Pacific research publications

• Author: Meaola Amituanai-Toloa, Stuart McNaughton, Mei Kuin Lai and Airini

The Schooling Improvement team of the Ministry of Education sought to examine the current state of Pacific academic achievement in Schooling Improvement initiatives and in individual schools. Part of the examination was to identify aspects of Schooling Improvement (SI) work that has been shown to enhance or hinder academic achievement for Pacific students and to offer some recommendations. This report is a summary of a detailed technical report from Auckland UniServices Limited prepared by the Woolf Fisher Research Centre. Details of each of the sections summarised here are contained in ‘Ua aoina le manogi o le lolo: Pasifika Schooling Improvement Full Technical Report’ (Amituanai-Toloa, McNaughton, Lai, & Airini, 2009).

• Author: Meaola Amituanai-Toloa, Stuart McNaughton, Mei Kuin Lai and Airini with Rolf Turner, Deborah Widdowson, Rachel McClue, Selena Hsiao, and Maryanne Pale

This project focused on the effectiveness of Schooling Improvement initiatives for Pacific students. The purpose was to identify the practices that work to raise achievement and close the gaps for Pacific students especially at the classroom, school and cluster levels; to find out how effective existing Schooling Improvement initiatives are in raising achievement for Pacific students; and to provide information to help existing and new initiatives to improve their effectiveness for Pacific students.

• Author: Airini, Melani Anae and Karlo Mila-Schaaf with Eve Coxon, Diane Mara & Kabini Sanga

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 Pacific students in our schools. Teu le va emphasises a number of principles or practices, including the need for: researchers to directly involve Pacific 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 Pacific education to have a firm focus on student success: realising potential and identifying opportunities.

• Author: Developed from research coordinators’ original reports with their agreement.

The focus of this summary is the Samoan bilingual hub. This Quality Teaching Research and Development (QTR&D) hub was set up to improve the quality of teaching and learning (pedagogy and student outcomes) in Samoan bilingual school settings. The project outcomes will inform policy, and future research and development work with teachers in schools.

• Author: Developed from research coordinators’ original reports with their agreement.

The Quality Teaching Research and Development Project (QTR&D) was funded by the Ministry of Education. The exploratory project was developed collaboratively between the ministry, university academics, research facilitators, schools, teachers, students and their communities.

• Author: Dr P. Bruce Ferguson, Dr. R. Gorinski, T. Wendt Samu & Dr D. Mara
• Date Published: June 2008

There are new challenges for education systems in knowledge societies. All learners need to be well served by their education to develop the requisite capabilities and sense of belonging and wellbeing to succeed and contribute to wider communities. This requires a responsive, future-focused education system, based on high expectations for successful outcomes amongst diverse learner groups.