title: Mindfulness in the classroom: An exploration of teachers' perceptions of well-being in relation to mindfulness-based classroom practices

authors: Mazza-Davies, Laurie Lynn

subjects: mindfulness

abstract: The intersection between mindfulness and well-being is particularly salient, given a nascent field of international study has grown out of interest in what mindfulness can offer to enhance human well-being.  Despite well-being forming an integral part of the health and physical education learning area of the New Zealand curriculum, there is a surprising paucity of current research into teacher well-being in New Zealand, and an even greater scarcity of New Zealand based research into the potential impact of mindfulness-based practices on teacher and student well-being.  This thesis aims to address this significant gap by exploring teachers’ perceptions of well-being in relation to mindfulness-based practices.

Drawing upon hermeneutic phenomenology as a method of inquiry, this study reveals the essence of the ontological experiences of a group of nine New Zealand primary (elementary) school teachers as they explored the notion of well-being, considered the mindfulness construct in relation to their personal and professional well-being, interpreted and ultimately applied mindfulness principles to their classroom programmes.  Data were collected in two phases over a 10 week period by way of teacher focus group meetings, in-class observations, de-briefings, and student focus group meetings.  Researcher reflexivity is acknowledged through the use of autobiographical diary entries, woven throughout, as the super-ordinate themes of well-being and mindfulness are explored in relation to identity, authenticity, autonomy and ‘Being’.

The findings have implications for educational theory, policy and practice. A key finding points to the development of a theory signifying the paradoxical nature of well-being as both an experience and a state of ‘Being’, and not necessarily as the result of being well.  A second theory introduces the concept of authenonomy, suggesting the continuous interplay between authenticity and autonomy, when acknowledged and acted upon, may heighten teacher well-being. Finally, three broadly based categorisations of mindfulness classroom activities are presented, resulting in a framework created to assist teachers in implementing practices into their short and long term planning in manageable and creative ways. However, any such practices are not homogeneous, and need to be responsive to particular social and cultural contexts, and the character of students and schools.

text: Mindfulness in the classroom: An exploration of teachers' perceptions of well-being in relation to mindfulness-based classroom practices The intersection between mindfulness and well-being is particularly salient, given a nascent field of international study has grown out of interest in what mindfulness can offer to enhance human well-being.  Despite well-being forming an integral part of the health and physical education learning area of the New Zealand curriculum, there is a surprising paucity of current research into teacher well-being in New Zealand, and an even greater scarcity of New Zealand based research into the potential impact of mindfulness-based practices on teacher and student well-being.  This thesis aims to address this significant gap by exploring teachers’ perceptions of well-being in relation to mindfulness-based practices.

Drawing upon hermeneutic phenomenology as a method of inquiry, this study reveals the essence of the ontological experiences of a group of nine New Zealand primary (elementary) school teachers as they explored the notion of well-being, considered the mindfulness construct in relation to their personal and professional well-being, interpreted and ultimately applied mindfulness principles to their classroom programmes.  Data were collected in two phases over a 10 week period by way of teacher focus group meetings, in-class observations, de-briefings, and student focus group meetings.  Researcher reflexivity is acknowledged through the use of autobiographical diary entries, woven throughout, as the super-ordinate themes of well-being and mindfulness are explored in relation to identity, authenticity, autonomy and ‘Being’.

The findings have implications for educational theory, policy and practice. A key finding points to the development of a theory signifying the paradoxical nature of well-being as both an experience and a state of ‘Being’, and not necessarily as the result of being well.  A second theory introduces the concept of authenonomy, suggesting the continuous interplay between authenticity and autonomy, when acknowledged and acted upon, may heighten teacher well-being. Finally, three broadly based categorisations of mindfulness classroom activities are presented, resulting in a framework created to assist teachers in implementing practices into their short and long term planning in manageable and creative ways. However, any such practices are not homogeneous, and need to be responsive to particular social and cultural contexts, and the character of students and schools.

year: 2015

title: From fan appropriation to industry re-appropriation: the sexual identity of comic superheroes

authors: Schott, Gareth R.

subjects: superhero genre

abstract: In his controversial text Seduction of the Innocent, Fredric Wertham's (1954) description of Batman and Robin as a 'wish dream of two homosexuals living together' (Lendrum 2004, p. 70) represents one of the first published queer readings of superhero characters. This text signalled the commencement of, and subsequent intense interest in, the way superhero characters often portray a 'camp' sensibility (Medhurst 1991) representative of a queer performative identity (Butler 1993). This is most evident in online fan-communities where the sexual identity of popular superheroes are continuously explored and debated in discussion forums and expressed through the production of slash fiction and queer-themed fan art. The ambiguity inherent in superhero comics has traditionally allowed and encouraged fans to operate as 'textual poachers' (Jenkins 1992) appropriating these texts for their own means. Today, however, there exist a new generation of comic book superheroes, in the form of established industry-penned 'out' gay characters. This paper examines the impact and meaning of the shift from the 'implied' to 'actual' in terms of fans' acceptance, resistance and desire to further appropriate comic texts.

text: From fan appropriation to industry re-appropriation: the sexual identity of comic superheroes In his controversial text Seduction of the Innocent, Fredric Wertham's (1954) description of Batman and Robin as a 'wish dream of two homosexuals living together' (Lendrum 2004, p. 70) represents one of the first published queer readings of superhero characters. This text signalled the commencement of, and subsequent intense interest in, the way superhero characters often portray a 'camp' sensibility (Medhurst 1991) representative of a queer performative identity (Butler 1993). This is most evident in online fan-communities where the sexual identity of popular superheroes are continuously explored and debated in discussion forums and expressed through the production of slash fiction and queer-themed fan art. The ambiguity inherent in superhero comics has traditionally allowed and encouraged fans to operate as 'textual poachers' (Jenkins 1992) appropriating these texts for their own means. Today, however, there exist a new generation of comic book superheroes, in the form of established industry-penned 'out' gay characters. This paper examines the impact and meaning of the shift from the 'implied' to 'actual' in terms of fans' acceptance, resistance and desire to further appropriate comic texts.

year: 2010

title: Tangi and State Funeral: Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu and Prime Minister Norman Kirk

authors: McRae, Karyn Okeroa

subjects: Tangi

abstract: The tangi of Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu (Te Arikinui) in 2006 paralleled the State funerals for New Zealand Prime Ministers like Norman Kirk who died in 1974. State funerals require the huge mobilization of people and resources and always attract the attention of the national and international media. The death of a Prime Minister is news worthy, but what of a minority indigenous fourth world leader like Te Arikinui? Why did her passing attract so much media attention? In this study I argue that media representation of the tangi of Te Arikinui was largely about social, cultural and symbolic capital. In media saturated societies such as Aotearoa/New Zealand, through mainstream media outlets like TV One News and the Waikato Times, Te Arikinui’s tangi event claimed a dominant space in the lives of Maori and non Maori alike. The data source includes print news media coverage of the tangi of Te Arikinui and the State funeral of Norman Kirk. Descriptive narrative and abductive analysis inform the methodology used in this study. As expected, print media reporting of both events progressed through the three stages identified by Durkheim, those of, separation, liminality and reincorporation. The ownership of death, the deceased and the continued possession of their mortal remains, itself a cultural object with symbolic and cultural capital, reflected the actual power and control of the possessor. State funerals and tangi are about the ritualized performance of grief and mourning, and require the appropriate social, cultural and symbolic capital for its enactment.

text: Tangi and State Funeral: Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu and Prime Minister Norman Kirk The tangi of Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu (Te Arikinui) in 2006 paralleled the State funerals for New Zealand Prime Ministers like Norman Kirk who died in 1974. State funerals require the huge mobilization of people and resources and always attract the attention of the national and international media. The death of a Prime Minister is news worthy, but what of a minority indigenous fourth world leader like Te Arikinui? Why did her passing attract so much media attention? In this study I argue that media representation of the tangi of Te Arikinui was largely about social, cultural and symbolic capital. In media saturated societies such as Aotearoa/New Zealand, through mainstream media outlets like TV One News and the Waikato Times, Te Arikinui’s tangi event claimed a dominant space in the lives of Maori and non Maori alike. The data source includes print news media coverage of the tangi of Te Arikinui and the State funeral of Norman Kirk. Descriptive narrative and abductive analysis inform the methodology used in this study. As expected, print media reporting of both events progressed through the three stages identified by Durkheim, those of, separation, liminality and reincorporation. The ownership of death, the deceased and the continued possession of their mortal remains, itself a cultural object with symbolic and cultural capital, reflected the actual power and control of the possessor. State funerals and tangi are about the ritualized performance of grief and mourning, and require the appropriate social, cultural and symbolic capital for its enactment.

year: 2010