title: Becoming PBRF-able: Research assessment and education in New Zealand

authors: Middleton, Sue

subjects: research assessment

abstract: It seems ironic that, designed as they are to quantify, evaluate and reward the research quantum of academic institutions, departments and individuals, research assessment exercises have themselves become objects of their research and critique. As many in this volume and elsewhere attest, the impact of research assessment runs deeper than mere measurement of “what is already there”: such processes are productive, or formative (Henkel, 2005, McNay, 2003; Sikes, 2006). Of course bringing about change is intended in the sense of increasing research quantity, enhancing its quality, etc. However, there are suggestions that by changing the conditions of knowledge production, research assessment exercises may also alter the shape and direction of disciplines by diverting and channelling researchers’ intellectual attention and political engagement, influencing what they study, how they do it, and how they report and write (Beck and Yong, 2005; Bernstein, 2000).

text: Becoming PBRF-able: Research assessment and education in New Zealand It seems ironic that, designed as they are to quantify, evaluate and reward the research quantum of academic institutions, departments and individuals, research assessment exercises have themselves become objects of their research and critique. As many in this volume and elsewhere attest, the impact of research assessment runs deeper than mere measurement of “what is already there”: such processes are productive, or formative (Henkel, 2005, McNay, 2003; Sikes, 2006). Of course bringing about change is intended in the sense of increasing research quantity, enhancing its quality, etc. However, there are suggestions that by changing the conditions of knowledge production, research assessment exercises may also alter the shape and direction of disciplines by diverting and channelling researchers’ intellectual attention and political engagement, influencing what they study, how they do it, and how they report and write (Beck and Yong, 2005; Bernstein, 2000).

year: 2009

title: Comparison between several operant procedures with severely retarded children

authors: Fugler, Alan Norman Ewen

abstract: This study was designed to examine: 
(a)	The effects of social and token reinforcement in increasing instruction-following behaviour in retarded children, where the class was addressed as a whole; 
(b)	The effects of time-out and verbal reprimand as methods of reducing disruptive behaviour; 
(c)	The effects of the administration of social reinforcement (verbal praise), in increasing behaviour defined as helping other children. 
Results show that token reinforcement is significantly more effective than social reinforcement in generating and maintaining instruction-following behaviour in a sample of severely retarded children. This supports the results of a growing body of literature relating to both the theoretical and applied aspects of reinforcement procedures. 
The time-out procedure was found to reduce disruptive responses at a more rapid rate than that of verbal reprimand and the effects were more lasting over time. This result was achieved using a 60 second isolation period. Verbal reprimand was found to reduce disruptive responses to slightly below the non punished level. Suggestions are made as to further developments in both procedures. 
The administration of verbal praise, delivered contingent upon one child helping another, led to an increase in this class of response in three children. No general conclusions can be made as to the effectiveness of this type of reinforcement in increasing helping behaviour in a group situation. 
The results obtained in this study further suggest that the approach taken can be successfully applied to the problem of altering the behaviour of individuals treated as a group, in a group setting. This applies to both the reinforcement and punishment conditions. The results further indicate that the systematic application of operant learning principles will both increase adaptive and decrease maladaptive behaviour in retarded children.

text: Comparison between several operant procedures with severely retarded children This study was designed to examine: 
(a)	The effects of social and token reinforcement in increasing instruction-following behaviour in retarded children, where the class was addressed as a whole; 
(b)	The effects of time-out and verbal reprimand as methods of reducing disruptive behaviour; 
(c)	The effects of the administration of social reinforcement (verbal praise), in increasing behaviour defined as helping other children. 
Results show that token reinforcement is significantly more effective than social reinforcement in generating and maintaining instruction-following behaviour in a sample of severely retarded children. This supports the results of a growing body of literature relating to both the theoretical and applied aspects of reinforcement procedures. 
The time-out procedure was found to reduce disruptive responses at a more rapid rate than that of verbal reprimand and the effects were more lasting over time. This result was achieved using a 60 second isolation period. Verbal reprimand was found to reduce disruptive responses to slightly below the non punished level. Suggestions are made as to further developments in both procedures. 
The administration of verbal praise, delivered contingent upon one child helping another, led to an increase in this class of response in three children. No general conclusions can be made as to the effectiveness of this type of reinforcement in increasing helping behaviour in a group situation. 
The results obtained in this study further suggest that the approach taken can be successfully applied to the problem of altering the behaviour of individuals treated as a group, in a group setting. This applies to both the reinforcement and punishment conditions. The results further indicate that the systematic application of operant learning principles will both increase adaptive and decrease maladaptive behaviour in retarded children.

year: 1971

title: Outdoor learning in Aotearoa New Zealand: voices past, present, and future

authors: Cosgriff, Marg

subjects: culture

abstract: Many of the principles and practices that have influenced outdoor education in Aotearoa New Zealand find their genesis in the United Kingdom and North America. In recent times, many of these foundational assumptions have been called into question. This paper highlights how emerging 'local' voices are questioning and reframing how outdoor education is conceptualised and practiced. In large part this is due to a sense of distinctiveness borne from the bicultural foundations that underpin governance and policy-making. This paper explores how outdoor educators are developing pedagogies that acknowledge the particularities of our context, particularly the bicultural foundation of Aotearoa New Zealand. The paper highlights how social and cultural influences shape educational policy and how outdoor educators are responding, both theoretically and practically, to meet the needs of learners in an increasingly diverse society.

text: Outdoor learning in Aotearoa New Zealand: voices past, present, and future Many of the principles and practices that have influenced outdoor education in Aotearoa New Zealand find their genesis in the United Kingdom and North America. In recent times, many of these foundational assumptions have been called into question. This paper highlights how emerging 'local' voices are questioning and reframing how outdoor education is conceptualised and practiced. In large part this is due to a sense of distinctiveness borne from the bicultural foundations that underpin governance and policy-making. This paper explores how outdoor educators are developing pedagogies that acknowledge the particularities of our context, particularly the bicultural foundation of Aotearoa New Zealand. The paper highlights how social and cultural influences shape educational policy and how outdoor educators are responding, both theoretically and practically, to meet the needs of learners in an increasingly diverse society.

year: 2012