The Effectiveness of Using Young Professionals to Influence STEM Career Choices of Secondary School Students

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-18
Author(s):  
P John Williams ◽  
Jenny Mangan
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Student ◽  
Student Interest ◽  
Stem Careers ◽  
School Students ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Curriculum Choices ◽  
The Impact

There is a concern in many countries that secondary school student interest in careers in the STEM areas is declining. In response, a program has been developed in New Zealand for young professional technologists, engineers and scientists (known as ambassadors) to visit schools and carry out a variety of interventions to educate and encourage students to choose STEM careers. The interventions include careers talks and classroom activities, organized by regional facilitators who are employed by the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ) to co-ordinate the programme across New Zealand. The goal of this research was to ascertain whether ambassador interventions are influential on students’ attitudes to careers and curriculum choices in school. The objectives were 1) To investigate the impact of the interventions on students’ views and perceptions of STEM careers; and 2) To discover any specific factors that must also exist in a given context for an intervention to be effective. The main finding was that the ambassador interventions were influential on student career decision processes, though not all students were influenced. The facilitators work effectively in recruiting, training, organizing and supporting the ambassadors, and the ambassadors belief in the value of what they are doing helps ensure effective interventions. The research outcomes are presented as a range of recommendations.

The Impact of Mandatory Reporting Legislation on New Zealand Secondary School Students’ Attitudes towards Disclosure of Child Abuse

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 491-528
Author(s):  
Deborah Lawson ◽  
Brian Niven
Keyword(s):  
Child Abuse ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Mandatory Reporting ◽  
School Students ◽  
Physically Abused ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Reporting Laws ◽  
The Impact

Few studies have sought the views of children and young people in relation to child abuse reporting laws and policies, including mandatory reporting of child abuse. This study* sought to determine whether mandatory reporting legislation would have an impact on secondary school students’ attitudes towards: (a) disclosing abuse to a teacher or school counsellor; and (b) attending school, if they had been obviously physically abused. A stratified random sample of 466 secondary school students in two New Zealand provinces answered nine questions in response to an in-class written survey. Results indicated that the introduction of mandatory reporting legislation in New Zealand would deter secondary students from disclosing abuse to teachers and school counsellors. Further, the introduction of mandatory reporting laws might deter students from attending school if they had been obviously physically abused.

scholarly journals Moemoea: A digital tool to train secondary school student resilience and motivation for success

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Thomas Johnson
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Academic Outcomes ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Secondary School Student ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Technological Advancement ◽  
Digital Tool ◽  
School Students ◽  
Low Socioeconomic

<p>Secondary school students in New Zealand have been underachieving in recent years, with one of the largest performance gaps between high and low performing students in the OECD. With an overrepresentation of Māori, Pasifika and low socioeconomic students in this low performing group, this research explores an innovative solution and presents a business case of Moemoea- a digital tool to train resilience and self-motivation to support student success. Disruption of jobs with automation in future workplaces from rapid technological advancement requires workers to be proficient in digital literacy, resilience, and self-motivation. The literature suggests that these skills lead to improved confidence and academic outcomes and were the same capabilities required beyond school, in the new digitally focused work environment.  This research interviewed 14 Māori, Pasifika and low socioeconomic secondary school students, collecting first-hand experiences of resilience, motivation, and resources that support successful academic outcomes at school. The research findings identified an untapped opportunity between high digital skills and access to technology and a lack of student motivation and resilience levels to harness this advantage to improve student learning.  Government ministries are identified as a likely customer because they are the entity currently addressing the performance gap between high and low achievers in New Zealand secondary schools. The findings and business case demonstrate the feasibility of investment in the research and development of both Moemoea and other possible solutions to poor performing students.</p>

scholarly journals Students attitudes to and thoughts on natural and cultural heritage

2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-196
Author(s):  
Dubravka Kuščević
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Primary School Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
Natural Heritage ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
The Impact

A nation’s cultural and natural heritage is the wealth of the people it belongs to and one of the key elements for the creation of national identity and affirmation in the process of globalization. The aim of our study was to examine the attitudes, knowledge and thoughts of primary and secondary school students related to natural and cultural heritage. A total of 322 respondents from primary and secondary schools in Split-Dalmatia County, Šibenik-Knin County, and Zagreb County participated in the research. Our results indicate that secondary school students show better knowledge of cultural and natural heritage of their homeland and a higher degree of interest in learning about these contents than students in the final grades of primary school. Moreover, secondary school students more than primary school students recognize the value of attaching importance to these topics within the work of educational institutions and in various school subjects. In addition, secondary school students expressed a greater awareness of the importance of preserving cultural heritage and its connection with the development of the economy and the preservation of national identity compared to primary school students. No differences were found among students in terms of the impact of cultural heritage on encouraging their creativity, but it was shown that more frequent visits to archaeological institutions were associated with a higher interest in heritage-related content.

scholarly journals Correlation relation between professional qualifications of physical education teachers and students’ attitudes towards Physical Education classes

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-47
Author(s):  
E. Sucuoglu ◽  
H. Atamturk
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
School Students ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
The Impact

Purpose: This empirical study investigated the impact of the professional qualifications of Physical Education (PE) teachers on secondary school students’ attitudes towards their PE classes. Education in general and teaching and learning in particular are multidimensional phenomena and thus it is essential to determine and define these dimensions to sustain quality in education. From the psychological perspective, along with various factors, teachers’ personality and qualifications may affect students’ learning process. In this respect, effective teachers can foster students’ learning process and help develop positive attitudes towards a course. Material: In order to fulfill the research aim, the data were elicited through a questionnaire from five hundred and ninety-two secondary school students from grades 9, 10 and 11in North Cyprus to be analyzed quantitatively. Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test and Shapiro-Wilk Testwere run to test normality. Seeing that the data set was not well-modeled by a normal distribution, a Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was run to measure the association between the variables. Results: A very strong positive correlation was found between the professional qualifications of teachers and the participants’ attitudes towards PE classes. Conclusions: The results indicated that there was a significant relationship between the qualifications of the teachers and the students’ attitudes towards PE classes. More specifically, it was found that the higher the perceptions of students of the professional qualifications of PE teachers, the more positive attitudes they developed towards PE classes.

scholarly journals Educational meaning of teaching the works of M.Kashkari and Zh.Balasagun in secondary school

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-96
Author(s):  
Ainur TANIRBERGENOVA ◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Secondary School Student ◽  
School Students ◽  
Educational Work ◽  
Holistic Perception ◽  
Historical Heritage ◽  
Educational Potential ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Purposeful Selection

At the present time, the content of literary reading programs has a considerable educational potential. Its implementation depends on the purposeful selection of the content of the educational material, which presents students with a true example of morality, patriotism, spirituality, citizenship and humanity. However, content can be a means of education only if it is transmitted to the consciousness of students through a holistic perception based on narrative, solid knowledge. A secondary school student should be encouraged to understand the artistic specifics of the literature of the Islamic era, along with the ideological and content aspect of the work. When realizing that the main feature of the literature of the Islamic era is the promotion of human values, call for good and appeal to the weal, the student freely assimilates the work and deeply understands its meaning. In this context, it is necessary for secondary school students to study widely the literary and historical heritage, to use it in educational work. To date, effective ways and approaches to teaching Kazakh literature in secondary schools are being methodologically studied. In particular, the teaching of Islamic literature in secondary schools is of great importance. This article examines in detail the issues of what is the main purpose of studying the literature of the Islamic era in secondary school and what is the impact of the works of literature of the Islamic era in general on the worldview of students. The article describes the educational significance of the pedagogical works of the medieval Turkologist, scientist M. Kashgari and Zh. Balasagun.

scholarly journals Correlation relation between professional qualifications of physical education teachers and students’ attitudes towards Physical Education classes

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-47
Author(s):  
E. Sucuoglu ◽  
H. Atamturk
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
School Students ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
The Impact

Purpose: This empirical study investigated the impact of the professional qualifications of Physical Education (PE) teachers on secondary school students’ attitudes towards their PE classes. Education in general and teaching and learning in particular are multidimensional phenomena and thus it is essential to determine and define these dimensions to sustain quality in education. From the psychological perspective, along with various factors, teachers’ personality and qualifications may affect students’ learning process. In this respect, effective teachers can foster students’ learning process and help develop positive attitudes towards a course. Material: In order to fulfill the research aim, the data were elicited through a questionnaire from five hundred and ninety-two secondary school students from grades 9, 10 and 11in North Cyprus to be analyzed quantitatively. Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test and Shapiro-Wilk Testwere run to test normality. Seeing that the data set was not well-modeled by a normal distribution, a Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was run to measure the association between the variables. Results: A very strong positive correlation was found between the professional qualifications of teachers and the participants’ attitudes towards PE classes. Conclusions: The results indicated that there was a significant relationship between the qualifications of the teachers and the students’ attitudes towards PE classes. More specifically, it was found that the higher the perceptions of students of the professional qualifications of PE teachers, the more positive attitudes they developed towards PE classes.

Authentic Mathematical Modelling Behaviours for Secondary School Students

2019 ◽  
pp. 547-551
Author(s):  
Kerri Spooner
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Mathematical Modelling ◽  
Real World ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Secondary School Student ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
School Students ◽  
The World ◽  
Further Development

Mathematical modelling is part of many curricula around the world. Some of these curriculum statements are vague and general. There is a need for statements to be more specific with supporting examples for implementation of curriculums. There is also a need for further development of activities focused on authentic mathematical modelling behaviour. To address this problem, an ethnographic study in New Zealand was carried out to identify the behaviours of a real world mathematical modelling team. These behaviours were then explored to determine what they could look like for a sixteen-year-old student. This paper will present the modelling behaviours of the real world modelling team and the potential authentic mathematical modelling behaviours of a secondary school student.

scholarly journals The learning experiences of New Zealand secondary school students with chronic health conditions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Mabél R. Hamon
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Young People ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Chronic Health Conditions ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
School Students ◽  
Zealand Secondary School ◽  
The Impact

<p>Chronic health conditions (CHC) in New Zealand adolescents are on the rise as medical advances continue. Exact numbers of the student population ranges from approximately 17% (Adolescent Health Research Group, 2008) to as high as 37% (Ministry of Health, 2008a). Pasifika and Māori youth are especially hard hit by the increase in numbers of CHCs in New Zealand. Young people with a CHC face additional challenges in the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial domains their healthy peers do not. Prior research shows CHCs can negatively affect learning. This study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, 1995), generally used in nursing and psychological research, and focused on the learning experiences of New Zealand secondary school students with a CHC. It emphasized and gave voice to these students’ experiences that affected their learning. Data were collected from 24 participants in seven secondary schools in a major New Zealand city, through semi-structured individual interviews and focus groups.  Despite a wide range of CHCs and ages represented within the overall cohort of students, they shared many commonalities. Participants considered themselves no different from their peers in school, even as they discussed the different effects and difficulties of their respective CHCs, such as the impact of pain or inability to concentrate. They considered school important and did not want to miss class due to either a CHC or its treatment. The physical, cognitive, and psychosocial impacts of CHCs make learning challenging, especially when students encounter skepticism and teachers with insufficient knowledge of CHCs to meet their learning needs. This lack of understanding or knowledge regarding CHCs and how they impact the student caused additional strain but these young people retained their interest in school, regardless of school decile or ethnicity. Students took responsibility for their learning and attributed learning success to their efforts and coping strategies with strong support given by parents. Teachers or others within the school who knew about the CHC were seen as helpful and understanding; protective factors which contributed to their learning. New and career educators and policy makers in New Zealand need additional instruction in New Zealand on the impact of CHCs on learning as well as greater encouragement of communication between parents and schools regarding health to help these adolescents in their education.</p>

scholarly journals Moemoea: A digital tool to train secondary school student resilience and motivation for success

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Thomas Johnson
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Academic Outcomes ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Secondary School Student ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Technological Advancement ◽  
Digital Tool ◽  
School Students ◽  
Low Socioeconomic

<p>Secondary school students in New Zealand have been underachieving in recent years, with one of the largest performance gaps between high and low performing students in the OECD. With an overrepresentation of Māori, Pasifika and low socioeconomic students in this low performing group, this research explores an innovative solution and presents a business case of Moemoea- a digital tool to train resilience and self-motivation to support student success. Disruption of jobs with automation in future workplaces from rapid technological advancement requires workers to be proficient in digital literacy, resilience, and self-motivation. The literature suggests that these skills lead to improved confidence and academic outcomes and were the same capabilities required beyond school, in the new digitally focused work environment.  This research interviewed 14 Māori, Pasifika and low socioeconomic secondary school students, collecting first-hand experiences of resilience, motivation, and resources that support successful academic outcomes at school. The research findings identified an untapped opportunity between high digital skills and access to technology and a lack of student motivation and resilience levels to harness this advantage to improve student learning.  Government ministries are identified as a likely customer because they are the entity currently addressing the performance gap between high and low achievers in New Zealand secondary schools. The findings and business case demonstrate the feasibility of investment in the research and development of both Moemoea and other possible solutions to poor performing students.</p>

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