title: Transition to professional social work practice: The first three years

authors: Hunt, Sonya

subjects: Newly Qualified Social Worker

abstract: This article presents the findings of a longitudinal research project that followed the employ-ment outcomes of one cohort of Bachelor of Social Work graduates for three years. Prior to graduation, students receive professional preparation that develops their ability to critically engage with theory and practice. Following graduation, newly qualified social workers require quality induction, supervision and other workload management strategies to support the transition to social work practice. The development of this study was fuelled by political criticism of social work education. Additionally, there was a desire to track the employment outcomes of the graduates and understand what supported their transition to competent professional practice. The findings fit within a five-year longitudinal research project that follows three separate graduate cohorts each for three years to seek and compare participants’ experiences for their first three years post-qualification. An anonymous, semi-structured, on-line survey was used to provide both quantitative and qualitative data. By the second year of practice, these respond-ents were taking on the workload of an experienced social work practitioner with widely varied levels of support. By the end of their third year in practice, they reported that they had found little opportunity to apply their critical analytical academic skills to consider the wider social system in practice. Further, the graduates’ confidence in their cultural competencies also gradually decreased over the three-year period.

text: Transition to professional social work practice: The first three years This article presents the findings of a longitudinal research project that followed the employ-ment outcomes of one cohort of Bachelor of Social Work graduates for three years. Prior to graduation, students receive professional preparation that develops their ability to critically engage with theory and practice. Following graduation, newly qualified social workers require quality induction, supervision and other workload management strategies to support the transition to social work practice. The development of this study was fuelled by political criticism of social work education. Additionally, there was a desire to track the employment outcomes of the graduates and understand what supported their transition to competent professional practice. The findings fit within a five-year longitudinal research project that follows three separate graduate cohorts each for three years to seek and compare participants’ experiences for their first three years post-qualification. An anonymous, semi-structured, on-line survey was used to provide both quantitative and qualitative data. By the second year of practice, these respond-ents were taking on the workload of an experienced social work practitioner with widely varied levels of support. By the end of their third year in practice, they reported that they had found little opportunity to apply their critical analytical academic skills to consider the wider social system in practice. Further, the graduates’ confidence in their cultural competencies also gradually decreased over the three-year period.

year: 2017

title: Vitamin D and innate immunity in pneumonia and COPD

authors: Simpson, Talia Mary

subjects: Vitamin D

abstract: A resurgence of interest in vitamin D research has led to the discovery that it plays a role in an unexpectedly large number of biological processes, and that reduced levels of this hormone are implicated in a range of diseases. In fact, it is estimated that vitamin D is involved in the regulation of 3% of the human genome. Two genes containing the target sequence indicative of vitamin D regulation are those encoding LL-37 and hBD-2. These antimicrobial peptides are integral components of the innate immune system and act as natural antibiotics to help combat infection.
The respiratory epithelium exposes a large surface area to environmental pathogens, making the innate immune response extremely important in its defence. Microbial infection of the respiratory tract is the cause of pneumonia, and is implicated in cases of COPD exacerbation. This study aimed to determine whether a relationship existed between vitamin D, LL-37 and hBD-2 in 185 patients admitted to Waikato hospital with either condition. It was hypothesised that low vitamin D would correlate with reduced peptide levels, and that this would be associated with increased infection severity and higher mortality rates.
Peptide concentrations in patient plasma were measured by indirect ELISA and compared to 25D levels. Statistical analysis revealed no significant associations between vitamin D status, peptide levels and severity, but did show increased mortality in individuals with severe vitamin D deficiency or low LL-37.
Based on the significance of LL-37 as a predictor of mortality (particularly in COPD), development of a plasma screening method using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry was attempted, as a potential means of identifying patients most at risk. The success of this method was limited however, as the low abundance and small size of the mature peptide caused detection problems.
A protocol for assessing the vitamin D binding protein (DBP) genotype was developed, as it influences baseline 25D levels and response to supplementation. The association between low vitamin D and mortality suggests that supplementation could improve survival rates and, as the supplement dose required for effectiveness is genotype-dependent, this method could allow determination of the appropriate amount to administer to at-risk individuals.

text: Vitamin D and innate immunity in pneumonia and COPD A resurgence of interest in vitamin D research has led to the discovery that it plays a role in an unexpectedly large number of biological processes, and that reduced levels of this hormone are implicated in a range of diseases. In fact, it is estimated that vitamin D is involved in the regulation of 3% of the human genome. Two genes containing the target sequence indicative of vitamin D regulation are those encoding LL-37 and hBD-2. These antimicrobial peptides are integral components of the innate immune system and act as natural antibiotics to help combat infection.
The respiratory epithelium exposes a large surface area to environmental pathogens, making the innate immune response extremely important in its defence. Microbial infection of the respiratory tract is the cause of pneumonia, and is implicated in cases of COPD exacerbation. This study aimed to determine whether a relationship existed between vitamin D, LL-37 and hBD-2 in 185 patients admitted to Waikato hospital with either condition. It was hypothesised that low vitamin D would correlate with reduced peptide levels, and that this would be associated with increased infection severity and higher mortality rates.
Peptide concentrations in patient plasma were measured by indirect ELISA and compared to 25D levels. Statistical analysis revealed no significant associations between vitamin D status, peptide levels and severity, but did show increased mortality in individuals with severe vitamin D deficiency or low LL-37.
Based on the significance of LL-37 as a predictor of mortality (particularly in COPD), development of a plasma screening method using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry was attempted, as a potential means of identifying patients most at risk. The success of this method was limited however, as the low abundance and small size of the mature peptide caused detection problems.
A protocol for assessing the vitamin D binding protein (DBP) genotype was developed, as it influences baseline 25D levels and response to supplementation. The association between low vitamin D and mortality suggests that supplementation could improve survival rates and, as the supplement dose required for effectiveness is genotype-dependent, this method could allow determination of the appropriate amount to administer to at-risk individuals.

year: 2010

title: Relational Responsive Pedagogy, Teachers and Māori students Listening and Learning from each other

authors: Joyce, Chrisandra Itirana

subjects: Relational Pedagogy

abstract: This thesis examines the culturally responsive and relational pedagogical practices of a group of teachers in one Phase four Te Kotahitanga school. It then considers the influences of these pedagogies on four Māori students.
The thesis begins by seeking to understand the two different worldviews in Aotearoa/New Zealand (a Western worldview and a Māori worldview) and some of the discourses that have emerged in the shared Māori and colonial history of this country. It examines kaupapa Māori as both a movement of resistance to the dominant Western worldview that came with colonisation; and a movement of revitalisation to Māori ways of knowing and understanding the world that began to be lost at the same time. It focuses on Te Kotahitanga as a kaupapa Māori response in secondary schools.
The collaborative storying of teachers and Māori students in a Te Kotahitanga school alongside their data of practice and achievement are discussed and examined. Shifts across three levels of the school are identified and understood alongside the Te Kotahitanga professional development cycle. These understandings are discussed in relation to Māori metaphors.  The overall implications of Māori metaphors in relation to the research questions are then considered.
This thesis concludes with considerations and implications for others in addressing the on-going educational disparities of Māori students in mainstream educational settings in New Zealand.

text: Relational Responsive Pedagogy, Teachers and Māori students Listening and Learning from each other This thesis examines the culturally responsive and relational pedagogical practices of a group of teachers in one Phase four Te Kotahitanga school. It then considers the influences of these pedagogies on four Māori students.
The thesis begins by seeking to understand the two different worldviews in Aotearoa/New Zealand (a Western worldview and a Māori worldview) and some of the discourses that have emerged in the shared Māori and colonial history of this country. It examines kaupapa Māori as both a movement of resistance to the dominant Western worldview that came with colonisation; and a movement of revitalisation to Māori ways of knowing and understanding the world that began to be lost at the same time. It focuses on Te Kotahitanga as a kaupapa Māori response in secondary schools.
The collaborative storying of teachers and Māori students in a Te Kotahitanga school alongside their data of practice and achievement are discussed and examined. Shifts across three levels of the school are identified and understood alongside the Te Kotahitanga professional development cycle. These understandings are discussed in relation to Māori metaphors.  The overall implications of Māori metaphors in relation to the research questions are then considered.
This thesis concludes with considerations and implications for others in addressing the on-going educational disparities of Māori students in mainstream educational settings in New Zealand.

year: 2012