Impact case study database
Raising Maori students’ achievement in secondary schools in Aotearoa New Zealand
1. Summary of the impact
Professor Wearmouth’s research significantly impacted on the educational policy and priorities of the New Zealand government. It has supported them in devising a programme and goals for improving Māori students’ participation and their achievement outcomes in secondary education. The research impacted on the curriculum resources teachers use and facilitated the development of culturally appropriate pedagogy in secondary schools. Wearmouth’s theorising of a culturally responsive observation tool in classrooms, and her discussions of associated theoretical underpinnings in teacher/ITE workshops, supported the enhancement of teacher/teacher educator knowledge/practice, Māori student engagement/retention, raised Māori student attainment and improved relationships between schools and Māori communities.
2. Underpinning research
Wearmouth’s research takes a socio-cultural view of learning to examine pedagogies to assess effectiveness in responding to students’ needs. A major concern is the needs of diverse minoritized students experiencing difficulties in accessing education [3.1]. Her work on elaborating a responsive approach to teaching children with literacy difficulties offered support to a socio-cultural approach to literacy, or, rather ‘literacies’ [3.2].
Wearmouth’s research approach into culturally responsive pedagogy underpinned her appointment to key consultancies on research projects that informed government policy and practice in New Zealand (NZ) since 2003. In 2010, Wearmouth was invited to undertake a funded (£50,000) consultancy to lead the evaluation report (using interviews/questionnaires/observations/statistical analysis of quantitative data), of a 7-year collaborative school improvement research and development initiative (Te Kotahitanga) at the University of Waikato (UoW). This initiative funded by the NZ Ministry of Education (MoE) aimed to raise the achievement of Māori secondary students [3.3].
In 2015 she was invited, again on a funded (£25,000) consultancy at UoW, to undertake research, and deliver workshops focused on culturally responsive knowledge exchange and theorisation on another secondary school initiative, ‘ Kia Eke Panuku’ (KEP).** The aim was to develop teacher knowledge, understanding and institutional practice, and new research materials to support teaching and learning for Māori communities, building on Te Kotahitanga.
KEP is an evidence-based inquiry, utilising mixed-methods (surveys, documentary analysis, case-studies, student/stakeholder interviews), with classroom observations and data triangulation. The study identified teaching and learning strengths/weaknesses alongside professional development and capacity-building that schools and teachers require to assist Māori students to achieve as Māori using their own cultural knowledge to engage with literacy/numeracy curricula [3.4]. To facilitate teacher professional development, the study combines socio-cultural theoretical perspectives on teaching and learning, culturally relevant and relational pedagogy/leadership, critical theory and Kaupapa Māori theory [3.5].
Wearmouth played a crucial role in teacher learning and professional development for the initiative. By bringing extensive knowledge of social constructivist educational theories, and experience of conducting research where teaching is understood as a socio-cultural phenomenon—and in which educational inequalities are likewise understood as entwined with wider social forces—she helped to theorise the framework during development and implementation of KEP. Such thinking represented a change from the more behaviourist perspectives adopted in Te Kotahitanga, which she had herself helped to assess [3.2].
Wearmouth supported theorising of a research-based toolkit/classroom observation tool as part of a two-year systematic evaluation (2014-2016) which helped principals/teachers to review school policies, processes, curriculum, literacy and numeracy strategies [3.4]. Using this tool with evidence-informed feedback, teachers were better able to understand the pedagogy and classroom contexts for learning that are responsive to Māori students’ cultural backgrounds and support the fostering of student voice/attainment and teacher/student/community relationships.
This theorisation of practice supports cycles of learning whereby teachers critically reflect on their understandings of Māori educational underachievement, and how by recognising Māori cultural views/values and engaging in conscientisation, this can lead to teachers analysing/deciding what needs to change, and how implementing theory-based and evidence-informed transformative praxis can foster more equitable student outcomes [3.6].
3. References to the research
[3.1]. Glynn, T, Wearmouth, J. & Berryman, M (2006) Supporting students with literacy difficulties. A responsive approach, Maidenhead: Open University Press.
[3.2]. Wearmouth, J. & Berryman, M. (2012) Viewing restorative approaches to addressing challenging behaviour of minority ethnic students through a community of practice lens, Cambridge Journal of Education, 42(2), pp. 253-268
[3.3]. Bishop, R., Berryman, M. & Wearmouth, J. (2014) Te Kotahitanga. Towards effective education reform for indigenous and other minoritised students. Wellington, NZ: NZCER Press
[3.4]. Berryman, M. & Wearmouth, J. (2018) Development of an observation tool designed to increase cultural relationships and responsive pedagogy to raise the achievement of Māori students in secondary classrooms in Aotearoa New Zealand, Journal of Education and Development, 2(2), pp. 32-45
[3.5]. Bishop, R., Berryman, M., Wearmouth, J. & Peter, M. (2012) Professional Development, Changes in teacher practice and improvements in indigenous students’ educational performance: A case study from New Zealand, Teaching and Teacher Education, 28(5), pp. 694-705
[3.6]. Wearmouth, J. (2017) Employing culturally responsive pedagogy to foster literacy learning in schools, Cogent Education, 4(1), DOI: 10.1080/2331186X.2017.1295824
4. Details of the impact
Wearmouth’s research was essential in building a theoretical framework to understand the cultural awareness and critical reflection necessary to achieve the programme’s aims of improving attainment among Māori students. The impacts of this initiative, and thus of her research, are significant; the research has led to i mpacts on curricula and the reform of schools, which have incorporated many of the core concepts into their objectives; impacts on knowledge for students, teachers and those training to teach (ITEs), who report better understanding of the issues involved; impacts on student engagement, attainment and retention; and improved relationships between schools and Māori communities.
School reform
‘KEP’ operates in 95 secondary schools, supporting 7,000+ teachers to raise achievement of 27,000+ Māori students [5.1, 5.3, 5.4, 5.9]. The programme influenced a third of NZ’s secondary principals to audit school/teacher practice to identify gaps in staff knowledge about Māori students learning and achievement. 90%+ of KEP schools set whole school goals and strategic objectives to improve Māori student achievement. Of these, 80% developed evidence-informed action plans to help teachers implement focused change. [5.1]. 70%+ schools reported ‘ a sense of ownership across the adults in the schools of the need for transformative change to make a difference to Māori students’ learning and outcomes [5.1]. Independent (Education Review Office) evaluations of KEP in 2016 observed that 16 out of 18 schools referenced KEP as highly influential on large-scale school reform to drive curriculum and achievement changes [5.1, 5.4, 5.9].
51 KEP schools (comprising 7,300 Māori students) conducted 1,451 teacher observations, follow-up conversations with 1,174 teachers and 627 teachers participating in shadow coaching sessions. Forty-eight schools held ‘evidence-to-accelerate’ learning meetings with 373 teachers and 298 Senior Leadership Teams (SLT). Another 46 schools discussed ‘reflect, review and act meetings’ with 257 teachers and 204 SLT [5.1].
Knowledge gains/development: Schools, students, teachers and ITE
Wearmouth’s renewed consultancy was crucial in theorising KEP schools’ implementation of a culturally relevant observation tool. This was the impetus for developing teacher confidence to have ‘rich and robust learning conversations’, to help them deconstruct their practice; and understand the salience of culture in aiding learning [5.4]. Wearmouth’s focus on socio-cultural perspectives/theorising supported understanding of how adopting culturally relevant pedagogy could be used effectively to equip Māori students with the requisite knowledge and skills [5.1, 5.2, 5.3]. One principal described the observation tool as ‘the best thing’ in helping teachers ‘ get rid of deficit theorising [about Māori students attainment ability and] promoting agency’ [5.3, 5.10]. Evaluation reports observed deepened school/teacher understanding of culturally responsive and relational pedagogy, improved teacher knowledge and skills in using data to reflect on student attainment and guide future actions. [5.1, 5.9].
During her consultancy Wearmouth organised and delivered a workshop in a Wellington secondary school (March, 2016) about culturally responsive approaches to teaching literacy, with particular relevance for Māori students. 70 attended with student teachers from Victoria, University of Wellington. There were further knowledge gains for a school principal who studied the impact of KEP on school leadership for a postgraduate degree [5.3].
Improved student engagement/curriculum experience, retention and achievement
Of 91 KEP schools surveyed by NZ’s MoE, 82% responded. Of these 82%, 93% reported that their involvement in KEP contributed to improvements in Māori students school engagement and enjoyment of school [5.1, 5.4]. 90% of principals also identified improvements in academic achievement [5.3, 5.4]. One principal reported improvements in attainment at NCEA level 2 (7%) and Level 3 (level for university study - 20%) over a two-year period [5.7]. In 2014, 13% of participating schools had attendance rates less than 70%. In 2016 this decreased to 10% [5.1]. Together with improved student retention reported by 88% of principals [5.1, 5.4, 5.6, 5.9], 5,000+ Māori students reported improved classroom pedagogy from 3.57 to 3.62 (on a scale of 1-5) [5.1].
Better school and Māori-community relationships
The culturally responsive learning tool that Wearmouth played a leading role in theorising was also instrumental in KEP schools when it came to reviewing their interactions and wider relationships with user communities/organisations. Staff used it to critically reflect on their understandings of Māori parents’ views and educational aspirations, and how to strengthen school/community partnerships to facilitate educational success for Māori students. 150 Māori students interviewed in 58 KEP schools identified school contexts that require reform to facilitate greater home/school/collaborations/cultural relationships [5.9]. KEP participation fostered better teacher-student relationships and classroom interactions [5.1, 5.9].
KEP is also a significant programme of ‘ Poutama Pounamu’ a UoW-related group that focuses on equity, achievement, excellence, and school belonging for Māori learners [5.8].
5. Sources to corroborate the impact
[5.1] Kia Eke Panuku: Building on Success (2016) Milestone Report No. 8. New Zealand Ministry of Education, University of Waikato. Provided as PDF
[5.2] RONGOHIA TE HAU: Voices from the Kia Eke Panuku team – Leading the Change ( https://kep.org.nz/assets/resources/site/Voices7-1.Rongohia-te-Hau.pdf). Provided as PDF
[5.3] Anderson, Z. (2018) MĀ NGĀ HURUHURU KA RERE TE MANU: Understanding leadership for critical educational reform in Aotearoa New Zealand. Unpublished MA Dissertation, University of Waikato. Provided as PDF
[5.4] Eley, E. & Berryman, M. (2019) Leading Transformative Education Reform in New Zealand Schools, New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies (2019) 54:121–137. Provided as PDF
[5.5] A range of impact reports about Kia Eke Panuku is provided as PDF and can be found on: https://kep.org.nz/impact
[5.6] https://kep.org.nz/read-more/principals-view
[5.7] https://kep.org.nz/read-more/reporoa-college-closing-the-gaps
[5.8] Joyce, A. (2019) Sabbatical report term 4 “Poutama Pounamu - Ako Critical Context for Change” Our Journey: Cultural responsiveness report. NZ Ministry of Education. Provided as PDF
[5.9] Berryman, M., Eley, E. & Copeland, D. (2017) Listening and Learning from Rangatahi Māori: The Voices of Māori Youth, Critical Questions in Education (Special Issue) 8:4 Fall 476-494. Provided as PDF
[5.10] https://www.kaipara.school.nz/our-school/education-review-office-report
Additional contextual information
Grant funding
Grant number | Value of grant |
---|---|
N/A | £75,000 |