Predictors of School Exclusion as a Disciplinary Measure in New Zealand: A Maori, Pacific Peoples and Pakeha Comparison

Steve Agnew (), Tom Coupé and Cassia-Rose Hingston
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Steve Agnew: University of Canterbury, https://www.canterbury.ac.nz

Working Papers in Economics from University of Canterbury, Department of Economics and Finance

Abstract: This study analysed a cohort of over 43,000 students from their first day of school in 2008 to the end of their compulsory schooling in New Zealand in 2018. Data was collected from a range of linked national datasets collated by Stats NZ, New Zealand's official data agency. Variables were categorised into demographic, socioeconomic status (SES), learning support, family climate and parental education. These categories and the variables within them were identified in a review of the school exclusion literature. Regression analysis was applied to establish which variables correlated with school exclusion. A subset of over 34,000 students was also stratified by ethnicity and analysed to ascertain if predictors of school exclusion varied by ethnicity. The ethnic groupings compared were Pakeha (the largest ethnic grouping), Maori and Pacific Peoples (two ethnic groups over-represented in school exclusion statistics). Pakeha and Maori had very similar profiles in terms of which variables identified by the literature significantly correlated with school exclusion. However, when these explanatory variables are set to zero, Maori have higher rates of exclusion than Pakeha. There are also different drivers of school exclusion between Pacific Peoples who receive English as a second language (ESOL) support and Pacific Peoples who don’t. The significant predictors of exclusion are different for these two groups of Pacific Peoples, as is the proportion of exclusions explained by the model. This research contributes to the literature by identifying predictors of school exclusion in a multicultural, international setting. It also examines how well a model based on existing literature predicts exclusion across populations with differing ethnic, SES, language and cultural characteristics.

Keywords: School Exclusion; Ethnicity, Maori, Pacific (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 22 pages
Date: 2022-07-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ure
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