Postgraduate
Global Connections
Symposium 2016
Programme and Abstracts
Welcome to the Faculty of Education
Postgraduate Global Connections
Symposium
7 October 2016
Te Kura Toi Tangata Faculty of Education
The University of Waikato
Hamilton, New Zealand
Welcome
Tēnā koe, Talofa, Fakaalofa lah atu, Kia orana, Malo e lelei, Halo olgta, Selamat datang, Gude, Ni hao,
Jambo, Hamjambo, Konnichi wa, Maligayang pagdating, Dobrodošli, Bonjour, Bonzour, khosh amadid,
Guten tag, Marhaba, Hola, Chào mŭng ban, Greetings.
It is with great pleasure to welcome you to
our first Postgraduate Global Connections
Symposium. We were delighted to have such a
positive response from students following our
call for abstracts. As a result, we have an exciting
and diverse range of presentations that help us to
celebrate research from our global community. By
exploring emerging themes, theories and research
experiences, this symposium aims to showcase
the valuable research contributions that our
postgraduate students are making to the Faculty
of Education and to the international research
community.
We thank the presenters for their willingness
to present their research, their supervisors for
sharing their expertise and skills, and to friends
and whānau who play such an important role in
supporting this intellectually and emotionally
challenging learning journey.
Thank you for joining with us as we celebrate the
success of our presenters and their research. We
hope you have an enjoyable day.
The International Student Support Committee
•
Dr. Sue Dymock
•
Hongwei Di
•
Donella Cobb
•
Sonja Arndt
•
Deb Futter-Puati
•
Alistair Lamb
•
Dr. Richard Hill
•
James Porakari
POSTGRADUATE GLOBAL CONNECTIONS SYMPOSIUM
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Programme
Friday 7 October
9:00-9:15
Mihi- Shirley Tuteao
Symposium Opening- Russell Yates – Acting Dean of the Faculty of Education
2
TIME
Presentation Session 1-A
Room 1
Meeting Room A&B - TC2.27
Presentation Session 1-B
Room 2
Seminar Room - TC1.05
9.10-10.30
Exploring educational policy and practice
•
Mohamed Salum Msoroka
(Tanzania)
•
Alea Ann Macam (Philippines)
•
Godlove Lawrent (Tanzania)
•
Marc Arissol (Seychelles)
Science education and digital
technologies
•
Chandan Boodhoo (Mauritius)
•
James Porakari (Solomon Islands)
•
Anuja Khamkar (India)
•
Fariba Mostafa (Iran)
10:30-11.00
Morning Tea (Meeting Room A&B)
11.00-11.40
Keynote Speaker- Associate Professor Margaret Franken
Meeting Room A&B - TC2.27
TIME
Presentation Session 2-A
Room 1
Meeting Room A&B - TC2.27
Presentation Session 2-B
Room 2
Seminar Room - TC1.05
11.40-1.00
Theorising childhood and educational
transitions
•
Olivera Kamenarac (Serbia)
•
Halimah Ilavarasi (Singapore)
•
Dalal Al Hezam (Saudi Arabia)
•
Rene Novak (Slovenia)
(Re)positioning culture in educational
settings
•
Sherrie Lee (Singapore)
•
Thy Canh Minh Phan (Vietnam)
•
Garry Lim (Singapore)
•
Sela Tapa’atoutai. Teisina (Tonga)
1.05 – 1.15
Conclusion
TE KURA TOI TANGATA FACULTY OF EDUCATION
Presentation Session 1
9-00am-10.30am
9.10-10.30
A: Meeting Room A&B
B: Seminar Room TC1.05
Exploring educational policy and
practice
Science education and digital
technologies
Mohamed Salum Msoroka
Barriers to prison education: Lessons from
Tanzania
Chandan Boodhoo
D&T teachers’ AfL practices: Personal
challenges and motivating experiences
encountered during data collection
Alea Ann Macam
Filipino Principals’ Turnaround Leadership
James Porakari
In-service primary teachers’ attitudes and
beliefs in science, teaching, learning and
confidence to teach primary science in
Solomon Islands
Godlove Lawrent
Secondary education expansion in
Tanzania: Policy and practice implications
for teachers’ sense of professional efficacy
Anuja Khamkar
The study of Inquiry-Based Learning in
Middle School Science Curriculum in India
Marc Arissol
Investigating staff morale in Education
Fariba Mostafa
Teachers’ perceptions of professional
learning through social media in
environmental education
POSTGRADUATE GLOBAL CONNECTIONS SYMPOSIUM
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Presentation Session 2
11.40am-1.00pm
11.40-1.00
A: Meeting Room A&B
B: Seminar Room TC1.05
Theorising childhood and educational
transitions
(Re)positioning culture in educational
settings
Olivera Kamenarac
Re-constructing Teachers’ Professional
Identities in Early Childhood Policies and
Practice in Aotearoa New Zealand
Sherrie Lee
Brokering practices among international
EAL students at a New Zealand university
Halimah Ilavarasi
Deconstructing the Anthropocentric View
of Childhood
Thy Canh Minh Phan
Professional development for EFL
Vietnamese teachers: Limits of
collaborative and Inquiry-driven approach
Dalal Al Hezam
The impact of digital technology on
children’s transition from Kindergarten to
primary school in Saudi Arabia
Sela Teisina
‘Mo’onia’, A Developing Tongan Attitude
Conceptual Framework
Rene Novak
Evidencing the effectiveness of a
curriculum of Openness with the use of
Visual Methodologies
4
TE KURA TOI TANGATA FACULTY OF EDUCATION
Keynote Speaker
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR MARGARET
the paper elaborates on and exemplifies the
FRANKEN
phases of the Academic Life Histories model. It
An Academic Life Histories perspective: Re-
also explores what some of the obligations of
framing postgraduate scholars’ challenges and
university teachers, supervisors and institutions
hosting scholars might be.
achievements
References
Abstract
Some Pacific, Melanesian, Asian and African
nations entrust the postgraduate education of
their best and brightest to other countries around
the world. New Zealand has been the recipient of
Franken, M. (2012). Re-situation challenges for
international students ‘becoming’ researchers.
Higher Education, 64, 845-859. doi: 10.1007/
s10734-012-9532-5
many such students supporting them by means
Franken, M. (2013a). Behind the textual:
of scholarships such as those under the auspices
Considerations of knowledge challenges in
of NZAid. Many studies have documented social
postgraduate students’ planning, researching and
and cultural issues that international students
writing of theses. TEXT, 21, 1-12.
in general face, but as a particular cohort of
international students, scholars have received
little attention.
Franken, M. (2013b). Significant knowledge
transitions and resituation challenges in becoming
a researcher. International Journal for Researcher
This paper focuses in particular on knowledge
challenges and achievements of scholars and
takes an Academic Life Histories perspective,
which considers scholars’ learning beyond the
context of the western host institution. It allows
us to acknowledge what the scholars have come
from and what they know (knowledge capital),
the transition experiences they face while
they are with us, and how they return to their
Development, 4(2), 86-101.
Franken, M. (2015). Resituation: A framework for
understanding the complexities of becoming a
researcher in an unfamiliar context (pp. 109-125).
In R. Wilkinson & M-L. Walsh (Eds). Integrating
content and language in Higher Education: From
theory to practice. Selected papers from the 2013
ICLHE Conference. Maastricht, The Netherlands:
Peter Lang.
countries, communities and families, arguably
Franken, M., Langi, N. & Branson, C. (in press).
epistemologically disrupted. Using observations
The reintegration of scholars after study abroad:
from a number of studies (Franken, 2012, 2013a,
The case of Tongan postgraduates. Asia Pacific
2013b, 2015; Franken, Langi & Branson, in press),
Education Review.
POSTGRADUATE GLOBAL CONNECTIONS SYMPOSIUM
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Presenters
MOHAMED SALUM MSOROKA
Barriers to prison education: Lessons from
Tanzania
Abstract
Barriers to prison education are among the
findings of my study “An investigation of prison
education: Policy, practice and effectiveness”.
Scholars such as Steurer and Smith (2003) and
Callan and Gardner (2007) provide some insights
into the positive impact of prison education on
the recidivism rate, which is 47% in Tanzania
(IRaWS-T, 2014). However, little is known about
the prison education system in Tanzania. The
purpose of this presentation is to share with
you some barriers to participation in prison
education in Tanzania raised during my study.
This is a multiple-case study which involved
respondents (inmates and Prison Officers) from
five Tanzanian prisons and other respondents
from outside-prison (e.g. ex-inmates, Institute
of Adult Education officers and a retired topprison Officer). Data related to barriers for prison
education were collected through interviews
and focus group discussion. Twelve inmates who
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did not participate in educational programmes
discussed their reasons for not participating.
Inductive content analysis was used in the
data analysis process. In grouping the barriers,
I adapted the “internal” and “external” barriers
mode proposed by Falasca (2011). The findings
indicate that the majority of eligible nonparticipant inmates did not participate because
of external barriers while a few identified internal
barriers. This finding has implications for the
correction services in Tanzania.
Key Words: Prison education, lifelong learning,
adult education
Bio
Mohamed Msoroka is a doctoral candidate at
The University of Waikato, and an academic staff
member at The Muslim University of Morogoro
(Tanzania). His PhD thesis topic, prison education
in Tanzania, is influenced by his academic
background, experience and interest in this field.
Mohamed has a Bachelor of Education in Adult
Education and a Masters of Arts in Education. He
comes to doctoral study after years of teaching in
Tanzania primary schools and universities.
TE KURA TOI TANGATA FACULTY OF EDUCATION
ALEA ANN MACAM
Filipino Principals’ Turnaround Leadership
Abstract
In the last decade, the idea of school turnaround
has spurred discussion among educational leaders.
Turnaround schools are described as schools
which have been consistently under performing
with a high proportion of students failing in
the national achievement test, which after
improvements plans were implemented, have
achieved substantial gains in student achievement
and overall improvement in not more than three
years Unfortunately, models and strategies for
effective school turnaround are very few.
In the Philippines, the Department of Education
reveals annually the low performing schools
based on the results of the National Achievement
Test. The Government responds to these schools
through support in policy implementation and
supply of additional materials and facilities. While
there were schools that remained low performing,
a number of schools were able to achieve
turnaround.
In the hope of turning around schools which
remained low-performing, this study will look
into how the Filipino principals responded to the
challenges in low performing public elementary
schools and how they achieved school turnaround.
Specifically, will explore problems commonly
faced by principals in a low performing school,
the leadership practices implemented by the
principals to address these problems, and the
principals’ leadership practices that achieve school
turnaround.
Key words: turnaround leadership, school
turnaround, leadership practices
Bio
Alea Ann Macam dreams of an educational society
wherein leaders prioritise the welfare of children,
champion social justice, and create a positive
environment that promotes continuous learning
for all members of the school community. With
experiences of leading people during difficult
times, she is motivated to explore educational
leadership practices challenged by economic and
socio-political pressures.
POSTGRADUATE GLOBAL CONNECTIONS SYMPOSIUM
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GODLOVE LAWRENT
Secondary education expansion in Tanzania:
Policy and practice implications for teachers’
sense of professional efficacy
Abstract
Since the adoption of the Tanzania government
secondary education expansion policy, student
performance has declined tremendously. This
performance trend led me to conclude that
teacher professionalism was affected. Therefore,
my study investigated the influence of the policy
on teacher efficacy. The main study approach
employed was mixed method, with a focus
on case studies. Questionnaires, face-to-face
dialogues and documentary reviews were used
for gathering data from teachers and school
principals. Findings revealed that there was a
mismatch between the objectives stated in the
policy and the actual implementation of strategies
in terms of school staffing. The general process
of increasing teacher numbers and improving
the quality of teaching has resulted in eroding
professionalism, especially in the case of teacher
identity and efficacy beliefs. These results imply
that the policy enactment focused more on the
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physical construction of schools than enhancing
the quality of education delivery. In order to
maintain teacher professionalism, I suggest that
the government has to fully implement the policy
promises with regard to staffing and supporting
the schools financially. Potentially, the findings
generated from this research project will enable
readers of this study to gain useful knowledge
and skills to improve practice in schools or other
contexts.
Key words: Education policy, teacher identity,
teacher self-efficacy
Bio
Godlove Lawrent is undertaking doctoral studies
in education at the University of Waikato. He
comes to doctoral study after serving as a
secondary school teacher and pre-service teacher
educator in Tanzania. His research interest
focussed on professionalism of teachers, in
particular how they construct their identities and
efficacy beliefs to influence student learning in
diverse school settings.
TE KURA TOI TANGATA FACULTY OF EDUCATION
MARC ARISSOL
Investigating staff morale in Education
Abstract
The process of acculturation has caused the
western neoliberalism concept to be mirrored
into many of the world’s education systems.
This has contributed to the transformation of
contemporary schools into a niche market. It
is most likely, that this is a major contributing
factor to the low morale that many teachers
appear to be currently experiencing. This
secondary research aims to investigate teacher
morale in education. It primarily involves a
systematic review of literature dated from 1971
onwards. An analysis of definitions for morale
deduced that the meaning of morale revolves
around four main dimensions. These dimensions
encompassed individuals, groups and a person’s
internal and external attributes. In discussing
the conceptualisation of the term morale, it was
concluded that teacher morale can be seen as a
lesser of two evils despite being an imperative
aspect in many schools. Factors such as teachers’
working conditions, levels of staff togetherness,
students’ discipline, teachers’ financial benefits
and school leadership were found to be influential
on teachers’ morale. Consequently, these factors
positively or negatively impacted teachers’
general performance, students’ achievements,
teachers’ retention and attrition rate. In
measuring staff morale, it was discovered that
both formal and informal methods including
Purdue Teacher Opinionaire (Coughlan &
Froemel, 1971) and morale indicator’s checklist,
can be applied respectively. Finally, it was
determined that increasing teacher involvement
in decision making, improving teacher recognition
programmes, providing better working conditions,
adopting appropriate leadership styles and the use
of authentic appreciation approaches were some
strategies that educational leaders could use to
Key words: Staff morale, job satisfaction, teacher
motivation
Bio
Marc Arissol is a postgraduate student pursuing
a Masters in Educational Leadership at The
University of Waikato. After making a sacrifice of
nearly one year and a half here in New Zealand,
his main inspiration to soldier on, has been his
4 year old son Farel, and 1 year old Daughter
Anelie, whom he had left behind in the Seychelles.
He previously pursued a Bachelor in Secondary
Education (Majoring in the social sciences) at the
Edith Cowan University in Perth Australia.
POSTGRADUATE GLOBAL CONNECTIONS SYMPOSIUM
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CHANDAN BOODHOO
D&T Teachers’ AfL Practices: Personal
Challenges and Motivating Experiences
Encountered during Data Collection
Abstract
There has been little classroom-based research
conducted to determine the effectiveness of
formative assessment in Mauritius secondary
schools. Because assessment is considered to be a
“bridge between teaching and learning” (Wiliam,
2013, p. 15), this study aimed to address the
assessment concern in Mauritius by looking at the
‘assessment for learning’ (AfL) practices of Design
and Technology (D&T) teachers in state secondary
schools. The main research question was set as:
How is the AfL practice of Mauritius D&T teachers
framed?
In light of this question, an interpretative
naturalistic theoretical perspective (Gray, 2014)
was used as the participants were examined in
their natural settings. The study was carried out
in 12 schools, and the participants involved were
thirty D&T teachers and sixteen students aged 14
10
years. Data was accumulated by a multi-method
approach such as questionnaire, interviews,
observations, and secondary documents.
This presentation will focus on the motivating and
challenging experiences gained during the data
collection phase of this research such as issues of
gaining approval and access, and data collection.
It is expected that the lessons learned during data
collection phase would inform and guide those
preparing for similar projects.
Key Words: Assessment for learning, data
gathering issues, interpretative
Bio
Chandan Boodhoo is a full-time doctoral student,
in the School of Education, at the University of
Waikato. Chandan is a Lecturer (on leave) at the
Mauritius Institute of Education where he teaches:
Curriculum Studies and Assessment. Chandan has
also been contributing as a part-time lecturer, for
Assessment Practices in Childhood Education, at
the Open University of Mauritius. Previously, he
has been teaching Design and Technology in both
private and state secondary schools in Mauritius.
TE KURA TOI TANGATA FACULTY OF EDUCATION
JAMES PORAKARI
In-service primary teachers’ attitudes and
beliefs in science, teaching, learning and
confidence to teach primary science in
Solomon Islands
Abstract
Recently in Solomon Islands, a new primary
science curriculum has been introduced and
primary schools around the country are expected
to implement this new science curriculum. Primary
teachers teaching at Years 1 to 6 throughout the
country took on the task to implement the new
science curriculum. This paper explored in-service
teacher trainees’ attitudes and beliefs toward
science, science teaching and learning and their
own judgement of confidence to teach the new
primary science curriculum in Solomon Islands.
Completed questionnaires were received from
119 of the 145 primary in-service teacher trainees
that were enrolled in a one-year diploma of
teaching in the primary (in-service) programme
at the school of Education and Humanities of
Solomon Islands National University in 2014. Data
collected from questionnaires were analyzed.
Results indicated that while in-service primary
teacher trainees have positive attitudes and beliefs
towards science, science learning and teaching
they still indicated that they are not confident to
teach certain science topics in the new primary
science curriculum. The in-service primary teacher
trainees also indicated that they would need
further training in science content and science
pedagogical content knowledge in order to be
confident to implement the new primary science
curriculum. The implication of this for preparing
preservice and in-service primary teachers in the
Solomon Islands to teach science is discussed.
Key Words: Solomon Islands, attitudes and
beliefs, science teaching and learning
Bio
James Porakari has completed a Bachelor of
Science, Postgraduate Diploma in physics and
Postgraduate Diploma in Education at the
University of the South Pacific, Fiji. He taught
basic science and Years 11 & 12 physics at various
secondary Schools before joining the staff of
the School of Education and Humanities of the
Solomon Islands National University in the
Solomon Islands. Currently on study leave and
has enrolled in Master in Education specialising in
STEM at the University of Waikato.
POSTGRADUATE GLOBAL CONNECTIONS SYMPOSIUM
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ANUJA KHAMKAR
The study of Inquiry-Based Learning in Middle
School Science Curriculum in India
Abstract
Inquiry based learning (IBL) comes naturally to
science. While a rich pool of research work in IBL is
available, few teachers have a good understanding
of the methodology and its application in
classroom teaching and lesson planning. Science is
one of the core subjects in the Indian curriculum
across National, State and International
boards. This research is an investigation of the
implementation of IBL in middle school science
teaching and learning in the National board
schools. Middle school years act as a link between
primary and secondary years and can be a
challenging transition for many students. One of
the many difficulties faced by students in middle
school years is a sudden rise in the difficulty level
of science. Teachers are faced with the ultimate
task of not just simplifying science, but also to
ensure that the basics taught in primary years are
periodically revised and students are academically
equipped to study complex scientific concepts
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in secondary years. Therefore, this research
studies a science teacher’s understanding and
implementation of IBL in the demanding middle
school atmosphere. The study also delves into
students’ experiences of learning science through
IBL. The study aims at finding how teachers
cultivate and maintain students’ reasoning and
logical thinking skills through IBL in the strenuous
middle school years.
Key Words: Inquiry-based learning, middle school,
science
Bio
Miss Anuja Khamkar is a Master’s of Education
student at the University of Waikato. She has
worked for 5 years as a secondary level Chemistry
teacher in Mumbai (India) and has a Master’s
degree in Analytical Chemistry from University
of Mumbai. She was encouraged by her M.Sc.
professor to pursue teaching. Anuja has a passion
for areas concerning science teaching and
learning. She aspires to take up on leadership roles
to change and cultivate a positive attitude for
science teaching and learning among teachers and
students.
TE KURA TOI TANGATA FACULTY OF EDUCATION
FARIBA MOSTAFA
Teachers’ perceptions of professional learning
through social media in environmental
education
Abstract
Environmental problems have become apparent
in our world due to economic and population
growth and technological progress. Considering
the environment as an integrated system,
any changes in one component can cause
successive environmental and sustainability
issues. Environmental education (EE) has been
presented as an effective way to address these
issues and promote sustainability. Since teachers’
environmental knowledge and their teaching
practices have significant roles in the process
of learning, UNESCO emphasises the roles of
teachers and teacher professional learning (TPL)
in sustainability. However, TPL in EE suffers from
limitations of resources and barriers to curriculum
inclusion. To overcome some of these barriers,
social media has been suggested as a means of
informal learning. Building connection between
teachers through social media can help them to
increase their knowledge and teaching practice,
which in turn could affect students’ learning in EE.
Social learning theories provide explanations of
the learning process, which is helpful in analysing
the relationship between social media and TPL.
The process of social learning occurs through
social interactions and demonstrates individuals’
understanding within wider social units or
communities. This paper presents a model to
theorise teachers’ informal collaborative learning
in EE using social media.
Key Words: Environmental education, teacher
professional learning, social media
Bio
Fariba is a Ph.D. candidate at TEMS, the University
of Waikato. Coming from the country which most
of the social media platforms are banned, she’s
inspired by the power of social media to educate
people and to bring changes. After 20 years
teaching geography and geology, she aims to
become a researcher in the area of environmental
education
POSTGRADUATE GLOBAL CONNECTIONS SYMPOSIUM
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OLIVERA KAMENARAC
Re-constructing Teachers’ Professional
Identities in Early Childhood Policies and
Practice in Aotearoa New Zealand
Abstract
The landscape of early childhood education and
care (ECEC) in Aotearoa New Zealand has been
notably transformed over the last two decades as
a result of a number of policy reforms. Addressing
the impacts of the reforms on the ECEC sector,
my doctoral research investigates how teachers’
professional identities have been re-constructed
in response to the changing discourses in ECEC
policies and practice from 1996 to 2015.
In this presentation, I provide an overview of my
study, which uses a discourse-analytic approach in
examining influential ECEC policy documents and
transcripts from focus groups and interviews with
early childhood teachers and managers. Drawing
on initial findings of the study, I acknowledge
possible contradictions and consistency in reading
and understanding policy discourses in the specific
contexts of teachers’ practice. Furthermore,
I share the discursive positions that teachers
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accepted, rejected and/or negotiated in their ECEC
settings.
My research advocates that teachers are active
policy readers who re-construct their professional
identities within a framework of potentialities
created within discourses in ECEC policies and
practice. It is hoped that this study will contribute
to the understanding of teachers’ professional
identities as re-constructed through teachers’ own
agency.
Key Words: Teachers’ Professional Identities,
discourses
Bio
Olivera is a doctoral candidate at the University of
Waikato. She holds a Master in Pedagogy and an
International Master in Early Childhood Education
and Care (IMEC). She worked as an assistant
lecturer of Pedagogy at the University of Novi Sad
in Serbia, and researched educational policies in
Norway, Ireland and Malta. Her research interest
in early childhood policies, teachers’ professional
identities and cultural diversity brought her to
New Zealand to pursue the doctoral studies.
TE KURA TOI TANGATA FACULTY OF EDUCATION
HALIMAH ILAVARASI
Deconstructing the Anthropocentric View of
Childhood
Abstract
The dominant discourse in early childhood
education is often centred on anthropocentric
themes and overlooks or undervalues the
importance of non-human actors in young
children’s development. However, some theories
of human-animal relationship such as the
biophilia hypothesis, and other contemporary
research suggest that most children not only
have the natural propensity towards animals,
children greatly benefit from that interaction with
animals. While an inkling of the benefits of animal
interaction can be seen in some types of children
therapy, the focus has still largely been on how
anthropocentric themes such as the influence
of families, teachers and peers, impact child
development and learning in early childhood.
This presentation will deconstruct this overarching
anthropocentric perspective of learning within
early childhood, and attempt to highlight the
reciprocal relationship that children and animals
enjoy. In doing so, questions will be raised about
the common assumptions held with regard to the
universality in learning within early childhood. In
addition, the heterogeneous nature of children’s
learning will be highlighted.
Key Words: Anthropocentrism, children-animal
interactions, social constructionism
Bio
Halimah Ilavarasi is a doctoral candidate at The
University of Waikato. As a mother to a young
child, Halimah enjoys observing young children’s
socio-emotional development and hence she is
pursing her doctoral studies in young children’s
empathy towards animals and how it is shaped by
socio-cultural and historical factors.
POSTGRADUATE GLOBAL CONNECTIONS SYMPOSIUM
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DALAL AL HEZAM
The impact of digital technology on children’s
transition from Kindergarten to primary
school in Saudi Arabia
Abstract
The importance of transition is a global concept;
children’s transition is a complicated and extended
process, relying on the child’s preparedness. Many
children face difficulties during their transition
from kindergarten to primary school. It has
been expressed that curriculum requirements
compel children to expel much effort to achieve
limited aims. In addition, the session structures,
in terms of time, do not allow teachers to chat
with children about their play in a way that builds
their learning. Children’s learning comes primarily
through action, so they need to discover a way
to interact with technology. Technology can
offer many actions, such as producing, designing,
inventing, building, fabricating, maintaining,
troubleshooting and selecting. To benefit from the
technology, these activities could be modulated
to roles that enable the child to play and to
achieve learning outcomes through them. In
kindergarten education, numerous activities could
be exploited to achieve the goal of technological
education. Teachers should pique the children’s
interest, direct their attention and modulate
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discussions about how they have used technology.
This research will use an online survey to gather
data regarding the current curriculum used in
kindergartens and primary schools in Saudi Arabia.
This research will discover how introducing digital
technology into the kindergarten curriculum could
support children’s transition to primary school.
Key Words: Transition-Technology-preschool and
primary school
Bio:
Dalal Alhezam, an international student from
Saudi Arabia, has a Bachelor degree in Education
with a specialisation in kindergarten . Upon arrival
in NZ in 2014 she studied English in Auckland to
gain the necessary academic entry requirements
and is now a Masters degree candidate at Waikato
University, majoring in Education and specialising
in early childhood education. Dalal has undertaken
some research during her Masters’ study in many
fields such as early intervention, special needs,
literacy, and transition. Dalal is also interested in
art works for children, in particular decoration art
and designing children’s stories using mediums
such as felt fabric to attract and engage children’s
attention.
TE KURA TOI TANGATA FACULTY OF EDUCATION
RENE NOVAK
Evidencing the effectiveness of a curriculum
of Openness with the use of Visual
Methodologies
Abstract
This presentation will argue that the virtues
and values encompassed by the Philosophy
of Openness, that become the underpinning
fundamentals for creating an ‘Achieved Learner of
Tomorrow’ with the relevant skills for success, are
strongly demonstrated through the woven mat of
the New Zealand Early Childhood curriculum – Te
Whāriki.
Lately these curriculum guidelines have come
under increased scrutiny by a number of
academics portraying apparent limitations of
the open-ended document. These critiques
mainly revolve around the lack of evidence of
the curriculum’s effectiveness, its holistic and
formative nature coming from the Paradigm of
Standardisation verses the curriculums interwoven
Paradigm of Openness.
I will explore ways to generate empirical evidence
through visual methodologies that can capture the
level of success this open curriculum is achieving
by reaching learning and developmental potentials
and aspirations of our learning communities.
These aspects will be embedded in a series of
video modules recorded in a 360-degree video
format which will provide a holistic and immersive
environment for educators to revisit a virtual
recreated moment in time to analyse in an ECE
setting. This research will directly relate to the
proposed recommendation to the Ministry of
Education by the Report of the Advisory Group on
Early Learning outlined in Recommendation No. 8
(Ministry of Education, 2015, pp. 24 - 25).
Key Words: visual methodologies, open
curriculum,
Bio
Rene Novak is a PhD student at the University
of Waikato. His research is exploring
pedagogical applications of recent technological
advancements. His focus lies in the use of
Virtual Reality devices to create a virtual digital
environment portraying educational practice that
can be revisited numerous times by students,
teachers, academics and parents to explore,
through immersive videos by using a combination
of their senses.
POSTGRADUATE GLOBAL CONNECTIONS SYMPOSIUM
17
SHERRIE LEE
Brokering Practices among International EAL
Students at a New Zealand University
Abstract
Academic challenges of international students,
particularly those with English as an additional
language (EAL), have been mostly researched
in the classroom context. These challenges
include inadequate English proficiency, differing
educational expectations, and being isolated from
the host community. However, little is understood
about students’ learning outside the formal
curriculum, in particular, their brokering practices.
For EAL students, brokering involves getting others
to translate, interpret or explain various aspects of
the host academic environment.
Focused ethnography was used in response
to the multi-sited and transient nature of
brokering practices. Interviews were the primary
research activity, supported by non-participant
observations, and participant captured images of
their text messages with others.
Preliminary analysis suggests that brokering
practices are complex but also an important
way for students to bridge gaps in academic
understanding. Brokers may be more experienced
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or knowledgeable, but may also share with
students an affinity based on culture and shared
values. Also, brokering interactions range from
being spontaneous to regular occurrences as
influenced by purpose, relationship, and proximity.
The research findings suggest that educators
need to pay attention to how students seek peer
support in academic learning in order to develop
more appropriate ways of supporting students’
academic literacy needs.
Key Words: academic literacy, brokering, focused
ethnography
Bio
Sherrie is a PhD candidate at the University of
Waikato. Her research is a focused ethnography on
academic learning practices among international
students at a New Zealand university. She is
also the President of the Postgraduate Students’
Association and a member of the Academic Board
at the university. She was formerly a business
communications lecturer at a polytechnic in
Singapore. She completed her Master of Arts in
Teaching (TESOL) at the University of Southern
California.
TE KURA TOI TANGATA FACULTY OF EDUCATION
THY CAHN MINH PAN
Professional Development of EFL Vietnamese
Teachers: Limits of A Collaborative and
Inquiry-Driven Approach
Abstract
Teachers’ professional development utilising a
collaborative and inquiry-driven approach has
been investigated much in Western settings in
the literature; whereas; it is an emerging notion
and receives insufficient attention in Asian
contexts generally and in Vietnam particularly.
Within an inquiry framework which promoted
student autonomous language learning, my study
attempted to explore how teachers collaboratively
constructed their pedagogical content knowledge
through interactive dialogues with other teachers
and if this resulted in a shift in their classroom
practice. Six teachers from two universities on the
Central Highlands of Vietnam participated in the
project.
In this presentation, I will be describing the way
in which I needed to change my expectations
of what was possible because of a number of
factors in the teachers’ context. One of the
data collection tools was the use of Facebook
for the teachers to co-construct their own
inquiries to address their teaching-learning issues
and concerns; then collectively came up with
solutions. After several trials, the results were not
quite as expected. A solution was to collect the
teachers’ reflections on their teaching practices
in the following semester as an iterative cycle of
their professional development. To understand the
reasons why the teachers were not interested in
the use of technology for continuing professional
development, an individual interview was
organized with each teacher to explore in-depth
their concerns and constraints. This presentation
provides further detail and discussion of these
factors, with a view to informing the professional
development planning of teacher educators
working in the context of Vietnamese universities.
Key Words: Professional development,
collaborative and inquiry-driven approach
Bio
Formerly being a lecturer of a university on the
Central Highlands of Vietnam, Thy C M Phan is
currently a FEDU doctoral student who has just
completed her fieldwork in Vietnam. She did
her Master of Education at Monash University,
Australia. Her research interest has shifted to
professional development, educational framework
of social constructivist, and lifelong learning skills.
POSTGRADUATE GLOBAL CONNECTIONS SYMPOSIUM
19
SELA. TAPA’ATOUTAI. TEISINA
‘Mo’onia’, A Developing Tongan Attitude
Conceptual Framework
Abstract
My study seeks a phenomenological
understanding of the perceptions of teachers,
known as ‘Faiako Ma’a Tonga’, about aspects
of their professionalism. ‘Faiako Ma’a Tonga’
can be literally translated to mean most valued
teachers from a Tongan perspective. These
aspects include their perceptions of professional
attitudes, what they consider to be their best
professional attitudes, and how they were formed
and strengthened. This is an attempt to address
concerns over teachers’ professional attitudes,
which have become an issue of increased public
scrutiny recently in Tonga.
This study used a mix-method approach, where
survey and interviews (talanoa) were employed.
Eighty seven (87) teachers from seventy
(70) schools (48 Primary and 22 Secondary)
participated in the survey. The schools were
located in the two largest islands in Tonga i.e.,
Tongatapu and Vava’u, These teachers were
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selected because they were considered ‘Faiako
Ma’a Tonga’ by educational leaders in Tonga.
Thirty one (31) of which were selected for an
hour long in-depth talanoa.
In this presentation, I will share about ‘Mo’onia’,
a conceptual framework developed to delineate,
facilitate and highlight the understanding around
attitudes, their formation and how they are
strengthened from a Tongan perspective. It is
this study’s intention to draw on lessons learnt
from the findings to inform concerned education
stakeholders in Tonga about how they can better
help in the development of ‘teachers with quality
attitude’ for Tonga.
Key Words: teacher professionalism, professional
attitudes, Mo’onia
Bio
Sela is a third year PhD student from Tonga. Her
research interest centres around Tongan teachers’
(Faiako Ma’a Tonga) professionalism. In particular,
she focuses on what teachers consider as their
best professional attitudes, their conception of
professional attitudes, how they were formed and
strengthened.
TE KURA TOI TANGATA FACULTY OF EDUCATION
POSTGRADUATE GLOBAL CONNECTIONS SYMPOSIUM
21
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©The University of Waikato, October 2016