Survey, focus group interview, and achievement data are reported for a large sample of students from 20 demographically representative secondary schools across the country. Concurrent data were analysed for additional Year 10 and Year 11 student cohorts in 2007 and 2008, and data were analysed across years for those still in school in 2007 and 2008 from our Year 10-13 2005, 2006 and 2007 student cohorts. This enabled us to examine longitudinal relationships across motivation orientations and NCEA achievement outcomes. We also investigated relationships of student attributions towards learning and the influences of family/whānau, teachers and peers on achievement outcomes and motivations.
Our research also reports the results of an ongoing validation of our motivation screening measure. Administration of this measure with 2007 and 2008 Year 10-11 student samples allowed us to investigate the extent of student participation in part-time work, child care and other extracurricular activities and how these were related to motivation and achievement. Further, the timing of the announcement of certificate endorsements mid-2007 allowed us to examine how reported knowledge of the endorsements and how much students said they mattered to them were related to motivation and achievement. We report findings regarding self-reported knowledge of the endorsements for both 2007 and 2008.
In 2008, we also probed parent and student perceptions of NCEA design changes and how aspects of the NCEA affected student motivation and achievement. Parent and student focus group participants were identified from five of our national sample of 20 schools and at five new schools. Together, these qualitative data provide additional information from a wide range of schools across the country including wharekura, Auckland region schools, and schools enrolling a high percentage of Māori and Pacific students.