title: Enhancing Year Twelve students' academic engagement in boys' schools: Students provide their perspective.

authors: Woofe, Jocelyn Ann

subjects: boys' education

abstract: This study draws on the perspectives of Year Twelve students in boys' schools to
examine school-wide factors that both enhance and hinder student academic
engagement. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 boys from three
state boys' schools in the North Island of New Zealand. During these interviews,
boys talked about the things that determine and impact upon their engagement,
and they identified school wide changes that they believe would assist them to
focus on their academic studies. The qualitative data provided shows that these
boys are observing and thinking about the manner in which school structures and
systems impact on their engagement in their learning. The findings clearly show
that Year Twelve is challenging for many boys. They report a marked increase in
the level of difficulty of the work from NCEA Level One to Level Two, and a
corresponding increase in workload.
Their engagement in their studies, which they maintain varies significantly across
subjects, is influenced by their enjoyment of the subject and its perceived
relevance and usefulness to their future goals. The school-wide factors which the
boys suggest impact most significantly on their academic engagement are:
whether or not they are given the subjects of their choice, the career education
programmes they have access to, the number of students in their classes, their
access to computers in their regular classes and after school for study purposes,
the manner in which the school sets and articulates its expectations, the structure
of the school day and timetable, and how the school responds to disruptive
students in class. The majority of the boys report that NCEA enhances their
academic engagement, however, some of the strategies the boys report using to
manage NCEA workload can hinder their focus in the classroom. These include
skipping internal standards and not attempting standards in external
examinations, a decision that is sometimes made well before the event itself.
The students in this study offer educators fresh insight into the factors that affect
their academic engagement and suggest school wide strategies that will
potentially enhance this. This study recommends that quality career education be
made accessible to all students; that schools consider employing a full-time
specialist careers advisor; that class size, course selection processes and school
wide computer access be addressed; and that schools clearly articulate academic
expectations in ways that include and inspire all students.

text: Enhancing Year Twelve students' academic engagement in boys' schools: Students provide their perspective. This study draws on the perspectives of Year Twelve students in boys' schools to
examine school-wide factors that both enhance and hinder student academic
engagement. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 boys from three
state boys' schools in the North Island of New Zealand. During these interviews,
boys talked about the things that determine and impact upon their engagement,
and they identified school wide changes that they believe would assist them to
focus on their academic studies. The qualitative data provided shows that these
boys are observing and thinking about the manner in which school structures and
systems impact on their engagement in their learning. The findings clearly show
that Year Twelve is challenging for many boys. They report a marked increase in
the level of difficulty of the work from NCEA Level One to Level Two, and a
corresponding increase in workload.
Their engagement in their studies, which they maintain varies significantly across
subjects, is influenced by their enjoyment of the subject and its perceived
relevance and usefulness to their future goals. The school-wide factors which the
boys suggest impact most significantly on their academic engagement are:
whether or not they are given the subjects of their choice, the career education
programmes they have access to, the number of students in their classes, their
access to computers in their regular classes and after school for study purposes,
the manner in which the school sets and articulates its expectations, the structure
of the school day and timetable, and how the school responds to disruptive
students in class. The majority of the boys report that NCEA enhances their
academic engagement, however, some of the strategies the boys report using to
manage NCEA workload can hinder their focus in the classroom. These include
skipping internal standards and not attempting standards in external
examinations, a decision that is sometimes made well before the event itself.
The students in this study offer educators fresh insight into the factors that affect
their academic engagement and suggest school wide strategies that will
potentially enhance this. This study recommends that quality career education be
made accessible to all students; that schools consider employing a full-time
specialist careers advisor; that class size, course selection processes and school
wide computer access be addressed; and that schools clearly articulate academic
expectations in ways that include and inspire all students.

year: 2009

title: The Content of the Psychological Work Contract for Frontline Police Officers

authors: Cable, Donald Alfred James

subjects: psychological contract

abstract: Adding to the field of knowledge on the content of the psychological work contract, structured interviews with 35 frontline police officers generated 662 responses relating to the content of the psychological work contract for this employment sector. Analysis of these responses resulted in the development of an initial two-component measure of the contract. One component (17 items) reflected the obligations arising from the promises officers believed the organisation had made to them. The other component (19 items) reflected the obligations arising from the promises officers believed they had made to the organisation. The measure was included in a survey completed by 84 frontline police officers. Factor analysis revealed two factors in each component. For the organisation's obligations component, one factor reflected obligations related more to the organisational environment, whereas the other factor reflected obligations related more to the job environment. For the employee's obligations component, one factor reflected obligations related more to behaviours on the job, whereas the other factor reflected obligations related more to the pursuit of development opportunities. The nature of the relationships that emerged between the psychological contract and the nomological network variables included in the study provide strong support for the validity of this measure of the psychological contract.

text: The Content of the Psychological Work Contract for Frontline Police Officers Adding to the field of knowledge on the content of the psychological work contract, structured interviews with 35 frontline police officers generated 662 responses relating to the content of the psychological work contract for this employment sector. Analysis of these responses resulted in the development of an initial two-component measure of the contract. One component (17 items) reflected the obligations arising from the promises officers believed the organisation had made to them. The other component (19 items) reflected the obligations arising from the promises officers believed they had made to the organisation. The measure was included in a survey completed by 84 frontline police officers. Factor analysis revealed two factors in each component. For the organisation's obligations component, one factor reflected obligations related more to the organisational environment, whereas the other factor reflected obligations related more to the job environment. For the employee's obligations component, one factor reflected obligations related more to behaviours on the job, whereas the other factor reflected obligations related more to the pursuit of development opportunities. The nature of the relationships that emerged between the psychological contract and the nomological network variables included in the study provide strong support for the validity of this measure of the psychological contract.

year: 2012

title: Feminist geographies in Aotearoa New Zealand: cultural, social and political moments

authors: Adams-Hutcheson, Gail

subjects: Social Sciences

abstract: Aotearoa New Zealand is a nation of promise, potential and enigma: it was the first country in the world where women gained the vote in 1893 and now boasts the youngest woman world leader in 2017. It is also a postcolonial nation where structural racism, homophobia, and sexism persist, yet it has also given legal personhood to a river. Our Country Report foregrounds Aotearoa New Zealand feminist geographic scholarship that responds to, reflects, and sometimes resists such contrasts and contradictions at the national scale. We employ the lens of the 2017 national election to critically engage with current gendered and indigenous politics in the country. Analyzing these politics through three ‘feminist moments,’ our paper highlights the breadth and scope of current Aotearoa New Zealand feminist geographic scholarship and directions.

text: Feminist geographies in Aotearoa New Zealand: cultural, social and political moments Aotearoa New Zealand is a nation of promise, potential and enigma: it was the first country in the world where women gained the vote in 1893 and now boasts the youngest woman world leader in 2017. It is also a postcolonial nation where structural racism, homophobia, and sexism persist, yet it has also given legal personhood to a river. Our Country Report foregrounds Aotearoa New Zealand feminist geographic scholarship that responds to, reflects, and sometimes resists such contrasts and contradictions at the national scale. We employ the lens of the 2017 national election to critically engage with current gendered and indigenous politics in the country. Analyzing these politics through three ‘feminist moments,’ our paper highlights the breadth and scope of current Aotearoa New Zealand feminist geographic scholarship and directions.

year: 2019