WELLINGTON, April 4 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand students are learning more about the country's histories but less about how they link with global contexts, and about half of students enjoy the history learning, according to research released on Thursday.

The research from the Education Review Office (ERO) found that many schools are prioritizing local histories rather than national events, and schools are also teaching less about how New Zealand's histories link with global contexts.

According to the research, the New Zealand's histories curriculum is being taught in all schools, but not all of the content is being taught. Three-quarters of schools are teaching it at all year levels at the end of last year, and just over half of students enjoy learning about New Zealand's histories, the research said.

Students are more than twice as likely to enjoy histories when they are learning about New Zealand's place in the world, it showed.

Ruth Shinoda, head of ERO's Education Evaluation Center, said teaching New Zealand's histories became a requirement for students in Years 1-10 at the start of last year and schools have been working hard to implement it, adding that parents welcome this, with two-thirds of parents seeing learning about New Zealand's histories as being useful for their child's future.

ERO also found that so far schools have been focusing on teaching the new content rather than teaching key skills, such as critical thinking, which are important for students' futures.

Chris Abercrombie, president of the Post Primary Teachers' Association, said the new histories curriculum has a big focus on New Zealand and Maori history, something which was missing for more than 160 years.

Up until only last year the unique history of New Zealand was not part of what were required to learn at school. The vast majority of New Zealanders know a great deal more about European or U.S. history than their own, Abercrombie said.

"These are momentous changes and they will take time to tweak and improve," he said.

Minister of Education Erica Stanford said the research confirms that New Zealand teachers need better clarity on curriculum and how to deliver it.

The ERO research also found that because schools had been prioritizing New Zealand histories, other subjects like geography and economics had been crowded out.

Teachers had been overwhelmed by the scale of change required, and did not have the skills or time needed to develop bespoke, local curriculum documents, according to the ERO.

"We need to move away from a postcode lottery where what you learn at school depends on where you live and who your teachers are," Stanford said of the struggles with being expected linking New Zealand histories to the global context.

The minister encourages teachers to plan creative and exciting lessons to engage the learners in their classrooms, and will make an announcement on a new approach to Curriculum Refresh program before the end of the month, which will include a clear focus on effective implementation. Enditem

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