The TEC commissioned this literature review and the development of draft indicators resulting from the literature to inform and guide an understanding of what TEOs can be doing to raise performance for Māori learners.
The project was governed, managed and contributed to by the Principal Advisor and Senior Advisor, Māori, the TEC Tertiary Education Strategy Priorities, and by the Principal Advisor and Senior Advisor, the TEC Evidence and Analysis. A senior advisory representative from the Tertiary Education Group, MOE, also contributed to the project. This ensured that the review aligned with the TEC’s business needs, and also contributed strong and diverse insights to the project including kaupapa Māori research and Māori learner-centred approaches.
These key elements are identified as fundamental and therefore, presumably, are necessary to foster successful Māori learner participation, retention and course and qualification completion.
It is intended that the literature review and resulting indicators will be used to inform both the TEC and TEOs of what works for Māori learners in tertiary settings and what TEOs need to do (or not do) to better serve Māori learners and communities.
Methodology
Most of the literature reviewed was identified and provided by the MOE library. In addition, a significant proportion of supplementary literature was provided by an advisory member to the project.
The literature was read, analysed and re-read to elicit key emergent themes. Significant weight was given to literature articulating Māori learner experiences from the perspective of Māori learners themselves and from the perspective of tertiary education providers. This was identified as an important focus, particularly as:
“Listening to the learner voice can have important implications for producing positive outcomes related to approaches to learning, quality improvements and sustainable organisational change.” (Tahau-Hodges, 2010, p.58)
Little focus was given to literature that was purely theoretical or ideological and not based on actual Māori learner experiences within tertiary settings.
Because the literature is largely focused on qualitative research and learner and provider experiences of what works or does not work for Māori learners in tertiary settings, commonly the research is not linked to quantitative data sets pertaining to completion, retention or progression statistics.
Rather, the synthesis and cross-analysis of the multiple studies reviewed has revealed a robust body of information that identifies key themes strongly and consistently present.
Key Results
