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Exploring the views of parents and teachers regarding smartphhone use by students in one Beijing middle school
No full textRESEARCH QUESTIONS:
1. What are the teachers’ perceptions regarding students’ smartphone use at school?
2. What are the parents’ perceptions regarding students’ smartphone use at school and at home?
3. What are the perceptions of parents and teachers regarding the school’s practice in managing smartphone use?
ABSTRACT:
In recent years, smartphones have become an inevitable device used by young people in schools because of the smartphones’ portability and versatility. However, middle school students as a special group are not mature so they are easily attracted by network information which could lead to the excessive use of smartphones and cause many problems. Thus, the topic of smartphone use by middle school students and school’s management practice related to this is a topic that is of interest to both parents and teachers.
This research was conducted to explore the views of parents and teachers regarding smartphone use by students in one Beijing middle school in China. Using a qualitative approach, six teachers and six parents from this middle school participated in two focus group interviews respectively for this study. The three key research questions guiding this study were: What are the teachers’ perceptions regarding students’ smartphone use at school? What are the parents’ perceptions regarding students’ smartphone use at school and at home? and What are the perceptions of parents and teachers regarding the school’s practice in managing smartphone use?
Findings from this research reveal that it is an inevitable trend for students to own a smartphone however, it is also seen that overusing smartphones will lead to negative influences on students’ physical health and behaviour. Therefore, managing smartphone use has become a concern for teachers and parents, and simply banning phones in school may not be the best solution. This research highlights the need for a partnership between the Ministry of Education, school leaders, teachers and parents to develop and implement a comprehensive programme of managing smartphone use by middle school students effectively, which is contextual, practical, supportive and underpinned by theoretical knowledge
Key competencies leading teaching and learning : imagining new possibilities in education
No full textRESEARCH QUESTIONS:
1. How do experienced teachers describe the impact of the New Zealand Curriculum competencies on their practice?
2. What is the potential for teaching and learning if competencies are at the forefront?
3. What are the tensions and challenges of placing competencies at the forefront of teaching and learning?
ABSTRACT:
This thesis is to contribute further to the understanding of how key competencies can transform teaching and learning, and therefore the curriculum. The vision for key competencies (dispositions, capabilities or habits) is to enable students to fulfill their potential and to prepare them for their future in which they will participate in society. Current research and the literature have examined the origins of key competencies both internationally and nationally and continue to seek answers on whether they have had the intended impact on education.
The focus of this research is to examine teachers' experiences of transformational education involving key competencies, how the New Zealand Curriculum key competencies have impacted their practice and what is the potential when key competencies lead teaching and learning. Finally, the focus is to identify the tensions and challenges met when key competencies are at the forefront of teaching and learning.
The research is based on a qualitative paradigm and draws on a practitioner research approach encompassing a critical theory philosophy. The data is collected by conducting seven semi-structured interviews with experienced teachers from four different schools by employing a narrative inquiry approach that draws on practitioner life stories. A focus group was then used to explore emerging themes from the interviews. The data has been analysed combining a narrative analysis aiming to understand how people think through events over time and in context, along with a thematic analysis focusing on the content of the narratives.
A key finding was how significant the personal values and beliefs of a teacher influenced them to teach in schools that have a vision that resonates with their purpose of education, being about the holistic growth of a child. The experiences in their practice lead them to think differently about teaching and learning and how key competencies have the potential to deliver a curriculum for the needs of all students, including a future-focused education. In summary, the participants described the prospect of key competencies leading teaching and learning in the New Zealand Curriculum; transforming it beyond what it is currently.
Recommendations are that a systemic change is required to the continual effort for schools to develop a deep and shared comprehension of the complexity and potential of key competencies. There is a challenge to be braver and to have a sense of urgency in order to transform the ‘status quo.’ Teachers are asking to be heard, for the profession to be mentored by teacher experts and to actively collaborate between theory, practice and vision. They are also asking policy makers to consider the impact they have on education, and whether a new way of governing education is required
Rebuilding public education : lessons from Unitec's 'Transformation' experience
No full textThe philosophy that informed Unitec’s transformation (i.e. restructure) can thus be summed up:
*Public vocational education should prioritize and focus wholly on the needs of business.
*Education to be business focussed, not student focussed
Unitec’s ‘transformation’ began in earnest in late 2013, with the restructure of the design school, with staffing being reduced from 53 to 17 permanent positions. Half of the teaching hours were to be filled by industry ‘experts’, Increased online learning, with intended dramatic reductions in face-to-face teaching
How to start a creative (r)evolution. empowering women, growing artists, and reclaiming the real through live performance
No full textEvery two years, the multi-media show Tarnished Frocks & Divas employs ‘used’ objects, garments, and at the centre, women’s bodies to challenge assumed realities, and to bring to life the essence of different narrative histories in live performance. Peoples’ pasts, presents, and imagined futures are depicted and understood via performances that utilise bodies and selected artefacts. These artefacts are used performatively to represent or reframe various kinds of assumed realities.
This paper considers the dynamic opportunities that are available to performers, writers, producers, and artists who want to activate creative growth and personal empowerment through multidisciplinary hybrid shows such as Tarnished Frocks & Divas. It takes my experience of writing and directing the 1,000-seat-a-night show in Tauranga three times over six years as an entry point to reflect on the scale and impact of this unique project. In this paper, I want to offer a successful and proven model that activates individual empowerment and collective creativity, especially for women.
If we accept the notion that great stories lie everywhere – and that there is a pressing need for audiences to congregate and witness transformation through live theatre in real time – then it is possible to focus on this performance structure as a vehicle to activate creative achievement and community wellbeing. It also elevates artistic identity for individuals both during and beyond the life of the show, when the performance itself has evaporated but the experience remains.
The show is different in each iteration, and has become renowned as a regular, biennial, artistic upheaval that challenges and extends women in the local Tauranga community. Through this event, the ‘professional’ and ‘amateur’ domains coalesce to harness power in performance. As such, the show has transformed many lives. There are socio-political and cultural realities that here are compelling, not the least of which is the capacity to galvanise communities of practice in a regional context.
Tarnished Frocks & Divas has given birth to something quite new in Aotearoa that can act as a model to reframe ‘reality’ in a local community environment. More than 30,000 people have seen the shows since 2005, and thousands of women (and men) have created the works. This makes me ask: What are the socio-political, cultural, and personal realities of performing with such a structure? Quite simply, this is the beginning of a creative revolution
Preserving culture and heritage in the Seychelles : investigating architecture in an independent and remote island state, an ex -colony with a rich history & cultural diversity
No full textRESEARCH QUESTION:
How might architecture promote the culture and heritage of the Seychelles, while also reflecting a contemporary and vibrant architectural culture?
ABSTRACT:
For many, the Seychelles conjures images of white sandy beaches, clear blue sea waters and lush vegetation. This is the common view of what tropical islands are. Yet, today, as an independent island state, the Seychelles also has a multifaceted history and rich culture which is the result of a unique mix of people, who are descendants of African slaves, Chinese and Indian traders and servants, and French and British colonists. The influence of Western and European architecture and lifestyle and a combination of several other factors, after its independence in the mid-1970s, led to the decline in popularity of traditional Creole architecture, and so did the importance placed on its culture. Today buildings built in the Seychelles are poorly adapted to its hot tropical climate. Nevertheless, the evolution of architecture in the Seychelles is inevitable, but how can it ensure that its culture and heritage does not fade in the process?
This paper aims to achieve this, first by plotting the course of architecture of the Seychelles through analysing buildings built during colonial and post-colonial periods. The theory about the way islands are perceived is also investigated, particularly through what Uma Kothari and Rorden Wilkinson refer to as “island imaginaries”. In their article, they highlight the risks associated with the usage of this concept by small island states. It is also found that the demise of traditional Creole architecture may be linked with modernism and globalisation, as ascertained by British architect, Robert Adam. The threat cultural homogenisation poses underscores more reasons for the diverse culture of the Seychelles to be protected. Consequently, relevant precedents such as Renzo Piano’s Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre is analysed, as the design was directly influenced by the culture of a people. Additionally, African slaves are an underappreciated part of the Seychelles’ cultural legacy; this paper aims to rectify this. Therefore, a precedent which deals with a similarly sensitive subject matter was also analysed: the National Memorial for Peace and Justice.
Informed by this research, along with the conditions of the Seychelles based site, this research project proposes the design of a cultural centre with a museum component. A search for initial form is done by using a method where the Seychelles’ artefacts, heritage items, and cultural practices are analysed and ‘architecturalised’. Guided by the requirements of a museum, the cultural centre and museum programme are then applied.
It is hoped that the culmination of this research paper will add to the scope of culture-inspired architecture; and that its culture and heritage can be a source of inspiration for its self-promotion, and for artistic, as well as architectural expression
Aue te Mamae : exploring Te Puea Memorial Marae’s ‘Te Manaaki Tangata Programme’, as an indigenous response to homelessness in Tāmaki Makaurau
Get PDFIn 2016, Te Puea Memorial Marae responded to the urgent needs of homeless living in their cars, under bridges, and makeshift dwellings across the wider Auckland Region. The inspiration to respond to homelessness came from the Te Puea Memorial Marae’s namesake, Te Puea Herangi, giving way to the design and implementation of the Marae’s own indigenous homeless service delivery model called, Manaaki Tangata Programme (MTP). MTP used the Marae infrastructure and Marae Tikanga to place 417 Whānau Kāinga Kore (Homeless Families) into homes and helped them get their lives back on track. Alongside the MTP was a research project that started in 2017 to evidence and understand ‘To what extent the Marae and Marae Tikanga can service the needs of homeless whanau and why it was so successful in doing what government agencies at the time could not do. Kaupapa Māoriand Pūrakau (Storytelling) has provided the appropriate methodological qualitative framework for this thesis. This methodological approach respects and reflects the needs of Te Puea Memorial Marae, the tikanga of TPMM and the research participants, many of whom are fluent and fully versed within the own Whakapapa (Genealogy) and Māoritanga (Māori way of life). I drew upon Pūrakau as a methodological approach to narrative enquiry with whānau kāinga kore (families who were homeless), kaimahi (workers) of the Manaaki Tangata Programme and co-located staff from Ministry of Social Development and supporting agencies Te Puni Kōkiri and Housing NZ. The findings from this thesis suggests that the Manaaki Tangata Programme is a uniquely Māori response to homelessness in Aotearoa. Firstly supporting the homeless on a marae ensures the practices of care are governed by uniquely Māori cultural concepts of manaaki (caring), aroha (love), whakapapa (genealogical connectedness) and whānaungatanga (relational connectedness). Kaimahi (workers) of the MTP were also considered marae people, that is kaimahi were raised on marae and socialised into the Māori cultural concepts of marae life that ensured homeless were treated with respect and dignity. Finally, the MTP worked hard to develop strong relationships and partnerships with Government agencies (NZ Police, Ministry of Education, Te Puni Kōkiri, Housing and Urban Development, and Housing New Zealand) had co-located Ministry of Social Development staff at the Marae. This arrangement and effort ensured the needs of homeless whānau were responded to in an efficient manner with humility and care by employees of the State. The MTP has set a benchmark in terms of introducing and practicing a model that blends the Law and Lore to service the urgent and long-term needs of Whānau Kāinga Kore. The MTP Model was uniquely Māori and strongly challenges current western models of homeless service deliver
An autoethnographic account of changes in outpatient nursing practice
No full textThe aim of this thesis is to explore the changes that have occurred in the outpatient nursing practice and how the changes have affected the way outpatient services have been delivered. A literature review collectively identified the changes and evolution of the hospital outpatient department with the advances in nursing practice that supported the changes. Legislation, policy making, and government reform have all contributed to changes in nursing practice. The qualitative research design for this thesis was based on autoethnography involving a written narrative describing a thirty-year career with recollections of experiences over that time.
The narrative for this thesis was analysed systematically using a general inductive thematic approach. This identified several common themes that emerged and were discussed under the sub-headings: nurse training, education and practice; technology; culture and socialisation, and patient demographics. In the subheading of nurse training, education and practice the changes that have influenced nursing career paths are identified. Changes that have been influenced by the innovation of technological advancements are discussed, and the drivers for the changes that are patient-centred on safety or quality improvement. Finally, the subheading -patient demographics has raised awareness of the different needs of the population and community I nurse in.
The goal of this research was to identify the changes that have occurred over a thirty-year nursing career, to understand the growth of the outpatient department and nursing practice within it. This has been deeply personal and insightful into how the nursing profession has evolved
A comprehensive review of computational methods for automatic prediction of schizophrenia with insight into indigenous populations
No full textPsychiatrists rely on language and speech behavior as one of the main clues in psychiatric diagnosis. Descriptive psychopathology and phenomenology form the basis of a common language used by psychiatrists to describe abnormal mental states. This conventional technique of clinical observation informed early studies on disturbances of thought form, speech, and language observed in psychosis and schizophrenia. These findings resulted in language models that were used as tools in psychosis research that concerned itself with the links between formal thought disorder and language disturbances observed in schizophrenia. The end result was the development of clinical rating scales measuring severity of disturbances in speech, language, and thought form. However, these linguistic measures do not fully capture the richness of human discourse and are time-consuming and subjective when measured against psychometric rating scales. These linguistic measures have not considered the influence of culture on psychopathology. With recent advances in computational sciences, we have seen a re-emergence of novel research using computing methods to analyze free speech for improving prediction and diagnosis of psychosis. Current studies on automated speech analysis examining for semantic incoherence are carried out based on natural language processing and acoustic analysis, which, in some studies, have been combined with machine learning approaches for classification and prediction purposes
Predation and risk behaviors of free-roaming owned cats in Auckland, New Zealand via the use of animal-borne cameras
No full textFree-roaming cats are at increased risk of injuring themselves as well as other domestic and fauna species, yet relatively little is known about the frequency at which risk and predation behaviors occur in a typical day. In this study, cat risk, and predation behavioral information was collected using animal-borne video cameras and global positioning system (GPS) units that were attached to break-free cat collars. The observation period was one to three consecutive days for 37 convenience sampled free-roaming owned cats in Auckland, New Zealand. Video footage was manually reviewed and all predation and risk behavior events were recorded. These included stalking, pursuing, and seizing prey as well as altercations with other cats, ingesting harmful substances, and venturing into hazardous locations such as roads and storm drains. During the observation period, 23 of the 37 cats (62.2%) engaged in a total of 121 predation events. Of these, 40 resulted in successful prey capture with 18 of the 40 captures involving New Zealand native fauna species. Invertebrates were the most common taxa preyed upon (n = 55; 46%), followed by skinks (n = 8; 7%). No mammalian, avian or amphibian prey were captured and no cat took prey back to their residence. A total of 326 risk behaviors were observed for 32 out of the 37 cats (86.5%) with the most common being cats venturing onto the road (n = 132; 41%). Younger cats (aged 1–6 six years) engaged in significantly more predation and risk behaviors than older cats (aged 7 years and above). Sex, breed, number of cats in a household, and geographic location were not found to be predictors of cats’ participation in predation or risk behaviors. Given the high frequency of predation and risk behaviors in free-roaming owned cats, it may be beneficial to educate owners about strategies to minimize risk such as housing them indoors, containing them to their properties or monitoring their time spent outdoors
Strengthening biosecurity capacity of Palau – FAO project tcp/pl/3601/c1
No full textThis report documents the accomplishments of Project TCP/PLW/3601/C1 “Strengthening Biosecurity Capacity of Palau”.
These include:
(i) preparation of the draft Aquatic Biosecurity Regulations for Aquatic Organisms (plus Annexures) and the draft Biofouling Management Regulations;
(ii) the convening of a National Consultation, held 28 March 2017 in Koror, with some 30 participants representing government, the private sector and academe to discuss the draft regulations;
(iii) the conduct of a Biosecurity Database Development Training Course, held 24/27 March 2017 at the National Capitol; and
(iv) the preparation of a Framework for a Biosecurity Database.
The report presents several lists of recommendations arising from the various project activities, the most urgent of which is that: “Recent introductions and transfers of live aquatic animals (both legal and illegal) are highly unsafe and have unnecessarily put future aquaculture development and local biodiversity at risk due to the possibility of introducing serious exotic pathogens and the possible genetic and ecological impacts of introduced and transferred species. The Government of Palau should take immediate steps to correct these practices. All introductions and transfers of live aquatic animals should be prohibited until such time as the draft Aquatic Biosecurity Regulations have been enacted and such species have been considered through the mechanisms contained therein.