Set 2022: no. 3

Aotearoa New Zealand ratified the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1993, which means its principles and rights are obligatory, not optional. So, UNCRC has important implications for teachers, leaders, and boards of trustees in schools. UNCRC has 54 articles. A good starting point for teachers is the articles that directly impact on their work with their students. These include Articles 12, 13, 28, 29, and 30. The children’s rights framework of “space,… Read more

Educators have a central role in the advocacy and implementation of children’s rights. In reframing Western notions of wellbeing, rights, and student voice from a Māori view, educators are more likely to provide more meaningful support for rangatahi, whānau, and community. This research is underpinned by He Oranga Mokopuna, which repositions mokopuna Māori rights as tangata whenua. Ten Year 10 rangatahi engaged in wānanga during hui for this project. The article outlines implications of… Read more

Young people should not miss out on education because they are menstruating; a normal part of life. The importance of supporting students who menstruate is recognised internationally, with countries increasingly making period products freely available. This article reports on research that provides an insight into the perspectives of 10 secondary school students who experience menstruation about how school-based resourcing for menstrual management impacts on their wellbeing and overall… Read more

Aotearoa New Zealand is home to diverse ethnic groups. Discussions with students about their own cultural identity are important to recognise and include our diverse student communities within schools. For adolescents, developing their identity, inclusive of their culture, is fundamental at a time when these young people are striving to figure out who they are. When students feel that schools recognise and welcome their culture and identity, they are more likely to engage their whole selves… Read more

Teachers, schools, and the wider education system have a responsibility to nurture young people’s identity development and to optimise youth wellbeing. For the study, 10 adolescents shared their experiences and perspectives of identity development and the extent to which their identity impacted on their wellbeing and subsequent learning experiences. The adolescents’ perceptions of identity directly informed the way they felt about themselves and thus impacted directly on their wellbeing.… Read more

Children with ADHD face unique learning needs that are sometimes difficult to accommodate in the classroom. This article presents findings from a qualitative study of seven students with ADHD. Students wanted teachers to initiate classroom support subtly, be available for conversations about their learning, and value peer relationships as additional support. They wanted to be able to express their own learning preferences and have their teachers take them seriously and act on them. This… Read more

The term school discipline includes student self-management, classroom management, behaviour management, and school exclusion practices. This article is based on the perspectives of rangatahi on disciplinary practices from two different high schools. Ten Years 9–11 students from one school who had experienced exclusion, and 10 fully engaged Year 13 students in another school reflected on their strategic navigation of the culture of classroom and school discipline. Students were aware of how… Read more