N.Z. students ‘have more global view’

Press, 4 July 1985, Page 15

N.Z. students ‘have more global view’

PA Wellington School and nuclear war loom large as the preoccupation of New Zealand schoolchildren, acccording to preliminary results of an international survey on students essay writing. The survey also shows that girls are better writers than boys, and that spelling mistakes are often the direct result of sloppy New Zealand pronunciation. Six thousand New Zealand school pupils — half in Form 2 and half in Form 5 — took part in the survey. Each produced three essays. It was organised by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement in 15 countries. The aim is to compare writing standards. The national research co-

ordinator, Ms Hilary Lamb, said that full report of the New Zealand results would not be available until early 1986. Although it was not part of the international comparison, she had analysed tye types of subjects New Zealand students liked to write about. Results suggested that they are outward rather than inward looking. “Pilot testing indicated that New Zealand students showed considerable global awareness,” she said. Students were asked to write about any issue or problem they felt strongly about. More than a third chose either school or nuclear war, she said. Concerns at school included uniforms, canteen food, or gripes about teachers. “There was one who wanted a fourth-form smoking room.” Ms Lamb said one international marker involved in the survey had commented that New Zealand students had a more global viewpoint than Americans, for example, who were likely to write about borrowing the car, or pocket money.