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This article is based on the accounts of 29 boys identified as having severe social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) who were attending a residential school in New Zealand. Through in-depth, semi-structured and focus group interviews, a number of salient features of their schooling experiences emerged. One of these features was the experience of bullying. Despite the intuitive connection between SEBD and bullying, little research has directly examined its impact on these students. Results indicated that these students are at increased risk for both victimisation and bullying perpetration and highlight the association between a lack of positive relations with peers and the increased chance of being bullied. The findings also suggested that limitations in teachers' understanding of bullying and their effectiveness in addressing this play a role in its perpetration.

This article is derived from a study of pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties' (SEBD) perceptions of their schooling experiences both in mainstream and residential schools. It is based on the accounts of 29 boys with severe SEBD who were attending a residential special school for children in New Zealand. Through in-depth, semi-structured and focus group interviews, a number of salient features of their schooling experiences were raised. One of these features was the pupils' relationship with teachers. This article reports on pupils with SEBD's perceptions of mainstream and residential school teachers' qualities that either hinder or foster positive relationships and development.

If teachers are to play a positive educative role in addressing societal gender-related issues that impact on social justice and inclusiveness, teacher education institutions have to ensure that their graduating teachers are well equipped with the necessary understandings and skills to enact this role. This research draws on interviews with men primary school teachers in New Zealand, Sweden and the UK. It investigates their remembered experiences during teacher education relating to gender discourse and whether the education they received, if any, has influenced their classroom practices. Across the three countries, the men had varying levels of recall, ranging from comprehensive gender-related education to none whatsoever. In Sweden, a governmental emphasis on gender equality in society appeared to have influenced the teachers' attitudes and practices regardless of the amount of teacher education relating to gender that they remembered. The teachers' comments suggest that those of us engaged in teacher education need to address any apparent gaps in gender studies at pre-service level. Both men and women teacher education students require comprehensive gender studies if they are to recognise and realise their potential to deconstruct traditional stereotypes and contribute to social justice and inclusiveness.

Purpose: In New Zealand, legislation was introduced to regulate the types of food sold and promoted in schools but 15 months later, part of the legislation was repealed. The purpose of this paper is to determine the extent to which a sample of schools implemented positive changes when the legislation was introduced and the extent to which they reversed the changes when the second clause was repealed. Design/methodology/approach: An anonymous survey containing qualitative and quantitative aspects was mailed to a randomly selected sample of 1,000 New Zealand primary and secondary schools. A respondent from each school was asked questions about health issues, including whether their school had implemented changes when the new legislation was introduced and whether they reversed or modified those changes when part of it was repealed 15 months later. Simple preliminary analyses are presented in this paper. Findings: Responses were received from 318 schools (32 percent): 66 percent of respondents made changes, 5 percent did not, and 11 percent reported that the changes had not been applicable to their school. A further 18 percent did not need to make changes, as they already complied with legislative requirements. Only three schools completely reversed their changes after repeal of part of the legislation and 29 other schools made minor changes. Originality/value: The results of this small study suggest that even short-lived regulations have the potential to make a significant and long-term difference, especially when accompanied by substantial funding and comprehensive professional development. (Contains 1 note.)

In New Zealand, schools are implementing a variety of strategies in an attempt to address factors that adversely influence students' learning. The purpose of this article is to present the findings of a study that sought to determine the extent to which schools were able not only to identify health issues influencing learning, but also to use a health-promoting schools (HPS) approach to address them. The article reports the findings of a survey of 318 New Zealand schools that sought teachers' perceptions of mental health issues and the strategies schools had in place to address these. It discusses New Zealand teachers' perceptions of how issues relating to mental health, including relationships with others, bullying and family trauma, impact on learning. It explores teachers' self-reported awareness of relationships between the elements of HPS and educational outcomes, and identifies a range of HPS strategies that schools used to address mental health barriers to learning.

Despite research linking dominant masculinities to the disengagement of some boys from schooling, men teachers appear to be either unaware of the related literature, or reluctant to engage in behaviours that have increased their vulnerability to accusations of sexual abuse or homosexuality. A small study of men teachers in England, Sweden and New Zealand investigated the extent to which the men believed their teacher education had prepared them to teach in the gendered environment of the primary school. Teachers were also questioned about their views on gender differences in students and in the teaching practices of male and female teachers. Although the size of the study restricts the validity of data, the differences between the teachers in England and New Zealand, and those interviewed in Sweden, suggest that further research is warranted. A societal emphasis on gender equity in Sweden was reflected in the commentaries of Swedish men teachers on their pedagogical attitudes and actions relative to gender-based issues in schools. This emphasis was not evident to the same extent in England and New Zealand.

This paper reports the findings from a study of teachers and students' views regarding self-worth in the primary school learning environment. The revised New Zealand curriculum recognises the importance of self-worth in students' motivation and ability to learn. While the need to enhance self-worth in the classroom has been well established in the literature, similarities and differences between teachers and students' understanding of the impact of various classroom interactions on self-worth has not received the same attention. The purpose of the research reported on in this paper was to provide further insight for teachers, thereby enabling them to strengthen classroom relationships and their students' learning experiences in ways commensurate with enhancing students' feelings of self-worth. (Contains 3 tables.)

In the last 20 years the health promoting schools movement has gained momentum internationally. Without strong national leadership and direction its development in New Zealand has been ad hoc and sporadic. However, as the evidence supporting the role of health promoting schools in contributing to students' health and academic outcomes becomes more robust, their potential can no longer be ignored. This paper sets out to provide an overview of the state of the health promoting schools movement in New Zealand and examines the national framework and process in the light of the international literature. (Contains 2 figures.)

The need for more male role models in young boys' lives is one of the main reasons underpinning the call for more male teachers in primary schools. However, the exact responsibilities and attributes associated with the term "male role model" have yet to be clearly established. The purpose of this survey of 250 New Zealand primary school principals was to investigate the views of one major group of stakeholders to determine how principals defined male role models and what they considered the specific attributes of that role. The study found that the principals favoured men who exhibit a hegemonic masculinity couched in heterosexual, rugby-playing, "real men" attributes.

In recent years, there has been increasing academic debate concerning both the need for more male primary schoolteachers and the reasons for their minority status, numerically. Yet there has been relatively little heard from the men themselves. In this study the author used focus group discussions to investigate the views and experiences of practising male primary schoolteachers towards primary school teaching as a career. The focus questions included: the aspects which attracted them to primary school teaching; experiences which preceded their entry to teacher education; and the reaction to their choice from family and friends. The study concluded that a complex barrier of attitudes and actions would need to be addressed if the minority status of male teachers is to change.

Current concern regarding the lack of male primary school teachers has resulted in initiatives designed to attract men to the teaching profession. However, if marketing and recruitment strategies fail to consider and address the underlying issues that act as barriers to men considering a teaching career, there is little likelihood that the current trend will be halted. This paper identifies the barriers that deter men from primary school teaching, and the extent to which these barriers are addressed by policies and practices designed to attract men to the teaching profession. Strategies utilizing forms of positive gender discrimination and those that rely on alternative solutions are discussed in an attempt to aid policy-makers in developing reforms that are likely to succeed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]