Issue 3:June-July 2010

The Modern Apprenticeships programme was introduced nation-wide in 2001 to address participation problems in workplace industry training by young people. It is aimed at 15 to 21 year olds wishing to participate in formalised workplace-based training, and is intended to lead to national qualifications.

This analysis looks at the association of school subject and school achievement on university performance. The school subjects considered are those on the ‘approved list’ of subjects for the New Zealand university entrance requirement.

The review’s purpose was to deepen understanding of transition to school by critically analysing research literature. The focus was on what successful transitions to school look like, the factors that play a role in how well children transition from ECE to school, and the ways in which children can be supported by teachers and families to transition as successfully as possible.

This report explores a range of factors associated with English literacy and numeracy among people aged 25-65, using data from the Adult Literacy and Life Skills (ALL) Survey 2006. It finds that three key factors can account for a large part of the variation between people in their literacy and numeracy skills: completed education, language background and computer use. Computer use was strongly associated with higher literacy and numeracy, especially the combination of work and home computer use. Computer use was associated with intensive and extensive reading, writing and numeracy practices. Work computer use or non-use divided jobs broadly into those that required higher literacy and numeracy and those that did not. There was a large overlap between the groups of people with low literacy and low numeracy, and the group of people who did not use a computer at work.

This report analyses the distribution of literacy and numeracy skills among people aged 25 to 65 in New Zealand in 2006, using data from the Adult Literacy and Life Skills (ALL) Survey. It investigates whether there were geographical concentrations of people with higher literacy and numeracy and with low literacy and numeracy. Three key factors provide a good account for the distribution of high and low literacy and numeracy: completed education, first language (English or not), and computer use, especially at work. The factor which most closely paralleled the regional distribution of literacy and numeracy was the percentage of people in a region using a computer at work. This report builds on the analysis set out in Adult literacy and numeracy in New Zealand – Key factors.

Teu le va is a tool primarily for educational researchers, to help them plan and implement research that contributes to the development of effective policy and practice in respect of Pasifika students in our schools. Teu le va emphasises a number of principles or practices, including the need for: researchers to directly involve Pasifika learners, their families, and communities, and teachers as practitioners, in the development of research proposals or plans; ongoing collaboration between researchers and policy-makers; collaboration among researchers from different organisations and groups in order to build a sound knowledge base; ensuring that any research undertaken is relevant for a range of audiences (eg, parents, communities, teachers, policy-makers); all research, development and policy-making in Pasifika education to have a firm focus on student success: realising potential and identifying opportunities.

This report presents the findings of a research project on literacy teaching and learning in e-Learning contexts carried out by CORE Education and the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) for the Ministry of Education in 2009.

This e-Learning literature review examined texts across a range of countries, but within a relatively short time frame of the preceding five years. A range of criteria were used to select or eliminate studies for closer review (see Methodology and Methods section). Some key terms are defined for the purpose of this review: outcomes, e-Learning, tools, affordances, Web 2.0.

The purpose of this evaluation was to investigate the impacts of the Laptops for Teachers Scheme (TELA) on primary schools within the Greater Auckland area.

The purpose of this evaluation was to investigate the impacts of the Laptops for Teachers Scheme (TELA) on primary schools within the Otago region.

The purpose of this evaluation was to investigate the impacts of the Laptops for Teachers Scheme (TELA) on Years 1 to 3 teachers’ work in the Waikato region.

The purpose of this evaluation was to investigate the impacts of the Laptops for Teachers Scheme (referred to from here as the TELA scheme) on Years 4 to 6 teachers’ work over a period of three years (2004-2006) and to record emerging changes in laptop use. The investigation focused on the Ministry of Education expectation (Ministry of Education, 2004) that teacher access to a laptop for their individual professional use would lead to gains in confidence and expertise in the use of ICTs, to efficiencies in administration, would contribute to teacher collaboration and support the preparation of high quality lesson resources. It was also anticipated that teacher would use their laptop in the classroom for teaching and learning.

From 2006 to 2008 the number of student allowances recipients rose by 5 percent each year, reaching 65,700 in 2008. In 2009, the number of recipients increased by 16,900 (or 26 percent) and reached 82,6002. The increase was largely due to high unemployment, particularly for younger age-groups, due to the economic recession. The reduction of the parental income testing age to 24, and increase to parental income thresholds both contributed to increases in allowance recipients.

This report summarises the findings of a project on how different tertiary education organisations teach literacy, language and numeracy skills as part of their programmes.

This report describes how a wānanga, a polytechnic, two private training establishments and an industry training organisation teach literacy, language and numeracy skills as part of their programmes.

This report summarises the main findings of a research project on how e-learning can help to improve adults’ literacy, language and numeracy skills.

This report reviews the international literature on e-learning and on adult literacy, language and numeracy. It identifies how to engage adults successfully in e-learning to improve their literacy, language and numeracy skills.

This case study describes how a New Zealand polytechnic uses e-learning to help students with literacy, language and numeracy needs.

This report describes a project that supplemented workplace learning with online numeracy activities. It found that simple online tasks that trainees completed in their own time helped them to improve their numeracy skills.

This report summarises the results from the March 2010 annual statistical return from schools. It includes information on the number of schools, school rolls, numbers of international fee-paying students and numbers of students involved in Māori Medium Education. The March roll return primarily collects information on full-time equivalent students (FTEs), including regular and international fee-paying students and those in alternative education. All information refers to FTEs unless otherwise stated.

This document is an introduction for language teachers to the concept known as intercultural communicative language teaching and learning. It is a summary of a Ministry of Education-commissioned report, Intercultural Communicative Language Teaching: Implications for Effective Teaching and Learning, produced through Victoria University of Wellington by Jonathan Newton, Eric Yates, Sandra Shearn, and Werner Nowitzki (the Newton report).

This report on intercultural communicative language teaching was commissioned by the Ministry of Education in the context of the development of the 2007 New Zealand Curriculum, with its new learning area of learning languages.

Previous research shows that New Zealand students are generally positive about their school experiences during the middle schooling years. But at the same time, students’ perceptions of aspects of teaching and learning at school become increasingly negative during these years and there is evidence that their overall levels of engagement in learning show a decline. To help gain greater insights into the needs of students in the middle years of schooling the Ministry of Education designed and undertook an exploratory study to seek the views of principals, teachers and students regarding teaching and learning in Years 7 to 10. This research collected the views of principals, teachers and students in 185 schools throughout New Zealand on the education needs of students in Years 7 to 10 and whether those who teach this age group need specialised knowledge, skills or personal attributes.

To help gain greater insights into the teaching and learning needs of students in the middle years of schooling in New Zealand the Ministry of Education designed and undertook an exploratory study in 2008. This brochure provides an outline of the study, The Education of Years 7 to 10 Students: A focus on their teaching and learning needs (Durling, Ng, and Bishop, 2010), together with a summary of key findings.

The present report is the last in a series of three. Each report presents findings from a Ministry of Education project A Study of Students’ Transition from Primary to Secondary Schooling .

Research undertaken in New Zealand and other countries consistently suggests that student engagement in school and learning decreases during the middle years of schooling. The aim of this literature review, which was undertaken by Evaluation Associates and Massey University on behalf of the Ministry of Education, was to explore the relationship between academic engagement and student achievement and what can be done to raise levels of engagement in New Zealand schools.