The state of the art of research on child development in New Zealand is reported in this paper. It is noted that while many courses in child development are taught in New Zealand, few incentives or resources for a viable and continuous child development research program are provided. Perhaps because of restricted opportunities for research and…

Learning trajectories/progressions are an emerging research focus in mathematics education. A set of descriptors of early progress in mathematics was developed for students with complex needs. Developers leveraged off existing research-based frameworks and meta-analyses, as well as integrating findings from individual research studies in some…

This paper describes the development and efficacy of an online tool for assessing the numeracy of undergraduate students. The tool was designed to be easy to administer, provide immediate feedback to students on whether they had the required level of numeracy, and to be consistent with other measures of adult numeracy. When used with students…

This paper reports the methods and findings from a research project investigating the professional learning and development (PLD) facilitation practices that influence and support the development of middle leaders in secondary schools. The participants for this research are expert facilitators employed by the University of Auckland delivering…

Research shows that developing students' resilience can rapidly raise student achievement in mathematics. Despite recognising its importance, teachers often do not have access to a repertoire of practices to develop resilient mathematics learners. The present study explores aspects of resilience among a cohort of students from three low…

For Jean Herbison, learning in her early 20th century childhood world was relatively uncomplicated and predictable. Life was shaped by unambiguous family, faith and settler colonial prescriptions about how children "should" behave and what they should become. Approaching the centenary of her birth, children today must navigate a very…

Artists and designers find themselves in an unsteady position in relation to the world of research. Visual art and design practice is relatively new to the domain of academic research, and a level of critical engagement with the theory and practice of art-as-research is required at all levels, from undergraduate student to senior academic. This…

This document reviews recent research on language development and discusses some of the methods for encouraging language used in commercially produced lesson plans such as the Peabody Language Development Kit, the Peabody Early Education Kit and the Distar Language Program. An argument is presented against the concept that some children…

We present a model that employs "cultural-historical activity theory" (CHAT) concepts to inform research with designated Educational Leaders in early years settings. We theorise practice change in early years mathematics education in terms of motive objects of activity and mediation by cultural tools. We show how CHAT can be used to lead…

While fully understanding the multi-faceted role of universities and other higher education institutions, Professor Edwards advocates for the status and value of teaching, particularly in times of emphasis on research outputs and league tables. He draws on his reflections from more than four decades of experience of teaching at university level…

This paper deals with the policy parameters of establishing distance education networks in New Zealand. The current decentralized educational system is described, including the role of the state through the Ministry of Education, funding and resource allocations, and staffing. Discussion includes the contracting out to third parties for the…

A brief historical account of developments in early childhood education in New Zealand is presented as background for a discussion of current research in this area. Five main sources of research in New Zealand, each with a special research style and field of interest are cited: (1) the universities, (2) the Department of Education, (3) women's…

This overall aim of this paper is to report on PhD (Education) research critically examining the nature and significance of academic identity for students in early childhood field-based initial teacher education (FBITE) in Aotearoa New Zealand. Student academic identity is defined as the appropriation of academic values and practices within a…

This review of the research on educational measurement and testing in New Zealand uses the institutional setting of the research as its framework. Following an historical overview dating back to the work of Norman McKenzie in 1927, sections of the review deal with research conducted by: (1) university staff; (2) university students; (3) Department…

As a contribution to honour the foresight of Ken Clements and John Foyster in founding MERGA [Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia] so many years ago this paper is not a research paper in the usual sense. Rather it sets out to sample the context of Mathematics Education in Australasia and beyond (then and now) and to highlight some…