title: Student perceptions of higher education science and engineering learning communities

authors: Cronje, Tom

subjects: higher education

abstract: This paper presents student perceptions of higher education science and engineering learning communities derived from a cross-case analysis of four case studies across the New Zealand university and polytechnic sectors. Here we explore student expectations and experiences of the higher education sector and canvas their views as to the infrastructure and resources in their institutions of study, and how they see their learning serves their careers' aims. Student perceptions of pedagogies employed in their institutions along with their preferred pedagogies follows, including staff-student interactions and consideration of the importance of practical skill development. The paper finishes by considering student perceptions of support structures and an analysis of their understanding of aspects of the nature of science (NoS) and engineering. The research findings suggest the students feel they become more independent and responsible for their own learning, enjoy smaller class sizes and interactive learning activities such as practical work and tutorials, and they stressed the importance of establishing good relationships with their teachers. Polytechnic students were more positive about their learning and felt the practice features of their learning led to enhanced career prospects. Students from university and polytechnic sectors were aware of formal learning support structures but only used them as a last resort, instead they first worked with peers and teachers.

text: Student perceptions of higher education science and engineering learning communities This paper presents student perceptions of higher education science and engineering learning communities derived from a cross-case analysis of four case studies across the New Zealand university and polytechnic sectors. Here we explore student expectations and experiences of the higher education sector and canvas their views as to the infrastructure and resources in their institutions of study, and how they see their learning serves their careers' aims. Student perceptions of pedagogies employed in their institutions along with their preferred pedagogies follows, including staff-student interactions and consideration of the importance of practical skill development. The paper finishes by considering student perceptions of support structures and an analysis of their understanding of aspects of the nature of science (NoS) and engineering. The research findings suggest the students feel they become more independent and responsible for their own learning, enjoy smaller class sizes and interactive learning activities such as practical work and tutorials, and they stressed the importance of establishing good relationships with their teachers. Polytechnic students were more positive about their learning and felt the practice features of their learning led to enhanced career prospects. Students from university and polytechnic sectors were aware of formal learning support structures but only used them as a last resort, instead they first worked with peers and teachers.

year: 2008

title: Two Roycroft brothers and two of their brothers-in-law, all miners at Te Aroha

authors: Hart, Philip

abstract: James and William Roycroft commenced their mining careers at Thames, where they were notable athletes, especially James. But James also became notable for being accused of theft, violence, and excessive drinking. Both men moved to Waiorongomai in 1882, but as their involvement in mining continued to be mostly unprofitable they were also carters, contractors, and timber cutters and merchants. Their financial struggles never ceased, and William was forced into bankruptcy. James continued to drink to excess, and when his wife attempted to use legal means to stop this he used violence against her.
Two brothers-in-law also mined at Waiorongomai for a time. Axel Leonard Forsman became a struggling farmer instead of a miner. When in Thames, he had been involved in petty squabbles and minor offences. His son Robert, a carpenter as well as a miner, imagined he had found oil near Waiorongomai. The most that was recorded about his children’s lives was his daughter’s ‘wonderful egg’ trick on her parents. John Henry Emett also had a variety of occupations and struggled financially; his mining at Waiorongomai in the 1890s was no more successful than the others’. 
After leaving Waiorongomai, the families settled elsewhere, especially at Waihi, without achieving prosperity. James continued to drink to excess and to ill treat his wife, and was again accused of being a thief. His widow would struggle to cope with her large family after his death. In all these cases, their lives had features typical of many other working class people of the time.

text: Two Roycroft brothers and two of their brothers-in-law, all miners at Te Aroha James and William Roycroft commenced their mining careers at Thames, where they were notable athletes, especially James. But James also became notable for being accused of theft, violence, and excessive drinking. Both men moved to Waiorongomai in 1882, but as their involvement in mining continued to be mostly unprofitable they were also carters, contractors, and timber cutters and merchants. Their financial struggles never ceased, and William was forced into bankruptcy. James continued to drink to excess, and when his wife attempted to use legal means to stop this he used violence against her.
Two brothers-in-law also mined at Waiorongomai for a time. Axel Leonard Forsman became a struggling farmer instead of a miner. When in Thames, he had been involved in petty squabbles and minor offences. His son Robert, a carpenter as well as a miner, imagined he had found oil near Waiorongomai. The most that was recorded about his children’s lives was his daughter’s ‘wonderful egg’ trick on her parents. John Henry Emett also had a variety of occupations and struggled financially; his mining at Waiorongomai in the 1890s was no more successful than the others’. 
After leaving Waiorongomai, the families settled elsewhere, especially at Waihi, without achieving prosperity. James continued to drink to excess and to ill treat his wife, and was again accused of being a thief. His widow would struggle to cope with her large family after his death. In all these cases, their lives had features typical of many other working class people of the time.

year: 2016

title: Indigenous fertility in Aotearoa New Zealand: How does ethnic identity affect birth spacing and timing?

authors: Rarere, Moana

abstract: The survival of Indigenous peoples in the CANZUS states of Canada, Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, and the United States is nothing short of remarkable. Not only have Indigenous peoples thwarted colonial tropes of the vanishing native but, for decades, Indigenous population growth rates have significantly outpaced those of the dominant settler populations. The future survival of Indigenous peoples fundamentally rests on continued natural increase, and understanding the causes and consequences of fertility behaviour is critical. While total fertility rates for Indigenous women in CANZUS countries are relatively low, childbearing tends to be concentrated at younger ages in contrast to the dominant white populations. The fertility transitions of both settler and Indigenous populations in the CANZUS states are well documented, however, a significant gap remains: how cultural factors shape contemporary Indigenous fertility behaviours. Using Aotearoa as a case study, we explore the relationship between Māori cultural identity, birth timing, and the duration of birth intervals. We use the 1995 New Zealand Women: Family, Employment and Education survey data to further test the impact of cultural identity on birth transition rates using the piecewise exponential model and Kaplan-Meier estimates. We find that women who identify Mainly Māori (exclusively or primarily) are at greater risk of bearing much earlier to first birth but not necessarily subsequent births. However, because of the earlier start, Māori have a longer reproductive window to bear more children, and at higher birth orders still bear earlier than non-Māori. The empirical evidence strengthens our case to suggest that cultural orientation has some influence on Indigenous fertility and contributes to the development of Indigenous-centred theories of fertility and demography more broadly.

text: Indigenous fertility in Aotearoa New Zealand: How does ethnic identity affect birth spacing and timing? The survival of Indigenous peoples in the CANZUS states of Canada, Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, and the United States is nothing short of remarkable. Not only have Indigenous peoples thwarted colonial tropes of the vanishing native but, for decades, Indigenous population growth rates have significantly outpaced those of the dominant settler populations. The future survival of Indigenous peoples fundamentally rests on continued natural increase, and understanding the causes and consequences of fertility behaviour is critical. While total fertility rates for Indigenous women in CANZUS countries are relatively low, childbearing tends to be concentrated at younger ages in contrast to the dominant white populations. The fertility transitions of both settler and Indigenous populations in the CANZUS states are well documented, however, a significant gap remains: how cultural factors shape contemporary Indigenous fertility behaviours. Using Aotearoa as a case study, we explore the relationship between Māori cultural identity, birth timing, and the duration of birth intervals. We use the 1995 New Zealand Women: Family, Employment and Education survey data to further test the impact of cultural identity on birth transition rates using the piecewise exponential model and Kaplan-Meier estimates. We find that women who identify Mainly Māori (exclusively or primarily) are at greater risk of bearing much earlier to first birth but not necessarily subsequent births. However, because of the earlier start, Māori have a longer reproductive window to bear more children, and at higher birth orders still bear earlier than non-Māori. The empirical evidence strengthens our case to suggest that cultural orientation has some influence on Indigenous fertility and contributes to the development of Indigenous-centred theories of fertility and demography more broadly.

year: 2023