Faculty of Education - Research Publications
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ItemEffects of a free school breakfast programme on school attendance, achievement, psychosocial function, and nutrition: a stepped wedge cluster randomised trial(BMC, 2010-11-29)BACKGROUND: Approximately 55,000 children in New Zealand do not eat breakfast on any given day. Regular breakfast skipping has been associated with poor diets, higher body mass index, and adverse effects on children's behaviour and academic performance. Research suggests that regular breakfast consumption can improve academic performance, nutrition and behaviour. This paper describes the protocol for a stepped wedge cluster randomised trial of a free school breakfast programme. The aim of the trial is to determine the effects of the breakfast intervention on school attendance, achievement, psychosocial function, dietary habits and food security. METHODS/DESIGN: Sixteen primary schools in the North Island of New Zealand will be randomised in a sequential stepped wedge design to a free before-school breakfast programme consisting of non-sugar coated breakfast cereal, milk products, and/or toast and spreads. Four hundred children aged 5-13 years (approximately 25 per school) will be recruited. Data collection will be undertaken once each school term over the 2010 school year (February to December). The primary trial outcome is school attendance, defined as the proportion of students achieving an attendance rate of 95% or higher. Secondary outcomes are academic achievement (literacy, numeracy, self-reported grades), sense of belonging at school, psychosocial function, dietary habits, and food security. A concurrent process evaluation seeks information on parents', schools' and providers' perspectives of the breakfast programme. DISCUSSION: This randomised controlled trial will provide robust evidence of the effects of a school breakfast programme on students' attendance, achievement and nutrition. Furthermore the study provides an excellent example of the feasibility and value of the stepped wedge trial design in evaluating pragmatic public health intervention programmes. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) - ACTRN12609000854235.
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ItemReformulating the depression model of learned hopelessness for academic outcomes(ELSEVIER SCI LTD, 2009)
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ItemDevelopment of a new measurement tool for individualism and collectivism(SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC, 2007-12)A new measurement tool for individualism and collectivism has been developed to address critical methodological issues in this field of social psychology. This new measure, the Auckland Individualism and Collectivism Scale (AICS), defines three dimensions of individualism: (a) responsibility (acknowledging one's responsibility for one's actions), (b) uniqueness (distinction of the self from the other), and (c) competitiveness (striving for personal goals is one's prime interest). The scale also defines two dimensions of collectivism: (a) advice (seeking advice from people close to one, before taking decisions) and (b) harmony (seeking to avoid conflict). The AICS avoids the need for measuring horizontal and vertical dimensions of collectivism and individualism and the confounding effect of familialism on the collectivism—individualism constructs.
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ItemThe predictability of enrolment and first-year university results from secondary school performance: the New Zealand National Certificate of Educational Achievement(ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2008)
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ItemThe power of feedback(SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC, 2007-03)Feedback is one of the most powerful influences on learning and achievement, but this impact can be either positive or negative. Its power is frequently mentioned in articles about learning and teaching, but surprisingly few recent studies have systematically investigated its meaning. This article provides a conceptual analysis of feedback and reviews the evidence related to its impact on learning and achievement. This evidence shows that although feedback is among the major influences, the type of feedback and the way it is given can be differentially effective. A model of feedback is then proposed that identifies the particular properties and circumstances that make it effective, and some typically thorny issues are discussed, including the timing of feedback and the effects of positive and negative feedback. Finally, this analysis is used to suggest ways in which feedback can be used to enhance its effectiveness in classrooms.
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ItemThe paradox of reducing class size and improving learning outcomes(Elsevier BV, 2005-12-01)
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ItemQuality Measures in a Modular Qualification System and its Impact on Students at Risk(WILEY, 2010-07)Abstract Success in tertiary studies is often measured using quality indicators (e.g. grade point average) and completion rates. These measures are particularly difficult to use in many non‐degree programmes where completion can be very low (often due to high levels of mobility across institutions and in and out of the workforce). This study uses student achievement and demographic data from a large New Zealand polytechnic to provide an alternative method for determining success, which then allows comparisons across programmes and institutions regardless of differences in grading scales and completion rates. Furthermore, by instituting this new method it is possible to identify more precisely the groups of students who are at the greatest risk of failure while identifying programmes that require further investigation regarding low achievement and/or low completion rates. It is suggested that this model is widely applicable across different educational systems. Implications for educational policy makers are discussed.