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The implementation of relationships and sexuality education as part of Health and Physical Education in The New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand Curriculum. Learning Media Limited.) involves a range of people sharing their perspectives in order to shape the subject on paper and in practice. This paper presents the findings of a qualitative collective case study in three primary schools in Aotearoa. Experimenting with Appreciative Inquiry, we found that connections and conversations between a wide variety of people and organisations have a critical role to play in relation to planning and teaching relationships and sexuality education in schools: (i) Schools and teachers working in partnership with colleagues within and across schools, (ii) connections with whānau and relationships with learners, and (iii) access to wider supports and services. Our findings suggest that having conversations and establishing and maintaining productive partnerships between a variety of people are critical if relationships and sexuality education is to live up to its potential and meet learners' needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The compulsory education of students who have complex learning characteristics has received little attention in New Zealand research literature. This paper explores the positive educational experiences of a student who transferred from one high school to another in the same city, which resulted in him 'actually learning'. Using Appreciative Inquiry (AI) methodology, qualitative interviews and focus groups were held with educators and the student's mother, and time was spent with the student. Thematic analysis revealed the significance of communication/relationships, values and flexible teaching and learning practices. The analysis also revealed that educators' beliefs included relational understandings of disability and a presumption of competence, while their practice evidenced elements of inclusive pedagogy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines evidence emphasizing the importance of educational leaders prioritizing the development of ‘learning communities’ within the staff and students at their schools. It suggests that although schools are most certainly institutes of learning in terms of the classroom processes they create for their students, that there is some question as to whether schools as organizations can be accurately described as ‘learning communities’. It goes on to describe an innovative leadership project that involved the directors of adolescent focused NGO’s (non-government organizations) in Aotearoa, New Zealand where leaders used Appreciative Inquiry (AI) processes to explore their own leadership through the development of a ‘learning community’. This article focuses on how the two guiding principles of ‘positive focus’ and ‘collaboration’ enabled growth trajectories where participants gained agency to co-create a highly productive learning space. Five key strategies are identified: 1. flexible and negotiated structure, 2. sharing powerful stories, 3. cycles of exploration, 4. individual and collective reflection and 5. significant time frame. The paper then makes suggestions for how these strategies could be used in the development of such a ‘learning community’ in a school setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents findings from a study exploring the nurses' experience of caring for adults with intellectual disability and mental health issues in inpatient settings. Semi structured interviews were undertaken with 13 nurses from various regions of New Zealand. Methods suggested by an Appreciative Inquiry methodology were used to explore the nurses' positive experiences of their role. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using open coding and Leximancer (an online data mining tool) analysis to identify dominant themes in the discourse. Analysis revealed themes around 'Contextualising behaviour', 'Communication', 'Confidence to care' and 'Time'. Participants reflected upon their experiences offering personal interpretations in identifying the aspects of nursing that mattered and that worked. What is shown is that nurses were able to describe a range of creative and adaptive ways of nursing in responding to numerous complex factors they faced in their roles. This suggests a strong foundation on which to advance nursing care in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents findings from a study exploring the mental health inpatient care of people with a dual disability of intellectual disability and mental health issues from the perspective of those people with the dual disability. A mixture of semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews were carried out with nine participants who had been admitted to an inpatient unit for mental health care exploring their experience of care. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using open coding and Leximancer (an online data mining tool) analysis to identify dominant themes in the discourse. Analysis revealed themes around 'Therapeutic and Meaningful Activity', 'Emotion Focussed Care', and 'Feeling Safe?' Participants were able to identify the aspects of inpatient care that worked for them in terms of coping with time in hospital. This research suggests that there are several factors that should be considered in providing effective mental health inpatient care for people with dual disability. A number of strategies and recommendations for responding to their needs are identified and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]