title: ‘Shoot for the moon!’ Students' identities as writers in the context of the classroom

authors: Wearmouth, Janice

subjects: student writing identities

abstract: A study of students' identities as writers was carried out in the classroom of a New Zealand primary teacher who had been formally identified by a national body of teachers as having excellent practice in supporting literacy acquisition. The researchers, Professor Janice Wearmouth, from the University of Bedfordshire, Mere Berryman, from the University of Waikato, New Zealand, and Lisa Whittle, from the Department of Conservation, Wellington, New Zealand, aimed to compare high and low literacy achievers' identities as writers within the context of this teacher's pedagogy and the learning environment of her classroom. The researchers concluded that all students, both high and low achievers, were developing very positive writing identities in a context where the teacher's method of supporting her students' writing was very well planned through a process-writing approach. This teacher had a very high degree of subject and pedagogical content knowledge and an acute awareness of her students' literacy learning needs. Her approach had an immediacy of responsiveness in relation to every student's learning and, above all, had recognition of the overwhelming importance of positive relationships in the classroom, teacher to student and peer to peer.

text: ‘Shoot for the moon!’ Students' identities as writers in the context of the classroom A study of students' identities as writers was carried out in the classroom of a New Zealand primary teacher who had been formally identified by a national body of teachers as having excellent practice in supporting literacy acquisition. The researchers, Professor Janice Wearmouth, from the University of Bedfordshire, Mere Berryman, from the University of Waikato, New Zealand, and Lisa Whittle, from the Department of Conservation, Wellington, New Zealand, aimed to compare high and low literacy achievers' identities as writers within the context of this teacher's pedagogy and the learning environment of her classroom. The researchers concluded that all students, both high and low achievers, were developing very positive writing identities in a context where the teacher's method of supporting her students' writing was very well planned through a process-writing approach. This teacher had a very high degree of subject and pedagogical content knowledge and an acute awareness of her students' literacy learning needs. Her approach had an immediacy of responsiveness in relation to every student's learning and, above all, had recognition of the overwhelming importance of positive relationships in the classroom, teacher to student and peer to peer.

year: 2011-06

title: Experiences of Tongan Women Migrants at Paid Work in New Zealand

authors: Fa'anunu, Sinama Tupou

subjects: Tongan women

abstract: The employment experiences of Tongan women migrants have received little attention in the literature.  This study therefore, sought to shed light on the dynamics of their social and economic experiences at paid work in New Zealand.  It was guided by the theories of population geographies, feminist geography and postcolonialism.  The inter-relationships of these theories provided insights into the influence of migration on these women's identities, ethnicity and gender relations and also how these influence these women's experiences at paid work in New Zealand.  The data were drawn from two major sources: i) the New Zealand 2006 population census and ii) in-depth interviews held in Tonga and New Zealand, with greater focus on the interviews.

This study revealed that the Tongan women's decisions for migrating to New Zealand were influenced by social rather than economic incentives.  Migration has challenged these women's traditional roles and reconstructed their gender relations.  Many are breadwinners yet Tongan born men in New Zealand still predominantly engage in the labour force and have higher personal income.  Their experiences at paid work also differ from the New Zealand born Tongan women in New Zealand.  These differences reflect the availability of their social networks and their familiarity with the socio-economic systems in New Zealand.  They experienced successes and failures at paid work on their way to improving their lives in New Zealand.

text: Experiences of Tongan Women Migrants at Paid Work in New Zealand The employment experiences of Tongan women migrants have received little attention in the literature.  This study therefore, sought to shed light on the dynamics of their social and economic experiences at paid work in New Zealand.  It was guided by the theories of population geographies, feminist geography and postcolonialism.  The inter-relationships of these theories provided insights into the influence of migration on these women's identities, ethnicity and gender relations and also how these influence these women's experiences at paid work in New Zealand.  The data were drawn from two major sources: i) the New Zealand 2006 population census and ii) in-depth interviews held in Tonga and New Zealand, with greater focus on the interviews.

This study revealed that the Tongan women's decisions for migrating to New Zealand were influenced by social rather than economic incentives.  Migration has challenged these women's traditional roles and reconstructed their gender relations.  Many are breadwinners yet Tongan born men in New Zealand still predominantly engage in the labour force and have higher personal income.  Their experiences at paid work also differ from the New Zealand born Tongan women in New Zealand.  These differences reflect the availability of their social networks and their familiarity with the socio-economic systems in New Zealand.  They experienced successes and failures at paid work on their way to improving their lives in New Zealand.

year: 2007

title: Indigenous knowledges in health policy in Aotearoa New Zealand and Saskatchewan Canada: A comparative study

authors: Green, Jane Alison

subjects: Indigenous

abstract: For more than two decades, components of Māori knowledges in the form of Māori words and concepts have been part of health policy in Aotearoa New Zealand. Health policy that engages Māori words and concepts resonates with Māori community values and aspirations and is thought to contribute to the revitalisation of Māori knowledges. Absent from the literature is an examination of this phenomenon; specifically, the socio-political factors that facilitate and limit the engagement of Māori knowledges with health policy. Of the four settler states, only in Aotearoa New Zealand are the knowledges of the Indigenous peoples engaged with health policy. In Saskatchewan, Canada, the First Nations and Métis peoples have engaged their knowledges with federal and provincially funded health programmes and services but not health policy. This study adopts a two-country comparative policy framework to investigate and theorise the historical and contemporary socio-political factors associated with the engagement of Indigenous knowledges in health policy in Aotearoa New Zealand and Saskatchewan, Canada. An adaption is made to the Kaupapa Māori approach so that the complexities of a two-country case study approach are addressed and engagement in health policy as a strategy for knowledge revitalisation is theorised. The study also takes a path less travelled which is to investigate the impact that engagement with health policy has upon the intangible or the ontological aspects of Māori knowledges. Māori describe their knowledges as comprised of tangible and intangible elements, both of which are important. Another adaption is made to the Kaupapa Māori theoretical approach which is to add speculative inquiry. The study argues that speculative inquiry in the form of contemplative, analytical, relational and viscerally aware practices are commonplace in Māori communities. Adding speculative inquiry to an already rich theoretical body that is Kaupapa Māori research provides an opening for other Kaupapa Māori researchers to expand non-empirical inquiry. The study concludes that government policies have had a decimating effect upon Māori, First Nations and Métis knowledges. Moreover, recent reports from commissions and inquiries indicate these knowledges and associated languages continue to decline for a number of reasons, including the impact of contemporary government policies. Health policy, this study asserts, is an uncertain site from which to revitalise Māori, First Nations and Métis knowledges.

text: Indigenous knowledges in health policy in Aotearoa New Zealand and Saskatchewan Canada: A comparative study For more than two decades, components of Māori knowledges in the form of Māori words and concepts have been part of health policy in Aotearoa New Zealand. Health policy that engages Māori words and concepts resonates with Māori community values and aspirations and is thought to contribute to the revitalisation of Māori knowledges. Absent from the literature is an examination of this phenomenon; specifically, the socio-political factors that facilitate and limit the engagement of Māori knowledges with health policy. Of the four settler states, only in Aotearoa New Zealand are the knowledges of the Indigenous peoples engaged with health policy. In Saskatchewan, Canada, the First Nations and Métis peoples have engaged their knowledges with federal and provincially funded health programmes and services but not health policy. This study adopts a two-country comparative policy framework to investigate and theorise the historical and contemporary socio-political factors associated with the engagement of Indigenous knowledges in health policy in Aotearoa New Zealand and Saskatchewan, Canada. An adaption is made to the Kaupapa Māori approach so that the complexities of a two-country case study approach are addressed and engagement in health policy as a strategy for knowledge revitalisation is theorised. The study also takes a path less travelled which is to investigate the impact that engagement with health policy has upon the intangible or the ontological aspects of Māori knowledges. Māori describe their knowledges as comprised of tangible and intangible elements, both of which are important. Another adaption is made to the Kaupapa Māori theoretical approach which is to add speculative inquiry. The study argues that speculative inquiry in the form of contemplative, analytical, relational and viscerally aware practices are commonplace in Māori communities. Adding speculative inquiry to an already rich theoretical body that is Kaupapa Māori research provides an opening for other Kaupapa Māori researchers to expand non-empirical inquiry. The study concludes that government policies have had a decimating effect upon Māori, First Nations and Métis knowledges. Moreover, recent reports from commissions and inquiries indicate these knowledges and associated languages continue to decline for a number of reasons, including the impact of contemporary government policies. Health policy, this study asserts, is an uncertain site from which to revitalise Māori, First Nations and Métis knowledges.

year: 2018