How can I get that good grade again? Improving Pasifika student achievement in NCEA with a motivation intervention

Abstract

Students who are underachieving in secondary school are likely to hold maladaptive motivation orientations that, unless changed, will have a negative impact on their future achievement. In this study 57 students from two schools with large Pasifika populations were offered supplementary teaching and learning opportunities via two different study skills programmes to improve their motivation and achievement. Participants (including 28 Pasifika students) were randomly assigned to either a traditional study skills (TS) or a motivation-enhanced study skills (MS) programme. NCEA results showed that students in the MS intervention attained more credits and showed significantly greater reduction in the negative motivation orientation uncertain control, compared to students in the TS skills programme. Students also reported that their relationships with their teachers and how their teachers communicated with them about learning was important to their motivation and achievement. Based on these findings, recommendations are made for teacher use of internally assessed NCEA standards as the context for interventions designed to enhance student motivation and achievement, in light of proposed changes to NCEA.

Factors of engagement: Secondary Pasifika student learning

“…Many Pasifika students believe that teachers see all Pasifika as "the same", but in a negative sense. Not that their culture is something to be celebrated, but conversely as their culture is something to be glossed over and ignored (Sanders & Boyte, 2020).…”

“…Engagement empowers students to take control of their own learning (Christiansen et al, 2012), learn social skills, and enjoy the beginning of their academic Teachers and Curriculum, Volume 23, Issue 1, Special Issue: Ngā Timatanga Hou: Fresh Perspectives on Education, 2023 careers. Higher levels of student engagement leads to more students attending tertiary institutions (Zepke & Leach, 2010), and fuels higher levels of self-belief and motivation (Sanders & Boyte, 2020).…”

“…However, many Pasifika students have English as their second language, and some have limited fluency with English as they begin their education in English-medium schools. Historically, mainstream state schools have not worked hard enough to include these Pasifika students in their programmes, leading to Pasifika students' disengagement (Spiller, 2012;Sanders & Boyte, 2020;Averill et al, 2021).…”

“…This would aid teachers in their ability to teach in a culturally responsive way, as they would have to join in the conversations with the groups, as opposed to teaching from the front of the classroom (Reynolds, 2018b). This physical collaboration would also increase the use of more relational pedagogies from teachers, which have been shown to improve Pasifika student engagement (Sanders & Boyte, 2020).…”