Identifying trades tutors' and institutions' perceptions of tutors' roles within the ITP sector : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in Adult Education at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Since 1984 tertiary education institutions have been subject to progressive and far-reaching change. Much of this change has been shaped by neo-liberalist agendas which espouse accountability, efficiency, responsiveness, professionalism and managerialism. This thesis looks at how these themes have shaped or influenced managerial and tutorial perceptions of tutors' operational roles, responsibilities and performance within a selection of contemporary Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITP) teaching environments. Analysis of the research identifies that scant or poorly prepared institutional documentation around tutorial roles and responsibilities has contributed to uncertainty or confusion, and consequently to individuals adapting their teaching roles to suit themselves. It has also been identified that managers appointed to the pivotal role of Head of School are stretched in their ability to cope with the demands that are placed on them. This thesis suggests that the increasing responsibilities they carry for managing tutorial staff have contributed to a breakdown in workload planning and performance management processes. Managers acknowledge that further work needs to be done in defining tutors' roles, responsibilities and performance. But such work presupposes the question: how do managers and tutors perceive tutorial roles in today's ITP teaching environment? Research on this key question and associated issues provides the basis for this thesis

Will scholars trump teachers in New Zealand teacher education?

The Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF) assessment process in 2003 highlighted the research imperative for academic staff in New Zealand teacher education. This imperative was not new: it was implicit in the tertiary education changes of 1990, which ended the university monopoly over degree granting and gave autonomy to colleges of education and polytechnics. Previous assumptions about the roles of university and college academics were challenged. Few teacher educators had engaged in research before 1990; staff were recruited from the profession on the basis of their professional expertise. Developing a research culture alongside the demands of teaching and professional involvement in schools leads to tensions that few institutions worldwide have been able to solve. This paper examines the experience of two New Zealand teacher education institutions in responding to the new research imperative, and then considers the impact of the PBRF process and reporting on policy and practice. It identifies significant issues for resourcing and developing capacity but concludes that research is an imperative of professional practice that has the capacity to enrich our teaching and inform policy. However, maintaining balance and equilibrium among the contradictory demands and pressures of research and teaching is still an essential goal if we are to serve education well

Talking across the divide: English teachers respond to the NCEA.

The implementation of the National Certificate of Educational Achievement as a single, senior secondary school qualification in New Zealand has been a fraught process marked by a good deal of acrimonious debate. This article reports on a research project that brought together two groups of secondary English teachers, one self-described as in favour of the NCEA and one as opposed to it. Both groups were invited to describe aspects of their practice, share their views on aspects of the NCEA and engage in a focus group where they explored these views with other teachers. Certain predictable trends were found in the responses of both groups but there was also an interesting degree of convergence. On the basis of this convergence, a possible way forward for reform of the NCEA is suggested

Report on Phase One: The social work curriculum.

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Performance of New Zealand’s secondary schools: A stakeholders’ perspective

The performance of State secondary schools in New Zealand is currently measured by the schools’ performance measurement systems (PMS). The PMS are established by the schools’ boards of trustees in line with guidelines developed primarily by the Ministry of Education (MoE), while incorporating the requirements of the Education Review Office (ERO) and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA). The PMS focuses on the performance of teachers, as well as the principal and the school, but all are assessed from a stewardship oriented perspective, that does not adequately reflect the expectations of a school’s nongovernmental stakeholders. The purpose of this research is to determine the key stakeholders of State secondary schools in New Zealand and identify their key performance factors (KPFs) and associated key performance indicators (KPIs). This research employed a mixed methods approach, guided by the pragmatist paradigm. This study used a sequential research design consisting of a qualitative method (semistructured interviews) followed by a quantitative method (questionnaire). Stakeholder theory provided the theoretical basis for identifying the schools’ stakeholders, and the theory of stakeholder salience gave the rationale for identification of the schools’ key stakeholders. Two performance measurement frameworks, “strategic factors” and the “portfolio approach” informed this research in identifying the KPFs and associated KPIs of the key stakeholders. This research has identified eight key stakeholders of State secondary schools in New Zealand. They include three Crown entities: ERO, MoE, NZQA, “one statutory body” the board of trustees (BOT), and four nongovernmental stakeholder groups: teachers, parents, students, and the community. The schools’ PMS do not adequately reflect the expectations of nongovernmental stakeholders. Thus, this study has chosen to identify the KPFs and associated KPIs of the two most salient nongovernmental stakeholders, i.e., teachers and parents. This research has identified seven KPFs for teachers in addition to a number of KPIs that indicate the status of the KPFs. Four of the seven teachers’ KPFs: 1) workload, 2) safety, 3) support, and 4) resources reflect issues concerning individual teachers. On the basis of these findings, a holistic teachers’ performance management process for schools has been proposed. This process recognises the transactional relationship between management and teachers, required to improve schools’ performances. This study has also identified seven KPFs for parents; the two most salient are “quality teachers” and “communication” as they influence four other parents’ KPFs. The findings of this investigation have implications in two areas: 1) the management of the schools, and 2) the educational policy of the government. School management needs to provide quality teachers, adequate support to teachers and students by improving the “management system” of schools in line with expectations of teachers and parents, while ensuring safety at all times in schools. The government’s education policy should focus on the following: reducing teachers’ nonteaching activities; providing skills to teachers so that they can engage cross-culturally as well as with students from adverse backgrounds, and inducting individuals into the teaching profession who see teaching as a service/dedication to a cause and not merely a means to earn a living. It is expected that a holistic, stakeholder-focused, and transactional relationship between the school and its stakeholders will result in greater engagement between the schools and their stakeholders, leading to beneficial outcomes for both schools and for society at large such as lower truancy, and improved academic achievement

Higher Education Quality Assurance System in New Zealand and Its Implications for China

With the popularization of higher education, its quality assurance and enhancement have gained top priority in the work of governments and higher education institutions across the world. In order to meet the needs of society for the booming economy and globalization, The New Zealand government has taken effective measures to develop and improve its higher education quality assurance system to maintain its international reputation. This paper first introduces the background of New Zealand higher education quality assurance system, and then examines the structure, function and operation of its internal and external quality assurance systems. Based on a comparative analysis of the quality assurance systems in New Zealand and China, useful recommendations such as diversified standards and multi-engagement, etc., are given, which aims to contribute to the progress of the quality assurance system of Chinese higher education

Incorporating Company and Learner Goals in Workplace Training Programmes

There has been an increased awareness and focus on workplace training in recent years. The rapid growth in digital technology and the globalisation of business and trade is often cited as the reason for this increase because they are seen to impact on business production, policies and communication. As in much educational research, there are questions about how positive workplace learning outcomes can be encouraged. Although attention is generally given to skills improvement, goals are important in workplace training for a number of reasons. They assist the learning process, give direction to a course or programme, help us measure success and give information about stakeholders’ expectations. However, in workplaces, there can be disparate goals. Companies often aim to align workplace training with business objectives. Employees, as learners, may have individual goals, and as part of the context, tutors and government funders may have additional goals. While the four stakeholders in this research are: the government, the company, training staff and learners, the focus is on the companies’ and learners’ goals. It explores learners’ goals for workplace training and how they relate to company goals. In order to investigate this research question, I engaged with five workplace training programmes, used interviews, observations and documentation with a qualitative approach to gather data. I interviewed company managers at the beginning and end of the data collection, and I interviewed tutors and learners at different points in their training programme, I observed a training session when possible and collected relevant training and company documents. Three factors seemed to contribute to positive learner response to workplace training programmes. These three factors were the tutors’ teaching approach, NZQA qualifications offered in the training, and employees increased sense of belonging in the company and being valued in the company. These three factors also contributed to aligning learners goals to the company goals. This study suggests workplace training programmes can be beneficial to both the company and learner/employees and may be useful, therefore, for people involved in implementing training in the workplace

Transforming education policy in New Zealand: a case study analysis

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the changing face of New Zealand education policy over the past 25 years. It highlights the phase of socio-economic trans-formation in the late 1980s and its far-reaching impact on the education system, before turning to the last two decades, in which New Zealand's education policy has been in-creasingly shaped by its system of education export, its willingness to engage in interna-tional comparison and its close cooperation with international organizations. The article also emphasizes the various domestic forces, which have shaped education policy-making. They include a unique willingness to experiment, pragmatism, and an underly-ing culture of balance and inclusion, which account for the high degree of flexibility and adaptiveness of the country's secondary and tertiary education systems. -- Diese Studie gibt einen umfassenden Überblick des Wandels in der neuseeländischen Bildungspolitik, der bereits vor ca. 25 Jahren begann. Der Fokus wird zuerst auf die Phase der sozioökonomischen Transformation Ende der 1980er Jahre und deren Auswirklungen auf das Bildungssystem gelegt. Danach werden die Reformen der letzten zwei Jahrzehnte skizziert. Sowohl im tertiären als auch im sekundären Bildungsbereich wird Bildung in diesem Zeitraum zunehmend as liberalisiertes Servicegut interpretiert, welches zudem exportierbar ist. Gleichzeitig wurde die neuseeländische Hochschulpolitik durch die Ergebnisse internationaler Leistungsvergleiche und durch enge Zusammenarbeit mit internationalen Organisationen stark geprägt. Der Artikel zeigt außerdem wie verschiedene innenpolitische Faktoren bildungspolitische Reformen in Neuseeland beschleunigt haben. Dazu gehören eine starke Bereitschaft mit neuen Lösungsansätzen zu experimentieren, ein stark ausgeprägter Pragmatismus und eine für Neuseeland charakteristische Kultur des sozialen Gleichgewichtes und Ausgleiches. Diese Faktoren erklären den hohen Grad an Flexibilität sowie die Anpassungsfähigkeit des sekundären und tertiären Bildungssystems des Landes.

The impact of the NCEA on teacher collegiality

This study looks at the impact that the National Certification of Educational Achievement (NCEA) has had on teacher collegiality in New Zealand. It is an exploratory study using an in case and cross case method, located in four secondary schools with a range of demographics. I was interested in gathering the information from teachers in three key roles: Assistant teacher, Head of Department and Principal's Nominee, finding out what their views were on the change that the NCEA has bought to their professional lives and the impact made on their collegiality. The literature reviewed shows there is an international appreciation of the value of collegiality in schools but there is a fragile nature of collegiality that challenges its strength. The complexity of school culture and the symbiotic relationship between it and collegiality contributes to challenge of the management and development in secondary schools. The findings showed the teachers in this study considered there to have been a deepening in collegiality as a result of increased sharing of material, professional communication through moderation and professional development, and a heightened respect for professional practice and understanding of personalities. There are threats from reduced socialisation, workload, loss of autonomy and the fragility of collegiality. These elements have created a shift in school culture. How teacher collegiality can best be supported using this assessment policy has been explored with features involving school organisation and increasing deep collegial activities such as collegial observation, marking, moderating and review being identified as beneficial