title: Connecting School Culture to Boys' Learning:  An investigation into how school culture affects boys' learning in one New Zealand primary school.

authors: Hyndman, Robert Murray

subjects: boys

abstract: Abstract
Boys' underachievement has become a topical issue in recent years.  In response, one New Zealand primary school created a Boys' Project.  It encompassed a range of interventions designed to address boys' underachievement by re-culturing the school to make it a more positive environment for them.  This qualitative research is a case study of this school and it seeks to identify elements of school culture that support boys' learning.  

The literature revealed contrasting and conflicting theoretical perspectives contributing to the debate around boys' achievement.  From one perspective it is accepted that boys and girls are different and schools are expected to accommodate these differences.  The alternative perspective suggests that differences between girls and boys should not be viewed as inevitable and that, for boys, schools and society should work to change undesirable attitudes and behaviours if their learning needs are to be addressed.  

The research revealed that boys' underachievement is indeed a complex issue that is unlikely to be solved by short-term interventions or strategies.  The research concludes that educational outcomes for boys will be positively affected by a school culture that fosters strong relationships, a focus on learning, and an understanding of how beliefs and attitudes about gender are influential on learning.

text: Connecting School Culture to Boys' Learning:  An investigation into how school culture affects boys' learning in one New Zealand primary school. Abstract
Boys' underachievement has become a topical issue in recent years.  In response, one New Zealand primary school created a Boys' Project.  It encompassed a range of interventions designed to address boys' underachievement by re-culturing the school to make it a more positive environment for them.  This qualitative research is a case study of this school and it seeks to identify elements of school culture that support boys' learning.  

The literature revealed contrasting and conflicting theoretical perspectives contributing to the debate around boys' achievement.  From one perspective it is accepted that boys and girls are different and schools are expected to accommodate these differences.  The alternative perspective suggests that differences between girls and boys should not be viewed as inevitable and that, for boys, schools and society should work to change undesirable attitudes and behaviours if their learning needs are to be addressed.  

The research revealed that boys' underachievement is indeed a complex issue that is unlikely to be solved by short-term interventions or strategies.  The research concludes that educational outcomes for boys will be positively affected by a school culture that fosters strong relationships, a focus on learning, and an understanding of how beliefs and attitudes about gender are influential on learning.

year: 2007

title: Stories of relocation to the Waikato: Spaces of emotion and affect in the 2010/2011 Canterbury earthquakes, Aotearoa New Zealand

authors: Adams-Hutcheson, Gail

subjects: emotion

abstract: Emotion and affect are enmeshed in the lives of relocated Cantabrians. A project on the lived geographies of relocation disrupts the predominance of model based approaches in hazards and disaster literature. The previously taken-for-granted aspects of how people relate to one another and are in turn shaped by those relationships are of central concern. 

The research brings together the stories of people from 19 households who moved to the Waikato region of New Zealand as a result of the Canterbury earthquakes and aftershocks.  It is argued that exploring relocation through the lens of emotion and affect can give rise to an understanding of the collective aspects of non-conscious, embodied and emotional life-worlds of relocatees. Semi-structured interviews, spontaneous focus groups and follow-up interviews were used to access emotional and affectual geographies and participants’ life experiences.

Three main themes are addressed in relation to disasters: 1) bodies which are proximate and connected to other bodies; 2) sub-conscious and psychosocial aspects of relocation, especially ambivalence; and 3) the co-mingling of materials (buildings, architecture) with an emotional and affective sense of self.  To explain each of these themes in turn, attention is paid to what bodies do to illustrate that proximity and connection are both present and desired by respondents in post-disaster and relocated spaces. The second theme of sub-conscious and psychosocial impacts explores how ambivalence exposes complexity and contradiction, which are tightly bound to the experience of relocation. The third theme of materiality is used to make clear how bodies and buildings are co-constituted. Homes, churches and other city buildings can become containers of memory inspiring feelings of dread, loss, and grief but also, comfort, belonging and identity. Emotion and affect, then, are critical to understanding the impacts of the earthquakes and relocation on people and communities, they are a call to think about complexity and are considered to be a large component of the human experience of surviving a disaster.

text: Stories of relocation to the Waikato: Spaces of emotion and affect in the 2010/2011 Canterbury earthquakes, Aotearoa New Zealand Emotion and affect are enmeshed in the lives of relocated Cantabrians. A project on the lived geographies of relocation disrupts the predominance of model based approaches in hazards and disaster literature. The previously taken-for-granted aspects of how people relate to one another and are in turn shaped by those relationships are of central concern. 

The research brings together the stories of people from 19 households who moved to the Waikato region of New Zealand as a result of the Canterbury earthquakes and aftershocks.  It is argued that exploring relocation through the lens of emotion and affect can give rise to an understanding of the collective aspects of non-conscious, embodied and emotional life-worlds of relocatees. Semi-structured interviews, spontaneous focus groups and follow-up interviews were used to access emotional and affectual geographies and participants’ life experiences.

Three main themes are addressed in relation to disasters: 1) bodies which are proximate and connected to other bodies; 2) sub-conscious and psychosocial aspects of relocation, especially ambivalence; and 3) the co-mingling of materials (buildings, architecture) with an emotional and affective sense of self.  To explain each of these themes in turn, attention is paid to what bodies do to illustrate that proximity and connection are both present and desired by respondents in post-disaster and relocated spaces. The second theme of sub-conscious and psychosocial impacts explores how ambivalence exposes complexity and contradiction, which are tightly bound to the experience of relocation. The third theme of materiality is used to make clear how bodies and buildings are co-constituted. Homes, churches and other city buildings can become containers of memory inspiring feelings of dread, loss, and grief but also, comfort, belonging and identity. Emotion and affect, then, are critical to understanding the impacts of the earthquakes and relocation on people and communities, they are a call to think about complexity and are considered to be a large component of the human experience of surviving a disaster.

year: 2014

title: Haumanu hauora: A commentary on strengthening health institution responsiveness to Māori health in the face of climate change

authors: Masters-Awatere, Bridgette

abstract: Climate change is the biggest threat to humanity through compounding ecological disasters. A focus on global averages tends to hide dramatic differences and mask health disparities that exist for Indigenous people. For 21 years, district health boards (DHBs) were responsible for providing or funding the provision of health services across Aotearoa. The introduction of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022 disestablished DHBs and offered an opportunity to reshape health in ways that give serious consideration to climate change impacts. The need to give greater consideration to Indigenous people in climate change conversations is essential. The Waitangi Tribunal highlights areas where the Crown needs to work to improve Māori health outcomes. A clear deficit in existing policy process means a lack of preparedness for the intersecting health crises vulnerable Māori will experience in the face of climate change. Structural change is needed to strengthen health institution responsiveness to Māori health needs.

text: Haumanu hauora: A commentary on strengthening health institution responsiveness to Māori health in the face of climate change Climate change is the biggest threat to humanity through compounding ecological disasters. A focus on global averages tends to hide dramatic differences and mask health disparities that exist for Indigenous people. For 21 years, district health boards (DHBs) were responsible for providing or funding the provision of health services across Aotearoa. The introduction of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022 disestablished DHBs and offered an opportunity to reshape health in ways that give serious consideration to climate change impacts. The need to give greater consideration to Indigenous people in climate change conversations is essential. The Waitangi Tribunal highlights areas where the Crown needs to work to improve Māori health outcomes. A clear deficit in existing policy process means a lack of preparedness for the intersecting health crises vulnerable Māori will experience in the face of climate change. Structural change is needed to strengthen health institution responsiveness to Māori health needs.

year: 2025