Meeting the needs of Years 7-8 students in Aotearoa/New Zealand: middle level teachers talk about their practice

Meeting the needs of Years 7-8 students in Aotearoa/New Zealand: middle level teachers talk about their practice

The New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007) mandates that all schools catering for Years 7-10 students must provide high quality schooling tailored to the specific needs of young adolescents, however the well-documented disengagement rates of young people in the 10-15 year age group (Durling, 2007; Gibbs & Poskitt, 2010) viewed in tandem with successive evaluation reports by the Education Review Office (ERO), paint a somewhat different scenario. These negative perspectives raise important questions in relation to the preparedness and capability of middle level teachers to implement the philosophy and intent of the curriculum, with respect to Years 7-10.

The aim of the study was to investigate the extent to which Years 7-8 teachers believe they are prepared for teaching young adolescent learners and to explore their philosophy of teaching and learning for the middle years. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six Years 7-8 teachers based in schools drawn from three different school configurations: an intermediate school (Years 7-8), a combined intermediate/high school (Years 7-13), and a full primary school Years 1-8. The data were analysed and discussed according to emergent themes and participants’ voices were integrated, through the use of quotes, to illustrate each theme. Despite evidence of the participating Year 7-8 teachers’ commitment to teaching at this level, the findings revealed their generally superficial knowledge and understanding of the developmental and educational needs of young adolescents and of concomitant pedagogy and practice. This has clear implications for the future provision of initial teacher education and in-service professional learning and development. If the vision, principles, values and key competencies, encapsulated in the NZ curriculum, are to become a reality for young adolescent learners, a more nuanced and coordinated approach to teacher education is imperative.

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