title: Well-being as discourse: Potentials and problems for studies of organizing and health inequalities

authors: Ganesh, Shiv

subjects: well-being

abstract: The sustained global popularity, prevalence, and influence of the term wellbeing are manifest in the definition of health offered by the World Health Organization since 1948: “A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not only the absence of disease or infirmity” (World Health Organization, 1948, p. 1). The discursive convergence of the terms health and well-being is echoed in myriad health policies across the world; for instance, in Aotearoa New Zealand, hauora has been understood as both health and well-being, viewed as a whare tapa wha or four-sided house built on spiritual, physical, family, and emotional/mental dimensions (National
Health Committee, New Zealand, 1998). The convergence of health and wellbeing can also be seen in an increasing number of health campaigns: A reproductive health campaign in Honduras claims, “Salud Reproductiva, bienestar y vida!” [Reproductive health is well-being and life]. The convergence can also be seen in the slogan and vision of an increasingly large number of health organizations. For instance, the home page of one public health organization states that it is “a membership organization that works to improve the level of health and well-being for all Arizonans through advocacy, education and professional development” (Arizona Public Health Association, n.d.).

text: Well-being as discourse: Potentials and problems for studies of organizing and health inequalities The sustained global popularity, prevalence, and influence of the term wellbeing are manifest in the definition of health offered by the World Health Organization since 1948: “A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not only the absence of disease or infirmity” (World Health Organization, 1948, p. 1). The discursive convergence of the terms health and well-being is echoed in myriad health policies across the world; for instance, in Aotearoa New Zealand, hauora has been understood as both health and well-being, viewed as a whare tapa wha or four-sided house built on spiritual, physical, family, and emotional/mental dimensions (National
Health Committee, New Zealand, 1998). The convergence of health and wellbeing can also be seen in an increasing number of health campaigns: A reproductive health campaign in Honduras claims, “Salud Reproductiva, bienestar y vida!” [Reproductive health is well-being and life]. The convergence can also be seen in the slogan and vision of an increasingly large number of health organizations. For instance, the home page of one public health organization states that it is “a membership organization that works to improve the level of health and well-being for all Arizonans through advocacy, education and professional development” (Arizona Public Health Association, n.d.).

year: 2010

title: An experimental evaluation of the introduction of Bodyfurn chairs on on-task and disruptive behaviour in the classroom

authors: Martin, Isaac

subjects: Behaviour analysis

abstract: Research has shown that academic achievement is positively correlated with improved employment opportunities, social skills, well-being, standard of living, and overall quality of life. One variable that has been shown to significantly influence academic achievement are the seats that are used by students in the classroom. The aim of the current study was to investigate the impact that Bodyfurn chairs had on academic achievement by evaluating the effect that they had on-task and disruptive behaviour of students compared to the regular classroom chairs. It was hypothesized that Bodyfurn chairs would increase the on-task behaviour and decrease disruptive behaviours of students. The study included three separate groups of five primary school students and implemented a multiple baseline design. All three groups used the regular classroom chairs during the baseline phase and Bodyfurn chairs were introduced in a staggered fashion once stable baselines were established. The results showed that the introduction of Bodyfurn chairs resulted in immediate and noticeable increases in on-task behaviour for two of the groups, with on-task behaviour increasing by 27.4% and 15.7% relative to the regular classroom chairs, while a ceiling effect prevented any noticeable experimental effect from occurring in the third group. The results also showed marked decreases in disruptive behaviour across all three groups when Bodyfurn chairs were used with occurrences of disruptive behaviour decreasing by 49.1%, 47.8%, and 59.5% compared to the regular classroom chairs. The findings of this study suggest that Bodyfurn chairs could improve academic achievement of students.

text: An experimental evaluation of the introduction of Bodyfurn chairs on on-task and disruptive behaviour in the classroom Research has shown that academic achievement is positively correlated with improved employment opportunities, social skills, well-being, standard of living, and overall quality of life. One variable that has been shown to significantly influence academic achievement are the seats that are used by students in the classroom. The aim of the current study was to investigate the impact that Bodyfurn chairs had on academic achievement by evaluating the effect that they had on-task and disruptive behaviour of students compared to the regular classroom chairs. It was hypothesized that Bodyfurn chairs would increase the on-task behaviour and decrease disruptive behaviours of students. The study included three separate groups of five primary school students and implemented a multiple baseline design. All three groups used the regular classroom chairs during the baseline phase and Bodyfurn chairs were introduced in a staggered fashion once stable baselines were established. The results showed that the introduction of Bodyfurn chairs resulted in immediate and noticeable increases in on-task behaviour for two of the groups, with on-task behaviour increasing by 27.4% and 15.7% relative to the regular classroom chairs, while a ceiling effect prevented any noticeable experimental effect from occurring in the third group. The results also showed marked decreases in disruptive behaviour across all three groups when Bodyfurn chairs were used with occurrences of disruptive behaviour decreasing by 49.1%, 47.8%, and 59.5% compared to the regular classroom chairs. The findings of this study suggest that Bodyfurn chairs could improve academic achievement of students.

year: 2021

title: Cultural identity and academic achievement among Māori undergraduate university students

authors: Bennett, Simon T.

subjects: Maori

abstract: Cultural identity and academic achievement were investigated among a nonrandom
sample of 72 undergraduate Māori university students studying at Massey
University. Student problems were examined to identify the types of difficulties
most prevalent among this population. The degree to which cultural identity
moderates the relationship between student problems and academic achievement
was then examined. Major findings were that (a) there is a consistent negative
relationship between student problems and academic achievement; and (b) cultural
identity moderates the effect of student problems on academic achievement, in that:
a high degree of problems were associated with decreases in grade point average
among respondents with low cultural identity; while among respondents with high
cultural identity, high levels of student problems had little negative effect on grade
point average. Despite the study having limitations, the findings have important
implications for Māori students, deliverers of tertiary education, tertiary education
providers, and those involved in the development and implementation of tertiary
education policy.

text: Cultural identity and academic achievement among Māori undergraduate university students Cultural identity and academic achievement were investigated among a nonrandom
sample of 72 undergraduate Māori university students studying at Massey
University. Student problems were examined to identify the types of difficulties
most prevalent among this population. The degree to which cultural identity
moderates the relationship between student problems and academic achievement
was then examined. Major findings were that (a) there is a consistent negative
relationship between student problems and academic achievement; and (b) cultural
identity moderates the effect of student problems on academic achievement, in that:
a high degree of problems were associated with decreases in grade point average
among respondents with low cultural identity; while among respondents with high
cultural identity, high levels of student problems had little negative effect on grade
point average. Despite the study having limitations, the findings have important
implications for Māori students, deliverers of tertiary education, tertiary education
providers, and those involved in the development and implementation of tertiary
education policy.

year: 2003