This research collected data from the 2005 cohort of teacher administrators. It utilised a series of questionnaires, interviews and journal entries in order to elicit information about initial and subsequent perceptions of the teacher administrator role. It focused on interpreting teachers' changing perceptions as they developed their skills and knowledge of their role during the training process and throughout their time working in their new role. Throughout this process teachers were asked to reflect on their changing perceptions and identify any information or skills they felt would enable them to perform more effectively in the new role.

Applications for the role of teacher administrators were submitted by March 1. From these applications, ninety six teachers were selected. Half of these were trained in August and administered tasks to Year 8 students. The others were trained in October and administered tasks to Year 4 students. The teachers participating in the research had all applied for the position and can be assumed to be motivated to undergo training for this role. The teachers came from a variety of school cultures, from all around New Zealand. They taught or had taught at a variety of age levels in the primary system. The teachers came from a range of teaching experience, from less than five years to more than twenty years.

Once NEMP had selected the teacher administrators for the 2005 cycle of assessment, a questionnaire was sent out to all the teacher administrators. The questionnaires used in this research are included in Appendix A. The first questionnaire ascertained information on the teachers' prior knowledge and understanding and expectations of NEMP and their role as teacher administrator. During the two training weeks, several teachers from each group volunteered to complete an interview about their perceptions of the administrator role. This interview was recorded, transcribed and analysed. On completion of their training week all teachers were asked to complete a second questionnaire to see if changes had occurred in their understanding of the role of teacher administrator.

Both groups of teachers spent five weeks working with students in a variety of schools. Whilst working as an administrator, the teachers that were interviewed were asked to keep a reflection journal, so they could monitor their perceptions of their role. At the end of the five week period of assessment a third questionnaire was sent out to all teacher administrators, to gather data on their perceptions of their role, after they had completed their administration period.

A number of NEMP staff were involved with the training of the teacher administrators: the co-directors of NEMP coordinate the training process and work directly with teachers during the training week. NEMP also have other personnel who facilitate the training process; one of these is contracted by NEMP in the role of 'visiting teacher' for a year, the others are permanent staff members. One of the directors of NEMP, the visiting teacher for 2005 and two permanent member of the NEMP team were asked to participate in an interview before the training process began, in order to ascertain the requirements that NEMP had for their teacher administrators. Further interviews took place after each training week, once video tapes from the first administration week had been viewed, in order to establish if there were any changes to, or conflicts of the expectations of the teacher administrator role for NEMP staff. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed.

In January 2006, some of the data from the 2005 NEMP assessment cycle was marked. Often, teachers who have worked as administrators during the collection of the data, apply to work as teacher markers. Part of the marking process requires the markers to watch videotaped activities of students working on assessment tasks. Teacher markers then grade performances against set criteria. The videotapes show the teacher administrators explaining the assessment tasks and working with students in order to obtain detailed data. Markers view a variety of teacher administrators, all of whom participated in the training process. Teacher administrators who chose to be part of the marking process were identified and asked to participate in a further questionnaire and interview, after their marking week. Their perceptions of the administrator role after completing the marking process were recorded and analysed.

The Grounded Theory approach was used to gather and analyse the information provided through the questionnaires, interviews and reflection journals. The systematic collection and analysis of data generated from the research enabled the conceptualization of fundamental latent patterns occurring in the research situation, enabling generation of theory (Glaser, 2003: 189). Patterns in the responses emerging from the questionnaires and interviews, along with anecdotal evidence given by the teacher administrators during the various stages of their learning and application of their role were noted. Concepts indicated by the data were used to guide the analysis of information. Theories were then generated from the analysis of emerging patterns, to explain the data. The theories derived from the data were verified through comparison with literature from previous research. Collectively they describe the tensions and challenges faced by the teacher administrators and how those administrators perceived, interpreted and translated their new role into practice.

The following section provides an analysis of the information obtained from interviews, questionnaires and journal entries, grouped into common themes and issues as they arose. The first two sections report on the reasons for teachers wanting to work as a teacher administrator and their initial perceptions of this role. These included the skills they felt they needed to work as a TA and the skills they brought to the position that they felt were important. Their perceptions of the role and the importance of various skills were then analysed at the end of the training period and at the end of administrating. Subsequent sections deal with aspects of the administrator role that teachers had not realised were important, but became so as they worked in their role. These included: the need for flexibility; the importance of developing a positive collaborative working relationship with their partner; the importance of constructive feedback during the training and administration process. Teachers also suggested ways that would better prepare them to understand and implement the administrator role. The final section discusses teacher markers perceptions of the administrator role.

Comments from NEMP staff on these themes were integrated. Comments made by teachers and NEMP staff were coded in the following way:

When Figure 2 and Figure 3 are compared it appears that relating well to students, in order to develop a good rapport with them, and being organised were identified as being important skills required for the teacher administrator role and skills that most teachers recognised they brought with them to the role. Although teachers rated working effectively with others as an important skill they brought with them, they did not perceive this to be as important in the administrator role. Being a good listener to children was identified as being an important skill for the administrator role. Although some teachers recognised it as a skill they brought with them to the role, many others did not. This possibly showed an awareness of the skills that teachers felt that they needed to gain to be effective teacher administrators. Teachers perceived the ability to follow instructions accurately to be significant for implementing the administrator role. However, it was not identified as a skill that teachers brought with them to the role. . This may also have been something they felt they needed training in.

In their initial interview, all NEMP staff identified that having a good rapport with students was crucial to performing well in this role and that being well organised was essential for administering the tasks efficiently. This corresponded with the skills that teachers brought with them to the role and with teachers' initial perceptions of important skills required. NEMP staff also included the importance of developing a good rapport with colleagues. Teachers perceived that this was a skill they brought with them (Figure 3) but did not put much emphasis on it for the administrator role (Figure 2).

The majority of teachers chose to train to be an administrator because they were interested in one or more of the curriculum areas being assessed. They perceived the role would provide professional development opportunity in assessment of those curriculum areas (Figure 1). These initial perceptions of teachers corresponded to the requirements of NEMP.

One member of the NEMP staff also identified patience as a key requirement and another member thought that flexibility was vital.

Figure 5 shows that being organised with the assessment resources and the use of ICT equipment were identified as important skills learnt. These skills were both included in teachers' perceptions of what they needed to learn, as demonstrated in Figure 4.

The majority of responses in Figure 5 indicated that following instructions was one of the most important understandings they thought they learnt during training. As discussed in Section 1.2, this was not perceived by teachers as a skill that they needed to learn (Figure 4). However, nor did they identify it as a skill they brought with them to the role (Figure 3). This suggested that it was a surprising feature for them when learning about being an administrator. Teachers also acknowledged that they were required to change their role from that of a teacher to that of a facilitator in order to implement the administrator role (Figure 5). Teachers' perceptions of what they needed to learn did not include developing this skill (Figure 4). Other skills and understandings that were not included in teachers learning needs were focusing on effort and not performance of students and developing an understanding of the role of NEMP. Both of these were included as important things learnt during training, as shown in Figure 5. None of these skills were identified as ones which teachers brought with them to the role. It would seem from the results shown in Figure 5 that NEMP training provided teachers with an understanding of these new aspects of the administrators' role.

However, research suggests that it is important to acknowledge the effects of teacher perceptions on the assimilation of new learning. It is necessary to identify factors that impact on changing those perceptions in order to enhance the acceptance and integration of a new technique or role (Smylie, 1988). NEMP requires teachers to change their behaviour in order to integrate their new role. Teachers have to become facilitators; they have to focus on students' efforts and not their performance; they have to follow instructions accurately. Studies have indicated that in order to make significant changes towards desired behaviours, training should be systematically focused on sensitising teachers to a particular skill, and provide practice experience based on theoretical content, followed up by opportunities for review and feedback (McGee 1980).