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      Cult on the rise? Students' perspectives on cult issues in secondary and national high schools in Papua New Guinea

      Drawii, Judy Tatu
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      Drawii, J. T. (2008). Cult on the rise? Students’ perspectives on cult issues in secondary and national high schools in Papua New Guinea (Thesis, Master of Education (MEd)). The University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10289/2239
      Permanent Research Commons link: https://hdl.handle.net/10289/2239
      Abstract
      In the last five years there has been a dramatic increase in perceived levels of

      antisocial behaviour amongst students in Secondary and National High schools

      in Papua New Guinea. Certain events have caught the public's attention, such

      as the burning down of school buildings and reports of Satanic worship.

      Despite widespread concern, there seems to be little understanding of why such

      problems are occurring and no systematic studies to estimate the exact extent of

      such behaviours or their underlying cause.

      The main objective of this study was to collect information about the

      students' perspectives on the nature and extent of these perceived problems. For

      ethical reasons, and with regard to ease of access to participants within the time

      frame of the study, data were collected from the first year student teachers at

      Madang Teachers' College, Papua New Guinea, who had been

      Secondary/National High school students only a few months previously. As this

      was an exploratory investigation, and it was not known whether participants

      would feel more at ease talking one-on-one with the researcher or in groups,

      two methodologies were used: focus group discussions and individual

      interviews. The research was conducted over a period of three weeks in June

      2007, and involved a total of 21 participants (three focus groups of five, five

      and six people respectively, and six individual interviewees, one of whom also

      joined a group).

      The main findings to emerge from these discussions were as follows.

      First, the participants explained their own and other students' behaviour in terms

      of exploring old and new traditions of school life. Second, although several

      participants reported knowledge of supernatural practices, many of the group

      activities described in the discussions were normal activities among peer cliques

      that provided a sense of belonging and positive support for school achievement.

      There were no major differences in the stories told by male and female

      participants, and no obvious differences in the type of information provided

      under different research conditions.

      There was some disagreement among participants as to whether or not school

      authorities should take strong action to eliminate the possibility of cult

      practices.

      The findings are interpreted with reference to both Western

      psychological ideas about the nature of adolescence, and to local traditions,

      practices, and understandings of lifespan development. In particular, the notion

      of 'searching for identity' stands out in these accounts of student behaviour.

      This was an exploratory study and not designed to yield results that

      provide an overall picture of the situation in the Secondary/National High

      schools of Papua New Guinea. Nevertheless, participants' reports did relate to

      events experienced in the majority of PNG Secondary and National High

      schools, and some recommendations are tentatively offered.
      Date
      2008
      Type
      Thesis
      Degree Name
      Master of Education (MEd)
      Publisher
      The University of Waikato
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