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Empowerment and translanguaging in Pacific linguistic landscapes
No full textThis chapter focuses on the purposes and effects of multimodal translanguaging in the linguistic landscapes of educational spaces in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and the Pacific. We synthesize research on translanguaging in the linguistic landscapes of New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific, followed by a case study analysis of data that we have collected through the Wellington Translanguaging Project featuring the entrance of a Maori educational space in Aotearoa, New Zealand. We pay particular attention to the empowering effect that multimodal translanguaging has in this language context for the students and community both
Decoding TBI Complexity: A Person-Centred Approach to Exploring TBI in Substance Use Populations and Its Impact on Social Cognition
No full textTraumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are often referred to as the silent epidemic (Rusnak, 2013). Longitudinal studies have established apparent vulnerabilities associated with TBIs, demonstrating its heightened impact over time (Anderson et al., 2000; A. Crawford et al., 2020). However, the impact of TBIs are complex as outcomes may vary for individuals. These complexities arise from bi-directional interactions with confounding variables such as substance use and social cognition, which can exacerbate negative outcomes (Chan et al., 2022; McDonald, 2013). Existing research often examines these factors in isolation, neglecting to consider the interplay of these factors that could potentially create a ‘triple jeopardy’ effect. The majority of TBI literature takes a variable-based approach; however, a variable-based approach cannot account for TBIs' multifaceted nature. A person-oriented approach allows to identify distinct subgroups within a population, enabling better prediction of individual outcomes (Bergman et al., 2002). Therefore, this study aimed to categorise TBIs based on their patterns (i.e., age of onset and frequency) and investigate the relationships between demographics, substance use, and TBI characteristics, outcomes, and social cognition deficits. This study examined a sample from a residential substance use program, grouping participants based on patterns of historical injuries, specifically the age of onset and frequency of TBIs. Notably, educational achievement, depression, and anxiety were significant factors within the age-of-onset category. These findings highlight the teenage brain's vulnerability, emphasising its short-term effects and long-term consequences.Demographic and substance use characteristics and outcome measures were examined to assess social cognition deficits. Results indicated that Māori and poly-substance users demonstrated poorer performance on the social cognition test. Māori participants struggling with identifying negative emotions and interpreting complex social inferences. These findings emphasise the need for culturally appropriate social cognition assessment tools. Additionally, polysubstance users performed worse on interpreting complex social inferences, highlighting the significant neurological impact of using multiple substances. This underscores the lack of literature and the numerous confounding variables influencing poly-substance research, such as usage patterns and frequency.</p
A Scoresheet for Explainable AI
No full textExplainability is important for the transparency of autonomous and intelligent systems and for helping to support the development of appropriate levels of trust. There has been considerable work on developing approaches for explaining systems and there are standards that specify requirements for transparency. However, there is a gap: the standards are too high-level and do not adequately specify requirements for \emph{explainability}. This paper develops a scoresheet that can be used to specify explainability requirements or to assess the explainability aspects provided for particular applications. The scoresheet is developed by considering the requirements of a range of stakeholders and is applicable to Multiagent Systems as well as other AI technologies. We also provide guidance for how to use the scoresheet and illustrate its generality and usefulness by applying it to a range of applications
“From Budding First Words to Blossoming Minds” Shaping Child Development Through Early Childcare in Aotearoa New Zealand
No full textA substantial body of literature supports the idea that investment into early childcare, such as daycare and preschool, promotes child development. However, the extent and nature of early childcare’s impact on development is debated due to varying methodologies and contexts across studies. Within Aotearoa New Zealand, there is surprisingly little evidence of the association between early childcare and child development. This lack of evidence means it is unknown whether early childcare supports development for all who attend, and/or whether the effects differ by ethnicity or socioeconomic status. Furthermore, while there is extensive international research on the direct association between early childcare and child development, there is less evidence as to whether early childcare indirectly supports development through other facets of the child’s environment, such as promoting family processes, which may, in turn, directly promote development.This thesis leverages longitudinal data from the Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) study to measure: (1) the experiences of childcare across the early life course in Aotearoa New Zealand, with childcare divided into three types (centre-based, home-based, and non-formal care); (2) the association between childcare and child development up to age 54 months; (3) whether childcare is associated with family processes, which in turn, are associated with child development; (4) whether associations between childcare and development differ by ethnicity or socioeconomic status; and, (5) how childcare trajectories measured across the early life course are associated with child development at 54 months and later at age 8 years. The analysis of the association between these childcare trajectories and child development in this thesis is a novel approach, facilitated through use of longitudinal data, which has not hitherto been analysed in a similar manner either in this country or internationally.Results show that early childcare (i.e. centre-based and home-based care, each of which involves certification) was mostly associated with better development outcomes among children at 2 years and 54 months, compared to children in non-formal care. These differences included: (1) those in centre-based care at 2 years performed better on language development at 2 years; (2) those in either centre- or home-based care at 2 years had fewer internalising behaviours at 2 years; (3) those in either centre- or home-based care at 54 months had fewer internalising behaviours at 54 months. Additionally, children in centre-based care had, on average, better scores in school readiness and fewer externalising behaviours at 54 months, compared to those in home-based care. However, not all early childcare experiences were associated with positive outcomes, with those in home-based care at 54 months having more externalising behaviours in comparison to those in non-formal care. When looking at the associations between childcare, family processes and child development, there was no evidence that early childcare indirectly promotes development through declines in maternal depressive symptoms at 54 months. There was evidence that children’s ethnicity or socioeconomic status can either strengthen or weaken the association between early childcare and development for disadvantaged groups.Lastly, the childcare trajectories found that more years spent in centre-based care was associated with fewer internalising behaviours at 54 months but more externalising behaviours at both 54 months and 8 years. There were no statistical differences across the different trajectories in relation to the remaining child development constructs which included language development, school readiness, and prosocial behaviours at 54 months and internalising and prosocial behaviours at 8 years.Overall, my thesis provides a better understanding of early childcare’s role in shaping early life development. There is evidence that early childcare does have short-term benefits towards child development however, the trajectories analysis reveal these benefits are not present later in the child’s life. If the goal of early childcare in Aotearoa New Zealand is to improve child development, then these results do raise interesting questions about how early childcare can be optimised to ensure lasting benefits. It highlights the need for policy to consider not only the types of care provided but also how early childcare interacts with the child’s broader environment, such as family processes. As early childcare continues to evolve, future research should investigate these complexities to inform practices that truly enhance development outcomes for all children, particularly those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds</p
Whanaungatanga: tutors’ experiences of caring for students in an Aotearoa New Zealand university
No full textWho is caring for and supporting our students at university and how is the care and support demonstrated? Students come to university with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and needs and many will require pastoral care at some time during their study. Tutors often find themselves caring for students and this paper focuses on the experiences of care-giving of eight tutors, aged 22 to 34 years. We use a reflexive thematic analytic approach to describe how tutors conceptualised caring as whanaungatanga, a Māori concept that encompasses kinship and caring relationships, community, rights and responsibilities, and inclusion. Tutors describe whanaungatanga in terms of five themes: care for students as people and learners, creating a safe and respectful space for all students, barriers, feelings of obligation, and tutors’ self-care and needs. Our research highlights the complexities of tutors’ care for students. They felt undervalued by the university but nevertheless strove to build and embed whanaungatanga, often at their own cost. Implications for practice include properly acknowledging, remunerating, and training tutors. Future research should focus on who is caring-about and caring-for students at university, and how that caring occurs
Bilingual morphological processing in L2 reading before explicit attention: A gaze-contingent boundary paradigm study
No full textAs it is common for more than one language to occupy our mind, it’s vital to understand how these languages behave, since the input we process often only explicitly requires one of them. While research in cross-linguistic orthography (O) and semantics (S) has made great strides, cross-linguistic morphology (M) still holds many a mystery (Kahraman & Beyersmann, 2023). In the current eye-tracking experiment, the extent of cross-linguistic morphological activation was clarified using a gaze contingent boundary paradigm, in which 60 Italian speakers read 128 sentences in their second language, English. Unbeknownst to them, one target English word in the sentences was replaced by an Italian preview item until participants’ fovea arrived at the target word. The relationship between preview and target was manipulated as follows: identical preview (identical condition, the same S & O, e.g. “bandages”-“bandages”), an Italian English cognate preview (cognate condition, overlapping S & O, “bendaggi”-“bandages”), a nonword preview with the same orthographic distance to the target as the cognate (legal nonword condition, overlapping O, “bagnades”-“bandages”), or a consonant string preview (illegal nonword condition, no overlapping O or S, “hkyqmfrp”-“bandages”). Crucially, targets were either morphologically simple or morphologically complex words. Therefore, with complex targets, the identical and cognate conditions confer the additional advantage of identical morphological structure across preview and target. If we observe faster processing (i.e., shorter fixations) for morphologically complex than morphologically simple words in the cognate condition (compared to the other conditions), evidence of cross-linguistic parafoveal activation of morphological information will be furnished. We can further zoom in on the mechanics of bilingual morphological processing by analysing early eye movement measures (e.g., first-fixation duration, gaze duration) and later measures (e.g., regression path duration), thus addressing the temporal evolution of cross-language morphological activation
Designing an eCommerce experience for the purchase of mass-personalised bras
No full textFor many bra wearers, the experience of online bra shopping is a challenging and dissatisfying one. Traditional bra design methods assume the wearer’s body will fit perfectly within discrete size averages, but lack consideration of asymmetry or body fluctuations over time. Additionally, inconsistencies across manufacturers mean bra wearers cannot trust the size label as an indicator of good fit (Hardaker & Fozzard, 1997). Consequently, unless the exact same bra is repurchased, the purchase decision-making process is often non-replicable. Some bra wearers prefer buying online for convenience, better product options and reduced psychological deterrents. However, in the online environment, the customer is unable to try the garment on before purchasing it, inducing a greater risk of ill-fit. With the vast majority of bra wearers dissatisfied with the fit of bras (Chen at al., 2011) and bra buying processes (Hart and Dewsnap, 2001), there is a clear need for an improved online purchasing experience.This thesis contributes to a wider research initiative, The Bra Project, which has developed a parametric design system for better bra fit. Through this system, the bra is personalised to the wearer’s breast measurements and is customisable in its aesthetic qualities (style and colour). Via a human-centred design approach, the present research explores how an eCommerce experience could be designed to purchase a bra with a personalised fit and a customisable aesthetic.Addressing a literature gap, the current online bra- buying experience was investigated through anonymous surveying and observational studies. The key findings identified browsing, sizing and visualising the bra as the main problem areas. Seeking to remedy these problems, opportunities were identified and translated to design focus areas – comprising optimisation of the browsing process, a seamless transition from measuring to purchasing, and visualising the bra in a more realistic, interactive manner. These aspects were explored in personalised bra purchase experience prototypes, with traditional and non-traditional eCommerce features and layouts. Usability testing revealed that a less traditional eCommerce flow, which incorporated a product configurator-style interface, was preferred by the majority of participants. The designed experiences trialled in the research were perceived as more personal, supportive and assuring than that of typical online bra shopping, with the knowledge that the bra was uniquely designed to fit the purchaser. Design refinements were implemented based on testing insights to produce a final purchase experience. Key refinements related to the priming of customers’ expectations, familiarisation with the business and manufacturing method, and the repurchasing process.The findings indicate that the bra buying experience could be designed to better cater to the needs of customers through a more efficient, refined browsing process, an interconnected measure-to-purchase flow, and realistic, interactive 3D product visualisations. E-retailers introducing mass-personalisable and/or customisable garments could apply the evolved design criteria to build more engaging, informative purchase experiences for their customers. More broadly, the research findings may assist mass-manufactured bra e-retailers in creating moresatisfying shopping experiences for their customers.</p
From Green to Regenerative Supply Chain Management in Construction: Development of a Robust Integrated Decision-Making Approach to facilitate the paradigm shift
No full textGreen Supply Chain Management (GSCM) is considered to be an effective management tool, aiming to integrate environmental sustainability thinking into the various stages of the construction supply chain. This is in relation to its ability to substantially reduce greenhouse emissions, energy consumption, pollution, waste, and other drivers of negative environmental impacts across the entire construction supply chain management phases. Despite the implementation of GSCM practices as a means to reduce negative environmental footprints, climate change continues to occur with a steady rise in greenhouse gas emissions per year that are associated with the built environment. Moreover, recent reports from the United Nations (UN) indicate that the global construction industry is still far from achieving its decarbonization goals by 2050, despite the integration of various sustainability practices, including sustainable technologies, policies, and solutions. This, therefore, reinforces that green or sustainability is no longer enough to eliminate the current negative impacts of construction activities on our built environment.To address these challenges, there is a need for a paradigm shift from a green to a proactive approach called regenerative thinking that focuses not only on reducing negative environmental footprints but also aims to restore and renew our ecosystems, communities, and the built environment in general. The shift from a green to a regenerative paradigm in construction brings about a comprehensive change in how construction projects are conceived, designed, and executed. By embracing this shift, the construction industry has the potential to redefine its impact, demonstrating that it can not only construct functional spaces but also actively contribute to the regeneration of the built environment.Despite the numerous benefits associated with shifting from green to a regenerative paradigm in construction, there exists a deficiency in research that has been able to address how the various GSCM practices used in the construction industry can move beyond limiting negative environmental impact or achieving sustainability alone. Against this backdrop, this research aims to establish a robust approach that integrates regenerative principles into the current GSCM practices used in the construction industry in an attempt to develop and facilitate the adoption of a novel, regenerative supply chain management (RSCM). To achieve this aim, the research begins with an assessment of the current GSCM practices and their limitations across various stages of the construction supply chain through a systematic literature review. It then proceeds to explore enhancements for each stage and their associated limitations, drawing from regenerative principles that acknowledge the interconnectedness of human actions with nature. This integration resulted in the development of a preliminary conceptual RSCM model which was further validated using a multi-phase approach. Further investigation leads to the formulation of performance evaluation criteria tailored to the regenerative approach, which then informs the development of a systematic model assigning priorities to the validated RSCM practices. To complement the overall research objective, an automated RSCM decision support system (RSCM-DSS) was developed and further validated to facilitate informed decision-making and practical implementation of the RSCM practices developed in this study. A variety of data collection techniques, including literature review, real-life case studies, and experts identified through purposeful and snowballing sampling techniques, among others were employed in this study. Data were analysed via descriptive statistics, Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP), Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (FTOPSIS), among others.This research offers significant theoretical, practical, and policy implications. Theoretically, it advances green and sustainable thinking in construction by integrating regenerative principles throughout the supply chain management phases, developing a comprehensive model that emphasises interconnectedness. Practically, the research offers refined performance evaluation criteria for monitoring regenerative initiatives and stresses stakeholder collaboration for better outcomes. On the policy front, the findings enable policymaking for restoration-focused regulations, potentially integrating regenerative principles into standards such as the construction contract documents. In essence, this research seeks to reshape paradigms, guide practices, and influence policies, ultimately steering the construction sector towards a more regenerative and holistic approach.</p
An Alpine View
No full textNew Zealand’s backcountry huts have long provided essential shelter within the country’s unforgiving landscapes. Originally constructed from local materials, these utilitarian structures have formed a diverse network across the landscape. Over time, their role has evolved from workers’ huts to tourist accommodations, though they have retained their fundamental purpose as basic shelters. However, as the Department of Conservation (DOC) shifts its focus towards promoting and developing the ‘front country’, a divide has emerged, resulting in the deteriorating condition of huts within the backcountry. This shift has revealed the limitations of traditional construction methods, especially in alpine regions, where huts often require constant maintenance and reconstruction and fail to meet modern standards for thermal performance.This thesis proposes a new alpine hut typology, incorporating alternative construction and design methods to promote sustainability, user experience, and adaptability. It challenges the idea that functionality and a strong connection to the landscape are mutually exclusive. The increased accessibility of alpine locations presents an opportunity to address the diverse demographics of mountain recreation, bridging the divide between the ‘front country’ and the ‘backcountry’.Drawing from local case studies, the research evaluates diverse hut designs and their capacity to balance user expectations. International case studies guide a new approach, one which emphasises users’ engagement with the landscape and sustainable design practices. A modular design approach emerged as a viable solution, offering adaptability to preserve the network’s diversity while meeting a broad range of user expectations. Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) is identified as a sustainable material to support this approach, providing strength, prefabrication benefits, and advanced thermal performance potential through continuous insulation.By rethinking design, spatial planning, and construction methods, this thesis explores how architecture can enhance user experience through unique engagement with the landscape and thermal performance. Ultimately, the proposed typology aims to provide a more sustainable, efficient, and adaptable solution for New Zealand’s backcountry hut system, ensuring its longevity and relevance for both local and international adventurers.</p
Using spectrum set-asides to address distributional objectives: Lessons from Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States
No full textThis paper critically examines the effectiveness of spectrum set-asides as a policy tool to address distributional objectives in telecommunications across four diverse national contexts: Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States. Spectrum allocation is a crucial factor for the provision of telecommunications services and by extension, for citizens’ participation in the digital economy. While economic theory supports auction-based allocations to maximise market efficiency, set-asides aim to facilitate access for disadvantaged groups or to stimulate competition. This study employs case studies from the selected countries to evaluate the impact of these set-asides on market efficiency, competition, and economic development. In Canada, set-asides intended to encourage new market entrants have led to higher spectrum costs and inefficiencies due to speculative behaviour. In New Zealand, allocations to the indigenous Māori population have raised concerns over long-term sector efficiency and capital accessibility. South Africa's policy mandates spectrum allocations to entities with significant ownership by historically disadvantaged persons, with mixed outcomes on market dynamics and social equity. Meanwhile, the United States’ approach includes grants rather than direct spectrum set-asides, offering a potentially less distortive model. The findings suggest that while set-asides can support social objectives, they often introduce inefficiencies and fail to achieve the desired economic outcomes. The paper concludes by discussing the implications for future spectrum policy, advocating for careful consideration of the trade-offs between equity and efficiency in spectrum management.</p
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