Funding to Prompt Valuable Insights into Education

For Immediate Release

CERT Funding to Prompt Valuable Insights into Education Learning Process

New Zealand, Monday, 9 July 2007: The Cognition Education Research Trust, a leading non-governmental body that contributes to building a stronger research base for New Zealand's education system, today announced its first substantive partnership research grant.

Potentially worth $360,000 over a three year period, the research project will assist with creating greater understanding of student, teacher and parental beliefs and expectations about learning. It will also address the impact this has on student achievement and motivation. The project will be led by Associate Professor Robyn Dixon, from the University of Auckland's Centre for Child and Family Policy Research Department, and will commence with a nationwide survey into parent and teacher educational expectations.

"We'll be covering new ground by addressing how educational expectations can help to inform a better understanding of the implications they have on motivation and educational performance," she says.

The project involves the selection of a sample of 50 low and high decile schools from throughout the country. Participants will be asked questions about their beliefs and expectations on learning which will provide valuable baseline data. This will then be further developed by conducting classroom interventions in additional schools to provide a report on motivation, learning and achievement.

The third phase will involve a deeper analysis into the nature of educational belief and expectation and how this can change. This will be based around more individualised work with a sub-sample of those groups and will culminate in a number of substantive, publicly available reports disseminated throughout the country by the Secondary Principals Association of New Zealand (SPANZ) and the Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA).

"If you have realistic expectations about your children's performance it has a direct correlation on perseverance and the ability to stay on task. The second phase of the project will involve using data to ascertain where a child's performance is tracking relative to his or her peer group. This can then be used to help children set reasonable goals or to raise their expectations. In the last part of the study we'll ascertain what the changes in their performance look like," adds Professor Robyn Dixon.

Chairman of the Cognition Education Research Trust, Dr. Stewart Germann, says the research project subject matter is both exciting and timely.

"There hasn't been much detailed analysis into the beliefs of learning, student achievement and motivation; society needs and demands this type of research to help further the quality of education in this country. Through funding the project the Cognition Education Research Trust is proud to be playing such an integral part in this process," says Stewart Germann.

"The research selection board could see a tangible and beneficial outcome stemming from the project that was of benefit to the whole country and this was a key reason we endorsed it ahead of the several other high calibre applications we received," he adds.

During the first year of the research project an advisory group has been established to ensure a successful outcome consisting of representatives from the University of Auckland, the University of Waikato (Prof. Russell Bishop) and the Ministry of Education.

It also consists of representatives from the PPTA, the Australian Council for Educational Leaders, CERT and SPANZ.

CERT was established through Multi Serve Education Trust in 2006 and has committed nearly $1.5 million of funding to high quality research to lift standards right across the school sector.

ENDS

About Multi Serve Education Trust
Multi Serve Education Trust is a charitable trust and New Zealand's largest independent supplier of consulting services to the education community. Founded in 1989, it provides a wide range of services in education to the New Zealand Ministry of Education, educational institutions and Government Ministries offshore.

Consulting services include professional development training for school staff and Trustees in governance, management and curriculum delivery, new school establishment, and information and communication technology. In addition services are provided in the areas of principal and senior management recruitment, financial consulting, relief teacher recruitment, payroll and school transport management. Multi Serve exports to the Middle East, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, China and Hong Kong, where it provides a range of school leadership and pedagogical consulting services. The net surplus arising from Multi Serve's activities directly benefits New Zealand's schools. Multi Serve also sponsors the Cognition Education Research Trust, a vehicle for channelling corporate funding directly into New Zealand educational research. For further information about Multi Serve, please visit the website http://www.multiserve.co.nz. For further information about Cognition Research ... www.cognitionresearch.org.nz.

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