title: What’s the story? Outdoor education in New Zealand in the 21st century

authors: Cosgriff, Marg

subjects: schools

abstract: Outdoor education, in its various guises, has been part of the New Zealand education system for decades and is considered by many to be integral to school life. This paper addresses outdoor education within physical education in primary and secondary schools. It critiques the priority historically given to personal and social outcomes, suggesting that this has served to keep outdoor pursuits and adventure activities at the forefront of many school programmes, particularly in secondary schools. In turn, it is proposed that this has sidetracked the focus from outdoor environmental education, a problematic outcome given contemporary concerns about the need to foster environmental appreciation, understanding, and action. A range of possibilities for a practice of outdoor education that deliberately and creatively fuses simple, 'skill-full' adventures, and student connectedness and commitment to local environments is highlighted.

text: What’s the story? Outdoor education in New Zealand in the 21st century Outdoor education, in its various guises, has been part of the New Zealand education system for decades and is considered by many to be integral to school life. This paper addresses outdoor education within physical education in primary and secondary schools. It critiques the priority historically given to personal and social outcomes, suggesting that this has served to keep outdoor pursuits and adventure activities at the forefront of many school programmes, particularly in secondary schools. In turn, it is proposed that this has sidetracked the focus from outdoor environmental education, a problematic outcome given contemporary concerns about the need to foster environmental appreciation, understanding, and action. A range of possibilities for a practice of outdoor education that deliberately and creatively fuses simple, 'skill-full' adventures, and student connectedness and commitment to local environments is highlighted.

year: 2008

title: Light Levels and Driver Perception of Speed: A study examining egospeed under simulated day and night lighting conditions in a rural setting

authors: Kim, Jonathan

subjects: Egospeed

abstract: International studies show that globally, drivers are statistically more likely to be involved in collisions during the night than they are during the day. However, the exact mechanisms behind this have not been fully explored. The research carried out in the course of this thesis examined the possibility that the difference in light levels between day and night periods had an effect on drivers’ perceptions of speed on a rural road. Three experiments were performed in order to test this hypothesised link between light levels and driving speed.
	The first and second experiments were designed to examine whether light levels had an effect on egospeed discrimination ability at 60 km/h and 80 km/h (Experiment 1) and at 100 km/h (Experiment 2). The experiments used a psychophysical technique (method of constant stimuli) to measure the point at which two different egospeeds presented under day and night conditions appeared to be the same (the point of subjective equality, or PSE). The value of the PSE relative to the standard condition (60, 80, or 100 km/h) indicated whether egospeed was being underestimated or overestimate. The results of Experiment 1 indicated that participants were able to discriminate very small differences in egospeed (close to 6% in some cases) but that lighting level (day vs. night) did not have a strong effect on their perception of egospeed. Some participants perceived themselves to be moving faster during the night condition compared to the day condition at both 60 km/h and 80 km/h, but the difference was only statistically significant at 80 km/h. The results of Experiment 2 indicated that participants perceived themselves to be moving faster during the day condition compared to the night condition at 100 km/h, but that this was not to a significant degree. Large individual differences were found at all three speeds examined in Experiments 1 and 2.
	The third experiment focussed on absolute estimates of egospeed rather than on differences, and was designed to examine whether light level had an effect on judgements of absolute speed at 60 km/h – 100 km/h, through the use of a magnitude estimation task. Participants were shown individual day and night scenarios, and were asked to estimate the exact speed at which they perceived themselves to be moving. The results showed that light levels did not have a statistically significant effect on the speed at which participants judged themselves to be moving, but that they were able to distinguish between the different speed conditions quite well. However, participants’ absolute estimates of egospeed were greatly underestimated.
	The overall findings from all of the experiments indicate that, in general, light levels do not affect drivers’ egospeed perceptions, but that observers are quite sensitive to small differences in egospeed, and that their ability to judge these small changes is quite robust to the influence of light level.

text: Light Levels and Driver Perception of Speed: A study examining egospeed under simulated day and night lighting conditions in a rural setting International studies show that globally, drivers are statistically more likely to be involved in collisions during the night than they are during the day. However, the exact mechanisms behind this have not been fully explored. The research carried out in the course of this thesis examined the possibility that the difference in light levels between day and night periods had an effect on drivers’ perceptions of speed on a rural road. Three experiments were performed in order to test this hypothesised link between light levels and driving speed.
	The first and second experiments were designed to examine whether light levels had an effect on egospeed discrimination ability at 60 km/h and 80 km/h (Experiment 1) and at 100 km/h (Experiment 2). The experiments used a psychophysical technique (method of constant stimuli) to measure the point at which two different egospeeds presented under day and night conditions appeared to be the same (the point of subjective equality, or PSE). The value of the PSE relative to the standard condition (60, 80, or 100 km/h) indicated whether egospeed was being underestimated or overestimate. The results of Experiment 1 indicated that participants were able to discriminate very small differences in egospeed (close to 6% in some cases) but that lighting level (day vs. night) did not have a strong effect on their perception of egospeed. Some participants perceived themselves to be moving faster during the night condition compared to the day condition at both 60 km/h and 80 km/h, but the difference was only statistically significant at 80 km/h. The results of Experiment 2 indicated that participants perceived themselves to be moving faster during the day condition compared to the night condition at 100 km/h, but that this was not to a significant degree. Large individual differences were found at all three speeds examined in Experiments 1 and 2.
	The third experiment focussed on absolute estimates of egospeed rather than on differences, and was designed to examine whether light level had an effect on judgements of absolute speed at 60 km/h – 100 km/h, through the use of a magnitude estimation task. Participants were shown individual day and night scenarios, and were asked to estimate the exact speed at which they perceived themselves to be moving. The results showed that light levels did not have a statistically significant effect on the speed at which participants judged themselves to be moving, but that they were able to distinguish between the different speed conditions quite well. However, participants’ absolute estimates of egospeed were greatly underestimated.
	The overall findings from all of the experiments indicate that, in general, light levels do not affect drivers’ egospeed perceptions, but that observers are quite sensitive to small differences in egospeed, and that their ability to judge these small changes is quite robust to the influence of light level.

year: 2015

title: Teachers’ perspectives on incorporating aspects of Mātauranga Māori in year 9-10 secondary school science classrooms.

authors: Hermanns, Christina Leilani

subjects: science

abstract: Science classrooms in Aotearoa New Zealand may cause some students to feel marginalised.  The inclusion of mātauranga Māori offers a diverse perspective on knowledge which may help inclusion of, and understanding for, these learners.  This research examines how science teachers include mātauranga Māori in their junior secondary science learning activities. 

I am a Pākehā teacher who was born and raised in Hawaii. I have 17 years of science teaching experience in Aotearoa New Zealand. This interpretive, phenomenographic study involved semi-structured interviews with six teachers, all who taught in North Island schools.  Five of the six participants were in schools, and one taught in a Kura Kaupapa Māori.  Data were gathered about teachers’ understanding of te reo Māori, inclusion of mātauranga Māori in the junior secondary science classroom, and how teachers’ own cultural awareness impacted their practice. 

The findings indicate that teachers include mātauranga Māori in their science classrooms in a diverse range of ways. From whole course design to more subtle ways that reflect Māori tikanga and Māori pedagogy.  Teachers often faced challenges in including mātauranga Māori in their science classroom and they overcame these by learning te reo, embracing Māori tikanga and continuing to learn to fill the gaps in their knowledge. The context of the school and its community was also a factor, as well as teachers’ personal philosophies about the nature of knowledge. 

The findings have implications for initial teacher education and professional learning for the integration of mātauranga Māori into the secondary science classroom.

text: Teachers’ perspectives on incorporating aspects of Mātauranga Māori in year 9-10 secondary school science classrooms. Science classrooms in Aotearoa New Zealand may cause some students to feel marginalised.  The inclusion of mātauranga Māori offers a diverse perspective on knowledge which may help inclusion of, and understanding for, these learners.  This research examines how science teachers include mātauranga Māori in their junior secondary science learning activities. 

I am a Pākehā teacher who was born and raised in Hawaii. I have 17 years of science teaching experience in Aotearoa New Zealand. This interpretive, phenomenographic study involved semi-structured interviews with six teachers, all who taught in North Island schools.  Five of the six participants were in schools, and one taught in a Kura Kaupapa Māori.  Data were gathered about teachers’ understanding of te reo Māori, inclusion of mātauranga Māori in the junior secondary science classroom, and how teachers’ own cultural awareness impacted their practice. 

The findings indicate that teachers include mātauranga Māori in their science classrooms in a diverse range of ways. From whole course design to more subtle ways that reflect Māori tikanga and Māori pedagogy.  Teachers often faced challenges in including mātauranga Māori in their science classroom and they overcame these by learning te reo, embracing Māori tikanga and continuing to learn to fill the gaps in their knowledge. The context of the school and its community was also a factor, as well as teachers’ personal philosophies about the nature of knowledge. 

The findings have implications for initial teacher education and professional learning for the integration of mātauranga Māori into the secondary science classroom.

year: 2025-05-29