Mohamed Alansari

Kairangahau Matua | Senior Researcher

PhD in Education
MA in Education with First Class Honours
BA(Hons) in Education with First Class Honours
BA in Education (Liberal Arts) and Mathematics

Mohamed's research spans educational and social psychology, with a specific focus on institutional and classroom practices that impact the social and academic trajectories of student learning. He employs a mixed-method approach in his research, with a stronger focus on quantitative research methodologies. Mohamed explores educational ‘puzzles of practice’ from a social-psychological perspective, and has both experience and expertise in undertaking research at primary, secondary, and tertiary settings.

Areas of Expertise

Educational and social psychology.
School and classroom environments.
Academic motivation and learning.
Student and teacher beliefs.
Survey development.

Selected Outputs: Social-Psychological Studies in Education

Barber, C., Hetrick, S., Edmonds, L., Taylor, R., Alansari, M., Oldehaver, J., Signal, T., Haszard, J., & Galland, B. (2023). Sleep-in to stay well: Addressing school start times for the health and wellbeing of teens in Aotearoa. New Zealand Medical Journal, 136(1568), 98–104.
Alansari, M., Webber, M., & Rubie-Davies, C. M. (2023). Mixed methods research: theory, applications, and implications for working with diverse populations. In F. Meyer & K. Meissel (Eds.), Research Methods for Education and the Social Disciplines in Aotearoa New Zealand. NZCER Press.
Alansari, M., & Rubie-Davies, C. M. (2021). Enablers and Barriers to Successful Implementation of Cooperative Learning through Professional Development. Education Sciences, 11(7), 312–329. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11070312
Fikuree, W., Meyer, F., Le Fevre, D., & Alansari, M. (2021). Linking principal task effectiveness to student achievement in secondary schools in the Maldives. International Journal of Leadership in Education. DOI: 10.1080/13603124.2021.1889036
Stephens, J. M., Alansari, M., Watson, P., Lee, G., & Turnbull, S. (2021). Can Online Academic Integrity Instruction Affect University Students’ Perceptions of and Engagement in Academic Dishonesty? Results from a Natural Experiment in New Zealand. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.569133
Alansari, M., & Rubie-Davies, C. M. (2020). What about the tertiary climate? A critique of five decades of learning environments research. Learning Environments Research, 23, 1–25. doi: 10.1007/s10984-019-09288-9.
Rubie-Davies, C. M., Meissel, K., Alansari, M., Watson, P., Flint, A., McDonald, L., & Garrett, L. (2020). Achievement and beliefs outcomes of students with high and low expectation teachers. Social Psychology of Education, 23, 1173–1201. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-020-09574-y
Watson, P., Alansari, M., Worrell, F., & Rubie-Davies, C. M. (2020). Ethnic-racial identity, relatedness, and school belonging for adolescent New Zealanders: Does student gender make a difference? Social Psychology of Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-020-09563-1
Flint, A., McDonald, L., Rubie-Davies, C., Alansari, M., Garrett, L., Peterson, E., & Watson, P. (2019). Students’ self-beliefs, motivation and mindset in mathematics. In R. V. Nata (Ed.). Progress in Education (pp. 63–86). New York, NY: Nova Science.
Alansari, M. (2015). Student-teacher relationships at the tertiary level: Prevailing perspectives, existing research and future possibilities. In C. M. Rubie-Davies, J. M. Stephens, and P. W. Watson (Eds.). The Routledge International Handbook of Social Psychology of the Classroom (pp. 188–197). London: Routledge.
Garrett, L., Rubie-Davies, C., Alansari, M., Peterson, F., Flint, A., Watson, P., & McDonald, L. (2015). ‘Missing out’? The potential consequences of inaccurate teacher expectations on young gifted readers’ achievement outcomes. APEX: The New Zealand Journal of Gifted Education, 19(1).
Alansari, M., Worrell, F., Rubie-Davies, C. M., & Webber, M. (2013). Adolescent time attitude scale (ATAS) scores and achievement in secondary school females in New Zealand. International Journal of Quantitative Research in Education, 1, 251–274.
Langdon, F., & Alansari, M. (2012). Addressing the complexity of new teacher learning: An exploratory analysis of comprehensive induction one year on. Procedia Social and Behavioural Sciences, 69, 1921–1930.

Selected Reports: School Environments and Improvement

Alansari, M., Wylie, C., Hipkins, R., Overbye, S., Tuifagalele, R., & Watson, S. (2022). Secondary teachers’ perspectives from NZCER’s 2021 National Survey of Secondary Schools. New Zealand Council for Educational Research.
Alansari, M., Webber, M., Overbye, S., Tuifagalele, R., & Edge, K. (2022). Conceptualising Māori and Pasifika aspirations and striving for success (COMPASS). New Zealand Council for Educational Research.
Lawes, E., Wylie, C., Alansari, M., Berg, M., & Visser, H. (2021). Maternal perceptions of aspects of their partnerships with early learning services and schools: Influences and associations [report to Ministry of Social Development]. New Zealand Council for Educational Research.
MacDonald, J., Bright, N., & Alansari, M. (2021). Sorted in Schools, Te whai hua – kia ora: 2010/21 evaluation report [report to Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement Commission]. New Zealand Council for Educational Research.
New Zealand Council for Educational Research (2021). Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories: Findings from the public engagement on the draft curriculum content [report to Ministry of Education, author names blinded]. New Zealand Council for Educational Research.
Si’ilata, R., Gaffney, J., Aseta, M., Jacobs, M., Tagoilelagi-Leota, S., Alansari, M., & Hansell, K. (2021). Pasifika Early Literacy Project & Realm Languages Project: Milestone Report 3 [report to Ministry of Education]. Va’atele Education Consulting.
Alansari, M., Hunia, M., & Eyre, J. (2020). Racism in schools: a rapid review. New Zealand Council for Educational Research.
Alansari, M., Lawes, E., & Boyd, S. (2020). What can Wellbeing@School data tell us about change in PB4L-SW school outcomes? [report to Ministry of Education]. New Zealand Council for Educational Research.
Lawes, E., Boyd, S., & Alansari, M. (2020). What can Wellbeing@School data tell us about change over time? [report to Ministry of Education]. New Zealand Council for Educational Research.
Whatman, J., Harvey, K., Boyd, S., Eyre, J., Hunia, M., Alansari, M., Fisher, J., & Lawes, E (2020). A rapid review of resilience in schools. New Zealand Council for Educational Research.
Alansari, M., & Rubie-Davies, C. M. (2019). Navigating Success: Exploring the Beliefs, Attitudes, and Aspirations of Youth over Time: Milestone 3 Report on Beginning and End of 2018 Data [report to I Have A Dream (IHAD) Charitable Trust]. Auckland, New Zealand: University of Auckland.
Meyer, F., Alansari, M., & Rubie-Davies, C. M. (2018). An Evaluation of the Implementation of the IHAD Programme: Perceptions of Programme Delivery, Effectiveness and Coherence [report to I Have A Dream (IHAD) Charitable Trust]. Auckland, New Zealand: University of Auckland.
Sinnema, C., Alansari, M., & Turner, H. (2018). The Promise of Improvement through and of the Teacher Led Innovation Fund: Evaluation of the Teacher-Led Innovation Fund. Wellington, New Zealand: Ministry of Education.

Selected Outputs: Media Engagement

Interview on RadioNZ: Strengths and needs in our schools: survey. Strengths and needs in our schools: survey | RNZ. 29 September 2022.
Interview on RadioNZ: How covid has changed teaching: new research. How covid has changed teaching: new research | RNZ. 23 June 2022.
Interview on RadioNZ: Anchors to Māori and Pasifika students’ success at school. Parenting: anchors to Māori and Pasifika students' success at school | RNZ. 12 May 2022.
Interview on RadioNZ: How schools are supporting student Wellbeing. Report - how schools are supporting student well-being | RNZ.16 December 2021.
Interview on RadioNZ: The importance of parents and teachers working together. The importance of parents and teachers working together | RNZ. 1 July 2021.
Interview on RadioNZ: Parenting and COVID-19: Where to from here. https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018765420/covid-19-and-schools-where-to-from-here. 24 September 2020.
Interview on RadioNZ: Modern learning environments: How well do children learn. https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018749249/modern-learning-environments-how-well-do-children-learn. 4 June 2020.
Interview on RadioNZ: Parenting and COVID-19: Keeping children calm. https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018737085/parenting-covid19-keeping-children-calm. 5 March 2020.
Interview on Radio NZ: how digital technology has affected learning. https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/smart_talk/audio/2018727140/dr-mohamed-alansari-on-how-digital-technology-has-affected-learning. 29 December 2019.
Interview on Radio NZ: Technology and children’s relationships at school. https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018709827/tech-and-children-s-relationships-at-school. 22 August 2019.

Professional Activities and Service

2023– Editorial board: Contemporary Educational Psychology.
2022– Deputy board chair: New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies.
2022 Expert Advisory Group member: school attendance research, Education Review Office (ERO).
2021– International advisory board: Combating systemic racism in schools (RSNZ fund).
2021– Member: Aotearoa New Zealand Islamic Think Tank (ANZITT).
2021– Affiliated scholar: Woolf Fisher Research Centre.
2020– Member: New Zealand Association for Research in Education.
2020– Editorial board: New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies.
2019– Affiliate: Centre for Community Research and Evaluation (CCRE).
2018– Examiner of doctoral and masters’ theses and dissertations.
2018– Member: Educational Psychology Forums Steering Committee.
2018 Convenor: the 11th Educational Psychology Forum, Auckland.

Ad-hoc Journal Reviews (2013 – present)

mohamed.alansari@nzcer.org.nz

Publications

COMPASS: Whānau partnerships with school—patterns and associations with Māori students’ learning	Research publication	2025
Assessing how schools are responding to the Equity Index	Research publication	2023
What do principals say are the biggest issues facing secondary schools?	Blog post	2023
The Equity Index – how do principals feel about it?	Blog post	2023
Secondary principals’ perspectives from NZCER's 2022 National Survey of Schools	Research publication	2023
Teacher perspectives from NZCER’s 2023 national survey of area schools	Research publication	2023
Secondary teachers’ perspectives from NZCER’s 2021 National Survey of Secondary Schools	Research publication	2022
National Survey Research Brief 2—PLD and school wide wellbeing as predictors of teacher morale and workload	Research publication	2022
Sorted in Schools, Te whai hua – kia ora: 2021/2022 evaluation report	Research publication	2022
National Survey Research Brief 3— PLD, NCEA changes, and teachers' work	Research publication	2022
National Survey Research Brief 1—Teacher experiences working in Innovative Learning Environments (ILEs)	Research publication	2022
Conceptualising Māori and Pasifika Aspirations and Striving for Success (COMPASS)	Research publication	2022
Sorted in Schools, Te whai hua – kia ora 2020/21 evaluation report	Research publication	2021
Maternal perceptions of aspects of learning partnerships	Research publication	2021
Sorted in Schools, Te whai hua – kia ora! 2019/20 evaluation report	Research publication	2020
In defence of the future	Blog post