Competent Children at 12

Abstract

iAcknowledgments First and foremost, our thanks to the participants in the study: the children (now young people), their parents, and their teachers, who continue to give their time and interest, and so ensure that their cumulative story can be told. The funding and interest of the Ministry of Education has also been essential to the study, and we are most grateful for it. We are most appreciative of the assistance given us by the principals and office staff of the many schools attended by the study children when they were aged-12. Three schools helped us in the development of our interview questions for this phase through focus group discussions among students, parents, and teachers, and through teachers trialling draft questions, and our thanks go to those involved at Evan’s Bay Intermediate school, Clyde Quay school, and Te Aro school. Our thanks too to the project team. Cathy Lythe and Tineke Fijn organised the fieldwork. Once again we were fortunate to retain most of our highly competent fieldwork team: Anna Wildey, Betty Irons, Tricia