School science, the ‘smart’ economy, ‘networked’ science and ‘wicked’ problems: Is there a connection? Should there be? In this article, in keeping with the theme of this issue of NZ Science Teacher, I look at one of the four pressure areas I listed: changes to the work of being a scientist (and to the world of work generally). Via a quick survey of some big trends in the world beyond ...

This report presents the findings of a kaupapa Māori research project that identifies diverse whānau aspirations in Māori education. We asked a variety of whānau the question: What sorts of educational research would be of benefit to your children and whānau in education? The whānau responses to this question have resulted in refining a Māori-led and whānauinformed research agenda for Te Wāhanga, the kaupapa Māori research team within the New ...

The Department of Labour asked NZCER to write and develop a resource based on findings from another department project about the transfer of language, literacy and numeracy learning in workplaces. This summary brochure was produced and sent to the department, as well as widely distributed in the sector and online.

At the heart of all new programmes, initiatives, policies or curriculum documents designed for school settings is an attempt to change some aspect of school practice. Therefore, an understanding of the key messages and lessons learnt about effectively managing change in schools is important background for anyone trying to implement new approaches in school settings.

This literature scan summarises some of the key messages and lessons learnt from the school ...

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 ...

This paper is an initial exploration of the integration of work and learning and is intended to inform NZCER's Learning at Work research programme. It shows how the traditional separation between work and learning is being challenged and looks at what that means for education professionals, institutions and programmes. The paper considers the major formal learning spaces and how they broadly map to models of integration with particular drivers for ...

This report discusses the impact of NCEA on schools' and teachers' thinking about curriculum. It was funded from NZCER's purchase agreement with the Ministry of Education and is intended to draw on and contribute to NZCER's ongoing NCEA-related research. It explores how innovative teachers and schools think about and enact curriculum change enabled by NCEA.

This working paper was written as part of a 2010-11 project called Changing Minds, which was funded by NZCER's purchase agreement. The paper discusses NZCER’s research in the broad area of future-focused public and community engagement with education. It questions our role as researchers, asking whether we should be in the business of knowledge building, or using our research knowledge to actively support and sustain change. In the past we ...

This report is one of a series written for the Ministry of Education as part of the Curriculum support for science strand of the Science in the Curriculum projects. It  places two decades of science curriculum reform in New Zealand in the context of international debate about the “nature of science” (NOS) as a driver of change. It outlines the sort of changes that the NOS focus was expected to ...