title: Adapting and implementing the Sunny Start DANCE programme in New Zealand: A pilot study

authors: Herberg, Kim

abstract: This study aimed to evaluate the implementation of the Sunny Starts DANCE parent training programme in the New Zealand context. Sunny Start’s primary focus is to enhance the quality of social interactions between parents and their toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Parent training involved teaching parents basic interaction methods to increase their child’s skills through play-based interactions in face-to-face sessions and during the child’s bedtime and morning routines. This training aimed to provide the child with learning opportunities, increase their access to reinforcement, and, in turn, enhance the quality of parent-child interactions. Participants included one parent-child dyad, wherein the child, while not formally diagnosed with ASD, displayed some skill deficits consistent with this disorder. Multiple probe designs across parent and child behaviours and settings were used to evaluate parent and child responses, harmonious engagement, and indices of happiness. Results indicate that some measures increased during face-to-face sessions, whilst little to no improvement occurred during routine sessions. Strengths, limitations, social validity, the validity of findings, generalisation, research implications, clinical implications and future directions are discussed.

text: Adapting and implementing the Sunny Start DANCE programme in New Zealand: A pilot study This study aimed to evaluate the implementation of the Sunny Starts DANCE parent training programme in the New Zealand context. Sunny Start’s primary focus is to enhance the quality of social interactions between parents and their toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Parent training involved teaching parents basic interaction methods to increase their child’s skills through play-based interactions in face-to-face sessions and during the child’s bedtime and morning routines. This training aimed to provide the child with learning opportunities, increase their access to reinforcement, and, in turn, enhance the quality of parent-child interactions. Participants included one parent-child dyad, wherein the child, while not formally diagnosed with ASD, displayed some skill deficits consistent with this disorder. Multiple probe designs across parent and child behaviours and settings were used to evaluate parent and child responses, harmonious engagement, and indices of happiness. Results indicate that some measures increased during face-to-face sessions, whilst little to no improvement occurred during routine sessions. Strengths, limitations, social validity, the validity of findings, generalisation, research implications, clinical implications and future directions are discussed.

year: 2024

title: Unique crisis response strategies in sports public relations: Rugby league and the case for diversion

authors: Bruce, Toni

subjects: crisis communication

abstract: Sport is a unique ‘product’ in that most of its messages and images are conveyed through media coverage rather than through advertising or sales campaigns. While the coverage is usually positive, media interest becomes more problematic in high profile scandals which can be very damaging. In this paper, we propose that the culture of elite men's sport and its interdependence with mass media creates a situation in which sports public relations personnel have access to crisis communication strategies not previously specified in the existing literature. Based on textual analysis of media coverage of an Australasian men's rugby league salary cap scandal, we argue that, in certain situations, a sports organisation may draw upon a crisis response strategy that we term diversion in order to successfully limit the damage to the organisation's reputation. In particular, we suggest that the often intense ‘relationship’ that fans have with players may allow team sports to focus attention on players (and fans) as innocent victims with the result that negative publicity for the sport overall is reduced.

text: Unique crisis response strategies in sports public relations: Rugby league and the case for diversion Sport is a unique ‘product’ in that most of its messages and images are conveyed through media coverage rather than through advertising or sales campaigns. While the coverage is usually positive, media interest becomes more problematic in high profile scandals which can be very damaging. In this paper, we propose that the culture of elite men's sport and its interdependence with mass media creates a situation in which sports public relations personnel have access to crisis communication strategies not previously specified in the existing literature. Based on textual analysis of media coverage of an Australasian men's rugby league salary cap scandal, we argue that, in certain situations, a sports organisation may draw upon a crisis response strategy that we term diversion in order to successfully limit the damage to the organisation's reputation. In particular, we suggest that the often intense ‘relationship’ that fans have with players may allow team sports to focus attention on players (and fans) as innocent victims with the result that negative publicity for the sport overall is reduced.

year: 2008

title: Software development: Involving Tangata Whenua and incorporating Tikanga Māori

authors: Taia, Ivy

subjects: software engineering

abstract: Over the past fifty years, software development (SD) has been dominated by Western approaches, which is widely accepted as the standard way of doing things (Diaz Andrade et al., 2021). Consequently, many software applications for specific Indigenous cultures, especially health interventions and educational software (Dobson, Whittaker, Bartley, Connor, Chen, Ross & McCool, 2017; Fleer, 1989), were developed using traditional software engineering (SE) methodologies. Although these methodologies provide the workflows and methods for developing software, they do not provide guidelines for developing Indigenous software. While there have been numerous studies on diversity, such as gender and ethnicity in the field of Information Systems, there is very little research on the practices of involving Indigenous people and incorporating their traditional customs in the software development process. This thesis examines the participation of Indigenous people in software development. The research specifically focuses on Tangata Whenua (Māori people, the Indigenous population of Aotearoa New Zealand) and Tikanga Māori (Māori cultural methods). Our findings are useful to those attempting to enhance Indigenous representation in software development, especially those wanting to involve Māori people and their cultural methods in the development process and design of software.

text: Software development: Involving Tangata Whenua and incorporating Tikanga Māori Over the past fifty years, software development (SD) has been dominated by Western approaches, which is widely accepted as the standard way of doing things (Diaz Andrade et al., 2021). Consequently, many software applications for specific Indigenous cultures, especially health interventions and educational software (Dobson, Whittaker, Bartley, Connor, Chen, Ross & McCool, 2017; Fleer, 1989), were developed using traditional software engineering (SE) methodologies. Although these methodologies provide the workflows and methods for developing software, they do not provide guidelines for developing Indigenous software. While there have been numerous studies on diversity, such as gender and ethnicity in the field of Information Systems, there is very little research on the practices of involving Indigenous people and incorporating their traditional customs in the software development process. This thesis examines the participation of Indigenous people in software development. The research specifically focuses on Tangata Whenua (Māori people, the Indigenous population of Aotearoa New Zealand) and Tikanga Māori (Māori cultural methods). Our findings are useful to those attempting to enhance Indigenous representation in software development, especially those wanting to involve Māori people and their cultural methods in the development process and design of software.

year: 2025