bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Unlocking the Potential of School Libraries: What Actions are New Zealand Primary School Principals Taking to Integrate the School Library in Information Literacy Initiatives? Final Report
Authors:   , Ngan Elisabeth Mei-Xing 
Published: November 2021

<p>Information literacy is implicit in the national education curriculum’s key competencies for students, yet primary schools lack an explicit path to develop students’ information skills. The literature shows that school library programs can foster information literacy and improve student achievement, with the principal’s support identified as a significant factor. This study investigates the actions of New Zealand primary school principals to integrate the school library in information literacy initiatives. An online survey collected quantitative and qualitative data from a random sample of primary school principals, stratified by decile rating to reflect the school population in microcosm. Sixty-nine responses were collected and the low response rate meant it was not possible to generalise the results of the survey. Key findings of the research were that a majority of principals supported information literacy initiatives through advocacy; professional development; use of external support; student assessment; separate library budgets; and reasonable library opening hours. A minority maintained a separate information literacy policy; adequately resourced the library with trained staff; or promoted collaborative planning between teaching and library staff through flexible scheduling of class library time. Actions were not affected by decile rating but differences by school size and locale were identified, particularly for small and rural schools. Principals’ perceptions of information literacy did not appear to affect their actions. Suggestions for further research are made to expand upon the findings.</p>
'Different from Any Other': the Experience of a Lebanese Migrant in Wellington in the Mid-Twentieth Century
Authors:   , Fontein Marina Joseph 
Published: November 2021

<p>Aiming to cast insight on the Lebanese community in Wellington in the mid-twentieth century, a series of in-depth narrative history interviews explore aspects of the reflections of Lebanese migrant, Elias Arraj, who arrived in Wellington in 1953. A secondary data source comprising archived oral histories undertaken with members of the Dunedin Lebanese community in 1988 provides a background context, and additional insights on ‘being Lebanese’ in New Zealand. The research design comprises a constructionist epistemology, a critical theoretical orientation and a narrative inquiry methodology. The interpretation of both primary and secondary data sources employs a thematic analysis. The roles of the researcher and the participants in the construction of the data and the impact of underlying social and cultural factors on the narrators’ experiences are also explored. Considering the cultural inheritance and religious affiliations which were important to Elias the thesis focuses on: his experience of immigration and re-settlement; the way he interpreted and responded to the difficulties he faced as a new migrant; and available avenues of support. The narratives reveal how Elias drew on his distinct and enduring sense of cultural heritage to overcome the challenge of being an immigrant in New Zealand.</p>
Mental Health Outcomes of Immigrant and Non-Immigrant Youth in New Zealand: Exploring the Immigrant Paradox
Authors:   , Spijkers Floor Elisabeth 
Published: November 2021

<p>The Immigrant Paradox can be defined as the counterintuitive finding that immigrants show better adaptation outcomes than their non-immigrant peers despite their often poorer socio-economic conditions (Sam, Vedder, Ward, & Horenczyk, 2006). However, the advantage observed in first-generation immigrants is often diminished, if not lost, by the second generation. The current study explored the Immigrant Paradox by looking at well-being and depressive symptoms in a total of 7053 European, Asian, Pacific, and ‘Other’ secondary school youth in New Zealand. The mental health outcomes of first-generation, second-generation and non-immigrant youth were compared with a set of one-way ANOVAs. In addition, hierarchical regressions were performed to identify the role of acculturation, perceived discrimination and ethnicity in the relation between immigrant generation and the mental health outcomes. The findings indicated support for the Immigrant Paradox in only one instance, specifically in the well-being of first- and second-generation Pacific youth in comparison to their non-immigrant peers. Although results varied across ethnic groups, overall results indicated that non-immigrant youth had better mental health outcomes than immigrant youth and that second-generation adolescents had better outcomes than their first-generation peers. In addition, although acculturation and perceived discrimination were both significant predictors of mental health, these factors did not eliminate generational differences in either depressive symptoms or well-being. In the end, the Immigrant Paradox seems to exist only in some countries, among some groups, and in terms of some outcome variables. Furthermore, ethnicity was shown to be a critical factor in understanding immigrants’ mental health.</p>
50 Years of Construction Camps and Single Purpose Towns in the South
Authors:   , Kinsella Fleur 
Published: November 2021

<p>This thesis aims to ascertain lessons which can be learnt from the provision of accommodation at a progression of hydro projects in the south of New Zealand. Seven case studies have been distilled from a wide range (and number) of existing documents and literature and collated in a manner unavailable in current literature in order to allow the researcher to compare and contrast them with a historical-interpretive methodology. The analyses culminate in conclusions regarding site conditions, accommodation and layout designs and sense of community and the effect that these have had on past hydro project accommodations. This is done in order to provide a platform for further research into the development of guidelines for future large construction camps and single purpose towns within New Zealand, now that the designer and provider of the camps and towns which form the case studies in this thesis (the MoWD) has been abolished.</p>
Creative Spaces in Suburban Places: Creative Place Making within the Suburban Context
Authors:   , Eshow Iliea 
Published: November 2021

<p>In the 1970s, urban regeneration processes that took place in many industrialised inner-city cores initiated a new economic and cultural vitality that made a departure from an industrial past, on towards a post-industrial future. Today, these postindus- trial cities are home to the 'creative industries', in which through their development, economic and social benefits have become increasingly visible. Hence, urban planners and policy makers worldwide are working to create strategies to ensure certain places become or remain 'creative places.' Richard Florida’s work has become particularly influential within the creative development discourse, as has Charles Landry’s. But as the first wave of creative development planning and policy implementation wanes, important questions are emerging. It is by now clear that most creative development approaches in the attempt to create an 'ideal creative place', have only yet focused on the inner-city core. In this research, the focus is shifted away from the inner-city to where most people of the developed world live: the suburbs. The thesis therefore, asks how a suburb can better provide for its suburban creative class, support creative processes and regenerate into a creative place. This is explored by the formulation of a creative development strategy for Johnsonville; a suburb within Wellington City of New Zealand. The research’s findings suggest that within any suburban creative development agenda, there should be: - An underlying urban development plan that sets out measures in strengthening the suburb’s Diversity, Connectivity and Authenticity; - An explicit attempt in supporting creative enterprises and their functioning, such as proposing ‘Creative Cluster’ formations and associated ‘Incubation’ facilities; - An overall consciousness for the suburban community’s social cohesion and wellbeing. The usefulness of this research and its findings lies within the practise of urban planning, design, and policy implementation, offering a theoretical basis and template for the evaluation and development of suburb’s urban creativity.</p>
Exploring Comparative Advantage in the Context of Climate Change with Māori Organizations
Authors:   , Beall Elizabeth Ashley 
Published: November 2021

<p>Purpose –The purpose of this research is to investigate perceptions of comparative advantage in the context of climate change with Māori organizations in New Zealand. This study seeks insights, from an alternate paradigm into how concepts within strategy, such as values and identity, can help to achieve comparative advantage in an increasingly carbon constrained world. Design/methodology/approach – Peter Checkland’s Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) has been employed as a framework for exploring Māori perceptions of achieving comparative advantage in the context of climate change in order to identify areas of transformation and define actions. A total of 10 organizations active in land-based sectors in New Zealand participated in this research study. Findings – The key area of action, or transformation, identified through the research process was for Māori organizations, and New Zealand more broadly, to be aware of the potential comparative advantage that Māori organizations have in the context of climate change. Research limitations/implications – While Soft Systems Methodology and Kaupapa Māori principles were applied to this research, a full participatory action research approach was not possible due to time and resource constraints. The participatory nature of the research could be expanded by narrowing the scope to one organization in order to see the methodology through to implementing actions. Originality/value – This research highlights the importance of perceptions in achieving action on climate change, by understanding where organizations may have a particular comparative advantage given their unique values and identity. It has value within the New Zealand economy, and potentially for businesses struggling with how to incorporate climate change into their business strategy globally.</p>
Autonomy, Choice and Treatment: Using Bourdieu's Theory of Practice to Explore Breast Cancer Patients' Preconceptions and Experiences of Public and Private Health Systems in New Zealand
Authors:   , Dobson Kimberly Lyle 
Published: November 2021

<p>This thesis analyses 11 breast cancer patients’ preconceptions and experiences of public and private health sectors in New Zealand. Previous studies exploring breast cancer have analysed a range of issues including race, socio-economic and age inequalities, issues occuring between the public and private sectors, and the communication strategies patients preferred with health providers. In contrast, this thesis uses concepts from Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of practice to explore breast cancer patients’ accounts of the public and private sectors and how these accounts are shaped. For many of the women interviewed, cultural and social capital played an important role in the negotiation of the health system, whether public or private. This is because both sectors, at times, provided little information about the disease, treatment, side effects, and entitlements. In these circumstances, social and cultural capital were valuable resources providing alternative health assistance. Participants’ preconceptions when relating their choice of public or private health systems showed clear positive associations with the private health sector. When discussing their experiences, the women that used the public sector showed a positive turnaround in their opinions related to the public sector. In comparison, the women that used the private sector maintained their views regardless of some negative issues being experienced. Despite their personal experiences, both public and private participants maintained positive associations with the private sector. The reliance many of the participants had on social and cultural capital in both the public and private health sectors raises questions regarding processes related to patient information, access to services, and about whether case management of cancer services might be appropriate. The contrasts between participants’ preconceptions of the public sector in comparison to experiences highlights the need for a public campaign celebrating the successes of public cancer services.</p>
The Cloak of Before, the Wrench / of Beyond: Spirituality, Identity and Landscape in Pakeha Literary Fiction, 1975-2009
Authors:   , Eyre Lisa 
Published: November 2021

<p>This thesis takes a novel approach to Pakeha spiritual identities. Drawing on representations of landscape and spirituality in eighty-seven works of Pakeha literary fiction published between 1975 and 2009, it identifies complex and contested spiritualities of landscape as manifestations of the problems of Pakeha belonging. Key themes of belonging and desecration give voice to identity concerns that are submerged in popular avowals of a shared “love of the land”. This thesis identifies Pakeha writers as an important voice for the articulation and construction of Pakeha spiritual identities. It illuminates the spiritual possibilities that are obscured by narrow conceptions of religion, spirituality and secularity, which allows a new exploration of the dynamic and developing nature of our landscapes, spiritualities and identities.</p>
Problem Decomposition and Adaptation in Cooperative Neuro-Evolution
Authors:   , Chandra Rohitash 
Published: November 2021

<p>One way to train neural networks is to use evolutionary algorithms such as cooperative coevolution - a method that decomposes the network's learnable parameters into subsets, called subcomponents. Cooperative coevolution gains advantage over other methods by evolving particular subcomponents independently from the rest of the network. Its success depends strongly on how the problem decomposition is carried out. This thesis suggests new forms of problem decomposition, based on a novel and intuitive choice of modularity, and examines in detail at what stage and to what extent the different decomposition methods should be used. The new methods are evaluated by training feedforward networks to solve pattern classification tasks, and by training recurrent networks to solve grammatical inference problems. Efficient problem decomposition methods group interacting variables into the same subcomponents. We examine the methods from the literature and provide an analysis of the nature of the neural network optimization problem in terms of interacting variables. We then present a novel problem decomposition method that groups interacting variables and that can be generalized to neural networks with more than a single hidden layer. We then incorporate local search into cooperative neuro-evolution. We present a memetic cooperative coevolution method that takes into account the cost of employing local search across several sub-populations. The optimisation process changes during evolution in terms of diversity and interacting variables. To address this, we examine the adaptation of the problem decomposition method during the evolutionary process. The results in this thesis show that the proposed methods improve performance in terms of optimization time, scalability and robustness. As a further test, we apply the problem decomposition and adaptive cooperative coevolution methods for training recurrent neural networks on chaotic time series problems. The proposed methods show better performance in terms of accuracy and robustness.</p>
The Craft of Conversion: Enhancing New Zealand's Industrial Heritage through Adaptive Reuse
Authors:   , Krejcisz Claire Alana 
Published: November 2021

<p>The aim of this research is to explore an adaptive reuse approach as a way to enhance industrial buildings in New Zealand. As in other parts of the world, New Zealand has accumulated industrial buildings which are now in disrepair. Many of these buildings appear to be undervalued by their local communities and are often demolished with little consideration given to other options. There are missed opportunities here to create composite architectures which make use of these somewhat curious buildings. This thesis initially investigates the significance that these buildings may hold for society and suggests reasons why they ought to be reused. The research then questions how an adaptive reuse approach could be used to enhance industrial structures. By combining the research into the importance of older buildings, particularly industrial buildings, with international case study analysis, a set of design approaches are developed. These approaches offer concepts and techniques for the conversion of industrial buildings which pertain to physical factors such as proportion and form. The design process is informed by these approaches, where they are expanded and tested for their relevance in a New Zealand context. The site for this design exploration is the Lower Hutt Railway Workshops which were selected to reveal the challenges involved in a large-scale project and because they embody the typical issues of industrial disregard. The intended function is a film complex which has specific requirements necessary to probe change in the buildings. However, this design example does not suggest that one-approach-fits-all. Rather, these approaches are developed to provoke thought in designers embarking on industrial conversions. Due to a widespread lack of appreciation of industrial buildings, there is typically more creative freedom in the way they are adapted, compared with non-industrial buildings. This suggests that more innovative conversion methods can be used. The approaches developed in this thesis advocate for an amalgamated adaptation which has a well considered relationship to the existing building and site. Overall this research reveals that there are a number of significant factors to consider when converting industrial architectures. When these factors are included in the design process, the experience of aged materials and the heritage-value encompassed in these buildings can be further enhanced.</p>
Strengthening Local Centres: Addressing Residential Proximity, Retail Convenience and Urban Amenity within Neighbourhood Centres
Authors:   , Brouard Erica 
Published: November 2021

<p>This research develops a set of design criteria to direct the enhancement of residential proximity, retail convenience and urban amenity within neighbourhood centres. Neighbourhood centres are an important part of a city's infrastructure. They can provide service amenities for local residents, foster social interaction, create economic platforms for smaller businesses, provide nearby places of work and contribute to the local identity of their surrounding neighbourhoods. Neighbourhood centres create layers of intensity within our suburban fabric. Traditionally, neighbourhood centres served their local market catchment. Today, by contrast, there are many retail alternatives easily accessible to our mobile society. In New Zealand, these centres are often located in low density suburbs; if they are to maintain a level of patronage, they must compete to hold their local customers. In this study, three aspects of the retail experience – proximity, convenience and urban amenity – were identified as fundamental considerations in the selection of a retail environment. A literature survey was carried out to create an initial set of design criteria which outline the key priorities for these three research themes. Comparative analysis of three neighbourhood centres in Christchurch, and detailed analysis of one of these centres, informed a number of subsequent refinements to these criteria, making them more specific to the residential, retail convenience and urban characteristics of these centres. The Christchurch centre of Woolston was chosen as the site for a design case study, where the amended set of criteria directed the design of both a master plan and an individual building. Finally, the design outcomes were used to formulate a number of strategies which can be used to retrofit other centres, responding to their existing built fabric and suburban structure. These strategies include parking lanes, central orientation spaces, anchor structures, secondary streets and retail zones. These strategies ensure that neighbourhood centres can provide both residential proximity and retail convenience in such a way that enhances their urban amenity. Ultimately, this research provides strategies to develop neighbourhood centres as distinct, convenient and enjoyable places to work, live and visit.</p>
Quality of Life among Dialysis Patients in United Arab Emirates
Authors:   , Ayoub Abdelbasit Mohamad Abdelhadi 
Published: November 2021

<p>Background: Quality of Life (QOL) has emerged as an important parameter for evaluating the quality of health care for patients with renal failure. The QOL of dialysis patients in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has not previously been studied. This research examined the cultural relevancy of two QOL tools and compared the QOL between dialysis patients and a sample from the community in UAE. Method: A descriptive comparative survey design was used to study the QOL of 161 dialysis patients and 350 participants from the community. Dialysis patients completed the SF-36 and the QOL Index dialysis version tool. Participants from the community completed the SF-36 and QOL Index generic version tool. Both samples also completed three open-ended questions about the cultural relevancy of the tools. Analysis using descriptive and inferential statistics was done within and between groups to establish similarities and differences in QOL scores. Open-ended questions were analysed thematically. Results: The overall QOL for dialysis patients was rated lower when self-assessed using the SF-36 compared with the community sample (58.92 vs. 75.02, p = <0.0001). Furthermore, the overall QOL for dialysis patients was rated almost the same when self-assessed using the QOL Index compared with the community sample (77.2 vs. 78.6, p = 0.421). Moreover, the total scores of both tools were higher in the community sample (75.02 vs. 78.6). The comparison between the statistically significant variables for both samples revealed contradictory results with the two tools. The majority of participants considered both tools culturally relevant in general. There were more questions that were not answered by participants in the QOL Index by both samples compared with the SF-36. Conclusion: In the UAE the SF 36 and the QOL Index capture different aspects of quality of life. Clinicians and researchers need to be aware of these differences when using these tools. An effective way of establishing the cultural relevancy of QOL tools involves comparing the QOL of a group with a health condition with a sample from the community, asking the participants about their views of the cultural relevancy of the tools, examining missing data, and asking participants open-ended questions about what they value in life.</p>