Propuestas de Sistemas de Educación basados en WEB

™ Reference Group, Supervisors, Board of Trustees

According to Anae et al. (2001), consultation is an important step in the Pāsifika research process as it can help resolve “possible contentious or difficult issues in the research process before the project starts” (p. 19). It can further assist with recruitment strategies, lead to research partnerships (with participants and other researchers), provide mechanisms for overcoming problems that may develop and provide channels of communication before any decisions are made. The role of Pāsifika research, according to the Health Research Council of New Zealand Guidelines has a dual purpose: to generate knowledge and understanding of Pāsifika peoples and seek ways to obtain their active involvement (Pācific Health Research, 2004).

The researcher has developed key relationships with those who accepted to become Supervisors and members of the Pasifika Reference Group. Anae et al (2001) cautioned against “Palagi” monocultural research methods (p.21). The researcher therefore engaged with the supervisors and members of the reference group through regular meetings / fono to seek collaborative advice and guidance as the current study progresses. Consultation with the Pāsifika Reference Group occurred through regular fono (meetings) with the whole group or with individuals as required. This approach is also in line with the principles of the Tree of Opportunity metaphor as it acknowledges Pāsifika ‘voice’ in building knowledge and skills. The rationale for the Pāsifika Reference Group was to direct the researcher to local contact people, relevant Pasifika organisations, and to advise the researcher on appropriate Pāsifika protocols. These protocols included consultative support for information sharing meetings with participants; designing the information sharing documentation; gaining informed consent;

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designing data gathering instruments (surveys and interview schedules); translating of data gathering tools; feedback sessions and interpreting findings and presenting results.

™ Board of Trustees and Principal

The researcher presented an outline of the current study to the Board of Trustees’ and principal and was given permission to undertake the study (Appendix 2, Board of Trustees and principal information sheet and consent form).

™ The Research Setting

Pācific Intermediate School, in an urban area of Auckland city, was identified as the research case for this study. This decision was based on a high enrolment number of Pāsifika students. The school and parent community were notified about the study in the school’s newsletter, and information sharing meetings took place. As a result, the researcher was able to introduce the study to the Pāsifika parents, students, teachers, teacher aides and Resource Teachers for Learning and Behaviour (RTLB).

™ Description of the School

Pācific Intermediate School (pseudonym used to protect anonymity) is a state, co- educational, intermediate school situated in urban Auckland city. The Board of Trustees consist of a 45% Pāsifika representation. The school’s decile ranking of two reflects the low socio-economic status of individual families within the community. A school’s decile rating indicates the extent to which state and state-integrated schools draw their students from low socio-economic communities. The lowest decile rating is 1 and the highest 10. The indicator measures the socio-economic level of a community and is not indicative of the quality of teaching in a school (Ministry of Education, 2015). According to the principal (Interview, March 2012), transient students are a reality for Pācific Intermediate School, (for example, 160 students had changed schools between February, 2012 and April, 2012) and as a result the school roll fluctuates between 500 and 749. In 2012, when the majority of the data was collected, Pāsifika students represented 57.4 % of the school’s total student population; other ethnicities in the school included Maori 16%, European/Pakeha 4%, Asian 3%, Other 5% (Education Review Office, 2011).

The school is well resourced to cater for student diversity, for example there are learning support programmes for students with identified learning needs and provision is made for

students who have English as a second language through the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programme.

Although the majority of the Pāsifika students attending Pācific Intermediate School were born in New Zealand and classified as bilingual, the students spoke English as an additional language in their homes. Altogether, there were eight Year 7 classes and eight Year 8 classes consisting of students in the 11 and 12 year age bands.

3.7.3 Recruitment, consent for participation and ethical issues related to consent

This section explains the protocols followed in recruiting participants for the current study and includes aspects such as participant identification, the number of participants recruited and how ethical matters related to obtaining consent were addressed.

Recruitment protocols for this study were aligned with: the guidelines provided by the Anae et al. (2001); the Health Research Council of New Zealand; the steps in the case study process (p. 16); collaboration with members of the Pāsifika Reference Group and supervisors. The various groups of people who were contacted were the parents of Pāsifika students, Pāsifika students, teachers, teacher aides, Resource Teachers of Learning and Behaviour (RTLB), principal and members of the Board of Trustees.

The ‘Information Sharing’ evening for parents was combined with a Parent Open Evening organised by the school. Combining these two events accommodated parents who worked long hours or did shift work, hence finding it difficult to attend meetings at school. Thirty-nine parents consented to participate in the research and were given copies of the information sheets (Appendix 3). Information sheets and consent forms for non-participating parents (Appendix 4) and translated copies of the information sheets (Appendix 5) were available. Parent information sheets were translated in Samoan since the majority of the student population were identified as Samoan.

The students were approached about this study at a school assembly. Since non– Pāsifika students also attended the assembly, the researcher utilised this as an opportunity to explain why only Pāsifika students were invited to participate and that non–Pāsifika students, at the bottom of their information sheets (Appendix 6), had the opportunity to indicate whether they “agree/disagree” with the whole class observations.

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All Pāsifika students were provided with copies of the information sheets and consent forms (Appendix 7), and asked to take them home, to discuss their participation in this study with their parents. Pāsifika students whose parents had already consented to the research were provided with the option to sign their consent forms on the day or return it to their teachers at a later stage.

Obtaining the Pāsifika students’ independent informed consent for participating in this study was paramount as they were at an age where they could fully comprehend the nature of the study (The Massey University Code of Ethical Conduct for Research, Teaching and Evaluations involving Human Participants, 2015). The students returned their signed consent forms to the deputy principal who stored them in a secure area for later access by the researcher. Forty Pāsifika students consented to participate in the research.

The researcher was given a time slot at a staff meeting to present the current study to the teachers. Teachers raised concerns about time and availability; others were concerned about their pedagogical expertise being judged. Reaching a collaborative solution began a partnership in which teachers had a ‘voice’, were listened to and could contribute to this research without judgement. The needs (concerns) voiced by this particular group of participants were addressed, which is an important aspect of Pāsifika research (Anae et al., 2001). The solution offered included avoiding observations in the classes where students who had not agreed to be included, were present. The researcher also confirmed her role as unobtrusive, non-threatening and a non-participant observer who was there to collect data to explore factors facilitating the engagement in learning of students at Pācific Intermediate School. The teachers were invited to look at the observation schedules so they could have some understanding of the goals and objectives of the various observations. They were provided with information sharing sheets and consent forms (Appendix 8). Sixteen teachers indicated their willingness to engage in this study as participants.

After consultation with the deputy principal and Special Education Coordinator (SENCO) the researcher met with a group of teacher aides who support Pāsifika students with their learning and provided information about the current study. They were provided with information sheets and consent forms (Appendix 9) and given the opportunity to ask questions. Their concerns related to anonymity and confidentiality, and the attendees were assured that the current study’s only intent was to gather data to determine factors facilitating the engagement in learning of the Pāsifika students enrolled in Pācific Intermediate School. Furthermore, they

were given the assurance that their names would be replaced with code names to ensure anonymity and confidentiality. Nine teacher aides consented to participate in this study.

Over the years, Pācific Intermediate School has had learning and behaviour support from the local Resource Teachers of Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) cluster. They supported students with moderate behaviour and learning needs towards greater social and academic engagement, and knew the school well. After information about the current study was shared, one of the RTLB raised the issue of Pāsifika students not born in New Zealand and wanted to know if this research would focus on this group of students too. The researcher explained the goals and objectives of the research and emphasised that it would focus on Pāsifika as a group; but that this might be a recommendation for future research depending on the outcomes of this study. Five RTLB members consented to participate in the current study and were given copies of the information sheets (Appendix 10).

In the next section participant demographics is discussed. This is followed by an outline of data collection methods, which includes the aims, format, administration, advantages and disadvantages

3.8 Participant demographics