title: Barry Barclay: the Reflection of Maori and Pakeha Identities

authors: Hilal, Emad Jabbar

subjects: emad

abstract: This Media and Screen Studies thesis tries to investigate the identifications of Barry Barclay (1944-2008) - a New Zealand filmmaker, thinker and poet, of Māori and Pākeha ethnic background - who identified as Māori in the second part of his career, in the mid 1970s. The thesis relies on Barclay's writing and other historical and theoretical material in the reading of his own films. The thesis arrives at an argument that even when Barclay chose to identify more with the Māori side of his identity, the Pākeha side took part also in the shaping of his film practices. Studying Barry Barclay along this line of argument has several benefits for Screen Studies. It, on the one hand, covers what is left unstudied by the scholarship concerning his representation of the Māori world such as the way he commented on Māori cultural and social concerns and acheivements in his films. The thesis studies Barclay's films from the time he started his identification with his Māori  side in Tangaata Whenua (1974), Te Urewera (1987), Ngati (1987),Te Rua (1991) and takes The Kaipara Affair (2005) as a case study and a carrier of change in film practices and development in outlook.The other important contribution is the way he represented Pākeha, and how he developed his representation of them in time. This representation which is unstudied at all, is important to Screen Studies becuase it contributes to Barclay's theory of Fourth Cinema. This thesis shows how representing Pakeha, especially in Barclay's last film problemematizes his theory of Fourth Cinema, but ultimately, deals with applies it creatively. The representation of Pākeha gives insight into Barclay's interest in the Māori world, which is not a dogma or a merely ethnic affiliation as much as an attraction to a world-view that can solve major universal issues such as environmental problems. Above all, the way how Barclay worked out this representation in his films sheds light on one of the important examples of how film can take part in healing social damages such as the history of colonizing and marginalization of Māori people.

text: Barry Barclay: the Reflection of Maori and Pakeha Identities This Media and Screen Studies thesis tries to investigate the identifications of Barry Barclay (1944-2008) - a New Zealand filmmaker, thinker and poet, of Māori and Pākeha ethnic background - who identified as Māori in the second part of his career, in the mid 1970s. The thesis relies on Barclay's writing and other historical and theoretical material in the reading of his own films. The thesis arrives at an argument that even when Barclay chose to identify more with the Māori side of his identity, the Pākeha side took part also in the shaping of his film practices. Studying Barry Barclay along this line of argument has several benefits for Screen Studies. It, on the one hand, covers what is left unstudied by the scholarship concerning his representation of the Māori world such as the way he commented on Māori cultural and social concerns and acheivements in his films. The thesis studies Barclay's films from the time he started his identification with his Māori  side in Tangaata Whenua (1974), Te Urewera (1987), Ngati (1987),Te Rua (1991) and takes The Kaipara Affair (2005) as a case study and a carrier of change in film practices and development in outlook.The other important contribution is the way he represented Pākeha, and how he developed his representation of them in time. This representation which is unstudied at all, is important to Screen Studies becuase it contributes to Barclay's theory of Fourth Cinema. This thesis shows how representing Pakeha, especially in Barclay's last film problemematizes his theory of Fourth Cinema, but ultimately, deals with applies it creatively. The representation of Pākeha gives insight into Barclay's interest in the Māori world, which is not a dogma or a merely ethnic affiliation as much as an attraction to a world-view that can solve major universal issues such as environmental problems. Above all, the way how Barclay worked out this representation in his films sheds light on one of the important examples of how film can take part in healing social damages such as the history of colonizing and marginalization of Māori people.

year: 2017

title: How Pākehā in not-for-profit organisations implement Te Tiriti o Waitangi

authors: Newcombe, Nicolina Isabel

subjects: Decolonisation

abstract: The aims of this research are to understand what is happening in not-for-profit organisations in relation to our obligation to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and to describe some strategies Pākehā can use to implement Te Tiriti o Waitangi in our work in the not-for-profit sector.  

The history of, and current circumstances affecting, the not-for-profit sector have formed a disabling context, diverting energy away from deepening relationships with local hapū (subtribe). Compounding this situation, the core texts about Te Tiriti and not-for-profit organisations are inconsistent and mainly focus on the first steps of the journey: Treaty education and self assessment.  

After writing about my own experiences with Te Tiriti and working in the not-for-profit sector and comparing my stories with the stories of other Pākehā, I recorded and transcribed conversations with six anonymous Pākehā not-for-profit workers and analysed our commonalities. All participants and their organisations wanted to enact best practice, although 
this aspiration was challenged by many factors, including: a spectrum of understandings about Te Tiriti which often led to piecemeal attempts at power sharing; concerns about the effectiveness of self-assessment by Pākehā about our own Treaty work because of inevitable and inbuilt biases; experience of minimisation or exclusion for speaking up about Te Tiriti at work; box ticking Treaty policies; Māori employees being treated differently to other staff; and confusion between cultural expression and genuine power sharing.  

Protective factors that came through in interviews included: cultural practices that were woven through organisations in a way that was beneficial and welcoming to Māori; relationships with kaumātua (elders); appropriate and emotionally engaging Treaty education; Māori governance members, Māori led research in the community, and Māori involvement in all projects; te reo (Māori language) being a commonly used language in the work place; acknowledgment of our own privilege as Pākehā; and engagement in continuous dialogue about racism. 

Reflections on these issues led to recommendations for how to move forward with implementing Te Tiriti in not-for-profit organisations. These recommendations hinge on a set of actions underpinned by a set of values. Three change management strategies are also described to assist organisations with this transformation. 

This research is intended to be a building block towards empowering Pākehā allies to identify practices, policies, and power structures that could be developed to transform our organisations, and embody our obligations to Te Tiriti, leading to more effective outcomes for all New Zealanders.

text: How Pākehā in not-for-profit organisations implement Te Tiriti o Waitangi The aims of this research are to understand what is happening in not-for-profit organisations in relation to our obligation to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and to describe some strategies Pākehā can use to implement Te Tiriti o Waitangi in our work in the not-for-profit sector.  

The history of, and current circumstances affecting, the not-for-profit sector have formed a disabling context, diverting energy away from deepening relationships with local hapū (subtribe). Compounding this situation, the core texts about Te Tiriti and not-for-profit organisations are inconsistent and mainly focus on the first steps of the journey: Treaty education and self assessment.  

After writing about my own experiences with Te Tiriti and working in the not-for-profit sector and comparing my stories with the stories of other Pākehā, I recorded and transcribed conversations with six anonymous Pākehā not-for-profit workers and analysed our commonalities. All participants and their organisations wanted to enact best practice, although 
this aspiration was challenged by many factors, including: a spectrum of understandings about Te Tiriti which often led to piecemeal attempts at power sharing; concerns about the effectiveness of self-assessment by Pākehā about our own Treaty work because of inevitable and inbuilt biases; experience of minimisation or exclusion for speaking up about Te Tiriti at work; box ticking Treaty policies; Māori employees being treated differently to other staff; and confusion between cultural expression and genuine power sharing.  

Protective factors that came through in interviews included: cultural practices that were woven through organisations in a way that was beneficial and welcoming to Māori; relationships with kaumātua (elders); appropriate and emotionally engaging Treaty education; Māori governance members, Māori led research in the community, and Māori involvement in all projects; te reo (Māori language) being a commonly used language in the work place; acknowledgment of our own privilege as Pākehā; and engagement in continuous dialogue about racism. 

Reflections on these issues led to recommendations for how to move forward with implementing Te Tiriti in not-for-profit organisations. These recommendations hinge on a set of actions underpinned by a set of values. Three change management strategies are also described to assist organisations with this transformation. 

This research is intended to be a building block towards empowering Pākehā allies to identify practices, policies, and power structures that could be developed to transform our organisations, and embody our obligations to Te Tiriti, leading to more effective outcomes for all New Zealanders.

year: 2019

title: Student agency in collaborative writing: A sociocognitive perspective

authors: Pu, Yue-en Anita

subjects: collaborative writing

abstract: There is a vast amount of literature on collaborative writing in second language teaching and learning, much of it inspired by Storch (2002 - 2015). Although the topic of collaborative writing has been researched extensively, few studies have addressed the individual learners from an agentic perspective (Bitchener & Storch, 2016; Li & Zhu, 2017a; Yu & Lee, 2016). None to the best of my knowledge investigated learners’ student agency using Bandura’s (1989, 2001, 2006) four human agentic characteristics. Moreover, while some researchers (Blin & Appel, 2011; Yu & Lee, 2015) have attempted to explain the complexity of collaborative writing using Engeström’s (1987, 1999) activity theory framework, few examined the role learners’ human agency plays in their group activity of collaborative writing. Therefore, the present study attempts to investigate adult English language learners’ practices and perceptions of collaborative writing from an agentic perspective. Finally, while much collaborative writing research has been informed by sociocultural theory, the present study has adopted a sociocognitive approach (Atkinson, 2002, 2010, 2014) taking a learner’s mind, body and world as an inseparable, but adaptive unit.

Research has shown that collaborative writing can offer a number of benefits that are not found in other approaches to teaching writing. These benefits are made possible because interactions with other learners during the process of writing can provide additional learning opportunities through peer discussions, peer feedforward and peer feedback. In this way, learners are mutually able to scaffold one another’s learning and writing development. 

Past studies have also revealed the interactions of learners in a group can play a crucial role in the effectiveness of peer scaffolding. While the majority of studies have investigated the issue by applying Storch’s (2002) dyadic interaction model based on the concepts of equality and mutuality, few have examined triadic interactions in such depth. The present study aims to better understand how learners interact in triads when completing collaborative writing tasks. 

Moreover, learners have generally been analysed as a collective unit for the understanding of patterns of interactions. While this may help with identifying why certain pairs/groups are more successful than others, it does not explain why learners behave differently. Therefore, this study attempts to contribute to this area by explaining collaborative writing from an agentic perspective and how the individual learners can be an active change agent in their own learning activity. 

Collaborative writing tasks are often implemented either in a conventional classroom or on an online platform, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. However, the two platforms are rarely blended in the same study where learners are required to interact on both platforms to jointly complete one or more pieces of writing.  The design of the present study has adopted a blended learning platform for the implementation of its collaborative writing tasks. 

Finally, as a teacher, researching this topic in my own classroom has not only helped me to achieve a better understanding my own beliefs and practices regarding the teaching of writing to adult English language learners, but it has also helped me to generate a personal theory of learning which may be applied in wider contexts. 

The present study was an action research project conducted from May to October 2016 in the context of a university language centre in New Zealand. It adopted an interpretive approach, believing each individual learner will develop a unique experience, perception and interpretation of learning through a blended collaborative approach to writing. The study examined 21 adult English language learners in their 20s from five different countries. Data were collected through a combination of pre- and post-course essays, pre- and post-course narrative frames, written drafts of group assignments, audio recordings of class discussions, text-based online communication and focus group sessions. All data were subjected to a process of grounded analysis. 
This multi-method approach has provided a detailed picture of both the participants’ perceptions and practices. Firstly, this was achieved by assessing participants’ pre- and post-course essays for the effectiveness of the blended collaborative approach. Secondly, participants’ interactions within their triads were transcribed and analysed for evidence of language learning and their developing relationships with their group members. Thirdly, participants’ reported perceptions and experiences of triadic collaborative writing were analysed and triangulated with their observable practices. 

In brief, findings revealed that the effectiveness of the triadic collaborative approach to writing in a blended learning environment appeared to be largely associated with a triad’s patterns of interactions. In addition, differences in learners’ collaborative behaviour which contributed to their patterns of interactions in triads were connected with the extent to which the learners practised their agentic potential by adapting and aligning their actions in and on reflections with their intentionality and forethought, which are the four human agentic characteristics examined in the present study. Finally, action research was a powerful tool for the teacher-researcher’s own professional development at both a pedagogical and theoretical level.

text: Student agency in collaborative writing: A sociocognitive perspective There is a vast amount of literature on collaborative writing in second language teaching and learning, much of it inspired by Storch (2002 - 2015). Although the topic of collaborative writing has been researched extensively, few studies have addressed the individual learners from an agentic perspective (Bitchener & Storch, 2016; Li & Zhu, 2017a; Yu & Lee, 2016). None to the best of my knowledge investigated learners’ student agency using Bandura’s (1989, 2001, 2006) four human agentic characteristics. Moreover, while some researchers (Blin & Appel, 2011; Yu & Lee, 2015) have attempted to explain the complexity of collaborative writing using Engeström’s (1987, 1999) activity theory framework, few examined the role learners’ human agency plays in their group activity of collaborative writing. Therefore, the present study attempts to investigate adult English language learners’ practices and perceptions of collaborative writing from an agentic perspective. Finally, while much collaborative writing research has been informed by sociocultural theory, the present study has adopted a sociocognitive approach (Atkinson, 2002, 2010, 2014) taking a learner’s mind, body and world as an inseparable, but adaptive unit.

Research has shown that collaborative writing can offer a number of benefits that are not found in other approaches to teaching writing. These benefits are made possible because interactions with other learners during the process of writing can provide additional learning opportunities through peer discussions, peer feedforward and peer feedback. In this way, learners are mutually able to scaffold one another’s learning and writing development. 

Past studies have also revealed the interactions of learners in a group can play a crucial role in the effectiveness of peer scaffolding. While the majority of studies have investigated the issue by applying Storch’s (2002) dyadic interaction model based on the concepts of equality and mutuality, few have examined triadic interactions in such depth. The present study aims to better understand how learners interact in triads when completing collaborative writing tasks. 

Moreover, learners have generally been analysed as a collective unit for the understanding of patterns of interactions. While this may help with identifying why certain pairs/groups are more successful than others, it does not explain why learners behave differently. Therefore, this study attempts to contribute to this area by explaining collaborative writing from an agentic perspective and how the individual learners can be an active change agent in their own learning activity. 

Collaborative writing tasks are often implemented either in a conventional classroom or on an online platform, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. However, the two platforms are rarely blended in the same study where learners are required to interact on both platforms to jointly complete one or more pieces of writing.  The design of the present study has adopted a blended learning platform for the implementation of its collaborative writing tasks. 

Finally, as a teacher, researching this topic in my own classroom has not only helped me to achieve a better understanding my own beliefs and practices regarding the teaching of writing to adult English language learners, but it has also helped me to generate a personal theory of learning which may be applied in wider contexts. 

The present study was an action research project conducted from May to October 2016 in the context of a university language centre in New Zealand. It adopted an interpretive approach, believing each individual learner will develop a unique experience, perception and interpretation of learning through a blended collaborative approach to writing. The study examined 21 adult English language learners in their 20s from five different countries. Data were collected through a combination of pre- and post-course essays, pre- and post-course narrative frames, written drafts of group assignments, audio recordings of class discussions, text-based online communication and focus group sessions. All data were subjected to a process of grounded analysis. 
This multi-method approach has provided a detailed picture of both the participants’ perceptions and practices. Firstly, this was achieved by assessing participants’ pre- and post-course essays for the effectiveness of the blended collaborative approach. Secondly, participants’ interactions within their triads were transcribed and analysed for evidence of language learning and their developing relationships with their group members. Thirdly, participants’ reported perceptions and experiences of triadic collaborative writing were analysed and triangulated with their observable practices. 

In brief, findings revealed that the effectiveness of the triadic collaborative approach to writing in a blended learning environment appeared to be largely associated with a triad’s patterns of interactions. In addition, differences in learners’ collaborative behaviour which contributed to their patterns of interactions in triads were connected with the extent to which the learners practised their agentic potential by adapting and aligning their actions in and on reflections with their intentionality and forethought, which are the four human agentic characteristics examined in the present study. Finally, action research was a powerful tool for the teacher-researcher’s own professional development at both a pedagogical and theoretical level.

year: 2020