This project aimed to identify a variety of literacy-teaching approaches that could be used in secondary content-area classrooms to improve the achievement of a wide range of students. Specifically, the project aimed to investigate: (1) literacy and the extent to which a focus on improved teacher knowledge and practice would lead to increases in…

A case study of a science-technology major illustrates the thinking and praxis changes that occurred in cooperative work placements. He became enculturated to research science through his experience in communities of practice. (Contains 30 references.) (SK)

This article reports some of the findings of a study involving 11 New Zealand 4-year-old precocious readers (Margrain, 2005). The children, aged between 4:01 and 4:10, had reading ages three to nine years above their chronological age. Assessment of precocious reading abilities is discussed, including how assessment findings are influenced by the…

This article provides a critical account of conducting focus groups with gay and lesbian youth. Drawing on the insights of queer theory it attempts to reframe issues around sexual diversity by examining the heteronormalizing processes at work during these focus groups. This analysis is undertaken through a "study of the limits" of the…

This paper discusses the development of research on early childhood education in New Zealand, the people involved in the research, and other general issues concerning early childhood education in New Zealand. Content analysis of the New Zealand Early Childhood Care and Education Bibliography reveals an increase in published materials concerning…

A five-part cumulative report details the activities of the Pacific Circle Consortium. Section 1, on the origins of the Pacific Circle, describes the consortium on three levels: participating organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, participating institutions, and development teams. In section 2, the involvement of…

Initial activities of the Pacific Circle, an educational exchange project of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, are reported. Information is divided into four sections. Section I outlines the origins and evolution of the project. Section II details membership and describes the main lines of activity which have taken place…

The premise of this paper is that the state of educational sociology in New Zealand is uncertain. The following reasons are given: (1) The tradition of sociology is underdeveloped in New Zealand; (2) The community of scholars is scattered and divided; (3) Not enough effort has gone into the development of graduate research and occupational…

Michel Foucault wrote of the "well-managed life" as one that would require a certain "care of the self." As a preliminary to the exploration of the care of the self as a scholar, this paper explores why scholars choose to live the "researching life" in the first place. The experiences of 57 people who completed Ph.D.s…

The overall aim of the project was to engage early childhood teachers in investigating and improving their expertise in the teaching and learning of mathematics. The intention of the project was to develop a research environment through which researchers and kindergarten teachers worked collaboratively, using action research methodology, to…

Advocates teaching as a research-based activity. Describes the national curriculum in English Schools and compares it with curricular development in New Zealand. Recommends inservice training (InSET) to ensure teachers' confidence in presenting scientific ideas. (Contains 25 references.) (YDS)

In the 1980s and 1990s the discipline of philosophy of education had an impact on schooling and the public service in New Zealand because of the contracted work of James Marshall and Michael Peters. This personal reflection by Robert Shaw is a tribute to James Marshall and provides insight into the relationship between Ministry officials, the…

The field of industrial relations, to which labour studies and labour education are closely linked both historically and institutionally, is an interdisciplinary field and, as such, has never securely claimed a single theoretical foundation. This article draws attention to a theoretical framework that may be useful as a way of promoting discussion…

This project came about after discussions with the general manager of the Wellington Region Free Kindergarten Association and Jeanette Clarkin-Phillips (University of Waikato) about setting up a research partnership to support the teachers at Taitoko Kindergarten in Levin. The teachers were establishing an integrated community centre (the whanau…

The focus of this paper is the politics and practicalities of using, training, and paying young people as peer researchers in their schools. It begins by presenting a five-point rationale for involving peer researchers in research about young people. The paper also discusses the ethics and politics of negotiating peer research in four New Zealand…