This research aims to develop a deeper understanding of what factors contribute to effective interprofessional collaboration in education from the perspectives of primary school teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand. A qualitative constructivist methodology was used involving semi-structured telephone interviews with seven teachers working in primary…

In New Zealand, the architectural design of schools and the spaces where children learn are being innovated to allow for more opportunities for teachers and students to work collaboratively. However, there is a dearth of research that has investigated both teachers' and students' perceptions of the learning spaces. Little attention has been paid…

In response to community and sector needs, in 2020 an Initial Teacher Education (ITE) provider in Aotearoa/New Zealand developed a Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) programme with a unique design as an alternative pathway into the profession. The design elements of the programme included being field-based, online, and with a bicultural kaupapa. This…

Several years have passed since the removal of National Standards, however the current provision and enactment of music education in New Zealand remains unknown. Using a case study, this article seeks to illustrate the current practice of music education at one high decile primary school. This study finds that despite the removal National…

Parental engagement is a common theme of education policy in most countries. In Aotearoa New Zealand, policies frame parental engagement in broad terms giving schools flexibility in enacting them. However, the generality assumes the complex and differentiated activities associated with parental engagement are well understood, leaving schools with…

The implementation of relationships and sexuality education as part of Health and Physical Education in "The New Zealand Curriculum" (Ministry of Education, Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand Curriculum. Learning Media Limited.) involves a range of people sharing their perspectives in order to shape the subject on paper and…

Traditionally, the New Zealand Ministry of Education opposed the recognition of dyslexia. However, since 2007, the Ministry of Education's position has started to change, evidenced by the development of a working definition. In 2021 the Ministry of Education released Three Steps in Screening for Dyslexia (TSSD), an assessment protocol designed to…

Social and emotional learning (SEL) to support students' wellbeing is even more critical within schools dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. This article establishes why New Zealand primary schools need strategies to support the emotional wellbeing of students and why a prescriptive approach is not appropriate for the bicultural and multicultural…

Classroom furniture has evolved over time from fixed desks facing the front to maintain order and control to a range of flexible furniture types to encourage student-centred pedagogies. This article reports research that applied a socio-material approach to explore how furniture is used in a flexible learning environment. Data were gathered from…

Innovations in schooling and the architectural design of schools offer the opportunity to re-examine existing pedagogical practices. Graduating teachers need to be ready to teach and conversant with changing school environments and approaches to school organisation. However, there is a dearth of research that explores the student teachers'…

This paper explains the design, development and delivery of a curriculum-integrated dance programme across four primary schools in Auckland, New Zealand. Four teachers and their respective classes (101 children in total) were part of the programme. Each class participated in 18 dance sessions at their schools during school hours. The dance…

The rise of innovative learning environments, with multiple teachers and larger cohorts of students, can de-privatise practice as teachers have the opportunity to observe each other teaching. However, they also provide the opportunity for collaboratively planning and teaching, and engaging in reflective dialogue about specific pedagogical…

Employing Bronfenbrenner's (1996) ecological systems theory, this study investigated the ecological nuances of teacher mentoring in three New Zealand primary schools. Specifically, the study explored the mentoring experiences of three beginning teachers and their mentors, within their respective schools, in relation to the national mentoring and…

Computer Science (CS) education is being increasingly included in primary school curricula across New Zealand. As a group, Pasifika students are less likely to engage with CS at tertiary level and in the workforce, so understanding more about their engagement with school level CS seems important. A multiple case-study design was used to explore…

Mathematics anxiety is a global phenomenon that has generated research interest over the past four decades. Many researchers have suggested that girls display higher levels of mathematics anxiety than boys. This article explores that conjecture in the New Zealand context. It reports on the prevalence of mathematics anxiety in adolescents and…