The Politics of Education: a Study of Attitudes Pressures and Relations in the New Zealand Education System

Abstract

Political science is a discipline which purports to study power as a process, a distinct but inseparable part of the social process. It is the general aim of this study to shed light on the inner workings and operating norms of a democratic system. More specifically, the study hopes to offer an empirical examination of the pressures, attitudes, and relationships which constitute one sector of democratic government in New Zealand, the administration of public education. The philosophic starting point for the study is in part pluralistic, in that education ‘politics’ is seen to be a ‘system’ of components which can be described and examined and which is itself a component of a more embracing ‘system’ called New Zealand politics. Briefly stated, it is believed that by studying one sector of governmental activity - that is, one ‘system’ - in some detail, one may arrive at conclusions which could be applied to wider settings. An alternative method of approach would have been to look at a particular facet of the governmental process - pressure group activity for example - over a wider area. Both methods have drawbacks, but for a complete picture to emerge eventually, both types of study will be needed.