title: Linking land, river and moana: Collaborative research between Te Whakatōhea and Lincoln University within the coastal rohe

authors: Morris, Richard

abstract: In the eastern Bay of Plenty, where the land yields to the Pacific and the Waioeka and Ōtara Rivers meet Te Moana aToi (the Bay of Plenty), a research partnership is flourishing between Te Whakatōhea iwi, Lincoln University Centre of Excellence Designing Future Productive Landscape (DFPL), and Waikato University. This collaboration has grown over several years into a suite of multidisciplinary research projects focused on agricultural systems design, urban planning, and climate resilience. While distinct in their objectives, these research threads are united by a deeper, unavoidable theme: the interconnection between whenua (land), awa (river), and moana (sea). For Te Whakatōhea, these are not separate domains but a continuous space of identity, sustenance, and economy, an ethos that sits well with DFPL.

text: Linking land, river and moana: Collaborative research between Te Whakatōhea and Lincoln University within the coastal rohe In the eastern Bay of Plenty, where the land yields to the Pacific and the Waioeka and Ōtara Rivers meet Te Moana aToi (the Bay of Plenty), a research partnership is flourishing between Te Whakatōhea iwi, Lincoln University Centre of Excellence Designing Future Productive Landscape (DFPL), and Waikato University. This collaboration has grown over several years into a suite of multidisciplinary research projects focused on agricultural systems design, urban planning, and climate resilience. While distinct in their objectives, these research threads are united by a deeper, unavoidable theme: the interconnection between whenua (land), awa (river), and moana (sea). For Te Whakatōhea, these are not separate domains but a continuous space of identity, sustenance, and economy, an ethos that sits well with DFPL.

year: 2025-11

title: Talking About Race and Positionality in Psychology: Asians as Tangata Tiriti

authors: Tan, Kyle K. H.

subjects: tangata whenua

abstract: The article discusses the dominance of Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) perspectives in the field of psychology in Aotearoa New Zealand. This has resulted in a racial hierarchy of knowledge, with Indigenous and culturally diverse epistemologies marginalized. The lack of diversity in the curriculum and the limited representation of non-Pākehā (non-New Zealand European) psychologists in the country have led to calls for a more inclusive environment.

The first perspective proposed is to understand Asians as a racialized group with diverse experiences. Asians in Aotearoa come from various backgrounds and face different degrees of racism and acculturation. The notion of 'Asian' may be used to marginalize the interests of Māori, perpetuating institutional racism. The concept of 'Asianisations' describes different forms of racial marginalization experienced by Asians in the country.

The second perspective emphasizes the positionality of Asians as tangata Tiriti (people of the Treaty). Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Treaty between the British Crown and Māori chiefs, is seen as granting tangata Tiriti equal rights and privileges alongside Pākehā and Māori. As tangata Tiriti, Asians have a responsibility to uphold Tiriti principles, which include partnership, active protection, equity, and options to address Māori inequities. Asian psychologists can engage in culturally safe care for Māori clients and collaborate with and empower Māori leadership in research.

The article highlights the need for Asian psychologists to reflect on their positionality, power structures, and biases within the discipline and society. It encourages them to challenge the dominance of WEIRD psychology and work towards decolonizing the field. By doing so, they can contribute to the flourishing of Kaupapa Māori psychology and develop culturally informed practices that draw on the richness of Asian cultures.

text: Talking About Race and Positionality in Psychology: Asians as Tangata Tiriti The article discusses the dominance of Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) perspectives in the field of psychology in Aotearoa New Zealand. This has resulted in a racial hierarchy of knowledge, with Indigenous and culturally diverse epistemologies marginalized. The lack of diversity in the curriculum and the limited representation of non-Pākehā (non-New Zealand European) psychologists in the country have led to calls for a more inclusive environment.

The first perspective proposed is to understand Asians as a racialized group with diverse experiences. Asians in Aotearoa come from various backgrounds and face different degrees of racism and acculturation. The notion of 'Asian' may be used to marginalize the interests of Māori, perpetuating institutional racism. The concept of 'Asianisations' describes different forms of racial marginalization experienced by Asians in the country.

The second perspective emphasizes the positionality of Asians as tangata Tiriti (people of the Treaty). Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Treaty between the British Crown and Māori chiefs, is seen as granting tangata Tiriti equal rights and privileges alongside Pākehā and Māori. As tangata Tiriti, Asians have a responsibility to uphold Tiriti principles, which include partnership, active protection, equity, and options to address Māori inequities. Asian psychologists can engage in culturally safe care for Māori clients and collaborate with and empower Māori leadership in research.

The article highlights the need for Asian psychologists to reflect on their positionality, power structures, and biases within the discipline and society. It encourages them to challenge the dominance of WEIRD psychology and work towards decolonizing the field. By doing so, they can contribute to the flourishing of Kaupapa Māori psychology and develop culturally informed practices that draw on the richness of Asian cultures.

year: 2023-07-24

title: Systematically planning and integrating intercultural communicative competence learning/teaching into the EFL curriculum/classroom to promote students’ learning motivation and confidence in ICC: A practitioner research at a tertiary institution in China

authors: Li, Lanping

subjects: ICC teaching/learning

abstract: Although ICC teaching/learning in foreign language classrooms has been explored over the past few decades, few studies have experimented with systematically planning and integrating ICC teaching/learning in the EFL classroom by applying ICC theories. Very few studies on ICC teaching have included data on classroom teaching practices collected by a multi-method approach. In the context of China, where the development of ICC is  emphasized in the College English syllabus, there is dearth of empirical studies on ICC teaching and no studies have trialled systematically planning and integrating ICC  teaching into the EFL curriculum/classroom for non-English majors in universities to investigate how  it might motivate students to learn English and how it might develop students‘ ICC and ICC confidence.
This practitioner research sought to occupy the research space above. Based on an extensive review of the ICC teaching literature, this intervention study was carried out to trial applying ICC teaching and L2 learning motivation theories to the EFL curriculum/classroom, specifically an intervention class of non-English majors in a university in China through one semester. To investigate the associations of the intervention with students’ learning motivation, ICC and ICC confidence, a mixture of research methods was applied, including practitioner inquiry, action research, case study, mixed methods with explanatory design and triangulation design, and a quasi-experimental design. A multi-method approach to data collection was adopted including surveys, pre-test and post-test, students’ reflective journals, teacher‘s reflective journal and interviews. These data sets were analysed in ways appropriate to the data type, including thematic analysis and statistical analysis. The results of the qualitative and quantitative analysis were used to compare, triangulate and mutually illuminate both sets of results.
The findings indicate that students’ positive attitudes toward ICC learning were related to their identification with the importance of learning/teaching ICC in English classroom and the fact that the systematic ICC learning/teaching in their English classroom had stimulated their interest and increased their learning motivation. Associations were found between systematic ICC learning/teaching and students’ improvement in learning motivation, LS, ICC and ICC confidence. A number of effective ways of systematically planning and    integrating ICC learning/teaching into the EFL curriculum/classroom were found, such as a division into three learning phases, a process of six stages in ICC curriculum planning, deciding certain ICC learning/teaching objectives, and other basic dimensions and components of the curriculum, including resource selection for the ICC learning/teaching and aspects  of  teaching method.
It is concluded that systematically planning and integrating ICC teaching into the EFL curriculum/classroom, based on the theories of ICC teaching and L2 learning motivation, has a great potential to develop students‘ ICC and ICC confidence, and promote their learning motivation as well, with a flow-on benefit to their language skills. This study is significant  for its practical implications for the practice of ICC learning/teaching in the EFL curriculum/classroom; its contribution to the practical and theoretical development/support of ICC learning/teaching and L2 learning motivation theories; its applying a mixture of research methods and of data collection and analysis procedures to investigate ICC teaching. In one word, it is significant in its offering practical implications for curriculum implementation, practical implications for teacher education and language policy-making, methodological implications for research, and theoretical implications for the development of ICC teaching/learning in the EFL classroom.

text: Systematically planning and integrating intercultural communicative competence learning/teaching into the EFL curriculum/classroom to promote students’ learning motivation and confidence in ICC: A practitioner research at a tertiary institution in China Although ICC teaching/learning in foreign language classrooms has been explored over the past few decades, few studies have experimented with systematically planning and integrating ICC teaching/learning in the EFL classroom by applying ICC theories. Very few studies on ICC teaching have included data on classroom teaching practices collected by a multi-method approach. In the context of China, where the development of ICC is  emphasized in the College English syllabus, there is dearth of empirical studies on ICC teaching and no studies have trialled systematically planning and integrating ICC  teaching into the EFL curriculum/classroom for non-English majors in universities to investigate how  it might motivate students to learn English and how it might develop students‘ ICC and ICC confidence.
This practitioner research sought to occupy the research space above. Based on an extensive review of the ICC teaching literature, this intervention study was carried out to trial applying ICC teaching and L2 learning motivation theories to the EFL curriculum/classroom, specifically an intervention class of non-English majors in a university in China through one semester. To investigate the associations of the intervention with students’ learning motivation, ICC and ICC confidence, a mixture of research methods was applied, including practitioner inquiry, action research, case study, mixed methods with explanatory design and triangulation design, and a quasi-experimental design. A multi-method approach to data collection was adopted including surveys, pre-test and post-test, students’ reflective journals, teacher‘s reflective journal and interviews. These data sets were analysed in ways appropriate to the data type, including thematic analysis and statistical analysis. The results of the qualitative and quantitative analysis were used to compare, triangulate and mutually illuminate both sets of results.
The findings indicate that students’ positive attitudes toward ICC learning were related to their identification with the importance of learning/teaching ICC in English classroom and the fact that the systematic ICC learning/teaching in their English classroom had stimulated their interest and increased their learning motivation. Associations were found between systematic ICC learning/teaching and students’ improvement in learning motivation, LS, ICC and ICC confidence. A number of effective ways of systematically planning and    integrating ICC learning/teaching into the EFL curriculum/classroom were found, such as a division into three learning phases, a process of six stages in ICC curriculum planning, deciding certain ICC learning/teaching objectives, and other basic dimensions and components of the curriculum, including resource selection for the ICC learning/teaching and aspects  of  teaching method.
It is concluded that systematically planning and integrating ICC teaching into the EFL curriculum/classroom, based on the theories of ICC teaching and L2 learning motivation, has a great potential to develop students‘ ICC and ICC confidence, and promote their learning motivation as well, with a flow-on benefit to their language skills. This study is significant  for its practical implications for the practice of ICC learning/teaching in the EFL curriculum/classroom; its contribution to the practical and theoretical development/support of ICC learning/teaching and L2 learning motivation theories; its applying a mixture of research methods and of data collection and analysis procedures to investigate ICC teaching. In one word, it is significant in its offering practical implications for curriculum implementation, practical implications for teacher education and language policy-making, methodological implications for research, and theoretical implications for the development of ICC teaching/learning in the EFL classroom.

year: 2017