Rangahau Aranga: AUT Graduate Review
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Scoping Review: The Impact of CGM on Lifestyle-related Behaviour, Clinical, and Psychosocial Outcomes in Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes (Non-Insulin Therapy)
Get PDFLatest continuous-glucose-monitoring (CGM) devices provide blood glucose data through a topical sensor to the wearer's phone app in real-time (rtCGM). This information is presented numerically/visually to the wearer, with the option of alert alarms. While CGM is known to benefit type 1 diabetes patients who are generally insulin-dependent (Aronson et al., 2022), its impact on prediabetes patients, and type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients on non-insulin therapies (T2D-nIT), have yet to be established (Wright & Subramanian, 2021). This scoping review investigates CGM use and its association with lifestyle-related behavioural, clinical, and psychosocial outcomes in these two populations. Secondary aims include reviewing methodologies of CGM studies and the integration of diabetes-self-management-education (DSME) within them. Primary and grey literature, published in English, identified from online databases and organisational websites will be screened based on the predetermined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Data extraction tables will capture changes in lifestyle-related behaviours (e.g., dietary habits, physical activity levels), clinical/metabolic biomarkers, psychosocial outcomes and CGM and DSME implementation methodologies. The expected outcome is that CGM use will elicit lifestyle-related behavioural improvements, resulting in positive clinical and psychosocial outcomes in prediabetes and T2D-nIT patients. Insights regarding effective adoption strategies of CGM and DSME within the treatment plans of the aforementioned population groups are also expected. Given the global diabetic pandemic – with one death every five seconds, and 5% of New Zealanders being diabetic (costing $ 2.1 billion) and 20% prediabetic - it is vital to mitigate the progression of prediabetes to T2D and reduce T2D severity. CGM is a promising interventional tool that can significantly ease the health and financial burdens on individuals, families (whānau), the healthcare sector, and the country. In this presentation, I shall demonstrate the process of conducting the scoping review to realise the aforementioned aims and also the preliminary results of the scoping review
Stitching, Threading, Binding: The Emergence of a Tuitui Methodology
Get PDFThis paper recounts the development of a tuitui methodology for the practice-based PhD thesis, ʻOli ʻUla: Housing the Kronfeld Collection through Moving-Image Practice. It lays out the context and objectives of the project, and discusses the motivation for creating a methodology that can encompass a diverse range of archival and artistic research methods. The paper recounts how stitching as a form of repair, and taonga as a relational thread, became propelling concepts in the research. These concepts are linked to methods through which the artworks were constructed, demonstrating how the methodology was enacted to address the objectives. Finally, the paper advocates for looking to scholars who have come before, and approaching research as a living, relational endeavour
Narrative Inquiry Using The Long Interview Technique
Get PDFThis article outlines why I chose narrative inquiry as my research methodology in exploring the digitalisation gap between small and medium businesses and large enterprises in New Zealand, and how McCracken's Long Interview method facilitated this approach. I also offer some advice for those wanting to pursue a similar research method
An Ethnographic Investigation into Student Engagement With Teacher Written Feedback
Get PDFIn recent years, growing research attention has been aimed at student engagement with teacher written feedback. Researchers (e.g., Carless, 2022) have found that previous research ignored students’ role in the feedback practice, in theory because researchers previously restricted their understanding of student engagement with feedback to a popular three-factor categorisation, i.e., behavioural, cognitive, and affective (Fredrick et al., 2004). In order to move beyond this rather constrictive way of considering student engagement, the present study seeks to build a holistic picture of student engagement with teacher written feedback by examining students’ lived feedback experiences. To achieve this goal, social constructivism (Hirtle, 1996) has been employed to frame teacher written feedback as a dialogic meaning-making process between the teacher and the student. In line with this conceptual framework, online ethnography was adopted to guide the collection and analysis of data.Eight Chinese university students were recruited to participate in the research. They provided multiple sources of data, including observational data, audio-recordings of feedback dialogue, self-reports, and semi-structured interviews. As a result of an ongoing iterative thematic analysis, five preliminary themes have been generated, including paying attention to feedback, tackling feedback, utilising feedback, resorting to resources, and minimal action. The analysis of these themes illustrates a dynamic interrelationship between students’ diverse forms of engagement, with potential mediating factors explained. This presentation will focus on one of the themes, tackling feedback, to show one aspect of student engagement in teacher feedback. Overall, the findings of the current study should theoretically contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex nature of student engagement with teacher written feedback. Pedagogically, the study aims to provide suggestions for activating students’ role in the feedback process to enhance teachers’ written feedback practices
Blockchain-Powered Authentication: Reinforcing Identification for Misinformation in AI-Generated Videos
Get PDFThe rapid rise of misinformation and disinformation through manipulated videos poses a significant threat to the integrity of digital content. This research explores the potential synergy between blockchain technology and AI-generated video identification to combat this issue. By integrating the immutable ledger of blockchain with advanced algorithms, this researcher aims to create a robust framework for authenticating video content and curbing the dissemination of misinformation.This research investigates the technical feasibility, security implications, and potential impact of such a solution on contemporary digital content authentication challenges. With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), digital content creation and manipulation have become more sophisticated, raising concerns about the authenticity and trustworthiness of media. To address these challenges, a sophisticated algorithm that combines video blockchain and advanced cryptographic functions is proposed to develop a sustainable method for video authentication. Methodologically, a comparative review of state-of-the-art approaches was conducted, and the method implemented using the sophisticated datasets. Results demonstrate a high level of performance, surpassing other existing methods.The proliferation of manipulated videos, deepfakes, and other forms of synthetic media has amplified concerns about misinformation and its societal impacts. Consequently, there is an increasing demand for innovative solutions to authenticate video content effectively and mitigate misinformation risks. This research provides a significant contribution to this field, offering a viable approach to enhancing the security and reliability of digital media
Exploring Identity through Rūmi's Poetics: Zoroastrian Elements and Aesthetics of the Lens
Get PDFThis paper discusses a practice-led, artistic inquiry into identity as articulated in the statement: آنچه شما به دنبالش هس تید, به دنبال شماست ‘What you seek, is seeking you’ - as expressed by the Persian philosopher and poet Rūmi (Jalal al-Din Muhammad Balkhi, 1207-1273). The research artistically examines the themes of Seyr سیر and Soluk سلو ک . Seyr and Soluk represent the comprehensive process of spiritual development in Sufism, where "Seyr" emphasises the stages and experiences of a journey, while "Soluk" focuses on the methods and practices employed to navigate that undertaking. Within this consideration I artistically orchestrate the four Zoroastrian sacred elements: fire, earth, water, and air. Methodologically, the study adopts a heuristic inquiry to compose two non-verbal films that, rather than resort to postproduction special effects, employ an interplay of cameras, lenses and composition to craft cultural allusions that serve as poetic metaphors. This project draws on a mode of cinematic design that references a tradition of Persian filmmakers who, like the researcher, were imprisoned because of their films, but employed poetic abstraction to foster philosophical contemplation (Guney, 1982; Parajanov, 1969). The study contributes to this corpus of work by demonstrating how non-verbal cinematic techniques can enhance a viewer’s engagement with complex philosophical and cultural thinking. Through the lens of poetic abstraction, the study underscores the enduring relevance of Rūmi's insights into identity and the transformative potential of his poetic thought (Mani, 2019). The significance of the research lies in its demonstration of how visual, non-verbal representations of poetic themes can offer a deeper, more nuanced understanding of identity recovery and cultural heritage. Consequently, the study enriches discourses surrounding Persian film, highlighting the symbiotic relationship between poetic expression and philosophical inquiry
Alcoholics Anonymous: Exploring its Under Utilisation in Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment in Aotearoa New Zealand
Get PDFAlcohol outranks other substances in harm to individuals, whānau, and communities in New Zealand (Crossin et al., 2023). The estimated cost of alcohol related harms (ARH) is $9.1 billion and places heavy physical, emotional, and financial burdens on individuals, whānau, and communities (NZIER, 2024). Hazardous drinking often leads to alcohol use disorder (AUD). Evidence indicates that Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) can augment AUD treatment and assists in ARH reduction (Kelly, 2022), yet it is under-utilised in New Zealand. The reasons for this are unknown. This research will examine A.A.’s usefulness regarding New Zealand’s AUD treatment, and what either constrains or enables its acceptance.To this end, a critical realist (CR) paradigm underpins this research. CR’s reflexive approach will allow for a multi-layered understanding as to how A.A. is situated within New Zealand AUD treatment, providing the context for theory development regarding A.A.’s potential utility to New Zealand’s treatment of AUD and possible reduction of ARH. A preliminary scoping review of the literature on this topic is in process and will inform the key informant face-to-face interviews with 12-15 NZ AUD treatment providers. The providers are invited to share their perceptions of A.A. within the treatment context. One in-person and 5-6 online focus groups of AUD treatment consumers to discuss their experiences of A.A. will then be conducted. Additionally, critical discourse analysis of selected text excerpts of A.A.’s literature will provide a cultural contrasting backdrop to inform the findings.Despite evidence of A.A.’s benefits to AUD treatment, controversy surrounding it may influence perceptions and utilisation of A.A.by both providers and consumers. Considering the costs of ARH in New Zealand and A.A.’s potential to reduce this burden, it is important to discover how A.A. is viewed by the AUD treatment providers and those they serve
Decolonizing the Colonizer: The Role of the Non-indigenous Educator Teaching in Hawai’i and Aotearoa
Get PDFThis research study set out to identify how Teacher Education Programs in Hawai’i and Aotearoa can support processes to decolonize and indigenize mainstream education, and what roles non-Indigenous kumu/kaiako (educators) might play in supporting Indigenous resurgence. The research weaves together Indigenous and Western theories and methodologies to demonstrate a culturally pluralistic approach with the intent of honouring and upholding the mana of the people and places where the research was conducted, meet the guidelines of academic study, and represent this researcher’s positionality and passions. The Indigenous Empowerment Theory (IET) developed by Keaomālamalama (Kawaiʻaeʻa et al., 2018) was used to guide the literature review and provide a framework for the historical analysis of education systems in Hawai’i and Aotearoa with a focus on colonization, decolonization, indigenization, and allyship. Interviews were conducted with 21 Indigenous education leaders from Hawai’i and Aotearoa to gather responses to the research questions from a Hawaiian and Māori perspective. Through the analysis of the interviews, it was found that the introductions were so rich in context that they were used to offer an oral literature review, or first-hand narratives, to enhance the literature review. The interview analysis also revealed the metaphor of a three-whiri wahakura (three-braid harakeke bassinet) to serve as the methodological framework and metaphor for the findings. This presentation will provide a high-level overview of the research process that led to the creation of the wahakura methodology, present the findings of the study via a framework to decolonize and indigenize mainstream teacher education in Hawai’i and Aotearoa, and discuss the concept of transformational allyship, which starts with turning the gaze inward and asking, “Who am I in this place?
Finding Core Topics in XML Text-based Files using Latent Dirichlet Allocation
Get PDFIn this presentation, the research methodology used by the researcher with a focus on topic modelling will be described - a method used in text mining to discover common themes or topics in a large collection of text files or documents. This helps to understand what large sets of text files or documents are about without having to read each one individually. As a result, large amounts of text files or documents can be organized into different groups based on the topics they contain.This is done by an algorithm called Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), which identifies words that can be grouped under a specific topic. Previous research applied LDA methods to text files. In my research, XML-formatted text-based files have been used for it because sometimes the content available on the web is in the form of XML (Extensible Markup Language) files. XML is a method of writing and storing data over the web.For this study, a dataset consisting of 19,320 XML-formatted text-based blog files was used. The files were divided into six groups, namely: a) Females b) Males c) Age – less than or equal to 20 d) Age – greater than 20 e) Students and f) Everyone. LDA was used to extract 20 topics that comprised ten words each for each group. The goal was to identify the two most common topics among the groups so that innovative products could be manufactured by an innovation company based on the blogger’s interests. Apart from that, the sentences that contained these words were extracted from the files to understand if the sentences matched the topics. The presentation concludes by explaining the findings and future work for the study
Spilled Ink: Designing Creative, Autobiographical Podcasts as a Means of Generating Dialogue about Mental Health and Addiction
Get PDFThis presentation uses work in progress to illustrate the potential of podcasting to shape an episodic, autobiographical narrative that contributes to existing discourses surrounding mental health and addiction issues among young people. The practice-led artistic inquiry considers a period in my life when I experienced a battle with depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety and addiction. The project traverses a range of media including written autobiographical text, animated film and sound design.Suffering in private for fear of being stigmatised or discriminated against if exposed publicly with a mental illness or addiction is a powerful deterrent to help-seeking (Flett et al., 2020). However, research suggests that disclosing lived experience stories of mental illness and addiction can lead to more positive attitudes towards mental health (Lindstrom et al., 2021). By foregrounding my lived experience story and subsequent recovery in a public arena, the thesis project seeks to support social change by fostering empathy, decreasing self and social stigma, and creating opportunities for dynamic dialogue.Methodologically, the study constitutes a heuristic-autoethnographic inquiry (Ings, 2014) where iterations of practice are resourced and reflected upon as the artefact is refined. The project’s significance lies in its ability to meaningfully communicate an aural and visual authored, embodied experience through a digital medium, thereby providing an alternative to available material that tends towards the analysis of research data or news media narrative. By using podcasting as a platform for artistic practice, the study will contribute to a growing body of discourse that explores the perimeters of podcasting as a media form and renders more accessible, first-person narratives that connect stories of experience to mental health support networks. The thesis will also contribute through practice and exegetical writing, to current research relating to correlations between certain mental health conditions and creativity