title: Brokering practices among international EAL students at a New Zealand university

authors: Lee, Sherrie

subjects: academic support

abstract: The numbers of international students enrolled in higher education in Anglophone countries have increased in the past decade, with the majority of students originating from Asian countries such as China. While it is in the interest of these universities to support international students during their study, there is a tendency for institutions to view students’ learning in a deficit mode, for example, characterising students in terms of their limited English proficiency. Many studies of students for whom English is an additional language (EAL) are situated in formal instructional contexts that privilege Western academic norms, an environment which constrains students’ agency. In order to make visible the agency of international EAL students, as well as to contribute to the limited research on students’ informal academic learning, this study set out to examine a phenomenon in cross-cultural contexts known as brokering. Brokering refers to help-seeking social interactions, where students seek assistance with unfamiliar academic texts and practices from brokers who are able to bridge knowledge gaps.
A multi-methodological approach underpinned by a social constructionist paradigm was used to investigate the nature of brokering practices among 10 first-year, international EAL students, nine of whom were ethnic Chinese, at one New Zealand university. The study employed focused ethnography, where regular semi-structured interviews were conducted during students’ initial 15-week semester. Records of brokering interactions associated with three key informants were also collected in the form of audio-recorded observations and screenshots of instant message exchanges on mobile phones. The data analysis was informed by brokering-related concepts from sociology and studies on immigrant communities, as well as conversation analytical concepts such as epistemic asymmetry, and politeness theories in pragmatics.
The study found that participants sought brokers among peers and non-peers for their academic needs. Brokering practices encompassed language brokering, literacy brokering, and resource brokering, with each type of brokering addressing particular aspects of academic learning. Unlike non-peer brokering, which was typically facilitated by English-speaking staff, peer brokering mostly took place in homophilous interactions, that is, between those of similar ethno-lingual backgrounds. Peer brokering relationships were also found to be valued not only for instrumental action in terms of obtaining knowledge, but also for expressive action in terms of engaging in shared sentiment. The analysis of the key informants’ brokering interactions further demonstrated how agency was enacted through the seekers’ maintenance and negotiation of relative knowledge positions, which was supported by politeness and face-management strategies. Peer brokering dynamics afforded greater scope for student agency, while the hierarchical social relations in non-peer brokering did not.
By integrating theoretical frameworks from different disciplines, this thesis has provided a unique conceptual lens for understanding international EAL students’ academic-related brokering practices. It has also highlighted the need for international education practitioners to be sensitive to first-year international students’ needs for culturally appropriate support. The thesis concludes that if institutions are aware of international EAL students’ brokering practices, and take on a brokering role themselves, they will better serve the intercultural goals of international education.

text: Brokering practices among international EAL students at a New Zealand university The numbers of international students enrolled in higher education in Anglophone countries have increased in the past decade, with the majority of students originating from Asian countries such as China. While it is in the interest of these universities to support international students during their study, there is a tendency for institutions to view students’ learning in a deficit mode, for example, characterising students in terms of their limited English proficiency. Many studies of students for whom English is an additional language (EAL) are situated in formal instructional contexts that privilege Western academic norms, an environment which constrains students’ agency. In order to make visible the agency of international EAL students, as well as to contribute to the limited research on students’ informal academic learning, this study set out to examine a phenomenon in cross-cultural contexts known as brokering. Brokering refers to help-seeking social interactions, where students seek assistance with unfamiliar academic texts and practices from brokers who are able to bridge knowledge gaps.
A multi-methodological approach underpinned by a social constructionist paradigm was used to investigate the nature of brokering practices among 10 first-year, international EAL students, nine of whom were ethnic Chinese, at one New Zealand university. The study employed focused ethnography, where regular semi-structured interviews were conducted during students’ initial 15-week semester. Records of brokering interactions associated with three key informants were also collected in the form of audio-recorded observations and screenshots of instant message exchanges on mobile phones. The data analysis was informed by brokering-related concepts from sociology and studies on immigrant communities, as well as conversation analytical concepts such as epistemic asymmetry, and politeness theories in pragmatics.
The study found that participants sought brokers among peers and non-peers for their academic needs. Brokering practices encompassed language brokering, literacy brokering, and resource brokering, with each type of brokering addressing particular aspects of academic learning. Unlike non-peer brokering, which was typically facilitated by English-speaking staff, peer brokering mostly took place in homophilous interactions, that is, between those of similar ethno-lingual backgrounds. Peer brokering relationships were also found to be valued not only for instrumental action in terms of obtaining knowledge, but also for expressive action in terms of engaging in shared sentiment. The analysis of the key informants’ brokering interactions further demonstrated how agency was enacted through the seekers’ maintenance and negotiation of relative knowledge positions, which was supported by politeness and face-management strategies. Peer brokering dynamics afforded greater scope for student agency, while the hierarchical social relations in non-peer brokering did not.
By integrating theoretical frameworks from different disciplines, this thesis has provided a unique conceptual lens for understanding international EAL students’ academic-related brokering practices. It has also highlighted the need for international education practitioners to be sensitive to first-year international students’ needs for culturally appropriate support. The thesis concludes that if institutions are aware of international EAL students’ brokering practices, and take on a brokering role themselves, they will better serve the intercultural goals of international education.

year: 2019

title: Senior leaders’ approaches to transition to primary school: A discourse analysis

authors: Souness, Katherine

subjects: Transition to school

abstract: For most children in New Zealand, starting school is a significant life event. The move from early childhood education (ECE) to primary school has been well documented and researched internationally and locally. The current body of literature draws on the voices of children, families, ECE teachers, and primary school teachers. However, the experiences of school leaders, who frequently direct a school's approach to transitioning students in their first year, are rarely addressed in the literature. My research addresses this gap by investigating the practices and underpinning beliefs of five primary school senior leaders (team leaders, syndicate leaders, and associate or deputy principals) with responsibility for the transition to school at large primary schools in Auckland, New Zealand.

Underpinned by a post-structural conceptual framework, my research draws on interviews with school leaders to examine discourses that constructed these leaders' approaches to the transition from ECE to primary school. Three post-structural concepts were critical to the conceptual framework: identities (understood to be fluid and continuously renegotiated), contexts (situated, professional, material and external), and discourse (language in use). The main research question asked "How do school senior leaders discursively construct approaches to transition to school and their own and others’ identities within their contexts?" Semi-structured interviews yielded rich data on how participants build their own identities and those of others, including children and whānau, in the transition to school process.

Four localised discourses were identified in the interview data: structural, relational, pedagogical and achievement discourses. Leaders drew upon these and other broader, big “D” Discourses including those of school readiness, neoliberal policies, and conceptualisations of senior leadership roles in New Zealand primary schools, in interplay with many others. The interview data showed evidence of school leaders both resisting and submitting to discourses. School-specific contexts shaped participants' (conscious or unconscious) reproduction of discourses in their decisions and practices. Participants used many common transition-to-school practices. However, how those transition practices and relationships with stakeholders were discursively constructed and enacted in their school-specific contexts varied.

The range of discourses drawn upon and reproduced by school leaders demonstrates the complex and deeply contextualised nature of constructing transition to school approaches. This study privileges the voices of school leaders to add a fresh perspective to the body of literature about children's transition from early childhood education to primary school. The findings reveal opportunities for leaders to critically examine the discourses that shape their constructions of reality within their schools, both in their leadership in general and, more specifically, in their leadership of the crucial first moments of children's school lives.

text: Senior leaders’ approaches to transition to primary school: A discourse analysis For most children in New Zealand, starting school is a significant life event. The move from early childhood education (ECE) to primary school has been well documented and researched internationally and locally. The current body of literature draws on the voices of children, families, ECE teachers, and primary school teachers. However, the experiences of school leaders, who frequently direct a school's approach to transitioning students in their first year, are rarely addressed in the literature. My research addresses this gap by investigating the practices and underpinning beliefs of five primary school senior leaders (team leaders, syndicate leaders, and associate or deputy principals) with responsibility for the transition to school at large primary schools in Auckland, New Zealand.

Underpinned by a post-structural conceptual framework, my research draws on interviews with school leaders to examine discourses that constructed these leaders' approaches to the transition from ECE to primary school. Three post-structural concepts were critical to the conceptual framework: identities (understood to be fluid and continuously renegotiated), contexts (situated, professional, material and external), and discourse (language in use). The main research question asked "How do school senior leaders discursively construct approaches to transition to school and their own and others’ identities within their contexts?" Semi-structured interviews yielded rich data on how participants build their own identities and those of others, including children and whānau, in the transition to school process.

Four localised discourses were identified in the interview data: structural, relational, pedagogical and achievement discourses. Leaders drew upon these and other broader, big “D” Discourses including those of school readiness, neoliberal policies, and conceptualisations of senior leadership roles in New Zealand primary schools, in interplay with many others. The interview data showed evidence of school leaders both resisting and submitting to discourses. School-specific contexts shaped participants' (conscious or unconscious) reproduction of discourses in their decisions and practices. Participants used many common transition-to-school practices. However, how those transition practices and relationships with stakeholders were discursively constructed and enacted in their school-specific contexts varied.

The range of discourses drawn upon and reproduced by school leaders demonstrates the complex and deeply contextualised nature of constructing transition to school approaches. This study privileges the voices of school leaders to add a fresh perspective to the body of literature about children's transition from early childhood education to primary school. The findings reveal opportunities for leaders to critically examine the discourses that shape their constructions of reality within their schools, both in their leadership in general and, more specifically, in their leadership of the crucial first moments of children's school lives.

year: 2022

title: A community psychology-based evaluation of the you good? You Good! program delivered by Jade speaks up educational trust in Aotearoa. Empowering tamariki emotional literacy, supporting mental health and encouraging well-being.

authors: Webbon, Abigail

abstract: This evaluation was completed for Jade Speaks Up (JSU) Educational Trust to provide feedback from school teachers and whānau who were involved in the You Good? You Good! (YG?YG!) program, delivered by JSU Educational Trust to schools across Aotearoa. The evaluation goal was to collate the narratives of participating school staff, whānau, and JSU Educational Trust trainers, contrasting experiences and perspectives to determine program effectiveness.
This program is for schools, management, and teachers who work with tamariki, to help teachers and students understand anxiety and develop skills and strategies to have self-agency. JSU Educational Trust developed YG?YG! in 2021, and in 2022 the YG?YG! pilot program was implemented.
This evaluation had three research objectives: 1) Identify and collate the experiences of school staff and other key stakeholders when implementing the YG?YG!, 2) Identify the strengths and barriers to inclusion for tamariki in schools where the program was delivered, and 3) Draw on the stakeholder narratives to assess the program's ability to achieve its goal: enable tamariki to be more agentic in responding to early signs of anxiety in themselves and others.
Information for this evaluation was collected from four sources: 1) Focus groups with JSU trainers, 2) Interviews with school staff, 3) Online surveys with school staff, 4) Archival supervision, and 5) Literature review. Data collected was interpreted through the use of thematic analysis, informed by Community Psychology principles, and the “Six C” framework, guided by He Awa Whiria.
Thematic analysis was completed by coding themes and categories from data sources. The findings from this empirical research engagement informed the analysis and discussion on program effectiveness. 
The findings and analysis found that forming a program design and approach informed with respect for the community’s needs and world-views can enable recognition, awareness and inclusion. A way for the program to begin to do so is to collaborate with communities.
Including researchers from a local community can enable empowerment, build social power, and create responses that promote the needs of the involved communities. The program can champion the field and those they work with by being accountable and enabling transparency.
The program can take an inclusive approach to sustaining its relationships, content relevance, and development for tamariki emotional well-being. The program can work on cultivating and empowering participants to be active partners, enabling the program to be shaped with equity in mind.
Key to program efficacy is acknowledging change and encompassing adaptation. The way to do this is to consider local health issues driven by who experience them, elevating the voice of the community.
Change and need cannot be determined without considering the voice of involved communities. By taking participants feedback, the program can create change for tamariki mental health, whilst acknowledging system and structural barriers, striving for community competence.
Importance lies within the work the program does to enable and support those affected by external factors. The program can acknowledge these challenges, and provide hope that community competence can be achieved.
To conclude, recommendations are presented for JSU Educational Trust to consider.

text: A community psychology-based evaluation of the you good? You Good! program delivered by Jade speaks up educational trust in Aotearoa. Empowering tamariki emotional literacy, supporting mental health and encouraging well-being. This evaluation was completed for Jade Speaks Up (JSU) Educational Trust to provide feedback from school teachers and whānau who were involved in the You Good? You Good! (YG?YG!) program, delivered by JSU Educational Trust to schools across Aotearoa. The evaluation goal was to collate the narratives of participating school staff, whānau, and JSU Educational Trust trainers, contrasting experiences and perspectives to determine program effectiveness.
This program is for schools, management, and teachers who work with tamariki, to help teachers and students understand anxiety and develop skills and strategies to have self-agency. JSU Educational Trust developed YG?YG! in 2021, and in 2022 the YG?YG! pilot program was implemented.
This evaluation had three research objectives: 1) Identify and collate the experiences of school staff and other key stakeholders when implementing the YG?YG!, 2) Identify the strengths and barriers to inclusion for tamariki in schools where the program was delivered, and 3) Draw on the stakeholder narratives to assess the program's ability to achieve its goal: enable tamariki to be more agentic in responding to early signs of anxiety in themselves and others.
Information for this evaluation was collected from four sources: 1) Focus groups with JSU trainers, 2) Interviews with school staff, 3) Online surveys with school staff, 4) Archival supervision, and 5) Literature review. Data collected was interpreted through the use of thematic analysis, informed by Community Psychology principles, and the “Six C” framework, guided by He Awa Whiria.
Thematic analysis was completed by coding themes and categories from data sources. The findings from this empirical research engagement informed the analysis and discussion on program effectiveness. 
The findings and analysis found that forming a program design and approach informed with respect for the community’s needs and world-views can enable recognition, awareness and inclusion. A way for the program to begin to do so is to collaborate with communities.
Including researchers from a local community can enable empowerment, build social power, and create responses that promote the needs of the involved communities. The program can champion the field and those they work with by being accountable and enabling transparency.
The program can take an inclusive approach to sustaining its relationships, content relevance, and development for tamariki emotional well-being. The program can work on cultivating and empowering participants to be active partners, enabling the program to be shaped with equity in mind.
Key to program efficacy is acknowledging change and encompassing adaptation. The way to do this is to consider local health issues driven by who experience them, elevating the voice of the community.
Change and need cannot be determined without considering the voice of involved communities. By taking participants feedback, the program can create change for tamariki mental health, whilst acknowledging system and structural barriers, striving for community competence.
Importance lies within the work the program does to enable and support those affected by external factors. The program can acknowledge these challenges, and provide hope that community competence can be achieved.
To conclude, recommendations are presented for JSU Educational Trust to consider.

year: 2024-11-14