title: Student challenging behaviour and its impact on classroom culture: An investigation into how challenging behaviour can affect the learning culture in New Zealand primary schools

authors: Langley, Dene John

subjects: classroom culture

abstract: Managing challenging behaviour in the classroom is a problem faced by all teachers. Challenging behaviour is any form of behaviour that interferes with children's learning or normal development; is harmful to the child, other children or adults; or puts a child in a high risk category for later social problems or school failure. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the link between undesirable behaviours of students and their effect on classroom learning culture, as one of the key factors in behaviour management is in understanding why challenging behaviour occurs.
The qualitative nature of this research allowed for the exploration of both teacher and student narratives by learning from their experiences regarding challenging behaviour and its effect on a classroom learning culture.
The literature review revealed that it is important, that teachers have a personal definition of challenging behaviour and reflect on their own personal beliefs and the beliefs of others regarding the understanding of challenging behaviours. Research, reviewed in Chapter 2 has indicated that challenging behaviour is strongly context dependent as seen particularly in the impact of different cultural contexts on that behaviour, that learning and behaviour are socially and culturally acquired and that academic learning and social learning are interconnected. 
It is the teachers' responsibility to initiate a classroom culture that recognises the connections between learning and behaviour, especially when there are a number of cultures represented. This type of classroom culture must be acceptable to, and shared by both students and teachers, must recognise and respond to cultural difference, and must avoid deficit thinking about minoritized cultures. To achieve this, teachers need to be the ones that change the most as they are the ones who hold the power to do so.
Successful teachers need to place a high value on forming mutually respectful, trusting and positive relationships with their students which will create classrooms and schools that are safe and caring and allow a stronger focus on realising potential and encourage learning. The most effective way of forming such relationships is to learn to listen to and respect student voice.

The outcomes of this study confirm findings in literature by demonstrating, that a close, positive and supportive relationship between teacher and students are essential for developing learning potential and for responding appropriately to challenging behaviour. Recognition of student voice is central to achieving these aims.

Teachers also need to be aware of cultural difference and be prepared to make shifts in their thinking so that their own culture does not totally dominate in the classroom. In this study, the student and teacher participants were representative of both Māori and European ethnicity and the findings suggest that their assertions regarding how challenging behaviours affects learning were noticeably similar. This suggests perhaps that the participants in this study felt they were in a culturally safe environment where the teachers' culture did not always dominate.

text: Student challenging behaviour and its impact on classroom culture: An investigation into how challenging behaviour can affect the learning culture in New Zealand primary schools Managing challenging behaviour in the classroom is a problem faced by all teachers. Challenging behaviour is any form of behaviour that interferes with children's learning or normal development; is harmful to the child, other children or adults; or puts a child in a high risk category for later social problems or school failure. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the link between undesirable behaviours of students and their effect on classroom learning culture, as one of the key factors in behaviour management is in understanding why challenging behaviour occurs.
The qualitative nature of this research allowed for the exploration of both teacher and student narratives by learning from their experiences regarding challenging behaviour and its effect on a classroom learning culture.
The literature review revealed that it is important, that teachers have a personal definition of challenging behaviour and reflect on their own personal beliefs and the beliefs of others regarding the understanding of challenging behaviours. Research, reviewed in Chapter 2 has indicated that challenging behaviour is strongly context dependent as seen particularly in the impact of different cultural contexts on that behaviour, that learning and behaviour are socially and culturally acquired and that academic learning and social learning are interconnected. 
It is the teachers' responsibility to initiate a classroom culture that recognises the connections between learning and behaviour, especially when there are a number of cultures represented. This type of classroom culture must be acceptable to, and shared by both students and teachers, must recognise and respond to cultural difference, and must avoid deficit thinking about minoritized cultures. To achieve this, teachers need to be the ones that change the most as they are the ones who hold the power to do so.
Successful teachers need to place a high value on forming mutually respectful, trusting and positive relationships with their students which will create classrooms and schools that are safe and caring and allow a stronger focus on realising potential and encourage learning. The most effective way of forming such relationships is to learn to listen to and respect student voice.

The outcomes of this study confirm findings in literature by demonstrating, that a close, positive and supportive relationship between teacher and students are essential for developing learning potential and for responding appropriately to challenging behaviour. Recognition of student voice is central to achieving these aims.

Teachers also need to be aware of cultural difference and be prepared to make shifts in their thinking so that their own culture does not totally dominate in the classroom. In this study, the student and teacher participants were representative of both Māori and European ethnicity and the findings suggest that their assertions regarding how challenging behaviours affects learning were noticeably similar. This suggests perhaps that the participants in this study felt they were in a culturally safe environment where the teachers' culture did not always dominate.

year: 2009

title: An introduction to the Australian and New Zealand flux tower network - OzFlux

authors: Beringer, Jason

subjects: Science & Technology

abstract: OzFlux is the regional Australian and New Zealand flux tower network that aims to provide a continental-scale national research facility to monitor and assess trends, and improve predictions, of Australia's terrestrial biosphere and climate. This paper describes the evolution, design, and current status of OzFlux as well as provides an overview of data processing. We analyse measurements from all sites within the Australian portion of the OzFlux network and two sites from New Zealand. The response of the Australian biomes to climate was largely consistent with global studies except that Australian systems had a lower ecosystem water-use efficiency. Australian semi-arid/arid ecosystems are important because of their huge extent (70 %) and they have evolved with common moisture limitations. We also found that Australian ecosystems had a similar radiation-use efficiency per unit leaf area compared to global values that indicates a convergence toward a similar biochemical efficiency. The two New Zealand sites represented extremes in productivity for a moist temperate climate zone, with the grazed dairy farm site having the highest GPP of any OzFlux site (2620 gC m⁻²yr⁻¹) and the natural raised peat bog site having a very low GPP (820 gC m⁻² yr⁻¹). The paper discusses the utility of the flux data and the synergies between flux, remote sensing, and modelling. Lastly, the paper looks ahead at the future direction of the network and concludes that there has been a substantial contribution by OzFlux, and considerable opportunities remain to further advance our understanding of ecosystem response to disturbances, including drought, fire, land-use and land-cover change, land management, and climate change, which are relevant both nationally and internationally. It is suggested that a synergistic approach is required to address all of the spatial, ecological, human, and cultural challenges of managing the delicately balanced ecosystems in Australasia.

text: An introduction to the Australian and New Zealand flux tower network - OzFlux OzFlux is the regional Australian and New Zealand flux tower network that aims to provide a continental-scale national research facility to monitor and assess trends, and improve predictions, of Australia's terrestrial biosphere and climate. This paper describes the evolution, design, and current status of OzFlux as well as provides an overview of data processing. We analyse measurements from all sites within the Australian portion of the OzFlux network and two sites from New Zealand. The response of the Australian biomes to climate was largely consistent with global studies except that Australian systems had a lower ecosystem water-use efficiency. Australian semi-arid/arid ecosystems are important because of their huge extent (70 %) and they have evolved with common moisture limitations. We also found that Australian ecosystems had a similar radiation-use efficiency per unit leaf area compared to global values that indicates a convergence toward a similar biochemical efficiency. The two New Zealand sites represented extremes in productivity for a moist temperate climate zone, with the grazed dairy farm site having the highest GPP of any OzFlux site (2620 gC m⁻²yr⁻¹) and the natural raised peat bog site having a very low GPP (820 gC m⁻² yr⁻¹). The paper discusses the utility of the flux data and the synergies between flux, remote sensing, and modelling. Lastly, the paper looks ahead at the future direction of the network and concludes that there has been a substantial contribution by OzFlux, and considerable opportunities remain to further advance our understanding of ecosystem response to disturbances, including drought, fire, land-use and land-cover change, land management, and climate change, which are relevant both nationally and internationally. It is suggested that a synergistic approach is required to address all of the spatial, ecological, human, and cultural challenges of managing the delicately balanced ecosystems in Australasia.

year: 2016

title: Maori children : Conceptions of Death and Tangihanga

authors: Jacob, Juanita Emily

subjects: Maori

abstract: Research pertaining to Maori children‟s experiences and perceptions of death and tangihanga is sparse. Much of what is available, relating to children and their experiences with death, particularly death of a loved one, is generalised and stems from Western paradigms of knowledge. In contrast, this study aimed to investigate Maori children‟s experience relating to death and tangi through the eyes of Maori parents. Five areas were explored with Maori parents: (1) childhood experiences of Maori parents relating to death and tangi, (2) parental conceptualisation pertaining to ideas of an afterlife (3) how and when Maori parents talk with children about topics relating to death, tangi and an afterlife (4) how Maori children understand and conceptualise these events, and (5) how these practices will continue on in the future. Findings of this study suggest that Maori children: (a) received abundant support from kinship networks to help them cope with their grief, (b) they were included and involved in all aspects relating to death and tangi, (c) they were encouraged to express emotions openly and without restraint, (d) they understood and comprehended death through personal experience and exposure to tangi, (e) the business of grieving came secondary to the fact that tangi was more like a holiday with family, (f) Maori parents informed and talked to their children about death and tangi, and (g) they often use both Christian ideologies and cultural beliefs to explained death and afterlife to their children. From this study we learn that death was not hidden from children, that parents talked with their children in very open and age relevant ways, and considered their children‟s participation in tangi as an important way to grieve and ensure continuity with kinship networks and support. This study suggests that the challenge now is to ensure that these practices continue to persist between parents and their children, and continue on through generations.

text: Maori children : Conceptions of Death and Tangihanga Research pertaining to Maori children‟s experiences and perceptions of death and tangihanga is sparse. Much of what is available, relating to children and their experiences with death, particularly death of a loved one, is generalised and stems from Western paradigms of knowledge. In contrast, this study aimed to investigate Maori children‟s experience relating to death and tangi through the eyes of Maori parents. Five areas were explored with Maori parents: (1) childhood experiences of Maori parents relating to death and tangi, (2) parental conceptualisation pertaining to ideas of an afterlife (3) how and when Maori parents talk with children about topics relating to death, tangi and an afterlife (4) how Maori children understand and conceptualise these events, and (5) how these practices will continue on in the future. Findings of this study suggest that Maori children: (a) received abundant support from kinship networks to help them cope with their grief, (b) they were included and involved in all aspects relating to death and tangi, (c) they were encouraged to express emotions openly and without restraint, (d) they understood and comprehended death through personal experience and exposure to tangi, (e) the business of grieving came secondary to the fact that tangi was more like a holiday with family, (f) Maori parents informed and talked to their children about death and tangi, and (g) they often use both Christian ideologies and cultural beliefs to explained death and afterlife to their children. From this study we learn that death was not hidden from children, that parents talked with their children in very open and age relevant ways, and considered their children‟s participation in tangi as an important way to grieve and ensure continuity with kinship networks and support. This study suggests that the challenge now is to ensure that these practices continue to persist between parents and their children, and continue on through generations.

year: 2011