title: The Fairy-tale of weight loss: Fact or Fantasy

authors: Loomans, Cushla Rose

abstract: Being overweight or obese is if often associated with prejudice, stereotyping, stigmatisation, and discrimination, and can lead to both physical and mental health difficulties. It is commonly thought that weight loss will lead to improvements in various areas within the individual’s life including; body image, social, family, and work. The present study aimed to enhance the understanding of the weight loss journey and the associated outcomes, with a specific focus on the expectation that individuals held, and how these compared to actual outcomes and perceptions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven participants. Data was then analysed using a grounded theory approach.
Findings showed that although weight loss had benefits such as fitting ‘normal’ sized clothes, increased attention, and a growth in confidence, there were also difficulties that were experienced. These included: a lack of support and unintentional sabotage, perceived body imperfections, and time taken for body perception to match up with actual physical appearance. It was found that positive outcomes of weight loss (such as compliments) could actually be viewed from a negative perspective and may have the opposite effect than what was intended.
While some outcomes were congruent with participants’ expectations, there were also instances where these were incongruent; for example being left with loose skin as a result of weight loss. It appeared as though having an expectation of life being ‘perfect’ after weight loss was more likely to lead to dissatisfaction, while having some form of education or insight about what life and their physical appearance would be like was more likely to result in higher levels of satisfaction.

text: The Fairy-tale of weight loss: Fact or Fantasy Being overweight or obese is if often associated with prejudice, stereotyping, stigmatisation, and discrimination, and can lead to both physical and mental health difficulties. It is commonly thought that weight loss will lead to improvements in various areas within the individual’s life including; body image, social, family, and work. The present study aimed to enhance the understanding of the weight loss journey and the associated outcomes, with a specific focus on the expectation that individuals held, and how these compared to actual outcomes and perceptions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven participants. Data was then analysed using a grounded theory approach.
Findings showed that although weight loss had benefits such as fitting ‘normal’ sized clothes, increased attention, and a growth in confidence, there were also difficulties that were experienced. These included: a lack of support and unintentional sabotage, perceived body imperfections, and time taken for body perception to match up with actual physical appearance. It was found that positive outcomes of weight loss (such as compliments) could actually be viewed from a negative perspective and may have the opposite effect than what was intended.
While some outcomes were congruent with participants’ expectations, there were also instances where these were incongruent; for example being left with loose skin as a result of weight loss. It appeared as though having an expectation of life being ‘perfect’ after weight loss was more likely to lead to dissatisfaction, while having some form of education or insight about what life and their physical appearance would be like was more likely to result in higher levels of satisfaction.

year: 2016

title: Summary of the diary study: “Please feed the digital parrot”

authors: Schweer, Andrea

subjects: diary study

abstract: This document summarises the findings of the diary study “Please feed the Digital Parrot” conducted in May 2007. The aim of this study was to collect real-world examples of remembering behaviour. We show the most interesting entries we collected, highlighting the kinds of information people wish to remember, the situations in which they wish to remember this information and how they go about remembering information. We discuss in which ways the findings deviate from our expectations and the implications of our observations for context-aware systems research and for future diary studies.

text: Summary of the diary study: “Please feed the digital parrot” This document summarises the findings of the diary study “Please feed the Digital Parrot” conducted in May 2007. The aim of this study was to collect real-world examples of remembering behaviour. We show the most interesting entries we collected, highlighting the kinds of information people wish to remember, the situations in which they wish to remember this information and how they go about remembering information. We discuss in which ways the findings deviate from our expectations and the implications of our observations for context-aware systems research and for future diary studies.

year: 2008-03-04

title: Using the curriculum guidelines for the teaching and learning of te reo Māori in Years 1 - 13 of New Zealand schools to create lessons for young learners

authors: Diane, Johnson

subjects: New Zealand

abstract: In 2009, The New Zealand Ministry of Education published curriculum guidelines for te reo Māori in Years 1 - 13 of English-medium New Zealand schools, that is, from age 5 upwards. These guidelines recommend a communicative approach to the teaching and learning of te reo Māori. In this article, we discuss communicative approaches and provide examples of ways in which teachers can design communicative language lessons that are appropriate for very young learners, lessons that are not only fun but also effective in developing genuine communicative competence in te reo Māori.

text: Using the curriculum guidelines for the teaching and learning of te reo Māori in Years 1 - 13 of New Zealand schools to create lessons for young learners In 2009, The New Zealand Ministry of Education published curriculum guidelines for te reo Māori in Years 1 - 13 of English-medium New Zealand schools, that is, from age 5 upwards. These guidelines recommend a communicative approach to the teaching and learning of te reo Māori. In this article, we discuss communicative approaches and provide examples of ways in which teachers can design communicative language lessons that are appropriate for very young learners, lessons that are not only fun but also effective in developing genuine communicative competence in te reo Māori.

year: 2009-09