University of Waikato researchers - Waikato research has international impact

Waikato research has international impact
University of Waikato researchers have been invited to participate in a prestigious international research meeting from April 7-11 in San Francisco.

The annual American Educational Research Association (AERA) meeting is the largest gathering of researchers in education in the world. University of Waikato staff will give a two-hour keynote presentation to Division K: Teaching and Teacher Education.

The University of Waikato keynote presentation will be facilitated by School of Education Professor Russell Bishop, Mere Berryman (Poutama Pounamu Director of Research), Rangiwhakaehu Walker (kuia for the project and Whakarurhau o Poutama Pounamu), and Dr Tom Cavanagh a School of Education researcher.

The title of this presentation is: “Te Kötahitanga: A kaupapa Mäori approach to improving Mäori student achievement in mainstream schools”.

Te Kötahitanga is a research and professional project that examines a kaupapa Mäori solution to the educational crisis that is currently facing Maori students in mainstream educational settings in a way that connects politics, pedagogy and action.

Professor Bishop says Te Kötahitanga aims to improve the educational achievement of Mäori students.
“This is done through operationalising Mäori people's cultural aspirations for self-determination within non-dominating relations of interdependence. In this sense, the project is informed by a kaupapa Mäori theory of self-determination.”

Dr Tom Cavanagh, a University of Waikato Senior Research Fellow says it is exciting and of great value for the university to be part of the AERA meeting.
“Delivering a keynote at AERA is a great honour and rarely granted to people outside of North America, let alone a small country like New Zealand.”

Other University of Waikato educational researchers have also had papers accepted for presentation at the AERA meeting.