NCEA

Technology students often have widely varying knowledge and skills, so making qualification credits accessible to all is a challenge for the teacher. This study focused on real-life contexts, formative student–teacher interactions, and alternatives to written assessment to achieve this aim. The focus was on capturing evidence of learning, through techniques that supported the students’ technological practice.

For students to be most successful in their education, schools and teachers need to recognise, plan, and teach for the literacy demands inherent in the learning and assessment activities they undertake across the curriculum. McDonald and Thornley present a "scope and sequence" chart of literacy skills central to student achievement in Years 9–11.  To exemplify the significance of this chart they report on their most recent research findings with a group of 57 Year 10 students.

The aim of any subject-choice process should be to provide better educational outcomes for all students. This study, however, found that many students do not understand the full implications of their NCEA course choices or course allocations. Māori, Pacific and lower decile secondary school students are particularly at risk of ending up with inappropriate choices if their academic potential is not recognised early enough and they do not receive clear guidance about the best course choices.

NCEA course choices matter, especially where students or their parents have aspirations to follow an educational pathway beyond school or even just to leave their academic options open. This study, conducted in four mid–low-decile schools in Auckland and Northland, found that reaching academic aspirations requires careful and planned navigation of NCEA courses. It suggests that informing and engaging parents in their children’s NCEA educational pathways may contribute to better educational outcomes.