21436 research outputs found
Sort by
Promoting safety culture in vertical construction : an empirical framework tailored to New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, School Built Environment, Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
No full textWhile the construction industry contributes to the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employment, it faces persistent challenges in workplace safety, where injury rates have shown a general upward trend, particularly in New Zealand pronounced in vertical construction projects. Safety Culture (SC) is recognised for its relevant role in injury prevention, risk mitigation, and hazard identification, contributing to fewer accidents, and better safety performance. This thesis addresses the urgent need to promote SC in construction projects by developing a practical framework tailored to New Zealand, yet adaptable for global application. The framework is designed to support safety practitioners in implementing safety interventions and facilitating informed decision-making.
This research followed a structured design comprising four distinct phases: Identify, Categorise, Visualise, and Operationalise employing a mixed-methods methodology. The initial phase employed a Modified Delphi study to achieve consensus among a panel of 32 experts regarding the factors that define SC, and factors and tools influencing its promotion, complemented by a comprehensive literature review to provide additional depth. The second phase categorised tools and influential factors identified in Phase 1 using a Causal Loop Diagram (CLD), thematic analysis, syllogistic reasoning, representing relationships and dynamic interactions. Phase 3 involved the development of a prototype framework through a flow-based diagram, accompanied by an informational report integrating Quick Response (QR) codes and video materials for enhanced usability. In Phase 4, the framework was operationalised its usability through case studies focused on vertical construction projects in New Zealand. Methodological triangulation was employed by integrating qualitative and quantitative data, from site visits inductions, interviews and the survey System Usability Scale (SUS). This integration allows cross-case analysis and enables analytic generalisation and demonstrates its potential usability for widespread adoption by safety practitioners.
This research advances the theoretical development of frameworks by introducing a structured and replicable methodological approach through its four distinct phases, making it applicable across various domains. On a practical level, it delivers a practical framework, to promote SC in vertical construction projects tailored to New Zealand, presented as an informational report, serving as a decision-making guide for safety practitioners, providing actionable tools meeting specific project challenges, ultimately enhancing workplace safety, reducing inequalities, and contributing to sustainable economic growth.
While the framework demonstrates potential, limitations include geographic specificity, sectoral focus on vertical construction, and lack of longitudinal validation. Future research should expand the framework’s application across diverse contexts and construction types to ensure broader relevance and adaptability
Enhancing Biological Nitrogen Fixation Through Diverse Pasture Swards
No full textRegenerative agricultural practices emphasize the use of diverse pasture species within sustainable agriculture production systems. The inclusion of a range of legume species in diverse pasture swards is likely to increase biological N fixation (BNF) across seasons, reducing the system’s reliance on synthetic N inputs. The present field study aims to quantify BNF in selected legume species within diverse pasture (combining 9 species) and standard pastures (ryegrass and clover combination) and assess their performance to identify the potential for improving N supply while maintaining year-round pasture quality. A year-round seasonal BNF was assessed by evaluating soil N status, nodulation patterns, plant composition, and conducting 15N natural abundance studies. The results revealed that the diverse pasture sward produced 5.4% more dry matter compared to the standard pasture, while soil mineral N (NO3−, NH4+) remained statistically similar between the two treatments. Nitrogen yield was 9.3% higher in the diverse pasture than in the standard pasture. 15N natural abundance analysis assessment revealed no substantial variation in BNF rates across treatments throughout the study. However, in contrast to standard pasture, the BNF rate in diverse pasture experienced a 3-fold increase from winter to summer, while the standard pasture exhibited a 1.5-fold increase. In both pasture systems, BNF increased with clover proportion up to 30%, indicating optimal fixation at moderate clover levels. The findings underscore the potential of diverse pastures when strategically managed to enhance seasonal BNF while sustaining pasture productivity.fals
Child protection in armed conflict : norm transfer in the UN : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Politics and International Relations at Massey University, Manawatū, Aotearoa New Zealand
No full textIn tracing the source of delivery failures in the United Nations framework (from hereon in known as the ‘framework’, ‘workstream’ or ‘infrastructure’) for protecting Children Affected by Armed Conflict (CaAC), scholars (Lee-Koo 2011; Carpenter 2016) have suggested that many of these problems stem from the effects of underlying conceptual norms about conflict-affected children that are at play both within and outside of the UN workstream. Yet such scholarship has engaged in analysis that is either broad or narrow but deep in analysing these norms – leaving room for a more comprehensive approach to identifying, mapping and understanding the influence of these norms. This thesis therefore contributes to the existing literature by marrying the broader, descriptive approach of existing critical feminist IR theory with an analytical methodological insight of Carpenter (2016), whose work suggested that systematic coding methods could be appropriate for the mapping of norms.
This thesis employs systematic use of a comprehensive coding tree which is deployed as a methodological tool to produce a contextualised study of a particular section of the wider CaAC ecosystem. This code tree schematic traces and clarifies which norms are significant in a particular area of the CaAC workstream. This examination of language in policy material from specific offices in the CaAC UN infrastructure demonstrates that certain norms about conflict-affected children are present. Temporal patterns can be observed regarding the presence of these norms, and clues as to how they reach this area of the infrastructure from the wider CaAC infrastructure can be identified
An exploration of internet use and subjective wellbeing across 42 societies : implications for human development : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
No full textSince the internet became a household utility, there has been concern surrounding the potential negative association between using the internet and wellbeing. However, less attention has been given to specific types of internet use and their relationships to subjective wellbeing. Furthermore, evidence is largely concentrated in western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic societies. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate how the type of internet use relates to different components of subjective wellbeing in 42 countries from 10 global regions. In addition, it aims to test Human Development Index (HDI) as an explanatory moderator of country-level differences in these relationships. The sample consisted of 24,009 participants (Mₐₑ = 36.53, SDₐₑ = 12.3, 50% female) from the Harris Panel, a global panel curated by the international polling firm Nielsen. Analyses were carried out using descriptive correlations and multilevel modelling. Aggregate-level correlational analysis revealed complex relationships where internet use was paradoxically associated positively to life satisfaction, depression and anxiety. Region-level correlation analysis showed that time online and entertainment correlations with life satisfaction varied across regions, but correlations with depression and anxiety symptoms were consistently positive. Moreover, sharing news and information, and connecting socially correlations were consistently positive with life satisfaction, but more variable with depression and anxiety. Multilevel models showed that time online and life satisfaction were negatively associated at high-HDI levels and non-significant at low-HDI. Relationships between time online and entertainment, and depression and anxiety were significant, positive and stronger in high-HDI contexts compared to low-HDI. There were inverse relationships with sharing news and information, connecting socially and depression symptoms which were positive in high-HDI contexts and negative in low-HDI. Results underscore that the strongest contrasts across HDI settings lie in the associations with depression and anxiety, rather than in overall life satisfaction. This highlights the importance of considering broader societal level factors when investigating the relationship between internet use on subjective wellbeing
Choices of Virtue and Vice Products and Their Impact on Visual Attention: A Meta-Analysis of Eye-Tracking Food Research
No full textThis article aims to analyze the impact of attention drivers associated with food bottom-up processes (virtue, vice, and binary choices) on physiological measures (fixation count and fixation duration) of psychological constructs (attention allocation and cognitive processing) of visual attention. Existing studies have analyzed these relationships in an isolated and scattered manner, indicating the need for a new study that integrates the effect sizes to better understand the state of the art. To achieve this goal, a meta-analysis was carried out, compiling information from 54 articles, encompassing 21,756 participants and 153 effect sizes (Cohen's d), to discern patterns of attention allocation and cognitive processing across three product choice scenarios: choice of virtue food products, choice of vice food products, and choice of their combination. The results reveal that virtue and vice choice contexts influence attention allocation while virtue and binary choice contexts influence cognitive processing. The results also show that the heterogeneity of the effects of virtue, vice, and binary choice contexts can be explained by externally driven marketing factors such as the cause of allergy or intolerance (product), shopping channel (place), and vividness of product presentation (promotion), as well as internally driven socioeconomic indicators such as average supply of fat per day (health), average supply of food calories per day (health), body mass index (health), expenditure on food and non-alcoholic beverages (economic), and reading PISA score (education).fals
What policies and guidelines do New Zealand organisations have for supporting parents, caregivers and educators in facilitating discussions with young New Zealanders about online pornography? : a textual document analysis : a thesis presentation in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Public Health at Massey University, Manwatū, New Zealand
No full textOnline pornography represents a contemporary cultural reality for young people, many of whom have expressed a desire for open discussion on the topic. This study examines the guidelines provided by New Zealand organisations to support parents, caregivers, and educators in facilitating conversations with young New Zealanders about online pornography. This study examines educational resources designed to assist parents, caregivers, and educators in this essential discussion. New Zealand based websites were systematically searched to identify relevant policies and guidelines. These materials typically provide informative resources, toolkits, and discussion guides, assisting parents and educators in engaging young people in conversations about pornography. Textual analysis was employed for this research, guided by Bronfenbrenner’s Socio-Ecological Systems theory as an analytical framework. The key findings from this research demonstrate how (i) discussions about pornography are considered a crucial component of parenting, emphasising how these conversations are framed and viewed as essential for protecting young people from pornography, and (ii) discussions about pornography are considered necessary to help reduce its impact, highlighting how perceived effects and strategies for mitigation are the main focus of resources designed to assist adults in their conversations with young people about the topic. My findings highlight that honest, open communication about pornography is deemed as an essential part of parenting. Notably, the resources validify to parents, caregivers, and educators that they should be concerned about the impact and easy access to pornography. These resources therefore demonstrate how to initiate conversations with children and young people, boosting confidence and encouraging discussions about online pornography at home and in schools. I conclude by discussing the potential value in shifting from the prevalent harms-based and adult-centric mindset in resources to a more holistic approach to healthy relationships and sex education, placing the perspectives of young people at the centre of the discussion
Latent profiles of children’s capabilities : measurement invariance and differential item functioning across gender and ethnicity within a New Zealand preschool-aged cohort : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education at Massey University, Manawatū, Aotearoa New Zealand
No full textA robust understanding of young children’s learning and development is key to unlocking their immense potential. Within education, young children’s learning and development are increasingly being addressed from strengths-based, holistic, and culturally connected perspectives. Nevertheless, previous research on children’s learning and development has primarily adopted a single-lens approach, highlighting developmental delays or risks associated with domain-specific deficits. The current thesis sought to better understand and account for children’s learning and development in strengths-based, holistic, and culturally connected ways. Two phases of the research were designed to: 1) support a holistic approach to understanding young children’s capabilities of social, emotional, language, and executive function; 2) investigate the comparability of the shared patterns of children’s capabilities across gender and ethnicity, with implications for fairness in assessment and inclusion in early childhood research.
Secondary data analyses were conducted in two sequential phases, with data drawn from the Growing Up in New Zealand study 54-month dataset. The first phase of the research used latent profile analysis to identify shared patterns of children’s capabilities. Data were available for six specific areas of children’s capabilities: prosocial behaviours, emotional symptoms, emotional knowledge, expressive language, receptive language, and executive function. Information about children’s capabilities in these areas was gathered using the following measures: prosocial behaviour and emotional symptom subscales in the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, the modified Affect Knowledge Test, the Parent Rating of Oral Language, the shortened version of Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test III, and the Luria Hand Clap task.
Latent profile analysis is often used to identify unique patterns of capabilities across a range of domains. The present research identified a 3-group model of young children’s capabilities, labelled as Emerging, Progressing, and Competent profiles. The associations within this 3-group model were characterised by overall differences in capabilities rather than distinct patterns. The Emerging profile made up 9.1% of the sample, representing children with capabilities lower than their peers in other profiles.The Progressing profile made up 45.1% of the sample, representing children with close to average capabilities, between the Emerging and Competent profiles. The Competent profile made up 45.8% of the sample, representing children with the highest capabilities relative to peers.
The second phase of the research tested the measurement invariance of the selected measures through multi-group confirmatory factor analysis and examined differential item functioning for gender and ethnicity as covariates to the latent profile factors, via Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes modelling. Findings from multi-group confirmatory factor analyses established partial invariance for the prosocial behaviours and emotional symptoms subscales in the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, full invariance for the modified Affect Knowledge Test and the Parent Rating of Oral Language across gender groups, and partial invariance for these four measures across ethnic groups. Due to the nature of the data available, it was not possible to examine measurement invariance for the shortened version of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test III and the Luria Hand Clap task. Nonetheless, differential item functioning via Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes modelling suggested gender was a potential source of uniform differential item functioning for prosocial behaviours, emotional symptoms, emotional knowledge, and expressive language, and nonuniform differential item functioning for receptive language and executive function; however, these effects were determined to be small or negligible. Ethnicity was also identified as a potential source of uniform differential item functioning for emotional symptoms, and nonuniform differential item functioning for emotional knowledge, expressive language, receptive language, and executive function. These effects were determined to be more notable, suggesting the assessments used may not measure the constructs equivalently across ethnic groups, potentially indicating bias in measurement. While the negligible or small uniform and nonuniform differential item functioning effects across gender groups supported the comparability of the 3-group model, the more substantial effects did not support the comparability of the 3-group model across ethnic groups.
Findings from the present research offer important insights into understanding children’s learning and development in strengths-based, holistic, and culturally connected ways. First, the investigation sought to use a strengths-based lens by focusing on what children could do relative to peers (e.g., capabilities) rather than framing scores from a deficit or risk-based perspective. Second, the 3-group model centralised the ‘whole learner’ perspective by incorporating six different areas of children’s capabilities into one investigation, highlighting the interconnected nature of these capabilities. Rather than forming distinct patterns, the model reflected overall differences in capabilities across domains, reinforcing the holistic nature of development. Third, the focus on culturally connected assessment sought to understand how appropriate the measures available were for different aspects of children’s identity (i.e., gender and ethnicity). Testing measurement invariance was key to highlighting the importance of fairness in educational assessment and practices. Failure to account for differential item functioning effects may result in inappropriate conclusions about the comparability of latent profiles across observed groups, such as gender or ethnicity.
Findings offer significant implications for early childhood educational research and practices, which can inform decisions about service design and policy development. The holistic approach reflected by the 3-group model is a shift away from singular, domain-specific perspectives and research. Given the importance of strengths based, holistic, and culturally connected teaching and learning support reflected in the early childhood curriculum in New Zealand, current research and programmes targeting isolated capabilities from risk-based perspectives may have limited or misaligned applications in early childhood education. Additionally, factors such as gender and ethnicity may introduce biases in the estimation of effects for the latent profiles identified in the present research, thereby potentially limiting their comparability across diverse subpopulations. This underscores the importance of fairness in assessment and highlights the cautions and limitations of existing research. Taken together, the thesis highlights the importance of holistic and unbiased assessments to better understand and report on children’s capabilities, which can in turn influence teaching and learning policy and practices in inclusive and equitable ways
Youth and development : exploring opportunities for youth participation in community development in Cambodia : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of International Development Studies at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
No full textFigures 2.1 (=Hart, 1997, p. 41) & 2.2 (=Lundy, 2007, Fig 1) have been removed for copyright reasons.This purpose of this thesis is to understand the existing opportunities for youth voice in community development in Cambodia. This study engaged with NGOs in Cambodia working to explore possibilities to expand youth participation in decision making processes. Young people have a right to express themselves and the right to be actively heard. This was a right included in Article 12 of the UNCRC (1989). Approximately 70% of the population in Cambodia is under the age of 30 (World Population Review, 2025, para. 1). This large population of young people in Cambodia indicates a crucial opportunity to empower and develop the capacity of this national treasure and human potential. Participation and empowerment are core principles in a Rights-Based Approach to development (Gready, 2008). Through this framework, I analyse the relevance of two models of youth participation in the Cambodia context. The first is Lundy’s (2007) theorising of Article 12 of the UNCRC through notions of space, voice, audience and influence, and secondly Hart’s (1992) ladder of participation. My primary methods were semi-structured interviews and creative workshops with young people. Both methods were conducted when visiting Cambodia for 5 weeks in July-August 2023. The field research was followed by a thematic analysis of the data. This allowed me to identify repeated patterns of meaning across the data with relevance to my research questions (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The data revealed that community development NGOs in Cambodia are undertaking a diversity of participatory practices with youth. NGOs have intentionally created space for youth to meet regularly, share ideas, and bring them forward to local commune leaders. Other NGOs have fostered trusting relationships between youth and staff. This has allowed for the ongoing presence of youth voice within the NGOs decision-making processes. The workshops highlighted the willingness of Cambodian youth to share ideas and be involved in community development. These youth are expressing their right to be heard and have meaningful influence in their communities. The biggest barrier to youth participation was the restrictive political environment in Cambodia. Participants identified that for youth voice to be valued in Cambodian society, political and individual freedoms needed to increase
Design and trial of a comprehensive home composting evaluation tool
No full textPurpose: In this study, a comprehensive home composting evaluation tool (HCET) was designed and trialled to support the analysis of empirical and quality assurance parameters of home composting systems.
Method: The proposed HCET was developed based on a review of relevant scientific literature, a range of ‘how to’/‘good practice’ guidelines for home composting, and guiding principles from the New Zealand Compost Standard. It was then trialled within a research project examining home composting practices in Palmerston North, Aotearoa New Zealand.
Results: This research showed that whilst home composting is widely undertaken in Palmerston North and diverts a significant amount of organic waste from landfill, home composters often encounter technical challenges and have variable results. Critical reflection on the practical experience of trialling the draft HCET in the context of the broader findings from the research project enabled the HCET to be refined and finalised.
Conclusion: A growing body of literature demonstrates that home composting is a popular and cost-effective opportunity to divert municipal organic waste from landfill, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance local soils and home gardening. As such, effective and systematic evaluation of the various home composting technologies, practices and outputs is a critical opportunity to accelerate the development of a more sustainable, low emission circular bioeconomy. The proposed HCET provides a quick, accurate and effective way to undertake data collection and system analysis, which will support future research further developing and optimising home composting technologies and practices.fals
Genetic diversity analysis of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) germplasm in Samoa using microsatellite markers : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Plant Breeding at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
No full textCacao (Theobroma cacao L.) is an important tropical crop with significant economic and ecological value. However, its genetic diversity is still insufficiently studied in Samoa. In this study, microsatellite markers were used to assess the genetic diversity of 183 cacao varieties collected from four plantations in Samoa. Six polymorphic SSR loci were used to identify 108 alleles revealing genetic variation in cacao among plantations (expected heterozygosity = 0.49). Both Structure and Neighbor-Net analyses showed that the SIU plantations were mainly Criollo and the SAT plantations were mainly Nanay, while the ALE and SAL plantations were mixtures of several varieties. Four different genetic groups were delineated by cluster analysis (UPGMA) and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA). It was finally determined that the cacao in the Samoa region consists of Amelonado, Trinitario, Nanay, Criollo and LAFI-7. The results of this study revealed the key role of microsatellite markers in analyzing cacao diversity, identified the major Samoa cacao types and provided feasible insights for Samoa molecular marker-assisted cacao breeding. It provides a direction for future improvement of cacao germplasm for biotic and abiotic resistance and the construction of modernized cacao plantations