Zealand Academics Research Articles

Performance evaluation of academics: A social influence theory perspective

AbstractThis study examines the associations between academics' perceptions of their institutions' performance management systems, and in particular their performance evaluation, and academics' attitudes and behaviours. Responses from over 1000 New Zealand academics reveal that those who perceive their performance evaluation as outcomes‐focused and process‐focused are more likely to exhibit compliance‐based behaviour. In contrast, when performance evaluation is perceived as being values‐driven and supportive of collegiality, the academics exhibit internalised behaviours. This study further shows that academics with internalised attitudes score higher in research assessment exercises than academics with compliance‐based attitudes.

The impact of COVID-19 on academic aeromobility practices: Hypocrisy or moral quandary?

Academics have long regarded air travel as vital to pursuing a successful career. Meanwhile, many academics are at the frontline of climate change science and advocate the urgency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The conflict between combating global warming and high aeromobility practices traps academics in a loop of hypocrisy. However, COVID-19 presents an opportunity for academics to advance their research and careers with reduced aeromobility. This research investigates how academics have adapted to virtual working experiences during COVID-19 and the implications for establishing changes in aeromobility practices. Informed by the theory of practice change, this paper reports the findings of a comprehensive survey and interview programme in New Zealand. It provides insights into the prospects for reduced aeromobility and the institutional policy frameworks required to embed a new normal, considering the unique circumstances faced by academics working at geographically remote institutions. The findings reveal that instead of being trapped in a loop of hypocrisy, New Zealand academics face a moral quandary in being concerned about climate change and wishing to reduce aeromobility practices, while wanting to avoid compromising career success. Recommendations for academics to face this moral quandary and their institutions to support practice change are proposed.

The spectacle of research assessment systems: insights from New Zealand and the United Kingdom

PurposeIn this paper, we concentrate on the use of research assessment (RA) systems in universities in New Zealand (NZ) and the United Kingdom (UK). Primarily we focus on PBRF and REF, and explore differences between these systems on individual and systemic levels. We ask, these days, in what way(s) the systemic differences between PBRF and REF actually make a difference on how the two RA systems are experienced by academic staff.Design/methodology/approachThis research is exploratory and draws on 19 interviews in which accounting researchers from both countries offer reflections on their careers and how RA (systems) have influenced these careers. The stories they tell are classified by regarding RA in universities as a manifestation of the spectacle society, following Debord (1992) and Flyverbom and Reinecke (2017).FindingsBoth UK and New Zealand academics concur that their research activities and views on research are very much shaped by journal rankings and citations. Among UK academics, there seems to be a greater critical attitude towards the benefits and drawbacks of REF, which may be related to the history of REF in their country. Relatively speaking, in New Zealand, individualism seems to have grown after the introduction of the PBRF, with little active pushback against the system. Cultural aspects may partially explain this outcome. Academics in both countries lament the lack of focus on practitioner issues that the increased significance of RA seems to have evoked.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is context-specific and may have limited applicability to other situations, academics or countries.Practical implicationsRA and RA systems seem to be here to stay. However, as academics we can, and ought to, take responsibility to try to ensure that these systems reflect the future of accounting (research) we wish to create. It is certainly not mainly or solely up to upper management officials to set this in motion, as has occasionally been claimed in previous literature. Some of the academics who participated in this research actively sought to bring about a different future.Originality/valueThis research provides a unique contextual analysis of accounting academics' perspectives and reactions to RA and RA systems and the impact these have had on their careers across two countries. In addition, the paper offers valuable critical reflections on the application of Debord's (1992) notion of the spectacle society in future accounting studies. We find more mixed and nuanced views on RA in academia than many previous studies have shown.

Higher Education Teachers’ Experiences with Learning Analytics in Relation to Student Retention

<p>This paper presents findings from a study of Australian and New Zealand academics (n = 276) that teach tertiary education students. The study aimed to explore participants’ early experiences of learning analytics in a higher education milieu in which data analytics is gaining increasing prominence. Broadly speaking participants were asked about: (1) Their teaching context, (2) Their current student retention activities, (3) Their involvement in, and aspirations for, learning analytics use, (4) Their relationship with their institution around learning analytics. The sampled teaching staff broadly indicated a high level of interest but limited level of substantive involvement in learning analytics projects and capacity building activities. Overall, the intention is to present a critical set of voices that assist in identifying and understanding key issues and draw connections to the broader work being done in the field.</p>

Reflecting the Science of Instruction? Screencasting in Australian and New Zealand Academic Libraries: A Content Analysis

Research problemInstructional screencasts are increasingly part of the online tutorial mix offered by academic libraries. However, what makes for effective screencast design? This research provides a snapshot of screencast design in Australian and New Zealand academic libraries and appraises it through the lens of multimedia learning theory. MethodologyEvidence-based design principles that promote effective learning for multimedia were identified from the research literature. A cognitive psychological approach was taken, drawing principally from Mayer's cognitive theory of multimedia learning. The principles outlined in Mayer's theory were translated into guidelines applicable to screencast tutorial production. These guidelines formed the basis for an assessment rubric which was applied to screencasts produced by New Zealand and Australian Universities. Content analysis was then applied to determine to what extent screencast tutorials in the sample reflected the principles outlined in Mayer's theory. ResultsOn average, screencasts from the institutions surveyed integrated 7.6 of 9 effective multimedia principles. The low variance across the sample suggests this high standard was approximated or exceeded by most tutorials. Australian and New Zealand libraries were of a comparable standard overall with similar areas of strength and weakness. ImplicationsMayer's principles provide a useful foundation for designing effective multimedia instruction. The translation of these principles into screencast design guidelines will hopefully serve as useful considerations. Commonly neglected principles (coherence, signalling and segmenting) present areas for design improvement but also opportunities for further research in an academic library context.

MODELS OF THE INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC DEPENDENCE OF PACIFIC MICROSTATES: A CRITICAL REVIEW WITH IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL POLICIES AND RELATIONS

Most (but not all) Pacific island communities achieved self-government in the last half of the 20th century. However, they still remain highly dependent economically on larger and wealthier patron-nations. Drawing on the available literature, this paper critically examines competing models of their dependence and its governance implications. In doing so, it gives particular attention to the MIRAB model. The MIRAB model of Pacific island micro-economies was developed in the mid-1980s by the New Zealand academics, Bertram and Watters, and dominated the literature on the economics of small island nations and economies until alternative models were proposed two decades later. Nevertheless, it is still an influential theory. MIRAB is an acronym for migration (MI), remittance (R) and foreign aid (A) and the public bureaucracy (B); the components of the MIRAB model. The nature of this model is explained and the importance of distinguishing between the two processes involved in it (one based on foreign aid and the other on overseas remittance) is emphasized. Evidence is given of the importance of migration and overseas remittance for the functioning of some Pacific island microstates, such as Tonga. Yet, it is argued that no single model adequately typifies the economic situations of Pacific microstates and micro-economies because of their diversity. Even economies that have been classified as MIRAB economies can be very different. The newer TOURAB, SITE and PROFIT models have similar limitations. In order to understand adequately the economic situation of Pacific island microstates (including their economic vulnerability, their sustainability, and political susceptibilities), it is necessary to adopt a more holistic approach which takes account of historical, cultural and environmental factors. This is illustrated by the case of Nauru. It is shown that the international economic dependence of Pacific island microstates and their environmental vulnerabilities have made them susceptible to political influence by patron nations. This has important implications for international affairs. Furthermore, new patron nations, such as China, are emerging, as traditional donors reduce their aid to Pacific island nations. This concerns their traditional donor countries. Reasons for relevant changes in international relations in the Pacific are suggested, and the impact of political independence on the economic fortunes of microstates is considered. Despite the limitations of existing models of the external economic and political dependence of microstates, it is found that they are useful starting points for selectively assessing external economic relations and changes in these.

Higher Education Teachers’ Experiences with Learning Analytics in Relation to Student Retention

This paper presents findings from a study of Australian and New Zealand academics (n = 276) that teach tertiary education students. The study aimed to explore participants’ early experiences of learning analytics in a higher education milieu in which data analytics is gaining increasing prominence. Broadly speaking participants were asked about: (1) Their teaching context, (2) Their current student retention activities, (3) Their involvement in, and aspirations for, learning analytics use, (4) Their relationship with their institution around learning analytics. The sampled teaching staff broadly indicated a high level of interest but limited level of substantive involvement in learning analytics projects and capacity building activities. Overall, the intention is to present a critical set of voices that assist in identifying and understanding key issues and draw connections to the broader work being done in the field.

Activist Academics: What Future?

Four decades on from the Year of the Student, when university campuses were sites of protest and dissent, it is crucial to consider how the involvement of university academics in activist causes has changed. Using social movement frameworks this article examines how organisational, political and cultural contexts have hindered social and political activism by New Zealand academics. Declining resources and increased accountability mechanisms in the tertiary education sector have intersected with a cultural context dominated by pragmatism and instrumentalism to constrain activism by academics. Despite these constraints, the author argues that it is crucial for academics to be involved in forms of day-to-day resistance and to establish ongoing connections to activist organisations in order to challenge the hegemonic narratives of marketisation and managerialism which are impacting on all parts of New Zealand society, including universities.

Activist Academics: What Future?

Four decades on from the Year of the Student, when university campuses were sites of protest and dissent, it is crucial to consider how the involvement of university academics in activist causes has changed. Using social movement frameworks this article examines how organisational, political and cultural contexts have hindered social and political activism by New Zealand academics. Declining resources and increased accountability mechanisms in the tertiary education sector have intersected with a cultural context dominated by pragmatism and instrumentalism to constrain activism by academics. Despite these constraints, the author argues that it is crucial for academics to be involved in forms of day-to-day resistance and to establish ongoing connections to activist organisations in order to challenge the hegemonic narratives of marketisation and managerialism which are impacting on all parts of New Zealand society, including universities.

Our Friends across the Ditch: A Brief Sketch of the New Zealand Academic Economics Profession*

This paper undertakes a census of how the New Zealand university economics profession changed over a decade. It shows that this small academics economics community has become more professionalised. It also explores whether the profession has become more internationalised in the new millennium.

Researching in cross cultural contexts: A socially just process

In this paper, we explore culture and its relationship to cross cultural research. The context for this research is Vanuatu, a small South Pacific Island nation. The action research process used was a collaboration between two New Zealand academics, two Ni Vanuatu women researchers and 13 participants over a two year period. The focus of the action research was the design and delivery of a culturally appropriate educational leadership development programme for women. The collaborative research process raised a number of ethical and methodological considerations, for example, the importance of mutually respectful relationships, working in partnership, collaboration, capacity building, transparent communication and consideration of the local context. Using stories from the Vanuatu context, we illustrate how we navigated culture to be able to research in socially just ways. Being involved in socially just, cross cultural research calls for a thoughtful, well-designed and culturally informed approach throughout all stages of the research process, from initial planning through to follow up and capacity building and finally, the sharing of research findings.

Survey and Analysis of Electronic Journal Licenses for Long-Term Access Provisions in Tertiary New Zealand Academic Libraries

A survey of New Zealand university and polytechnic libraries indicates what proportions of library e-journal holdings have archival rights or perpetual access clauses. The author then analyzes licenses from three universities for terms, permissions, and other details. The research indicates that less than 20% of the online holdings for most New Zealand educational libraries had a print duplicate, archive, or perpetual access right. Licenses failed to address these access and rights issues in 70% of the cases surveyed. The issues of long-term access to licensed materials are addressed in less than 30% of licenses and only by providers that are offering them.

Survey and Analysis of Electronic Journal Licenses for Long-Term Access Provisions in Tertiary New Zealand Academic Libraries

A survey of New Zealand university and polytechnic libraries indicates what proportions of library e-journal holdings have archival rights or perpetual access clauses. The author then analyzes licenses from three universities for terms, permissions, and other details. The research indicates that less than 20% of the online holdings for most New Zealand educational libraries had a print duplicate, archive, or perpetual access right. Licenses failed to address these access and rights issues in 70% of the cases surveyed. The issues of long-term access to licensed materials are addressed in less than 30% of licenses and only by providers that are offering them.

Continuing Professional Development: Perceptions from New Zealand and Australian Accounting Academics

This paper investigates the largely unexplored topic of accounting academics' perceptions of, and participation in, continuing professional development (CPD). A survey was conducted on academics in degree-teaching institutions in New Zealand and Australia. Results from 66 respondents indicate that accounting academics believe that assessing CPD needs is a personal responsibility and is integral to being an academic. The main methods of undertaking CPD are a combination of conferences, research and higher education. Other methods include reading accounting education literature, seminars and research methods courses. CPD was undertaken to maintain professional competency and credibility of qualifications, with outcomes being new technical accounting knowledge and teaching skills. Most CPD benefited respondents' teaching practices to some extent. While most institutions did not require CPD, the majority of institutions paid for their staff to participate.

Publishing in Marketing Journals by Australia and New Zealand Academics 1999-2003: An Examination of Institutional Performance

This paper examines publishing performance by academics in Australian and New Zealand universities between 1999 and 2003. Two sets of journals are examined, the leading 30 marketing journals as defined by senior Australian and New Zealand academics (Mort et al. 2004) and the leading 20 marketing journals as identified by a cross-section of American academics (Polonsky and Whitelaw 2006). Comparisons in publication performance are made between seven institutional groupings, Group of 8, New Zealand Universities, Technology Network Universities, Regional Universities, Innovation Universities, New Generation Universities and Private Universities, using these two sets of journals. The comparisons identify that the Australian G8 institutions outperform other groupings. However, there are many similarities in performance between other groupings, especially when sub-sets of journals were examined. Thus, research performance within marketing may be more similar than is generally purported in the popular press.

Scholarly journal output: A regional perspective

This paper presents the findings of an investigation designed to reveal the destination of the refereed journal research output of accounting and finance faculty members across their entire academic careers. A geographic approach was adopted with the intention of providing a historical data‐set to inform the development of a region‐centric model of academic research productivity. The study focuses on publication careers of accounting and finance academics from one particular geographic region, New Zealand. The data were collected through a detailed examination of electronic databases of journal holdings and research reports of tertiary institutions. The results of this study provide evidence that, across their careers, New Zealand's academics have published a significant number of papers in journals located in two regions, Australia‐New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and that this academic community has attained publication success in international journals generally regarded as high quality.

The things that count: negative perceptions of the teaching environment among university academics

Studies have highlighted the influence of how students perceive their learning environment in shaping their attitudes to learning, their approach to learning and ultimately with the quality of their learning outcomes. Although far less extensively researched, it appears that how academics perceive their teaching environment influences both what and how they teach. The nature and effect of these perceptions has important implications for the recruitment and retention of key personnel and for the quality of teaching, learning and campus work life in general. This paper reports the results of a study that investigates the perceptions of a group of Australian and New Zealand academics of their work environment. The aim of the study is to identify those factors perceived as negatively affecting teaching, the key themes underlying these factors and the relationships between perceptions and choice of teaching approach. The results and their implications for the quality of university teaching are discussed.

Digital Library Services: Perceptions and Expectations of User Communities and Librarians in a New Zealand Academic Library

This article gives an overview of research conducted at Victoria University of Wellington regarding the perceptions and expectations of user communities and librarians. It reviews the previous theory in this area and then presents the methodology for this study. This research examines the extent to which users' and librarians' perceptions of the useability of digital services differ. A range of issues and recommendations for ways to improve the digital services are discussed.

Take-Home Tests: Educational Fast Food for the New Millennium?

AbstractChanges such as a ‘user pays’ philosophy in tertiary education and the student loan scheme have placed pressure on New Zealand academics and students alike. Teachers of adults may need to adjust to the ‘new breed’ of student and the faster paced semesterised education system. It is proposed that focussing on the learner and creating a learning environment that encourages students to assume responsibility for their own learning is more important in the new educational environment.The present paper conceptualises take-home tests as being analogous to an educational fast food - a familiar, made-to-order commodity - that curiously appears to be missing from the educational smorgasbord outside the United States of America. Results of a pilot study using take-home tests in a first year management class at the University of Otago suggested they fit the proposed new mood of education. Students in the self-selected experimental group (n=35) achieved a higher course grade than those in the control group (n=35). The students recommended that take-home tests be used more frequently and they saw them as having ‘learning’ and ‘anxiety reducing’ benefits.

Take-Home Tests: Educational Fast Food for the New Millennium?

AbstractChanges such as a ‘user pays’ philosophy in tertiary education and the student loan scheme have placed pressure on New Zealand academics and students alike. Teachers of adults may need to adjust to the ‘new breed’ of student and the faster paced semesterised education system. It is proposed that focussing on the learner and creating a learning environment that encourages students to assume responsibility for their own learning is more important in the new educational environment.The present paper conceptualises take-home tests as being analogous to an educational fast food - a familiar, made-to-order commodity - that curiously appears to be missing from the educational smorgasbord outside the United States of America. Results of a pilot study using take-home tests in a first year management class at the University of Otago suggested they fit the proposed new mood of education. Students in the self-selected experimental group (n=35) achieved a higher course grade than those in the control group (n=35). The students recommended that take-home tests be used more frequently and they saw them as having ‘learning’ and ‘anxiety reducing’ benefits.