Research

Our foundational research project addressed the risk factors that teenagers face. Teachers and educators were interviewed about their perceptions of these factors and the ways to address them. Positive role model figures were interviews on how they overcame risk whilst growing up and shared the lessons they learnt.

The term ‘at-risk’ is used to alert to the fact that youth not performing well academically and socially, face the danger of failing to become responsible adults. Socio-economic and family factors, physical disability, mental health conditions and social isolation compound these risks. Educational repercussions from these challenges include disengagement from school, leaving school either prematurely or exiting without qualifications. This has widespread consequences as the last workplace literacy survey reveals that 46% of our workforce has literacy skills below those needed to participate fully in a knowledge society (OECD, 2005).

At-risk youth confront school failure daily – indeed chronic or acute low academic performance, especially in literacy, is often the first sign that a young person is at risk. Herein lies the paradox: whereas the educational environment may hold the key to potentially alleviating or rectifying a risk situation, educators lack meaningful learning material to present to their at-risk students.

Positive peer role models can play a pivotal role as successful mentors. Personal multimedia, short autobiographical lessons from respected peers have proven effective as educational resources. Stories informed by, and respectful of both the storyteller’s and the audience’s cultural viewpoints can emphasise particular obstacles that role models have conquered – leaving viewers feeling that they too can overcome the challenges they experience on a personal, interpersonal and educational level.

See below a 7 minute trailer with interview excerpts from the role models we interviewed:

This foundational research lead us to extend mentorship into the virtual domain, answering the simultaneous need for more youth mentoring activity and the dearth of available mentors for face-to-face relationships.

Findings from the research allowed the production of a repertoire of stories collated into digital educator resources, complete with lesson plans. These engage learners into a journey of self discovery and empowerment, trailblazing pathways of transition either into post-secondary studies or the workplace – fostering school re-engagement, while at the same time building literacy skills. For a copy of the research report please contact us - details on our contact page.

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A second research project takes a closer look at the interactions taking place throughout the schooling of an at-risk student. Attitude, Motivation and Agency: The three pillars of transformational teaching for at-risk students is an article by Dr Annick Janson (Centre for Applied Cross-Cultural Research (CACR), Victoria University of Wellington).

This case study describes how an at-risk student engaged through visual media in a mainstream class and how this engagement in turn opened a keyhole to develop his previously underused verbal and social competencies. Central to this process was how the student’s passion was revealed and tapped into via teaching objectives. Developing the key competencies described in the NZ Curriculum, teachers reported that benefits accrued by the student spread class-wide in unpredicted ways – for instance, by the student being recognised for leadership qualities and becoming a role model for his peers.


Why?
Literacy levels in our population are worrying: only half of our adult population operating at a literacy level that is functional. However one in five adults has very poor literacy - most of them ethnic minorities Maori and Pacific people...