Zealand Students Research Articles

Body Mass Changes and Markers of Fitness, Health, and Well-Being over the First Semester of University in New Zealand Students

The current study aimed to assess the changes in physical and perceptual markers of health, fitness, and well-being over the first semester of university study in a New Zealand context. In a pre-post longitudinal design, 90 first-year university students (39 females, 51 males, mean ± SD age: 18 ± 2 years) studying in the field of health, sport and human performance underwent tests of body mass, height, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, predicted VO2max, flexibility, countermovement jump height, handgrip strength, isometric mid-thigh pull strength, and well-being pre and post the first semester of university study (12 weeks). When evaluating the entire group, there was a significant increase in body mass (0.66 kg, P = 0.004) and BMI (0.2 kg/m2, P = 0.005) and decrease in the “engagement” construct of the well-being questionnaire (− 0.2, P = 0.03) over the first semester of university. In total, 73% of students living on-campus reported a decline in sleep and nutrition habits since starting university, in comparison to ~ 35%–40% of students living off-campus (P ≤ 0.03). Similar to results seen in other countries, and despite the field of study, the first semester of university in New Zealand is likely to be associated with increases in body mass and BMI; however, changes in physical fitness and overall well-being measures were less obvious in the current study.

Graduate entry to nursing: An exploration of the demographic characteristics of New Zealand students

This paper describes the characteristics of student enrolled in New Zealand's first Graduate Entry to Practice (GEN) programme. Data were collected from students enrolled in the first five cohorts of the programme from 2014 to 2018 (n = 93). In total 69 students responded to an on-line, self-report survey, resulting in a 74% return rate. The majority of respondents were female (87%, n = 60), aged 21–30 (68%, n = 47) and New Zealand European (77%, n = 53). The educational background of respondents ranged from theology, to marine biology and more commonly science based degrees. Their motivation for entering nursing was to work in a diverse and caring profession with many wanting to eventually move to advanced practice roles. A key finding was that the students considered that the primary role of the nurse was the provision of holistic care to both the patient and their family. The majority wish to start their nursing careers in the acute hospital based areas of care provision.

Sustaining International Students’ Learning of Chinese in China: Shifting Motivations among New Zealand Students during Study Abroad

This paper reports on an inquiry that examined groups of New Zealand students’ motivational shifts related to learning Chinese before and after relocation to China. In the inquiry, we encouraged 15 participants to write reflective journals and conducted two rounds of interviews before and after their study abroad trip to China. The analysis revealed that most participants had their motivation enhanced by the trip, and expected to sustain their heightened motivation for learning Chinese in the future. The findings suggest that the participants’ motivational shifts happened during their period of study abroad in China, and were prompted by their new pedagogical environment and individual learning experiences. In other words, the motivational enhancement emerged from ongoing interactions between the participants’ L2 self-concepts (e.g., ideal L2 selves) and learning and sociocultural contexts in China. These findings offer fresh insights into the dynamic nature of Chinese language learning motivation and the role of formal and informal settings in the participants’ learning of Chinese. They imply that educational stakeholders need to provide authentic communication opportunities and resources to enhance international students’ motivation for the sustainable learning of Chinese.

Articulating New Zealand and literature in “New Zealand literature” classes: Attending to the parergon

ABSTRACTWith the increasing globalization of tertiary education through international study abroad and university exchange schemes, New Zealand literature classes are today increasingly likely to be taught to diverse groups of students from different countries and ethnicities. How might this affect the framing of courses, texts chosen for study, and the conversations that take place in the classroom? Yet with the greater diversity of the New Zealand population, and as New Zealand students increasingly identify as subjects of a globalized world, any opposition between local and global perspectives breaks down. Following a discussion of recent debates about the institution of “New Zealand literature” in the context of globalization, this article turns to particular examples of New Zealand literature undergraduate university courses. It adopts the critical lens of Derrida on the parergon to show how “New Zealand literature” is the product of, and at the same time always disturbed by, its framing.

The Effects of Precision Teaching and Self-regulated Learning on Early Multiplication Fluency

Fluent recall of basic facts is essential to the development of more complex math skills. Therefore, failure to develop fluency with basic facts may impede the development of these skills. The present study used a between-group experimental design to investigate whether a basic facts fluency program, implemented within a self-regulated learner (SRL) framework, could lead to increased fluency with multiplication facts for Year 5 and Year 6 New Zealand students (9–10 years old). This study also investigated the extent to which the SRL program altered students’ basic facts practice behavior outside of school hours. The study found that the SRL program resulted in rapid fluency development that was maintained over time. Nomothetic and idiographic analysis confirmed that the program was suitable for use within Tier 1 of the response to intervention framework. In addition, the study also found that students who received the program altered their practice behavior outside school hours. The results from this study show how elements of self-regulated learning and precision teaching can be successfully combined to enhance students’ mathematics achievement.

Working in multiple figured worlds and positionings to reinvestigate the science behind a national tragedy

This article outlines research that intersects the fields of drama and science education. It highlights the value of using positioning theory and figured worlds to illuminate how the concept of Mantle of the Expert supports science learning. Drama has been found to enhance engagement and learning in science, but its use is uncommon. This article reports on a mixed-methods action research project that examined whether Mantle of the Expert supported or constrained the learning of science with 29 New Zealand students in Years 7 and 8. Data generated from students pre- and post-unit assessments, observations of classroom episodes, student and teacher interviews, and classroom artefacts were analysed statistically and thematically. The positioning triad of position, storyline and speech acts was used to show how the different components of Mantle of the Expert supported science learning. Examining the different figured worlds within which the students operated illuminated the different affordances of each learning space. In addition, the data showed that the students improved significantly in their conceptual understanding of the science taught and provided an opportunity to work within an expert scientist role.

ANZSSA Heads of Counselling Services HOCS Benchmarking Survey 2018 Summary Report

Corrigendum published 04112019. Corrections P.78 & P79 including replacement Table 7. Additional reference ANZSSA (2011). Download attached file for corrected article. The ANZSSA Heads of Counselling Services Benchmarking Survey 2018 is the third survey of the Heads of Counselling Services (HOCS) conducted for and by University Counselling Service Managers in collaboration with of the Australian and New Zealand Student Services Association Pty Ltd (ANZSSA ww.anzssa.org). This report summarises the 2018 HOCS survey. The primary aims of the survey are to explore benchmarking and identify emerging issues related to counselling services in the post-secondary and higher education sectors by comparing: staffing, administrative processes, service delivery activities, student service users, data generated by the service, and data pertaining to the institution in which each service operates.

Motivation and Connection to Earth on Geology Field Trips in New Zealand: Comparing American Study Abroad Students with Local Undergraduates

Field education is a critical and enriching component of the undergraduate geoscience curriculum, enhanced when combined with a study abroad program. The affective domain – defined in geoscience as emotion, motivation, and connection to Earth – is an integral part of the field experience. Using questionnaire data collected at the start of two geoscience field trips, this study compares motivation and connection to Earth of study abroad students from the United States with local New Zealand students. Results show that study abroad students have more expert-like motivations and ecological worldviews, and are more attached to and see more positive and diverse meanings in the field area. To take advantage of this and improve student outcomes, we recommend that this study abroad module be adapted to be more applied, environmentally-focused, and place-based. Findings highlight the importance of teaching and learning to specific study abroad students, rather than applying unchanged curricula from local institutions.

‘Times that by 100’: Student learning from international practicum

International placements are uncommon for Aotearoa New Zealand social work students compared with many other countries. In 2015 five students undertook a 10-week placement in Cambodia. This article explores the students’ perspectives on the skills, knowledge and capabilities required for international placements. The findings from this study indicate that questions remain as to whether the associated challenges outweigh the advantages of international placement experiences. We recommend that working with tertiary institutions from countries with more established international placement programmes may be one way of addressing some of the challenges and advancing international placements for Aotearoa New Zealand students.

Priorities, identity and the environment: Negotiating the early teenage years

ABSTRACTThis study focuses on the negotiation of environmental identity by 10 New Zealand students as they progressed from late primary school to junior secondary school. Interviews with these students and their parents focused on six theoretical perspective prominent in environmental education: significant life experiences, transformative learning, environmental literacy, values, action competence, and environmental identity. Thirteen major themes emerged, which are discussed in terms of two overarching findings. First, the deep-seated, composite and pivotal resonances between home and school influences in effective environmental education for sustainability (EEfS) learning are described, and suggestions are made for how this can be better taken into account. Secondly, a focus on the complex negotiation of the early teenage years suggests how promoting EEfS might occur more productively in secondary schools.

How to Say "No" : A Comparative Study of Refusals between Japanese and New Zealand Students

How to Say "No" : A Comparative Study of Refusals between Japanese and New Zealand Students

Excavating cultural imperialism in student mobility programmes

ABSTRACT The New Colombo Plan and similar student mobility initiatives in Aotearoa/New Zealand have been pitched as reversing the culturally imperialist focus of the original Colombo Plan (CP) because they involve sending Australian and Aotearoa/New Zealand students to the Indo-Pacific region instead of funding Asian students to study overseas. However, changes in this direction of student mobility mask ongoing geopolitical inequities. In order to interrogate these subtle power relations, this article adopts a Foucauldian genealogical approach. It briefly outlines the competing goals of the original CP before undertaking an analysis of the discourses evident in the Australian government’s New Colombo Plan and in the Education New Zealand’s Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Asia. This discourse analysis illustrates the extent to which the new student mobility programmes established in Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand involve consuming the ‘Indo-Pacific’ and ‘Asian’ Other and often serves to reinforce rather than address global geopolitical inequities.

Critical reflections on emancipatory partnerships in transition research: discerning perspectives of New Zealand Students on the autism spectrum

Transition from school involves different perspectives. Those most silenced in the process are transitioning students with significant disability, and similarly, they are alienated from the conduct of research. In this empirical project, three young men with complex autism conditions in Aotearoa New Zealand reclaimed their position as experts on their own transitions, and moreover, their contributions to research on the subject. Over a six-month ethnography, unique methodological adaptions were used to access personal insights and capabilities through emancipatory partnerships. The research forged collaborations that have the potential to be mirrored in future practices applicable to a transition with dignity.

Modifying status effects in diverse student groups in New Zealand tertiary institutions: Elizabeth Cohen’s legacy for teacher education

New Zealand tertiary classrooms are a mix of New Zealand’s ethnically diverse domestic students and predominantly Asian international students. This multicultural diversity, while having potential to enhance educational experience, brings challenges for teachers in the use of cooperative learning. A major challenge is status inequality in diverse student groups. Elizabeth Cohen’s work on status is relevant to an understanding of status issues in New Zealand educational institutions as it gives educators the sociological framework and the practical tools to meet this challenge. This paper, based on a 12-year research study into cooperative learning resulting in a national teacher education programme run by the authors, examines Cohen’s ideas and their relevance to the New Zealand context. It identifies status activators and issues in New Zealand student groups and recommends actions and interventions to modify the activation of status effects. The aim is to give teachers tools to exploit the full range of expertise and experience in diverse tertiary student groups.

Preparation for Working in a Knowledge-Based Society: New Zealand Student Nurses’ Use of Social Media

The increasing use of social media is revolutionizing the way students learn, communicate and collaborate. Many of the skills used with social media are similar to those needed to work in a knowledge-based society. To better understand student nurses’ use of social media in relation to their learning, an anonymous survey was distributed to all undergraduate nursing students enrolled at one nursing school in New Zealand in 2015. A 75% response rate (n = 226) found that almost all (99%) students use social media outside their studies. However, in relation to their study, 61% use social networking sites (such as Facebook) on a daily basis and only four students (2%) do not use social media at all. Professional networking sites are used far less in relation to study, with 65% not using these networks at all. The most common digital option used to communicate and work with fellow students was online groups and document sharing sites, such as Google docs, were also popular. The study provides a useful baseline on social media use by student nurses. Implications from this study include opportunities for educators to incorporate social media into teaching and learning activities, including its safe and ethical use.

"Allowing them to flourish": Parents support the leadership, academic and administrative challenges of full-year acceleration of their children at high school

No accessFULL TEXTAustralasian Journal of Gifted EducationOther Journal Article01 December 2016"Allowing them to flourish": Parents support the leadership, academic and administrative challenges of full-year acceleration of their children at high school Authors: Janna Wardman Authors: Janna Wardman Lecturer, Faculty of Education, University of Auckland, email: [email protected] Google Scholar More articles by this author SectionsAboutView PDFExport CitationsAdd to FavouriteAdd to FavouriteCreate a New ListNameCancelCreate ToolsTrack CitationsCreate Clip ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedIn COPY LINK Abstract Although there is a plethora of research evidence in support of the benefits of acceleration, the voices of parents are seldom heard in the literature around outcomes from full-year acceleration. This retrospective study reports on the views of the parents (N=16) of a group of New Zealand students (N=12) who were accelerated a full year in their first year of high school. The students completed five years secondary schooling in four years, before all proceeding to university, with the majority being 16 years old at time of entry instead of 17 or 18. As the data are substantial, the results are reported in two articles: the first reported on social and emotional challenges faced by the students. This current article reports on the parents' perceptions of the leadership, academic and administrative challenges of full-year acceleration. Most of the accelerands were moderately, not profoundly gifted and all resided in a lower socio-economic area. The parents reflect on the strategy of full-year acceleration and how it affected the opportunities available to their children. This positive account reinforces the international literature on the long-term benefits of full-year acceleration. Full Text DOI Previous article Next article RelatedDetails View PUBLICATION DETAILSJournal:Australasian Journal of Gifted EducationISSN:1323-9686Page Range:22-33First Page:22Last Page:33Source:Australasian Journal of Gifted Education, Vol. 25, No. 2, Dec 2016: 22-33Date of Publication:December 2016Date Last Modified:05 September 2019 12:02Date Last Revised:07 December 2016Volume:25Issue:2SubjectEducational acceleration--EvaluationEducation--Parent participationAcademic achievementEducation--CurriculaTeacher-student relationshipsGifted children--Education METRICS Downloaded 3 times Copyright© Australian Association for the Education of the Gifted and Talented, 2016Download PDFLoading ...

New Zealand Students and ‘Cultures of Intoxication’

The drinking practices of New Zealanders have been the subject of much concern, culminating in a report by the New Zealand Law Commission in 2010 which presented evidence-based recommendations for implementing effective alcohol policies in New Zealand. Within debates about alcohol consumption and drinking practices, New Zealand University students have been identified as a group of young people who drink more heavily than their peers, as well as suffering from more alcohol related harms. The following discussion focuses on a group of eight university students, aged 18–19, some who were non- or light-drinkers, and their reflections on the cultures of intoxication that they negotiate, as well as their experiences of peer pressure. The aim of this article is to discuss the drinking and abstinence prac- tices of this group of New Zealand university students to explore how they interact with or resist contemporary cultures of intoxication in the particular context of university life. Eight qualitative, semi-structured interviews were thematically analysed and the themes: cultures of intoxication, peer pressure and inexperienced ‘drinking disasters’ are discussed. This paper critically ex- plores these key themes and discusses the New Zealand context in relation to the international literature about student drinking cultures (Hernandez, Leotini and Harley 2013; Romo 2012; Supski, Lindsay and Tanner 2016), including young people who are light or non-drinkers (Conroy and de Visser 2014; Nairn, Higgins, Thompson, Anderson and Fu 2007; Fry 2010; Herring, Bayley and Hurcombe 2014). The interviews identified an overarching New Zealand culture of intoxication, as well as more local cultures of intoxication, which students bring with them to a university setting.

The effect of political candidates’ occupational background on voters’ perceptions of and support for candidates

Our study investigates how political candidates’ occupational background and gender influence voters’ perceptions of candidates’ competence to handle a variety of policy issues and voters’ support for candidates. Using experimental data collected among American and New Zealand students (N = 794), our multivariate analyses indicate that students perceive candidates with political experience as most competent in handling security-related issues, candidates with a business background as most competent in handling economic issues, and candidates with a background in education as most competent in handling human services issues. This pattern is similar for male and female candidates and holds in both countries. The effect of candidates’ occupational background on the likelihood to vote for the candidate, however, differs between both countries. Whereas occupational background does not seem to matter for American students, New Zealand students are substantially less likely to vote for a candidate with a business background than for a candidate with political experience.

The Development and Validation of the Teachers’ Perception of Risk Scale (TPRS) in Educational Change

Perception of risk is an important construct to understand in educational change. While there exists a significant body of empirical research on perceptions of risk in other fields there is limited empirical research on the role of perceptions of risk in education (Le Fevre 2014; Reio and Lasky 2007). Teachers’ perceptions of risk are important to assess as risk is an inherent aspect of change and evidence suggests teachers may avoid engaging with change in an effort to reduce uncertainty and negative emotions associated with risk . This paper describes the development of a tool for measuring teacher perceptions of risk and teacher willingness when engaging in educational change. Data were collected from 684 primary, intermediate, and secondary high schools located in various parts of New Zealand (students’ age between 6 and 17 years). The results suggest that Teachers’ Perception of Risk Scale (TPRS) possessed sufficient construct validity for use among teachers from primary to high schools. The tool developed and described here has the potential to contribute to methodology for understanding and addressing perceptions of risk for teachers engaged with educational change for improvement in practice.

Vietnamese textual methodologies: a comparison of Australian with Swedish and New Zealand early childhood visual literacy contexts

ABSTRACTFor preservice teachers in early childhood education, having a rich exposure to multiple forms of literacy in diverse communities is an essential dimension of their teacher education. In this study, 10 Australian preservice early childhood education students, in the first year of their course, visit two early childhood settings in a large city in Vietnam to make deeper connections between literacy and practice contexts. They photographed literacy events and explored them to deepen their understandings of literacy. This paper examines photographs selected by these student teachers drawing on a framework used by Swedish and New Zealand (NZ) students, which focused on identifying a range of literacy concepts. We found that the Australian students focused on themes, meaning making and visual images for illustrating literacy comparison more frequently than their NZ and Swedish counterparts. Thus, the Mellgreen and Margrain framework has merit for teacher educators in expanding literacies in intercultural contexts.