title: Time for me and time for us: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of accompanying spouses’ participation in conference travel

authors: Yoo, Hyekyung

subjects: Conference Travel

abstract: The presence of spouses, i.e., those who accompany their spouses to a conference, is a common phenomenon within the conference travel sector. It has been evident in trade journals that accompanying spouses yield social and economic benefits as a potential market for the conference industry. Moreover, accompanying spouses’ participation in conference travel, which has been alluded to in trade journals, appears to be understood as the opportunity to travel with their spouses. However, the accompanying spouses’ phenomenon has been less noticed and under-appreciated in academic research, specifically in tourism studies. To present new knowledge about the phenomenon, the research for this thesis investigates the conference travel experience for accompanying spouses by providing information on how accompanying spouses make sense of their conference travel experience, and the meanings that they ascribe to their experience. Therefore, later research can build on its findings to improve knowledge, experience and practice in this area.

Given the originality of the research topic, the thesis adopts a phenomenological approach, primarily grounded in the accompanying spouses’ voices of their subjective experience, rather than testing certain hypotheses. At the same time, the thesis is interpretative in which the researcher seeks to make sense of what the participants try to make sense of their experiences, using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Within this approach, it can be possible to gain new insight into the accompanying spouses’ phenomenon. The nature of this thesis, thus, is qualitative, inductive and draws on multidisciplinary knowledge. The data were collected from multiple in-depth interviews with fifteen accompanying spouses. The initial interviews present the nature of accompanying spouses’ experiences from their perspectives. Concurrently, separate interviews with the fifteen conference attendees who have previously brought their spouses along to conferences were conducted to get a deeper understanding of the phenomenon.

Based on the IPA approach, therefore, the thesis research revealed that the accompanying spouses’ phenomenon reflected a mix of subjective experiences within the context of time for the self, with their spouse, and with the conference society. Three key emergent themes were evident in the accompanying spouses’ accounts: ‘the experience of providing individual autonomy’, ‘the experience of creating positive emotions for the relationship’ and ‘the experience of social inclusion and exclusion’. Firstly, the majority of accompanying spouses described ‘the experience of providing individual autonomy’ based on a sense of freedom, serendipitous moments and the issues of social engagement. The participants also reflected on the relational aspect of conference travel which emerged from ‘the experience of creating positive emotions for the relationship’ through a genuine sense of connectedness, the experience of caregiver and a sense of strengthened spousal bond. Thirdly, when involved in the social activities of the conference, accompanying spouses were found to negotiate their professional identity on the basis of common ‘experiences of social inclusion and exclusion.'

These findings contribute to developments in tourism studies knowledge in such areas as the tourist experience, family travel, conference travel and couples’ travel leisure. The thesis highlights the need for further critical thought on the nature of travel and relationships. Specifically, in this thesis, the experiences of serendipity, intimacy and exclusion in the accompanied conference travel experience raise the need for further examination of the embodied and lived experiences of couples travelling together and its associated meaning.

text: Time for me and time for us: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of accompanying spouses’ participation in conference travel The presence of spouses, i.e., those who accompany their spouses to a conference, is a common phenomenon within the conference travel sector. It has been evident in trade journals that accompanying spouses yield social and economic benefits as a potential market for the conference industry. Moreover, accompanying spouses’ participation in conference travel, which has been alluded to in trade journals, appears to be understood as the opportunity to travel with their spouses. However, the accompanying spouses’ phenomenon has been less noticed and under-appreciated in academic research, specifically in tourism studies. To present new knowledge about the phenomenon, the research for this thesis investigates the conference travel experience for accompanying spouses by providing information on how accompanying spouses make sense of their conference travel experience, and the meanings that they ascribe to their experience. Therefore, later research can build on its findings to improve knowledge, experience and practice in this area.

Given the originality of the research topic, the thesis adopts a phenomenological approach, primarily grounded in the accompanying spouses’ voices of their subjective experience, rather than testing certain hypotheses. At the same time, the thesis is interpretative in which the researcher seeks to make sense of what the participants try to make sense of their experiences, using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Within this approach, it can be possible to gain new insight into the accompanying spouses’ phenomenon. The nature of this thesis, thus, is qualitative, inductive and draws on multidisciplinary knowledge. The data were collected from multiple in-depth interviews with fifteen accompanying spouses. The initial interviews present the nature of accompanying spouses’ experiences from their perspectives. Concurrently, separate interviews with the fifteen conference attendees who have previously brought their spouses along to conferences were conducted to get a deeper understanding of the phenomenon.

Based on the IPA approach, therefore, the thesis research revealed that the accompanying spouses’ phenomenon reflected a mix of subjective experiences within the context of time for the self, with their spouse, and with the conference society. Three key emergent themes were evident in the accompanying spouses’ accounts: ‘the experience of providing individual autonomy’, ‘the experience of creating positive emotions for the relationship’ and ‘the experience of social inclusion and exclusion’. Firstly, the majority of accompanying spouses described ‘the experience of providing individual autonomy’ based on a sense of freedom, serendipitous moments and the issues of social engagement. The participants also reflected on the relational aspect of conference travel which emerged from ‘the experience of creating positive emotions for the relationship’ through a genuine sense of connectedness, the experience of caregiver and a sense of strengthened spousal bond. Thirdly, when involved in the social activities of the conference, accompanying spouses were found to negotiate their professional identity on the basis of common ‘experiences of social inclusion and exclusion.'

These findings contribute to developments in tourism studies knowledge in such areas as the tourist experience, family travel, conference travel and couples’ travel leisure. The thesis highlights the need for further critical thought on the nature of travel and relationships. Specifically, in this thesis, the experiences of serendipity, intimacy and exclusion in the accompanied conference travel experience raise the need for further examination of the embodied and lived experiences of couples travelling together and its associated meaning.

year: 2014

title: Designing a teacher development programme to enhance the teaching of higher order thinking and conceptual understanding in primary school social studies

authors: Barr, Hugh

abstract: While higher order thinking has always been regarded as an essential component of social studies education, personal observations over a number of years and the findings of a survey which examined New Zealand social studies between 1984 and 1986 indicated that higher order thinking skills were generally taught ineffectively in social studies classrooms in New Zealand schools. This thesis describes a small scale action research project concerned with the development of an intervention process designed to enhance the teaching of higher order thinking skills by affecting changes in teacher understanding and teacher behaviour.

The project sought to determine the extent to which teachers provided learning activities which were likely to bring about higher order thinking; the degree to which higher order thinking skills were used in activities to achieve particular goals; and those aspects of teacher behaviour or understanding which limited opportunity for students to engage in higher order thinking in primary school social studies. Once data had been obtained, the project team, the researcher and six classroom teachers, developed an intervention programme designed to encourage teachers to adopt behaviours which would lead to improved higher order thinking in social studies classrooms.

Elements of both quantitative and qualitative methodology were used in the project, but, because it was primarily concerned with the effects of intervention on the functioning of people in a particular social situation, the project followed an action research model in its structure and in most methods. 

The intervention was based on a model which grouped the individual thinking skills in the national social studies curriculum into six groups of analogous skills. The groupings were made on the assumption that one reason teachers used higher order thinking skills ineffectively in social studies, was that they found it impractical to apply the long lists of specific skills provided by the national curriculum. The model was also designed to demonstrate the relationship between specific thinking skills and conceptual understanding because, although the national curriculum emphasised the importance of both of these in classroom social studies, the relationship between the two was not made clear either in that document, or in earlier national curricula.

The model was designed to provide teachers with a representation of the thinking processes in social studies. However, it also proved useful as an analytical tool. In the observations which were a major part of the project, the model was used to identify the thinking skills dominant and evident in classroom learning activities. In a series of detailed classroom observations the researcher recorded and examined teacher questions, time allocated to classroom activities, skills emphasised and evident in learning activities, and teacher understanding of the nature and structure of social studies. In the intervention which followed the observations, members of the research team modified the original model and developed further models which related the intent of the original to the structure of the national curriculum and to classroom practice. These models were applied, and a second series of observations conducted.

At the time that this project took place New Zealand teachers were teaching social studies from the first draft of a new national curriculum. This draft has since been superseded by a further draft Social Studies in the New Zealand Curriculum (Revised Draft) (New Zealand Ministry of Education 1996) and by the final version of the national curriculum, Social Studies in the New Zealand Curriculum (New Zealand Ministry of Education 1997). The teaching and learning activities in the case studies in this paper are based on the first draft of the national social studies curriculum.

This project was a case study in one school, an action research model that sought to diagnose a particular problem in one setting, plan remedial action to deal with the problem and monitor the results of that action. Because the research field was limited to one setting, and because the research sample was necessarily small, it is not possible to make generalisations that can be applied to contexts wider than the one in which the research took place. In qualitative research conclusions point to possible new policies rather than to scientific generalisations and principles. Nonetheless, the project’s results suggest that when teachers understand the nature, purpose and structure of social studies education, planning and teaching are more effective. Teacher understanding can be enhanced through the use of a model when that model is simple, when it has practical classroom application and when teachers are themselves involved in its design and construction.

text: Designing a teacher development programme to enhance the teaching of higher order thinking and conceptual understanding in primary school social studies While higher order thinking has always been regarded as an essential component of social studies education, personal observations over a number of years and the findings of a survey which examined New Zealand social studies between 1984 and 1986 indicated that higher order thinking skills were generally taught ineffectively in social studies classrooms in New Zealand schools. This thesis describes a small scale action research project concerned with the development of an intervention process designed to enhance the teaching of higher order thinking skills by affecting changes in teacher understanding and teacher behaviour.

The project sought to determine the extent to which teachers provided learning activities which were likely to bring about higher order thinking; the degree to which higher order thinking skills were used in activities to achieve particular goals; and those aspects of teacher behaviour or understanding which limited opportunity for students to engage in higher order thinking in primary school social studies. Once data had been obtained, the project team, the researcher and six classroom teachers, developed an intervention programme designed to encourage teachers to adopt behaviours which would lead to improved higher order thinking in social studies classrooms.

Elements of both quantitative and qualitative methodology were used in the project, but, because it was primarily concerned with the effects of intervention on the functioning of people in a particular social situation, the project followed an action research model in its structure and in most methods. 

The intervention was based on a model which grouped the individual thinking skills in the national social studies curriculum into six groups of analogous skills. The groupings were made on the assumption that one reason teachers used higher order thinking skills ineffectively in social studies, was that they found it impractical to apply the long lists of specific skills provided by the national curriculum. The model was also designed to demonstrate the relationship between specific thinking skills and conceptual understanding because, although the national curriculum emphasised the importance of both of these in classroom social studies, the relationship between the two was not made clear either in that document, or in earlier national curricula.

The model was designed to provide teachers with a representation of the thinking processes in social studies. However, it also proved useful as an analytical tool. In the observations which were a major part of the project, the model was used to identify the thinking skills dominant and evident in classroom learning activities. In a series of detailed classroom observations the researcher recorded and examined teacher questions, time allocated to classroom activities, skills emphasised and evident in learning activities, and teacher understanding of the nature and structure of social studies. In the intervention which followed the observations, members of the research team modified the original model and developed further models which related the intent of the original to the structure of the national curriculum and to classroom practice. These models were applied, and a second series of observations conducted.

At the time that this project took place New Zealand teachers were teaching social studies from the first draft of a new national curriculum. This draft has since been superseded by a further draft Social Studies in the New Zealand Curriculum (Revised Draft) (New Zealand Ministry of Education 1996) and by the final version of the national curriculum, Social Studies in the New Zealand Curriculum (New Zealand Ministry of Education 1997). The teaching and learning activities in the case studies in this paper are based on the first draft of the national social studies curriculum.

This project was a case study in one school, an action research model that sought to diagnose a particular problem in one setting, plan remedial action to deal with the problem and monitor the results of that action. Because the research field was limited to one setting, and because the research sample was necessarily small, it is not possible to make generalisations that can be applied to contexts wider than the one in which the research took place. In qualitative research conclusions point to possible new policies rather than to scientific generalisations and principles. Nonetheless, the project’s results suggest that when teachers understand the nature, purpose and structure of social studies education, planning and teaching are more effective. Teacher understanding can be enhanced through the use of a model when that model is simple, when it has practical classroom application and when teachers are themselves involved in its design and construction.

year: 1998

title: Rahui and marine construction: Potential for enhancement of taonga species

authors: Fox, Danielle

subjects: Maori

abstract: The aims of my study were to investigate whether marine reserves enhance intertidal species used by Māori in a traditional or contemporary sense, and whether artificial structures in the intertidal region (such as wharf and bridge pilings) provide suitable habitats for traditionally harvested species. Further, I investigated whether non-indigenous species were found in these habitats, which may affect traditionally used species.
The abundance of ataata (cat's eyes; Turbo smaragdus) and kina (sea urchin; Evechinus chloroticus) were quantified in three marine protected areas and nearby unprotected reference beaches. Results from Mann-Whitney U comparisons suggested that kina were significantly enhanced inside the two marine reserves with total protection. Kina are released from harvest pressure inside these reserves and possibly from the effects of predation and competition. In one reserve ataata abundance was significantly lower and no difference was found for ataata in the second reserve. This species is not as heavily harvested as kina and may even be negatively affected by trampling inside reserves. Both kina and ataata showed no response to a partially protected marine park. Abundance of both non-indigenous species was not sufficient enough to be sampled and statistically quantified at the marine reserve sites. Biotic resistance may restrict the proliferation of non-indigenous species in rocky intertidal marine reserves. 
Intertidal fauna were scraped from concrete and wooden structures and were compared with fauna inhabiting nearby natural rocky reefs. Multi-dimensional scaling and ANOSIM was used to explore trends in the community composition of different study sites, and to illustrate which habitat types are more associated with traditionally used and non-indigenous species. The main results conclude that diverse communities are associated with natural habitats whereas constructed structures have limited fauna. Of the traditionally used species, the native rock oyster (Saccostrea glomerata) was found in relatively equal frequencies on artificial habitats and rocky reefs, and the non-indigenous oyster (Crassostrea gigas) was predominantly recorded on artificial structures and rare on natural substrates. The construction of artificial structures around New Zealand's coastline may assist in the spread of non-indigenous species, to the detriment of species traditionally used by Māori.

text: Rahui and marine construction: Potential for enhancement of taonga species The aims of my study were to investigate whether marine reserves enhance intertidal species used by Māori in a traditional or contemporary sense, and whether artificial structures in the intertidal region (such as wharf and bridge pilings) provide suitable habitats for traditionally harvested species. Further, I investigated whether non-indigenous species were found in these habitats, which may affect traditionally used species.
The abundance of ataata (cat's eyes; Turbo smaragdus) and kina (sea urchin; Evechinus chloroticus) were quantified in three marine protected areas and nearby unprotected reference beaches. Results from Mann-Whitney U comparisons suggested that kina were significantly enhanced inside the two marine reserves with total protection. Kina are released from harvest pressure inside these reserves and possibly from the effects of predation and competition. In one reserve ataata abundance was significantly lower and no difference was found for ataata in the second reserve. This species is not as heavily harvested as kina and may even be negatively affected by trampling inside reserves. Both kina and ataata showed no response to a partially protected marine park. Abundance of both non-indigenous species was not sufficient enough to be sampled and statistically quantified at the marine reserve sites. Biotic resistance may restrict the proliferation of non-indigenous species in rocky intertidal marine reserves. 
Intertidal fauna were scraped from concrete and wooden structures and were compared with fauna inhabiting nearby natural rocky reefs. Multi-dimensional scaling and ANOSIM was used to explore trends in the community composition of different study sites, and to illustrate which habitat types are more associated with traditionally used and non-indigenous species. The main results conclude that diverse communities are associated with natural habitats whereas constructed structures have limited fauna. Of the traditionally used species, the native rock oyster (Saccostrea glomerata) was found in relatively equal frequencies on artificial habitats and rocky reefs, and the non-indigenous oyster (Crassostrea gigas) was predominantly recorded on artificial structures and rare on natural substrates. The construction of artificial structures around New Zealand's coastline may assist in the spread of non-indigenous species, to the detriment of species traditionally used by Māori.

year: 2010