This longitudinal NZCER project tracks the development of a group of children from near 5 through school. It analyses the impact of different experiences and resources on a range of competencies, and what can help narrow the gaps between children. The age-20 phase of the research has been completed and the findings shared with policy advisers and others interested in how young New Zealanders develop through their education and how well they are supported. The researchers hope to do a further phase of the study.
NZCER began regular surveys of primary schools in 1989, focusing on the impact of the educational reforms that began then. Over the years the surveys have given us a picture of what is happening in our education services and enabled us to see changes over time. In 2003 secondary schools and a one-time survey of early childhood education services were added to the series.
Pathways and Prospects is a 5-year study of young people's pathway and career experiences and perspectives after leaving school and entering study/training and the workforce.
NZCER & Stout Centre, Victoria University of Wellington
Research report
Professional collaboration within schools, supporting ongoing adult learning, is one of the most promising ways to improve student performance. This paper charts teacher experiences of a range of collaborative activities in New Zealand schools. Although these schools enjoy considerable flexibility that should support such collaboration, national survey data shows that it varies widely and is not widespread at the high school level.
This report explores the transition to adulthood of 29 young people selected from the large sample of the Competent Learners @ 20 longitudinal study. That study found many young people had a relatively smooth transition from school to tertiary education. The transition to adulthood of young people who had not followed this well-lit path is the focus of this report. Some left school early (by age 17); others completed Year 13 but did not go on to tertiary study.
Young adults’ early career development is an increasingly important field of inquiry. With the complexity of modern transitions from school and the lifelong learning demands of emerging knowledge societies, governments are concerned to improve learning pathways into, and through, tertiary education and work. Young adults are exploring new learning and work possibilities and understanding these create a challenge for governments trying to validate their experiences and enhance their employability.
This report draws on data from the NZCER National Survey of Secondary Schools 2009. The final version of the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) was released in late 2007 and the survey carried out in 2009 so the findings are a snapshot of the thinking and changes in practices that had occurred to that time. The report focuses mainly on secondary teachers and their views of curriculum change. It explores their professional learning and how they have changed or plan to change their teaching as they delve more into the intent of NZC.
Findings from the NZCER National Survey of Secondary Schools 2009
This report draws on data from the three-yearly NZCER National Survey of Secondary Schools, with a particular focus on new data gathered in the 2009 survey round. We asked principals, teachers, trustees, and parents to respond to a set of statements about the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA). The findings show support for the qualification has consolidated since 2006.
The Competent Children, Competent Learners project is a longitudinal study which focuses on a group of about 500 young people from the greater Wellington region (Wellington, Hutt, Kapiti, and Wairarapa). It is funded by the Ministry of Education and the New Zealand Council for Educational Research.
This is a thematic report drawing together responses from our 2006 survey of secondary schools, and the 2007 survey of primary schools.
Each survey questioned principals, teachers, board of trustee members, and parents. The areas covered in the report include curriculum priorities in primary and secondary schools, use of ICT, innovation and barriers to innovation, and views about national standards.
Competent Children, Competent Learners is a longitudinal study which began in 1993 and follows the progress of a sample of around 500 New Zealand young people from early childhood education through schooling and beyond.
This article shows how one longitudinal youth transition study has attempted to draw on the idea of ‘working the hyphen’ of researcher-researched relations by paying attention to a second hyphen-that of policy-research.
A review of school self-management across several research surveys and sources of data leads Cathy Wylie to recommend five measures to help support school boards of trustees.
This article draws on the first two years of a longitudinal study of young people’s pathway and career-related experiences and perspectives. It argues for a richer conceptualisation of young people’s transition to study, training and employment than allowed by simple school-to-labour market models.
We present four clusters of young people’s interview narratives
This is the second technical report from the Competent Learners @16 project. It examines the associations between early childhood education experience and young people's competency levels. It finds some aspects of early childhood education still have a statistically visible contribution, 11 years on.
In 2006, we looked at how primary school were getting on with the planning and reporting requirements which came into place in 2003. Thank you to the 180 principals and 279 teachers who took part in our survey. We also asked about it in our 2006 national survey of secondary schools, so some comparisons are possible.
This is the second major thematic report drawing on findings from our 2006 NZCER National Survey of Secondary Schools. It analysed the responses given by parents, trustees, teachers and principals, to questions in the survey related to the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA).
The report found strong levels of support for NCEA among principals (89 percent) and teachers (60 percent). The views of parents towards NCEA were characterised by high levels of uncertainty.
Pathways and Prospects is a 4-year study of young people's pathway and career experiences and perspectives after leaving school and entering study/training and the workforce.
This report analyses two years worth of in-depth interviews with 114 young people in employment, the army, apprenticeship, university, and youth training.
It focuses on how they make career choices in relation to the different dimensions of security and exploration in their outlooks.
The National Survey of Secondary Schools, carried out in mid-2003, surveyed 95 principals from a range of school types and deciles, 744 teachers who taught a range of curriculum subjects in those schools, 180 school trustees and 503 parents of students in some of the schools
Each group responded to a comprehensive questionnaire, with items in common where relevant.
The survey reports on a wide range of topics related to school management and governance. These include:
This paper explores some of the more disturbing aspects of research on what was, at the time, the only state-funded alternative secondary school in New Zealand.
Throughout the five years of research, New Zealand's school inspectorate, the Education Review Office, publicly released a series of highly critical reports on the school which resulted in it being closed down.
Average literacy and numeracy performance among children from low-income homes is lower than others. But some children perform as well as their peers from more advantaged homes.
This paper uses material from the longitudinal Competent Children research project, following children from rising 5 to age 12, to look at the factors which seem to make a difference for these children, against a background discussing the international literature on risk and resilience.
Secondary schools' ability to meet senior students' needs related to subject choice, is influenced by a number of factors. Six case study schools were studied at the beginnings of a longitudinal study. This should provide a rich context as the schools change with the introduction of NCEA.
Paper presented at the New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE) conference, Palmerston North, 5-8 December 2002.
This report details the findings from a 2-phase study investigating students' decision-making concerning tertiary study and other post-school destinations.
