A case study of the philosophies, policies and practices of educational management at the Church College of New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education at Massey University

Abstract

This thesis explores the Educational Management practices at the Church College of New Zealand (CCNZ) in Hamilton. It has examined, analysed and presented answers to the research question which is: How effective is the LDS Church College in following both the philosophies and policies of the LDS Church Board of Education and those of the Ministry of Education in New Zealand?. This college belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a church that is also known as the LDS Church. The research was done through a case study approach because of the need to use a mixture of methods. Some of these methods are personal observation, use of current and historical data, semi-structured interviews, study of relevant records and documents at the Church College, the New Zealand Government through the Educational Review Office (ERO) and from private sources. The thesis initially looks at the Educational Management in general before it examines how management principles are applied at this Church College. I have arranged the various management positions at Church College into three groups. The first group is the Top Management that includes two people, the New Zealand Country Director and the Church College Principal. The second group is the Middle Management consisting of the Deputy Principal, the Assistant Principal, the Director of Finance and the Physical Facilities Director. The third group is the First Line Management that includes the Deans, the Heads of various Academic Departments, two Supervisors at the Physical Facilities Department, the Head Boy & Head Girl and finally, the Dorm Parents. Through interviews, I have examined their areas of responsibility and how they are fulfilling their management roles. While exploring the Church College historical background, I discovered that a number of LDS Church schools were built and operated in New Zealand before the existence of CCNZ. The LDS Church built these earlier schools because of the lack of educational facilities in New Zealand at the time. These schools were eventually closed down when the number of state schools increased to the point where the LDS Church schools were considered by the church leaders to be unnecessary. However, a few years later, the Church Mission President in New Zealand at the time persuaded the church leaders in Salt Lake City to approve the building of another school to be used to educate future church leaders in New Zealand. This was the beginning of the existence of the Church College of New Zealand in Hamilton. This thesis has analysed and produced evidence that the Church College is meeting the initial objectives of educating future church leaders in New Zealand. First, the school is producing the biggest number of full-time missionaries in the country when compared to the numbers from other church units in New Zealand. Second, many of the LDS Church leaders in New Zealand today were educated at Church College. Third, the Maori and Pacific Islands students' exam pass-rates at Church College are much higher than the national figures. The Church College is succeeding in educating their students both spiritually and academically. The balance between these two is creating good leaders in the church and in the society. The 1997 ERO Assurance Audit Report clearly states that the college is meeting its obligation to the Ministry of Education in New Zealand. It is also fulfilling the expectations of the LDS Church Board of Education by teaching religious education on campus. The Church College is successful in educating Maori and Pacific Island students. The exam pass rates for Maori and Pacific Island students are higher at Church College than the national figures. Finally, the management and administration of Church College is of high quality and that they are very effective and efficient in following both the philosophies and policies of the LDS Church Board of Education and those of the Ministry of Education in New Zealand. This conclusion was confirmed by most of the research participants as well as documents from the Educational Review Office