This page gives access to key NZCER publications and resources relating to the Key Competencies as outlined in the NZ school curriculum. These publications and resources have been written or generated by NZCER researchers. New items will be added as they become available.
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Key Competencies
Recent Key Competencies research publications
This is a comprehensive picture of the current experiences and challenges for secondary schools in New Zealand. It presents the findings from NZCER's national survey of secondary schools, conducted in July and August 2015. It includes the perspectives of principals, teachers, parents and board of trustee members on a wide range of issues.
Research report - 2016
Secondary schools aim to develop young people to be “confident, connected, actively involved lifelong learners” (New Zealand Curriculum, 2007)
Journal article - 2012
This report explores teachers' practice and thinking about one of the eight principles in the New Zealand Curriculum, learning to learn. It draws on data from teachers' responses to NZCER's 2012 National Survey of Secondary Schools.
Research report - 2015
This report presents the main findings from the NZCER national survey of primary and intermediate schools, which was conducted in July and August, 2013.
Research report - 2014
How can educational research could contribute to the development of a more future-oriented learning system? This article discusses an attempt to synthesise ideas from the “21st century learning” literature with current knowledge about practice issues and future possibilities for innovation in New Zealand education, in order to distil a set of principles for a more future-oriented system. We hope this synthesis might provide a platform for educators, researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders in education to engage in ongoing discussion about how to develop “next practice” and achieve system change.
Journal article - 2011
Journal article - 2013
This report is concerned with the key transition support system of school-based career education. We argue that long-standing deficiencies in career education require a new framework to address young people’s needs. We discuss exploratory research with two schools on how career management competencies can be put into practice to provide this new framework. We suggest that career management competencies have the potential to be a transformative “core service” in career education. They can re-invigorate the direction of schools and sharpen the focus for the New Zealand Curriculum principles and vision of young people becoming confident, connected, actively involved lifelong learners.
Research report - 2012
This report analyses findings from the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS), which was undertaken in New Zealand in 2008, around the time of the general election. It explores how students perceive responsible adult citizenship and looks at their current interests and abilities. The students were also asked to look to their futures and say which of a range of social and political activities they will be most likely to do, or not do when they are adults.
Research report - 2012
Journal article - 2011
This paper explores what a focus on the Key Competencies might mean for the learning area of science.
Research report - 2004
Conference presentation - 2008
This interim research report provides examples of how some schools have approached the revised curriculum and the Key Competencies, and discusses the processes, tensions, and opportunities of leading and managing curriculum change.
Paper - 2008
This research report provides examples of how some schools have approached the revised curriculum and the Key Competencies, and discusses the processes, tensions, and opportunities of leading and managing curriculum change.
Research report - 2009
This article provides examples of how some schools have approached the revised curriculum and the Key Competencies, and discusses ways of leading and managing curriculum change.
Journal article - 2009
Conference presentation - 2006
An analysis of a student dataset that shows us the important role of the teacher in creating a learning environment that enables students to strengthen the key competencies
Professional learning resource -
This paper discusses the possible purposes for assessing the Key Competencies, and the assessment approaches that fit with these purposes.
Journal article - 2007
Conference paper - 2005
This research report provides examples of how six schools explored the Key Competencies, and discusses the processes, tensions, and opportunities of leading and managing change.
Research report - 2006
Conference paper - 2009
This paper overviews the background to the development of the Key Competencies, and explores the scope of each Key Competency.
Paper - 2006
Conference paper - 2010
This paper explores some of the theory underpinning the Key Competencies and what this tells us about possible ways of measuring progress in, and assessing, the Key Competencies.
Paper - 2005