This project consisted of two research ouputs:
Shifting balances: The impact of level 1 NCEA on teaching of mathematics and science: This research reports on the impact of Level 1 NCEA on the teaching of mathematics and science. It provides an in-depth analysis of the dynamics of change in the study teachers’ mathematics and science classrooms in response to the NCEA implementation. A range of aspects of classroom practice were identified where one way of working or set of emphases could be balanced against another way of working/set of emphases. Findings with respect to shifts in the balances of the alternatives outlined for these aspects of classroom practices are presented.
Shifting Balances 2 - The impact of the NCEA Implementation on the Teaching of Geography and Home Economics: This research identifies and discusses recent changes in the teaching of home economics and geography at Years 11 and 12 of the New Zealand school system. It explores ways in which these changes may be related to the introduction of the National Certificate in Educational Achievement at Year 11 (NCEA Level 1) and at Year 12 (NCEA Level 2). The research builds on an earlier project (2003) that employed the same methodology to explore changes in science and mathematics teaching at NCEA Level 1 (Hipkins & Neill, 2005). The research describes the nature and extent of the changes that were identified, and explores how these changes seem to be related to teachers’ personal teaching priorities and to professional development initiatives in their schools, as well as to the NCEA. These possibilities obviously offer a wide lens for thinking about change within the classroom.