Theoretical and empirical literature on inflation is extensive, and it abounds with diverse opinion. Principal works are of overseas origin; no substantial research has been published relating specifically to the New Zealand economy. This study does not attempt to develop a comprehensive theory of inflation, but has as its purpose the formulation of a simultaneous equation model to explain and predict movements in variables relevant to the inflationary process. The research has been conducted with New Zealand data and no econometric work on inflation yet published seems to have produced a model as embracing as the one advanced. This introduction has the following scope and content. First it conveys some idea of the extent of debate over what inflation is, this being done by brief references to various attempts at defining the phenomenon and to some of the different types of inflation advanced. Next, it questions more fundamentally 'what inflation is, and how, if' at all, the subject may be enlightened by further research. This leads on to derivation of an appropriate definition of inflation. Finally, an outline is given of the aspects of inflation to be investigated and the approach to be adopted.

This thesis investigates the problem of how to speed up the process through which professional educators learn how to significantly improve disadvantaged students’ academic achievement. The problem is addressed through three questions: (i) What are the most effective national and international examples of school improvement? (ii) What is the condition of the evidence base for making claims of effectiveness? (iii) What can be learned about developing and implementing effective school improvement from those national and international examples? The thesis begins by searching international and national school improvement literature to find those initiatives with the strongest evidence of effectiveness. One initiative in England (the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies) and four initiatives in the United States (Success For All, Direct Instruction, The School Development Programme & a district-wide reform in New York District #2) were considered to have strong evidence of effectiveness. Two initiatives in New Zealand (the Numeracy Development Project & the Strengthening Education in Mangere and Otara project commonly called SEMO) had evidence that showed promise. It is argued that patterns of investment in different types of evaluation and ease of access to achievement information account for the difference between the strong international evidence and promising evidence in New Zealand. A series of investigations in the middle of the thesis focus on the processes set up in the initiatives to help practitioners learn effective reform practices. Three models of learning processes are developed which reveal a strong preference for vertical learning in England and the United States and a more balanced vertical-horizontal learning preference in New Zealand. Despite those contrasts, three characteristics were found to be common to all seven effective initiatives. They are a sharp focus on instructional improvement, a set of standardised practices, and, learning connections to transfer the reform ideas into practice. The latter part of the thesis transforms those three characteristics into a theory for schooling improvement which contribute to a faster and more effective reform process.

In this thesis I portray through a history of music and art education in New Zealand the forms knowledge production took in these subject and the discourses within which they were embedded. This enables a more comprehensive understanding of curriculum and unearths connections with what Lyotard (1984) described as 'grand narrative' used to legitimate knowledge claims and practices at certain historical moments. Through such histories we may chart the progress of European civilization within the local context and provide the historical raison d'être for the present state of affairs in music and arts areas of the New Zealand curriculum. Curriculum and its 'reform' representing in part the distribution of public goods and services, has been embroiled in a market project. I seek to expose the politics of knowledge involved in the construction of the notion of The Arts within a neo-liberal policy environment. This environment has involved the deliberate construction of a 'culture of enterprise and competition' (Peters, 1995: 52) and, in the nurturing of conditions for trans-national capital's freedom of movement, a withdrawal from Keynesian economic and social policy, an assault on the welfare state. The thesis delves beyond the public face of policy-making. It follows and scrutinizes critically the birth of The Arts in the New Zealand Curriculum to the production of the first draft of the proposed policy presented by the Ministry of Education in 1999. I examine it as a site of the 'accumulation of meaning' (Derrida, 1981: 57) through a discussion of the history of meaning of 'art' and 'art' education. There is much of value in the Draft document. In particular, the arts have been invested with a new intellectual weight and the professionalism, passion and dedication of those involved in its writing shines through in each of the subject areas within the arts. However, through a process of analysis, I will show that there has been, in fact, a fashioning of a new container for the isolation of artistic knowledge. This is despite official sentiments mentioning possibilities within the document for flourishing separate Music, Art, Dance, and Drama education that implies increased curriculum space. The Draft Arts (1999) document both disguises and rehashes the 'master narrative' of universal rationality and artistic canons and is unlikely to work towards revitalising or protecting local cultural identities though not through lack of intention. I use Lyotard's notion of 'performativity' to critique notions of 'skills' and their 'development' which are implicitly and explicitly stated within the 'levels' of development articulated in the Draft Arts (1999) document. It is argued that this conflation works to enforce cultural homogeneity. There are clear dangers that the Draft Arts' (1999) conception of 'Arts Literacies' might operate as mere functional literacy in the service of the dominant culture's discourse of power and knowledge-one which celebrates the art-as-commodity ideal. It is argued that the Education Ministry's theoretical and epistemological construction of The Arts as one area of learning is unsound, and in fact represents a tightening of modernism's hierarchical notion of culture. New Zealand, now post-colonial or post-imperialist, both bi-cultural and multi-cultural, is situated on the south-western edge of the Pacific Rim. Culturally, it now includes Pacific Island, Asian, and new immigrants, as well as Maori and people of European descent. This therefore necessitates aesthetic practices which, far from promoting a set of universal principles for the appreciation of art - one canonical rule or 'standard' - recognise and reflect cultural difference. Merely admitting cultural difference is inadequate. By working away critically at the deeply held ethno-centric assumptions of modernism, its selective traditions concerned with 'practices, meanings, gender, "races", classes' (Pollock, 1999: 10), its universalising aesthetics of beauty, formal relations, individuality, authenticity or originality, and self-expression, of 'negativity and alienation, and abstraction' (Huyssens, 1986: 209), it is possible to begin to understand the theoretical task of articulating difference with regard to aesthetics. The development of the arts curriculum in New Zealand is placed within the modernism/postmodernism and modernity/postmodernity debates. These debates have generated a number of questions which are forcing us to re-examine the assumptions of modernism. The need for the culture of modernism to become self-critical of its own determining assumptions in order to come to understand its cultural practices, is becoming an urgent theoretical task, especially in disciplines and fields concerned with the transmission of acquired learning and the production of new knowledge. The culture of modernism is often taken as the historical succession of twentieth century avant-gardes (B. Smith, 1998) yet the culture of modernity, philosophically speaking, strictly begins with René Descartes several hundred years earlier, with a pre-history in the Florentine renaissance and the re-discovery of Graeco-Roman artistic and literary forms going back to the thirteenth century. Aesthetic modernism identifies with consumer capitalism and its major assumptions are rationalist, individualist and focus upon the autonomy of both the 'work of art' and the artist at the expense of the artwork, its reception and audience within its localised cultural context. The ideological features of humanism/liberalism - its privileging of the individual subject, the moral, epistemological and aesthetic privileging of the author/artist - are examined as forces contributing to modernism's major values (or aesthetic). Such approaches, it is argued, were limited for dealing with difference. The security and reproductive nature of modernistic approaches to curriculum in the arts areas are destabilized by thinking within the postmodern turn, and the effects of the changes questioning the basic epistemological and metaphysical assumptions in disciplinary fields including art/literature, artchitecture, philosophy and political theory, are registered here, within the field of the education in and through the arts. In a seminal description or report on knowledge, Jean-François Lyotard defines postmodernism as 'incredulity towards metanarratives' (1984: xxiv). Postmodernism, he argues, is 'undoubtedly part of the modern', 'not modernism at its end but in its nascent state and that state is constant (1984: 79). After Lyotard, postmodernism might be seen, therefore, not just as a mode or manner or attitude towards the past, but also as a materializing discourse comprising a dynamic reassessment and re-examination of modernism and modernity's culture. The thinking subject (the cogito) seen as the fount of all knowledge, its autonomy, and transparency, its consideration as the centre of artistic and aesthetic virtuosity and moral action, is subjected to intellectual scrutiny and suspicion. The need for an aesthetics of difference is contextualised through an examination of western hierarchies of art and the aesthetics of marginalized groups. I use the theories of poststructuralist, Jacques Derrida and Jean-François Lyotard, to examine the concept of difference. These theoretical inspirations are used as methodological tools for offsetting the privileging of the liberal individual and individualism. Rather than the mere consideration of difference in curricula, I seek to insert and establish the principle of an aesthetics of difference into relations of pedagogy and curricula. The implications for professional practice resulting from a recognition of a politics of representation are examined and a politics of difference. I argue that art education in all its manifestations can no longer avoid the deeper implications of involvement with representation, including forms of gender, ethnicity and class representation as well as colonial representation. The Western canon's notion of 'artists' and their 'art', often based upon white bourgeois male representations and used in many primary school classrooms, are part and parcel of 'social and political investments in canonicity', a powerful 'element in the hegemony of dominant social groups and interests' (Pollock, 1999: 9). Difference is not appreciated in this context. School art, music, and drama classrooms can become sites for the postmodern questioning of representation of 'the other'. In this context, an aesthetics of difference insists upon too, the questioning of images supporting hegemonic discourses, images which have filled the spaces in the 'chinks and cracks of the power/knowledge-apparati' (Teresa de Lauretis, 1987 cited in Pollock, 1999: 7-8). What would an 'eccentric rereading', a rediscovery of what the canon's vicarly cloak disguises and reveals, mean for music, and for the individual arts areas of the curriculum? I hope to reveal the entanglements of the cultural dynamics of power through an examination of the traditions of Truth and Beauty in imagery which are to be disrupted by inserting into the canon the principle of the aesthetics of difference. Art education as a politics of representation embraces art's constitutive role in ideology. This is to be exposed as we seek to unravel and acknowledge which kinds of knowledges are legitimised and privileged by which kinds of representations. Which kinds of narratives, historical or otherwise, have resulted in which kinds of depictions through image? A recognition of the increasing specification of the subject demands also the careful investigation of colonial representation, the construction of dubious narratives about our history created through visual imaging and its provision of complex historical references. How have art, music, dance, drama been used in the service of particular political and economic narratives? Through revisioning the curriculum from a postmodern perspective, suggestions are made for an alternative pedagogy, which offsets the ideological features of humanism/liberalism, one in which an aesthetics of difference might pervade cultural practices - 'systems of signification', 'practices of representation' (Rizvi, 1994). I draw upon Lyotard's notion of 'small narratives' (1984), and present an investigation of what the democratic manifestation of 'the differend', and multiple meaning systems, might indicate in terms of 'differencing' music education as a site in which heterogenous value systems and expression may find form. / Whole document restricted, but available by request, use the feedback form to request access.

This thesis extends Stanislav Grof's work on psycho-spiritual transformation by considering whether adolescents can experience what he and Christina Grof (1989, 1990) have called „spiritual emergency‟ (SE). Grof contends that the human psyche, when stimulated by new material originating from loss experiences, may spontaneously reorganise itself. This process either unfolds gently as spiritual emergence or overwhelms the individual as SE. This thesis examines Grof‟s holotropic theory, using Shakespeare‟s Hamlet as an illustration, to establish theoretically how SE might be experienced and observed in an adolescent. Hamlet‟s powerful responses to the death of his father, the loss of his inheritance and the remarriage of his mother are explored via Grof‟s extended cartography of the human psyche and a close analysis of Hamlet‟s soliloquies. As counselling verbatim, the soliloquies provide an important opportunity to discuss how significant experiences of loss have the potential for developmental transformation in adolescence. The possible incidence of SE in adolescence raises questions about how we identify, understand and support young people undergoing this process of transformation. In addition to analysing Hamlet‟s experiences in the light of Grof‟s theoretical framework, the thesis discusses the broader literature on grief and loss and the work of a range of other developmental, spiritual, transpersonal and integral psychologists and philosophers. The thesis engages Grof‟s ideas critically and assesses their relevance for adolescent counselling practice and counsellor education in the New Zealand context. This thesis challenges some widely accepted views among counsellors and educators. It argues for the acknowledgement and identification of the SE experience and recommends that further research be conducted with adolescents. It concludes that an understanding of the deeper dimensions of personal experience can assist professionals to be more effectively engaged with young people throughout their educational journeys.

New Zealand is becoming increasingly multicultural and its school population progressively diverse. Ministry of Education policy documents present policy and curriculum direction which acknowledge the value of New Zealand's bicultural identity and multicultural society. These policies impact on the field investigated, secondary school art education. Developed under the influence of neo-liberal political theory, which emphasises economic sustainability rather than principles of social justice, they raise issues of the position and value of art education in the contemporary age of globalisation. Cultural theorists claim that schooling has a responsibility to educate for an equitable democratic society. Multicultural art education theorists argue that art education can make a significant contribution towards democratic practices. Evident in the literature from within New Zealand is critical, theoretical and philosophical debate on the framing of the arts curriculum and its socio-political and cultural contexts. There is no evidence, however, of practical investigation into how secondary school art teachers are interpreting and implementing the visual arts discipline in the arts curriculum or exploring the underlying issues of cultural diversity in an increasingly multiculturalised society. The thesis is underpinned by a critique of interpretations of culture, diversity and difference, an interrogation of pedagogical practices for culturally inclusive art education, and a critical analysis of curriculum policy. The research investigated, through case study fieldwork in secondary schools, the extent to which policy and curriculum directives and art education practice take into account the ethnic diversity and cultural differences of students from diverse cultures living in a contemporary globalised world.

This thesis represents the results of a three-year intervention study of a group of Māori language teachers, their pupils and Māori parent communities in the Northland region of New Zealand. The study was motivated by the problem of continuing low academic achievement for Māori students in state mainstream schools. The assumption that existing teaching outputs of Māori language were quite strong and so could be used to model improvements for other school subjects and teachers to follow for Māori students was examined. In fact this was found to be a mistaken assumption as serious problems were located for the teaching of the Māori language. Two school policy areas were examined to locate possible solutions: Treaty of Waitangi policies in school charters and the operation of Māori Language Resourcing. It was found that the operation by school managements tended to exclude any active role for the Māori parent community. An action research model of intervention was designed and implemented to offer teachers in-service assistance in the provision of practice examinations to help better prepare students in their school certificate written examinations. Teachers were also encouraged to work directly with their Māori parent communities in order to improve teaching, student learning and outcomes. A case-study demonstrates that a dramatic rise in pupil performance occurred when parents worked along side the teacher in the classroom. The thesis argues that the nature of the Treaty of Waitangi provides a rationale for Māori parent participation, for direct involvement into school management (teaching issues) both for Māori students and the Māori language. It is concluded that a successful school for Māori students depends both the strength and shape of the tripartite relationship between the school, the home and the students.

Theoretical and empirical literature on inflation is extensive, and it abounds with diverse opinion. Principal works are of overseas origin; no substantial research has been published relating specifically to the New Zealand economy. This study does not attempt to develop a comprehensive theory of inflation, but has as its purpose the formulation of a simultaneous equation model to explain and predict movements in variables relevant to the inflationary process. The research has been conducted with New Zealand data and no econometric work on inflation yet published seems to have produced a model as embracing as the one advanced. This introduction has the following scope and content. First it conveys some idea of the extent of debate over what inflation is, this being done by brief references to various attempts at defining the phenomenon and to some of the different types of inflation advanced. Next, it questions more fundamentally 'what inflation is, and how, if' at all, the subject may be enlightened by further research. This leads on to derivation of an appropriate definition of inflation. Finally, an outline is given of the aspects of inflation to be investigated and the approach to be adopted.

Theoretical and empirical literature on inflation is extensive, and it abounds with diverse opinion. Principal works are of overseas origin; no substantial research has been published relating specifically to the New Zealand economy. This study does not attempt to develop a comprehensive theory of inflation, but has as its purpose the formulation of a simultaneous equation model to explain and predict movements in variables relevant to the inflationary process. The research has been conducted with New Zealand data and no econometric work on inflation yet published seems to have produced a model as embracing as the one advanced. This introduction has the following scope and content. First it conveys some idea of the extent of debate over what inflation is, this being done by brief references to various attempts at defining the phenomenon and to some of the different types of inflation advanced. Next, it questions more fundamentally 'what inflation is, and how, if' at all, the subject may be enlightened by further research. This leads on to derivation of an appropriate definition of inflation. Finally, an outline is given of the aspects of inflation to be investigated and the approach to be adopted.

This thesis examines the role of primary school principals as they undertake their role as educational leaders. Part One summarises theories about leadership and places principals' educational leadership in context. Leadership is defined as a social process whereby principals blend biography and context to reconcile positivist, systemic requirements and recommendations with appropriate localised, and individualised, expectations and aspirations. Part Two outlines an ethnographic methodology that justifies a process to gather and analyse data on the work of three principal subjects. This material is presented in cameo form and supported by questionnaire data from a further group of principal colleagues. Principals' leadership is identified as the interpretation of expectations and resources that results in particular actions. This interpretation is sourced in both context and personal biography. Part Three consists of data analysis and findings. The influence and interplay of context and personal biography are outlined. Conclusions are drawn as to the differences between leadership and management practices, and specific leadership activities performed by principals are identified. This leads to a clarification of leadership as a process of control (as opposed to power) that defines, rather than accommodates, the rules of realisation as to appropriate action. Recommendations are made regarding further study into the issues of personal identity, leadership style and the urgent need for principal pre-service and in-service professional development. / Subscription resource available via Digital Dissertations only.

The improvement of teaching is now recognised to be a key to the sustained improvement of student achievement. Teacher appraisal, a central element of performance management, is intended to improve the quality of teaching (and therefore learning). This thesis examines whether teacher appraisal is achieving this purpose, through three empirical studies. This thesis begins with a discussion of the context of teacher appraisal in relation to education reform of the last two decades. A normative model of teacher appraisal, one that focuses on data-based inquiry into student learning, is outlined, and the emerging education context in relation to that model is examined. Three studies, which explored schools' appraisal documents, appraisal discussions and teachers' appraisal goals, are presented. The first study, a document analysis, investigated the emphasis on student learning in the statements of purpose in 17 primary schools' appraisal policies, and the emphasis on student learning in the performance indicators developed to assess teachers against the professional standards. Results showed that while improved student learning was an intended purpose of schools' appraisal policies, the indicators that were used to evaluate teachers seldom focused directly on student learning.The second study examined whether data-based inquiry into student learning occurs in appraisal discussions, and the reasons for the level of reported inquiry. Eleven practitioners (four appraisers and seven appraisees from three schools) were interviewed about their most recent appraisal discussion to investigate whether student learning was a focus of the appraisal discussions and whether student achievement data were referred to in those discussions. Findings showed that appraisal discussions typically focused on teacher practices without exploring connections between those practices and the impact they have on student learning.Only one of the eleven teachers described a discussion that included talk specifically about student learning. Furthermore, there were no reports of reference to student learning data in appraisal discussions. There was, however, a particularly positive response to the suggestion that appraisal should, and could, focus on student learning and on data relating to this learning. This study also highlighted the considerable influence of appraisal goals in determining the content and scope of appraisals. In the third study, 68 teachers from eight schools responded to a questionnaire about their appraisal goals to establish the extent to which teachers' appraisal goals focus on data-based inquiry into student learning. Less than five per cent of goals were found to refer to student outcomes. The vast majority focused on teacher processes and behaviours. Goals also tended to be vague, rather than specific, and were not explicitly challenging. Findings across the studies suggest that only limited attention is given, in critical elements of teacher appraisal, to student learning. The final chapter of the thesis explores two key strategies for closing the gap between current appraisal practices and the 'appraisal for learning' approach argued for here - an approach that focuses on teacher learning about student learning and that is based on evidence. The first strategy involves alignment within appraisal elements, and to initiatives beyond appraisal. The second strategy is capacity building to ensure that personal, interpersonal and organisational capacities necessary for 'appraisal for learning' are developed. This research shows how teacher appraisal policy and practice has been a missed opportunity to improve teaching effectiveness and how it could be reshaped in ways that maximise student learning.