New Zealand Perspectives

Māori peoples constitute 15 per cent of the population and 10 per cent of the workforce in New Zealand (New Zealand Business Roundtable, 2009) and have historically experienced persistent disparities in educational outcomes. In 2010, 55 per cent of Māori students achieved NCEA level 2 (minimum graduation certification) compared to 78 per cent of the non-Māori student population.

Only 24 per cent of Māori students leaving school were qualified to enter university, in comparison with 52 per cent of the non- Māori student population (Education Counts, 2012). The majority of those Māori who go on to postsecondary education do so as mature students. Māori learners make up 58 per cent of students who enter the postsecondary system over the age of 25. They also represent 15 per cent of students enrolled in preparatory or “bridging courses” designed to provide the foundational skills necessary for success in the postsecondary environment. Although data show that Māori women are less likely to enrol in professional training than their European peers (Akpovire

& Bhola, 2006), and generally earn lower salaries than their peers with equivalent education, the wage gap for Māori women disappears at the postgraduate level.

Many researchers have examined the influence of culture on Māori student achievement, finding strong evidence that the absence of culturally appropriate curriculum and pedagogy negatively impacts their attendance, engagement, retention, and achievement in both primary and secondary schooling (Bishop & Berryman, 2006; Hood, 2007; Whitinui, 2008). Systematic reviews of instruction for Māori learners in mainstream classrooms (Alton-Lee, 2003; Biddulph & Biddulph, 2003; Harker, 2007) have concluded that Māori youth experience fewer teacher-student interactions, less positive feedback, under-assessment of capacity, minimal inclusion of Māori culture in the curriculum, and counterproductive teaching strategies. In contrast, Māori students attending Māori immersion and bilingual schools that promote teaching and learning practices that are inherent to Māori culture achieved completion rates similar to the non-Māori population and were three times less likely to be suspended than their Māori peers in mainstream schools (Murray, 2005; Ministry of Education, 2007).

Further research into this phenomenon by Berry et al. (2007) found that Māori students in secondary school classrooms whose teachers had received intensive professional development in culturally responsive pedagogy had significantly higher academic gains and stronger teacher-student relations than students in classrooms whose teachers had not received this training.

These findings gave rise to a coordinated national professional development initiative in all secondary schools with high Māori populations and teacher preparation programs. Te Kotahitanga was intended to improve educational outcomes for Māori students in Years 9 and 10 by challenging teachers’ low expectations for Māori learners and helping them develop more effective classroom relationships and become proficient in a broad range of culturally competent teaching strategies (NZ Ministry of Education, 2010). The Te Kotahitanga model relies heavily on structured classroom observations to

provide feedback that allows teachers to identify their own attitudes and practices that act as barriers for their Māori students. Early evaluations found that 75 per cent of teachers in the program were able to demonstrate moderate or high mastery of the Effective Teaching Profile; effects on student attendance, engagement, and retention were moderately positive; and teacher responses to their professional learning and growth in expertise were strongly positive (Meyer et al.,2010; Bishop et al., 2009). Overall gains for Māori learners between 2008 and 2011 with respect to retention to age 17 (up 5.5 per cent) and attainment of NCEA level 2 graduation qualifications (up 8.3 per cent) reported by the Ministry of Education may reflect the positive impacts of this program in the critical Grade 9 and 10 years, when most dropouts occur (NZ Ministry of Education, Managing for Success). A review of school responsiveness to the needs of Māori students and families, however, found approximately one quarter of secondary schools fail to measure up to standards of practice in this area (Education Review Office, 2010).

The power of relationships and pedagogy to improve outcomes for Māori students is also addressed in the postsecondary literature. Gorinksi and Abernathy (2007) examine Māori student participation and retention in tertiary institutions and conclude that reforms to curricula, classroom pedagogy, and relationships are critical to their success. Hook (2010, p. 1) goes further, arguing for a National Māori University on the premise that mainstream institutions are seen by many Māori as “unfriendly, unsupportive, and often insincere in their cultural inclusiveness.” An important and timely work by Christensen et al. (2012) supports the national focus on increasing Māori student engagement. The Handbook of Research on Student Engagement explores the indicators of student engagement, the link to motivation, and the impact of family, peers, and teachers on engagement at different levels of schooling, as well as findings on the effectiveness of classroom interventions.

Case study research to address an information gap about programs to support successful transitions for Māori students to work or postsecondary (Boyd, et al, 2006) offers a wealth of insights on key aspects of effective career education programs. Innovative pathways from school tracked a sample of senior secondary students in seven low decile schools for four years to identify features of programming that prepared youth for success after graduation. The seven key features identified in these programs were: offering a relevant curriculum to create positive attitudes toward school; the use of student-centred pedagogies to build relationships; access to careers and transition support;

learning by doing; bridges to the tertiary environment; opportunities to gain qualifications; and opportunities to develop life skills. Other researchers, however, concluded that many NZ secondary students were not participating in or receiving instruction in careers activities (Vaughan & Gardiner, 2007; Education Review Office, 2006). Vaughan (2011) and Vaughan and O’Neil (2010) discuss the implications of these findings for the role of the careers practitioner. Recent initiatives to promote Māori retention and success through broader choices of pathways to graduation have added financial incentives and trades, service, and sports academies to the dialogue. Secondary students enrolled in New Zealand’s 21 new trades academies remain with their school and pay no fees while earning credits toward graduation. Youth Guarantee offers youth who have left school and wish to take free trades or technology training additional supports such as orientation sessions, career planning advice, counselling, cultural support, and extra-curricular activities. New Zealand’s 16 service academies offer a 12-month, military-focused program to youth in Years 11 to 13 who are at risk of school failure, engaging them in a range of motivating and challenging learning experiences in outdoor education,

physical fitness, goal-setting and life skills, and basic and advanced leadership courses, along with core English and mathematics. Māori students account for 80 per cent of enrolment in service academies, which in a recent evaluation were found to transform students’ motivational levels, attendance, academic achievement, behaviour, and physical fitness (Education Review Office, 2011).