Key tutor practices that are positively associated with successful completion for Māori PTE students

Authors

Anne Greenhalgh, Workforce Development

Kare Tipa-Rogers, Te Manga Māori, Eastern Institute of Technology

Rebecca Hunter, Workforce Development
 

Date completed: November 2011

Executive Summary

This research is focused on what actually happens for Māori students in 'mainstream' Private Training Establishment (PTE) delivery. It is acknowledged that Māori respond well in a kaupapa Māori environment, however, this is not always available to or appropriate for a student. Therefore mainstream environments do need to be aware of the requirements of Māori. While it is also acknowledged that not all Māori identify strongly with their culture, it has been noted (L.T. Smith, 1999) that there is a uniquely Māori way of viewing the world and while a person of Māori descent may not live in a manner that outwardly demonstrates their culture, they still may be hurt or repelled by attitudes and practices that do not acknowledge their world view.

The aim of this project is to make available learning environments that enable positive outcomes to be achieved for Māori learners in foundation and entry level vocational tertiary education, often framed as 'second chance learning'. These learners are often those who have not had positive experiences at school and strongly associate literacy with negative school experiences of assimilation, exclusion and cultural denigration (Rawiri, 2007).

Benseman and Sutton (1999) argued that the tutor/learner relationship is primary and it can be assumed that learners in the PTE environment are autonomous adults who wish to learn. Consequently, the focus of this research project is the identification of key tutor practices for successful Māori learning outcomes, in particular for 'second chance' students in a PTE environment. The research seeks to identify the tutor characteristics (in relation to delivery of content, student engagement and cultural awareness), which have resulted in quality teaching practice and learning environments for Māori. The intention of this report is to reveal specific delivery practices consistently demonstrated by tutors who have ongoing success in delivering to Māori learners.

The term 'success' is subjective and individual; for the purposes of this project, success is couched in the quantitative data of student retention and success. In the first part of this research (Towards the Identification of Key Tutor Practices that are Positively Correlated with Successful Completion for Māori Students within a PTE Environment), the tutors involved in programmes that achieved high retention/completion rates with Māori were identified. Characteristics of practice identified through the questionnaires and focus group discussions with students informed the direction of this part of the research.Interviews and questionnaires were developed and administered to all past and present tutors for whom current contact details were available.

It has been observed (Tankersley, 2004) that to be healthy, Māori need access to learning their language, to education and qualifications, to employment and to have their culture valued. The initial results of this research do indeed indicate that many of the above identified needs are being provided to students at Workforce due to the supportive relationships they form with their tutors and the interactive delivery methods used. The results highlighted the effectiveness of a bicultural approach to tutoring adult students; where Māori students were a minority in their class, they did not feel culturally alienated and achieved success rates that compare favourably with all other students. The expectation of this part of the project is that models of tutor practice that impact positively on successful completion rates for Māori students within the PTE environment will be identified. It is anticipated that this will be useful in professional development delivery for tutors who are working within the sector, as to date, there has been little research directly related to the PTE sector.

Identifying the key factors that have significance for successful completion of training for Māori students must enhance the quality of tutor delivery. It is expected from the results of this research that tutors will gain a greater awareness of how their practice can have a direct impact on a student’s success. We suggest that the findings of this research could lead to the development of a professional development tool:

Puanga Te Matapae Oranga
Puanga, the instigation of vitality!

Puanga sets a pathway of engagement between tutors and students and assists in learning autonomy. This is based on five challenges – guiding stars to be used as navigation aids – which were presented to the tutors who participated in this research. I reflect on my tutor practice – what do I need to change?

• I know my cultural lens – is it impeding my learners’ progress?
• I do have something to share
• I do have something to learn
• I like my learners – I regard them positively

'Our task is not to impose our dreams on them, but to challenge them to have their own dreams, to define their choices, not just to uncritically assume them.' (Freire, 1985)

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