title: The importance of heterogeneity when examining immigrant education-occupation mismatch: evidence from New Zealand

authors: Poot, Jacques

subjects: immigration

abstract: Many immigrants are overqualified in their first job after arrival in the host country. Education-occupation mismatch can affect the economic integration of immigrants and the returns to education and experience. The extent of this problem has been measured in recent years by means of micro level data in Australia, North America and Europe. However, these papers have typically ignored the importance of allowing for heterogeneity, in particular by qualification level and years in the destination country. In this paper, we use data from the 1996, 2001 and 2006 New Zealand censuses to examine differences between each migrant’s actual years of education and the estimated typical years of education in the narrowly defined occupation in which they work. We find that migrants living in New Zealand for less than 5 years are on average overeducated, while earlier migrants are on average undereducated. However, once accounting for heterogeneity, we find that both overeducated and undereducated migrants become, with increasing years of residence in New Zealand, more similar to comparable native born. Convergence from overeducation is stronger than from undereducation.

text: The importance of heterogeneity when examining immigrant education-occupation mismatch: evidence from New Zealand Many immigrants are overqualified in their first job after arrival in the host country. Education-occupation mismatch can affect the economic integration of immigrants and the returns to education and experience. The extent of this problem has been measured in recent years by means of micro level data in Australia, North America and Europe. However, these papers have typically ignored the importance of allowing for heterogeneity, in particular by qualification level and years in the destination country. In this paper, we use data from the 1996, 2001 and 2006 New Zealand censuses to examine differences between each migrant’s actual years of education and the estimated typical years of education in the narrowly defined occupation in which they work. We find that migrants living in New Zealand for less than 5 years are on average overeducated, while earlier migrants are on average undereducated. However, once accounting for heterogeneity, we find that both overeducated and undereducated migrants become, with increasing years of residence in New Zealand, more similar to comparable native born. Convergence from overeducation is stronger than from undereducation.

year: 2010

title: How energetic constraints shape plant and soil invertebrate communities

authors: Romera, Joaquina

abstract: The Metabolic Theory of Ecology (MTE) and its predictions of the scaling of average population body mass with abundance and energy use are some of the most widely observed and studied biological relationships. However, the scaling exponent value of these relationships have been widely debated and found to vary considerably among various ecological communities and the ecosystems they occupy. Additionally, adherence to MTE predictions is widely contingent on its underlying assumptions and the variables used to describe these relationships. My thesis aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the size–density and size–energy use scaling relationships of soil invertebrate and tree communities to shed light on the environmental and biological factors underpinning their observed exponents. To do this, I tested whether predictions of size–density scaling derived from MTE are dependent on ecosystem reassembly processes throughout succession and organism life history traits within trees and soil invertebrates. I also analysed size–density and size–energy use scaling in soil invertebrate food webs across four geographical locations to investigate the universality of size–density scaling relationships and their likelihood of accurately indicating energetic equivalence in soil communities of primary and secondary consumers. Additionally, I compared two measures of energy use to investigate size–energy use relationships: population metabolism and trophic energy fluxes in food webs. My findings suggested that size–density scaling, although related to energy use in ecological communities, is likely a poor indicator of energetic equivalence alone, but in combination with size–energy use scaling relationships can provide powerful insights into the energetic structuring of these communities. Additionally, size–density scaling exponents vary considerably across ecosystem succession and organism life form, and expectations should reflect these conditions. Energy flux as an estimate of energy use within communities for analysing size–energy use relationships was a more precise estimate compared to metabolism as it better captures the true energetic demands of organisms, particularly for secondary consumers which face stronger energetic constraints. Finally, analytically estimating energy fluxes with a trophic level–specific focus better captured the differences in patterns of energy use between these trophic levels compared to when they were pooled. Ultimately, this thesis provides new directions for exploring energetic equivalence in terrestrial communities.

text: How energetic constraints shape plant and soil invertebrate communities The Metabolic Theory of Ecology (MTE) and its predictions of the scaling of average population body mass with abundance and energy use are some of the most widely observed and studied biological relationships. However, the scaling exponent value of these relationships have been widely debated and found to vary considerably among various ecological communities and the ecosystems they occupy. Additionally, adherence to MTE predictions is widely contingent on its underlying assumptions and the variables used to describe these relationships. My thesis aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the size–density and size–energy use scaling relationships of soil invertebrate and tree communities to shed light on the environmental and biological factors underpinning their observed exponents. To do this, I tested whether predictions of size–density scaling derived from MTE are dependent on ecosystem reassembly processes throughout succession and organism life history traits within trees and soil invertebrates. I also analysed size–density and size–energy use scaling in soil invertebrate food webs across four geographical locations to investigate the universality of size–density scaling relationships and their likelihood of accurately indicating energetic equivalence in soil communities of primary and secondary consumers. Additionally, I compared two measures of energy use to investigate size–energy use relationships: population metabolism and trophic energy fluxes in food webs. My findings suggested that size–density scaling, although related to energy use in ecological communities, is likely a poor indicator of energetic equivalence alone, but in combination with size–energy use scaling relationships can provide powerful insights into the energetic structuring of these communities. Additionally, size–density scaling exponents vary considerably across ecosystem succession and organism life form, and expectations should reflect these conditions. Energy flux as an estimate of energy use within communities for analysing size–energy use relationships was a more precise estimate compared to metabolism as it better captures the true energetic demands of organisms, particularly for secondary consumers which face stronger energetic constraints. Finally, analytically estimating energy fluxes with a trophic level–specific focus better captured the differences in patterns of energy use between these trophic levels compared to when they were pooled. Ultimately, this thesis provides new directions for exploring energetic equivalence in terrestrial communities.

year: 2024

title: Introduction to special edition.

authors: McGee, Clive

subjects: initial teacher education

abstract: This special issue of the Waikato Journal of Education arose from a symposium held at The University of Waikato in June, 2009. The symposium, Initial Teacher Education and the New Zealand Curriculum–Te Marautanga o Aotearoa Symposium, was attended by delegates from all major initial teacher education (ITE) providers in New Zealand. ITE refers to pre-service teacher education, that is, programmes that prepare student teachers to become beginning teachers. Curriculum includes the school and the ITE curriculum.

text: Introduction to special edition. This special issue of the Waikato Journal of Education arose from a symposium held at The University of Waikato in June, 2009. The symposium, Initial Teacher Education and the New Zealand Curriculum–Te Marautanga o Aotearoa Symposium, was attended by delegates from all major initial teacher education (ITE) providers in New Zealand. ITE refers to pre-service teacher education, that is, programmes that prepare student teachers to become beginning teachers. Curriculum includes the school and the ITE curriculum.

year: 2010