sovereignty, indigeneity and the third space.
This thesis argues that whilst tikanga is a powerful mechanism for determining and rationalising ways of being and doing it has less to offer at a pragmatic level when it comes to effecting change in the status quo.  However, when overlaid with the third space lens new perspectives can be enunciated and new opportunities detected which in turn can lead to determining new actions.  Through this study it becomes clear that the assertion and application of tikanga contributes to, but on its own is not, the whole answer.

text: Kei ō tātou ringa te rongoa? Is the remedy already at hand?
The assertion and application of tikanga as a valid and credible response to contemporary issues. This thesis examines the notion that tikanga is well positioned to address issues confronting Māori and other indigenous groups who strive to achieve self-determination and the freedom to be and to do.  This work is inspired by the late John Te Rangi-āniwaniwa Rangihau’s statement, “Ko te rongoā kei roto i ō tātau ringa” (1987, p. 24), which promotes the notion that through culture and identity Māori already have within their grasp the answers to contemporary matters of import in te ao Māori.  This thesis inverts that statement and presents it as a question querying whether indeed the remedy is at hand and, if so, could tikanga and cultural identity be that remedy.  To that end this study deliberately sets out to examine if the rongoa of self-determination, power and freedom can be achieved by the assertion and application of Māori ways of being and doing, that is to say by exercising tikanga.
Understanding notions of tikanga, sovereignty, and indigeneity is pivotal to this study as is articulating the notion of third space.  This thesis argues that these four notions are interconnected when considering ideas of self-determination for disempowered groups.  A case study forms a large part of this work and focuses on an indigenous group operating from a pre-contact tupuna worldview and based on He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni 1835/Declaration of Independence of New Zealand 1835.  This particular group was chosen because it presented as being a point of intersect for the four notions of tikanga, sovereignty, indigeneity and the third space.
This thesis argues that whilst tikanga is a powerful mechanism for determining and rationalising ways of being and doing it has less to offer at a pragmatic level when it comes to effecting change in the status quo.  However, when overlaid with the third space lens new perspectives can be enunciated and new opportunities detected which in turn can lead to determining new actions.  Through this study it becomes clear that the assertion and application of tikanga contributes to, but on its own is not, the whole answer.

year: 2013