title: Experiences of Congolese refugee families in New Zealand: Challenges and possibilities for early childhood provision

authors: Mitchell, Linda

abstract: Internationaly, there has been a broad commitment to seeking refugee perspectives on resettlement experiences. Recent research has highlighted challenges for refugees in accessing school and tertiary education that is responsive to their ethnic and cultural identities and to the contexts of their lives. There are few studies, however, of refugee perspectives on early childhood education. This absence is worrying, given the growing number of refugee families with preschool children and the potential for early childhood education to play a transformative role in family lives. In a small community research study we analyse the drawings, stories and focus group discussions of Congolese refugee families who talked about living in New Zealand, their aspirations for their children and for early childhood education and care. We argue that understanding these points of view could be the basis for creating new possibilities that enable cultural and social connectedness, social justice and equity, and agency within early childhood provisions.

text: Experiences of Congolese refugee families in New Zealand: Challenges and possibilities for early childhood provision Internationaly, there has been a broad commitment to seeking refugee perspectives on resettlement experiences. Recent research has highlighted challenges for refugees in accessing school and tertiary education that is responsive to their ethnic and cultural identities and to the contexts of their lives. There are few studies, however, of refugee perspectives on early childhood education. This absence is worrying, given the growing number of refugee families with preschool children and the potential for early childhood education to play a transformative role in family lives. In a small community research study we analyse the drawings, stories and focus group discussions of Congolese refugee families who talked about living in New Zealand, their aspirations for their children and for early childhood education and care. We argue that understanding these points of view could be the basis for creating new possibilities that enable cultural and social connectedness, social justice and equity, and agency within early childhood provisions.

year: 2012

title: From concussion to classroom: Predicting post-concussion pediatric school functioning

authors: Kennedy, Kristen

abstract: Pediatric concussion is a common injury that can impact many children annually, and while most children return to school within 2 weeks post-concussion, many experience ongoing symptoms that can significantly impair school functioning. Moreover, children with preexisting learning conditions may be at even greater risk for delayed return-to-learn. However, there is limited research examining what factors predict school functioning 1 month post-concussion. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether initial post-concussion symptom severity predicted school functioning outcomes at 1 month post-concussion, while accounting for pre-existing learning conditions and demographics. 

This research involved 275 children and adolescents aged 5-17 years old who had sustained a concussion. Parent reports were analysed which included the Post-Concussion Symptom Inventory and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, as well as study specific demographic questions. We used a hierarchical multiple linear regression to examine whether initial PCSI symptom severity predicted PedsQL school functioning outcomes at 1 month post-concussion, while accounting for pre-existing learning conditions and demographics. 

The results showed that more severe initial PCSI symptoms significantly predicted worse school functioning outcomes at 1 month post-concussion (R2 = .12, F(6, 158) = 3.53, p = .003), supporting our main hypothesis. However, pre-existing learning conditions did not significantly predict school functioning outcomes, which failed to support our second hypothesis. The final model accounted for 11.8 percent of the variance in school functioning outcomes. 

In conclusion, this research demonstrates that initial post-concussion symptom severity predicts school functioning outcomes at 1 month post-concussion, while pre-existing learning conditions did not. These findings highlight the importance of comprehensive symptom assessment and individualised support plans for children returning to school.

text: From concussion to classroom: Predicting post-concussion pediatric school functioning Pediatric concussion is a common injury that can impact many children annually, and while most children return to school within 2 weeks post-concussion, many experience ongoing symptoms that can significantly impair school functioning. Moreover, children with preexisting learning conditions may be at even greater risk for delayed return-to-learn. However, there is limited research examining what factors predict school functioning 1 month post-concussion. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether initial post-concussion symptom severity predicted school functioning outcomes at 1 month post-concussion, while accounting for pre-existing learning conditions and demographics. 

This research involved 275 children and adolescents aged 5-17 years old who had sustained a concussion. Parent reports were analysed which included the Post-Concussion Symptom Inventory and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, as well as study specific demographic questions. We used a hierarchical multiple linear regression to examine whether initial PCSI symptom severity predicted PedsQL school functioning outcomes at 1 month post-concussion, while accounting for pre-existing learning conditions and demographics. 

The results showed that more severe initial PCSI symptoms significantly predicted worse school functioning outcomes at 1 month post-concussion (R2 = .12, F(6, 158) = 3.53, p = .003), supporting our main hypothesis. However, pre-existing learning conditions did not significantly predict school functioning outcomes, which failed to support our second hypothesis. The final model accounted for 11.8 percent of the variance in school functioning outcomes. 

In conclusion, this research demonstrates that initial post-concussion symptom severity predicts school functioning outcomes at 1 month post-concussion, while pre-existing learning conditions did not. These findings highlight the importance of comprehensive symptom assessment and individualised support plans for children returning to school.

year: 2025

title: “On and On It Goes”: Representations of the New Zealand Wars in novels, film, and theatre

authors: Sheridan, Brendan Daniel

subjects: History

abstract: This thesis considers fictional representations of the New Zealand Wars. Through the media of novels, feature films, and drama with links to Shakespeare, it explores common features between representations. It examines how these representations change in tone or style over time and how different representations negotiate the complex issues of race, gender, and colonialism.
	I examine key representations ranging from 1861 to 2017 in terms of genre. I begin with the nineteenth-century novel as many of the key tropes used in representations of the New Zealand Wars emerge in this period. I then look at the twentieth-century novel, before concentrating specifically on Maurice Shadbolt and Witi Ihimaera. My discussion then turns to the genres of film and theatre. In all of these diverse representations there are recurring tropes and motifs. Many of the fictions feature stock characters such as the European traveller, the imperial official, and the Māori maiden and bear the imprint of historical romance conventions, popularised by Sir Walter Scott’s Waverly and James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans. The vast majority of stories take place in the North Island between 1860 and 1870. Variations in the depiction of historical events are shaped by the historical scholarship and dominant ideologies of the time, such as the post-colonial tonal shift that emerges following the publication of work by James Belich and Ranginui Walker. I contextualise representations with their point in history, and how they treat the New Zealand Wars in terms of events, characters, and historical figures. 
	Through this approach, my thesis argues that representations of the New Zealand Wars do not form themselves in isolation and do not occur in isolated clusters. This thesis seeks to demonstrate that representations of the New Zealand Wars occur on a steady continuum. Representations of the conflict exist in parallel to one another (intentional or not) and are affected by the social climate, dominant ideologies, and published histories available to the author at the time of writing. The variety of representations—novel, feature film, stage play—share many core tropes. Even so, chronologically this continuum also features shifts in tone, ideologies, and sympathies. A novel of the 1980s has a very different perspective regarding settlers compared to a novel from the 1860s. In the same manner, a play staged in the 2000s shows a different attitude towards the conflict compared to a film from the 1940s. This thesis demonstrates that while representations of the New Zealand Wars share a common subject, how they approach the material is constantly evolving.

text: “On and On It Goes”: Representations of the New Zealand Wars in novels, film, and theatre This thesis considers fictional representations of the New Zealand Wars. Through the media of novels, feature films, and drama with links to Shakespeare, it explores common features between representations. It examines how these representations change in tone or style over time and how different representations negotiate the complex issues of race, gender, and colonialism.
	I examine key representations ranging from 1861 to 2017 in terms of genre. I begin with the nineteenth-century novel as many of the key tropes used in representations of the New Zealand Wars emerge in this period. I then look at the twentieth-century novel, before concentrating specifically on Maurice Shadbolt and Witi Ihimaera. My discussion then turns to the genres of film and theatre. In all of these diverse representations there are recurring tropes and motifs. Many of the fictions feature stock characters such as the European traveller, the imperial official, and the Māori maiden and bear the imprint of historical romance conventions, popularised by Sir Walter Scott’s Waverly and James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans. The vast majority of stories take place in the North Island between 1860 and 1870. Variations in the depiction of historical events are shaped by the historical scholarship and dominant ideologies of the time, such as the post-colonial tonal shift that emerges following the publication of work by James Belich and Ranginui Walker. I contextualise representations with their point in history, and how they treat the New Zealand Wars in terms of events, characters, and historical figures. 
	Through this approach, my thesis argues that representations of the New Zealand Wars do not form themselves in isolation and do not occur in isolated clusters. This thesis seeks to demonstrate that representations of the New Zealand Wars occur on a steady continuum. Representations of the conflict exist in parallel to one another (intentional or not) and are affected by the social climate, dominant ideologies, and published histories available to the author at the time of writing. The variety of representations—novel, feature film, stage play—share many core tropes. Even so, chronologically this continuum also features shifts in tone, ideologies, and sympathies. A novel of the 1980s has a very different perspective regarding settlers compared to a novel from the 1860s. In the same manner, a play staged in the 2000s shows a different attitude towards the conflict compared to a film from the 1940s. This thesis demonstrates that while representations of the New Zealand Wars share a common subject, how they approach the material is constantly evolving.

year: 2019