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In recent years, a number of what could be described as “educational rituals” have come under challenge in many New Zealand secondary schools. These rituals include school assemblies, the prefect system, and school uniforms. This article recounts a recent attempt on the part of a New Zealand secondary school to resolve a challenge to the tradition of compulsory school uniforms. The course of events contained many of the elements of participative decision making, and is none the less significant for having failed to bring about immediate change. The article also questions the validity of some assumptions which are implicit in much of the contemporary writing about educational decision making.

Decisions on changes in administration are as old as recorded history if we may judge from the example to be found in Exodus in which Jethro persuaded Moses to delegate some of his responsibilities so that he would not “wear away”. But the study of such decisions with the idea of deriving principles which may conceivably guide the behaviour of administrators is comparatively recent. For the student of educational administration a case study of the events and influences surrounding a particular administrative act, which can be examined and discussed, so that the springs of action are defined and assessed, offers material for such study. With these thoughts in mind, the authors of this paper have analysed the circumstances that led to the governmental decision to transfer the administrative control of the separate group of Maori primary schools in New Zealand from the central Department of Education to the regional education boards. The mode of decision also raises questions and issues that may be instructive in the study of administrative change.

This chapter traces the early beginnings of schools and schooling in Aotearoa New Zealand. We have drawn on archival evidence to identify shifting tensions between Māori and missionary, between Church and State and between local and national priorities. Despite its relative size, the history of New Zealand’s schools highlights their complex and competing origins. This educational landscape has been marked by emerging concerns and unresolved tensions regarding entry standards, academic and professional training, recruitment, and the knowledge, skills and dispositions a teacher ought to possess. There has been little consensus about how teachers should be prepared and where this training ought to occur. The absence of any uniform understanding or agreement about the effective professional training and preparation of teachers has induced a level of bureaucratization as competing interests sought to control the work of teachers.

In this chapter we have broadly sketched the educational history of Aotearoa New Zealand to show that this historical backdrop offers a fascinating insight into contemporary debates. In the following chapters we adopt a thematic approach to the history of teacher preparation in Aotearoa New Zealand. We do not offer an institutional or chronological historical narrative, but rather, the chapters are interconnected as they re-trace, recall and re-tell this educational history. Our core thesis is that across the long history of teacher preparation these themes permeate the shifts and changes in educational policy and practice and that ruptures at particular historical moments are not unique. We draw on a number of historical examples to underscore the oftentimes personal impact of the wider policy environment and the educational stories of aspiring teachers. Importantly, we have documented the methodological approaches employed and the archival research that has influenced our reading of the materials.

From the first attempts to prepare, train and educate teachers the official knowledge of the state has shaped what was identified as worth knowing, the curriculum. The knowledge and skills imparted link with political, economic and social priorities of the state. The formalization of this knowledge via pupil-teacher schemes, normal schools, as well as teachers’ colleges and universities was imperative in order for the state to define and control what was taught and who taught. Furthermore, central control of the curriculum, examination, classification and certification of teachers ensured that the agenda of the state was transported into the nation’s classrooms. Thus, the primary objective was to both produce and reproduce ‘good’ and ‘capable’ teachers ‘free from defect or infirmity’ to teach the skills and knowledge required for disciplined future citizenship.

Written official and formal accounts such as Inspectors’ Reports provide a summary of the teachers’ work, conduct, interactions with pupils, as well as a glimpse of the skills, knowledge and dispositions brought to their work. What can be concluded from these reports is that teachers had little occupational control of their work. What was taught and how they taught were prescribed by the curriculum and mediated against the standards pupils attained. In addition, teachers’ and pupils’ successes and failures were made public in Inspectors’ Reports, although it was the teacher who was more readily identifiable if not explicitly named. This is not to suggest that teachers did not act as agents of change. Increasingly, teachers sought to professionalize their work through qualifications, training and exposure to new ideas and practices. Against this backdrop of the professionalization of the workforce were the increasing bureaucratization of schools and teaching and the institutionalization of teacher preparation and training.

The purpose of this study is to explore the roles that sociocultural systems such as traditions, religious practices, and rituals play in upholding gender imbalance in Fiji.

This qualitative study relies on results from semi-structured interviews with auditors, educationalists, academics, partners from leading accounting/audit firms, company directors and high-ranked government officers. Thematic analysis was conducted both manually and using MAXQDA software, and the themes that emerged from both analyses are complementary. A few more complementary analyses were also conducted such as Word Cloud.

The results support the claim that the religious traditions and rituals are strongly linked to gender-inequitable beliefs and suggest sociocultural factors impose on women experiencing self-effacing emotions and passive acceptance of lower status, contributing to the persistence of gender inequality. It also emphasizes the need to challenge certain sociocultural practices to promote greater gender equality, which is the theme emerged from thematic analysis. Additionally, this paper proposes four distinct types of attitudes in this regard as self-effacing feminist, self-effacing traditional, self-effacing modesty and talented driven.

Respondents' openness authenticity may be limited by factors like selection bias, small sample size and other potential constraints in this study.

The findings might influence stakeholders to advocate for policy changes to promote women's representation in leadership positions. The results give voice to various segments of society who are advocating greater gender diversity on board representation in Fiji. The themes immerged and theories developed would make a substantial contribution to the existing literature.

The findings highlight the importance of addressing gender inequality in leadership positions to promote inclusive and sustainable growth.

This study sheds light on the less-explored domain of internal barriers to gender equality within Fiji. It adds a novel dimension to the understanding of how cultural norms intersect with individual perceptions to shape gender inequality.

This paper aims to determine possible differences in causes or characteristics between men and women in attaining the CEO position in large publicly listed companies in the USA.

T-test statistic, correlation analyses and logit model were used to determine the role individual factors (tenure in management roles, age of CEOs, number of children, years of education) and the firm-level factor (number of employees, net income) play in determining the likelihood of having a female CEO.

The research results show that years of education, the number of children and the number of employees in the business play significant roles in determining the likelihood of having a female CEO. An increase in the number of children and years spent in education lower the probability of the CEO being a woman, while having greater number of employees raises the likelihood of having a woman CEO.

The findings are applicable to only the largest publicly traded firms in the USA and are not applicable to mid to small publicly listed, private or non-for-profit companies or institutions. This research is a starting point for future research of women and men CEOs of small and mid-size publicly traded and non-publicly traded firms in the USA.

Prior research has shown that having children is detrimental for women in management positions; this research specifically identifies this problem for the CEO position. It also reveals that having more of education does not translate to getting to the CEO position for women.

The purpose of this paper is to describe a preliminary investigation into the heat treatment of Ti‐6Al‐7Nb components that had been produced via selective laser melting (SLM).

Bars of Ti‐6Al‐7Nb were produced using SLM by MCP‐HEK Tooling GmbH in Lubeck, Germany. These bars were then subjected to a range of heat treatments and the resultant microstructure evaluated with respect to its likely effect on fatigue.

It was found that the as received material consisted of an α′ martensitic structure in a metastable β matrix. Evidence of the layer‐wise thermal history was present, as were large (up to ∼500 μm) pores. Solution treatment at 955°C (below the β transus) did not completely disrupt this layered structure and is therefore not recommended. When solution treatment was performed at 1,055°C (above the β transus) a homogeneous structure was produced, with a morphology that depended on the post‐solution treatment cooling rate. It was concluded that the most promising heat treatment consisted of a moderate cooling rate after solution treatment at 1,055°C.

The study had only limited material and therefore it was not possible to perform any mechanical property testing.

The paper presents the initial findings of a project which is aimed at optimising the mechanical properties of Ti‐6Al‐7Nb components produced using SLM.

Currently, little is known about the heat treatment and subsequent mechanical properties of this Ti‐6Al‐7Nb alloy when produced using rapid manufacturing techniques. Such lack of knowledge limits the potential applications, especially in the biomedical field where the consequences of implant failure are high. The paper presents the first step in developing this understanding.