title: The feasibility of using otolith microchemistry to trace movements of rainbow trout and common smelt in lakes Rotoiti and Rotorua

authors: Riceman, Matthew Sean

subjects: otolith microchemistry

abstract: Otolith microchemistry can be used to determine the natal origins of fish.  Our feasibility study using single water samples has determined that the water chemistry around Lakes Rotorua and Rotoiti, have different elemental compositions warranting further investigation.  We have shown that juvenile trout populations from spawning tributaries around lakes Rotorua and Rotoitit, Rotoua lakes district, New Zealand, could be grouped by using the ¹³⁷Ba:⁴³Ca isotopic ratio obtained from otolith laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analysis. The ⁸⁸Sr:⁴³Ca isotopic ration further distinguished between different sample locations when combined with the the ¹³⁷Ba:⁴³Ca isotopic ratio. Laser ablation analysis across common smelt otoliths provided information related to the movements between different chemical habitats across the fishes life and some distinct resident and migratory pattern are presented although further investigation into migration is required. 
Our preliminary results indicate that we will be able to distinguish natal steam for juvenile rainbow trout and probably lake of origin for common smelt.

text: The feasibility of using otolith microchemistry to trace movements of rainbow trout and common smelt in lakes Rotoiti and Rotorua Otolith microchemistry can be used to determine the natal origins of fish.  Our feasibility study using single water samples has determined that the water chemistry around Lakes Rotorua and Rotoiti, have different elemental compositions warranting further investigation.  We have shown that juvenile trout populations from spawning tributaries around lakes Rotorua and Rotoitit, Rotoua lakes district, New Zealand, could be grouped by using the ¹³⁷Ba:⁴³Ca isotopic ratio obtained from otolith laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analysis. The ⁸⁸Sr:⁴³Ca isotopic ration further distinguished between different sample locations when combined with the the ¹³⁷Ba:⁴³Ca isotopic ratio. Laser ablation analysis across common smelt otoliths provided information related to the movements between different chemical habitats across the fishes life and some distinct resident and migratory pattern are presented although further investigation into migration is required. 
Our preliminary results indicate that we will be able to distinguish natal steam for juvenile rainbow trout and probably lake of origin for common smelt.

year: 2007-05

title: The Long Term Implication of RTLB Support: 'Listening to the Voices of Student Experiences'

authors: Pillay, Poobie

subjects: RTLB

abstract: This research inquiry is based on the narratives of six secondary school male students who tell of their experiences of having learning and/or behaviour difficulties in school.The research explores the perspectives of these six participants, from one New Zealand Secondary School, who received support from a Resource Teacher Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) from a single RTLB cluster. The RTLB service is a school based resource that provides itinerant specialist support to schools and work with regular class teachers to improve the educational outcomes for students with moderate learning and/or behavioural difficulties (Ministry of Education, 1999; Walker et al, 1999).

This study aims to capture the voices of the participants through narratives and to tell
of their experiences with RTLB, their school and what makes sense in their lives. The purpose of this research is to induce reflection, themes or possibly questions for further discussion or research. There were four questions that drove this research inquiry:

1. What were the experiences of the participants who received support
from the RTLB while they were at primary, intermediate or secondary
school?
2. What were their current experiences of school life?
3. What is it about boys and school- especially those with learning and
behaviour difficulties?
4. Were there any new insights available to support/extend the work of the
RTLB in this cluster?

A narrative approach was chosen as the methodology because it allowed the stories of
the students to be told in their own voices. The principles of a narrative guided the construction, presentation and application of the interviews. The interviews were informally conducted and the transcription formed the narratives in this inquiry.

The themes from the narratives generated discussion about the family as an important
factor in raising positive, well balanced children. The similarities between the Caucasian participants and the Māori participants of the Te Kotahitanga project also featured. The themes also cover the impact of immigration on the South African participants and show the differences between the two school systems and how they
affect students new to New Zealand. The impact of RTLB support was greatest on those who remembered quite clearly the RTLB and the support they received.

The research presented a positive outlook for the participants despite their difficulties
and experiences of school. Their resilience and the combination of support they received at school and home were important contributors to this optimism. The analysis of the narratives provided the RTLB in this cluster with some implications to support or extend their work. The implications included the development of proactive
connections and meaningful relationships with the student. This was possible by getting to know them better and by making them aware of the purpose of RTLB involvement. The students could also be included in the problem solving and
intervention processes. Two recommendations from this research are that future research could investigate a system to monitor progress of students who received RTLB support and a process to place immigrant children correctly in the New Zealand school system.

text: The Long Term Implication of RTLB Support: 'Listening to the Voices of Student Experiences' This research inquiry is based on the narratives of six secondary school male students who tell of their experiences of having learning and/or behaviour difficulties in school.The research explores the perspectives of these six participants, from one New Zealand Secondary School, who received support from a Resource Teacher Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) from a single RTLB cluster. The RTLB service is a school based resource that provides itinerant specialist support to schools and work with regular class teachers to improve the educational outcomes for students with moderate learning and/or behavioural difficulties (Ministry of Education, 1999; Walker et al, 1999).

This study aims to capture the voices of the participants through narratives and to tell
of their experiences with RTLB, their school and what makes sense in their lives. The purpose of this research is to induce reflection, themes or possibly questions for further discussion or research. There were four questions that drove this research inquiry:

1. What were the experiences of the participants who received support
from the RTLB while they were at primary, intermediate or secondary
school?
2. What were their current experiences of school life?
3. What is it about boys and school- especially those with learning and
behaviour difficulties?
4. Were there any new insights available to support/extend the work of the
RTLB in this cluster?

A narrative approach was chosen as the methodology because it allowed the stories of
the students to be told in their own voices. The principles of a narrative guided the construction, presentation and application of the interviews. The interviews were informally conducted and the transcription formed the narratives in this inquiry.

The themes from the narratives generated discussion about the family as an important
factor in raising positive, well balanced children. The similarities between the Caucasian participants and the Māori participants of the Te Kotahitanga project also featured. The themes also cover the impact of immigration on the South African participants and show the differences between the two school systems and how they
affect students new to New Zealand. The impact of RTLB support was greatest on those who remembered quite clearly the RTLB and the support they received.

The research presented a positive outlook for the participants despite their difficulties
and experiences of school. Their resilience and the combination of support they received at school and home were important contributors to this optimism. The analysis of the narratives provided the RTLB in this cluster with some implications to support or extend their work. The implications included the development of proactive
connections and meaningful relationships with the student. This was possible by getting to know them better and by making them aware of the purpose of RTLB involvement. The students could also be included in the problem solving and
intervention processes. Two recommendations from this research are that future research could investigate a system to monitor progress of students who received RTLB support and a process to place immigrant children correctly in the New Zealand school system.

year: 2009

title: The Effects of a Shared Reading Intervention on the English Reading Skills of Year One Students in a Level Two Māori-medium Educational Context

authors: Te Arihi, Kylie

subjects: English Reading Skills

abstract: One of the biggest challenges confronting literacy education in Aotearoa  New Zealand is accommodating the differences in English reading-related variables at school entry to produce equitable outcomes in later reading achievement (Wilkinson, Freebody, & Elkins, 2000).  English-medium schools in Aotearoa struggle to negotiate effective literacy practices that validate and cater for the cognitive, cultural, and linguistic differences children bring to the process of learning to read in English.  Whereas, the role of English reading instruction in Māori-medium schools has been an under-researched and controversial issue.  How to accommodate for these differences to achieve equitable English reading outcomes in a year 1 level 2 Māori-medium context is the theme that this research seeks to explore.
	This Masters thesis reports on a shared reading intervention that explicitly teaches phonological awareness and alphabet knowledge to examine its effects on the English reading skills of year 1 students in a level 2 Māori-medium setting.  The research implemented a Kaupapa Māori framework and used interviews, surveys, reliable literacy measures, and research-based literacy instruction to explore reading acquisition for this particular cohort.  Thus, the purposes of the study were (a) to glean an in-depth understanding of the literacy and language practices that potentially shaped the participants English reading–related variables, (b) to examine the range of English reading-related skills for this cohort, and (c) to determine the effects of the intervention on their English reading skills.
	Eight students were divided and matched with a pair according to their reported pre-test phonemic awareness and alphabet knowledge scores, and then randomly assigned to either an intervention (n = 4) or treatment control (n = 4) group.  The intervention programme was carried out over a six week period and comprised 12, 30 minute lessons that integrated phonological and alphabetic based decoding skills within the shared reading approach.  The duration of the treatment control programme was also carried out over a six week period and comprised 12, 30 minutes lessons that integrated semantic, syntactic, and visual graphophonic sources of information to recognise words.  The results indicated the breadth and depth of English reading skills in year 1 level 2 Māori-medium contexts are diverse and the children had a positive attitude and sense of efficacy towards reading.  A comparison of the test results between the intervention and treatment control group demonstrated that a shared reading intervention that focused explicitly on phonological awareness and alphabet knowledge is effective in raising letter-naming knowledge, pseudoword decoding, phonemic awareness, and invented spelling.  The results are discussed in light of theoretical assumptions about reading acquisition that underlie word-base and text-base approaches to word recognition.
	Overall, this study supports the development and reform of training and professional development opportunities in phonological awareness and alphabet knowledge to better support, inform, and educate Aotearoa reading teachers.  This study contributes to the knowledge of English reading acquisition that validate the depth and breadth of early cognitive and linguistic differences to increase equitable English reading outcomes in level 2 Māori-medium contexts.

text: The Effects of a Shared Reading Intervention on the English Reading Skills of Year One Students in a Level Two Māori-medium Educational Context One of the biggest challenges confronting literacy education in Aotearoa  New Zealand is accommodating the differences in English reading-related variables at school entry to produce equitable outcomes in later reading achievement (Wilkinson, Freebody, & Elkins, 2000).  English-medium schools in Aotearoa struggle to negotiate effective literacy practices that validate and cater for the cognitive, cultural, and linguistic differences children bring to the process of learning to read in English.  Whereas, the role of English reading instruction in Māori-medium schools has been an under-researched and controversial issue.  How to accommodate for these differences to achieve equitable English reading outcomes in a year 1 level 2 Māori-medium context is the theme that this research seeks to explore.
	This Masters thesis reports on a shared reading intervention that explicitly teaches phonological awareness and alphabet knowledge to examine its effects on the English reading skills of year 1 students in a level 2 Māori-medium setting.  The research implemented a Kaupapa Māori framework and used interviews, surveys, reliable literacy measures, and research-based literacy instruction to explore reading acquisition for this particular cohort.  Thus, the purposes of the study were (a) to glean an in-depth understanding of the literacy and language practices that potentially shaped the participants English reading–related variables, (b) to examine the range of English reading-related skills for this cohort, and (c) to determine the effects of the intervention on their English reading skills.
	Eight students were divided and matched with a pair according to their reported pre-test phonemic awareness and alphabet knowledge scores, and then randomly assigned to either an intervention (n = 4) or treatment control (n = 4) group.  The intervention programme was carried out over a six week period and comprised 12, 30 minute lessons that integrated phonological and alphabetic based decoding skills within the shared reading approach.  The duration of the treatment control programme was also carried out over a six week period and comprised 12, 30 minutes lessons that integrated semantic, syntactic, and visual graphophonic sources of information to recognise words.  The results indicated the breadth and depth of English reading skills in year 1 level 2 Māori-medium contexts are diverse and the children had a positive attitude and sense of efficacy towards reading.  A comparison of the test results between the intervention and treatment control group demonstrated that a shared reading intervention that focused explicitly on phonological awareness and alphabet knowledge is effective in raising letter-naming knowledge, pseudoword decoding, phonemic awareness, and invented spelling.  The results are discussed in light of theoretical assumptions about reading acquisition that underlie word-base and text-base approaches to word recognition.
	Overall, this study supports the development and reform of training and professional development opportunities in phonological awareness and alphabet knowledge to better support, inform, and educate Aotearoa reading teachers.  This study contributes to the knowledge of English reading acquisition that validate the depth and breadth of early cognitive and linguistic differences to increase equitable English reading outcomes in level 2 Māori-medium contexts.

year: 2014