title: Hōmai te Waiora ki Ahau: te ara whakamua - towards the establishment of construct validity

authors: Palmer, Stephanie

abstract: Hōmai te Waiora ki Ahau: te ara
whakamua, is about the development of a
tool to measure psychological wellbeing
among Māori. Why is it relevant? Because
a quick look at the June 2002 edition of
New Zealand’s Journal of Psychology will
show you that the wellbeing measures
being used in this country are not responsive to the needs of
Māori, are not based on Māori concepts or
Constructs, do not facilitate Māori participation in
te ao Māori and do not provide pathways through
which Māori can develop a positive Māori
identity.
It is highly unlikely that the tools
which psychologists use to measure
wellbeing among Māori will help Māori to
experience whānau ora and that, as we all
know, is the paramount health objective for
Māori (Ministry of Health, 2002). In this
regard, it would seem that the powers that
be in psychology are failing to meet their
Treaty obligations to Māori. Therefore,
Hōmai te Waiora ki Ahau simply aims to assist change. This presentation will briefly
describe the context of the development of
this measure, the methodologies used to
develop this tool, the outcomes of a small
pilot-study, and current challenges and
future directions for Hōmai te Waiora ki
Ahau.

text: Hōmai te Waiora ki Ahau: te ara whakamua - towards the establishment of construct validity Hōmai te Waiora ki Ahau: te ara
whakamua, is about the development of a
tool to measure psychological wellbeing
among Māori. Why is it relevant? Because
a quick look at the June 2002 edition of
New Zealand’s Journal of Psychology will
show you that the wellbeing measures
being used in this country are not responsive to the needs of
Māori, are not based on Māori concepts or
Constructs, do not facilitate Māori participation in
te ao Māori and do not provide pathways through
which Māori can develop a positive Māori
identity.
It is highly unlikely that the tools
which psychologists use to measure
wellbeing among Māori will help Māori to
experience whānau ora and that, as we all
know, is the paramount health objective for
Māori (Ministry of Health, 2002). In this
regard, it would seem that the powers that
be in psychology are failing to meet their
Treaty obligations to Māori. Therefore,
Hōmai te Waiora ki Ahau simply aims to assist change. This presentation will briefly
describe the context of the development of
this measure, the methodologies used to
develop this tool, the outcomes of a small
pilot-study, and current challenges and
future directions for Hōmai te Waiora ki
Ahau.

year: 2003

title: Nga Wahi Ipurangi - Digital Places

authors: Reilly, Alan Howard

subjects: mLearning

abstract: The Waipa district, unbeknown to many New Zealanders, is home to some of the country’s most significant historical sites and stories.  As a Learning Experiences Outside the Classroom (LEOTC) educator, one of my roles is facilitating the understanding of these places and stories with school students.  
Currently, historical sites of national significance in this area are geographically hard to recognise, and have little or no physical interpretation. The ability of students to learn at these sites relies heavily on the educator’s oratory abilities.  Recent development in mobile technology can now provide access to interpretive internet-based content anytime, anywhere and this research investigates potential for mobile technology to be used as a tool to provide meaningful learning experiences that connect students to our unique history in the environment that these events actually took place in.
This research compares different mobile learning methods’ effectiveness in increasing student understanding and retention of social history content. A mobile learning (mLearning) programme was created for the purpose of this research, with the internet-hosted content divided equally between 3 mobile learning methods and one presenter-based method. 
Three groups consisting of Yr 5-6, Yr 7-8 and Yr 9-10 school students participated in the programme. Students completed multi-choice tests before, immediately after and 4 months following the trial programme. The multi choice results were used to compare improvement in student understanding and retention. Focus group interviews were conducted immediately and 4 months after the trial and were used to explore students metacognitive reflections of the learning methods used. 
The results of the study suggest that the mobile audio method was the most effective at increasing student understanding of the learning content and also had the highest level of content retention.  Results also suggest that environmental and technological distraction may have negatively influenced the effectiveness of the two visual mobile learning methods. Distraction may account for the differences between the learning methods effectiveness suggested by the multi-choice testing. Focus group interviews indicate the importance of mobile learning in an authentic context.
Discussion around the reduction, and where possible, elimination of the identified distractions; appropriateness and feasibility of new programme development including: game/trail based mLearning; the importance of authentic contexts for Māori students; student involvement in design; student-centred methods; connection to the classroom; and the relevance of social media are explored.
This research provides a clear direction for future programme development, aligning with the Ministry of Education’s LEOTC review priorities that emphasise raising student achievement for priority students; improving student engagement; and innovative, future focused learning.

text: Nga Wahi Ipurangi - Digital Places The Waipa district, unbeknown to many New Zealanders, is home to some of the country’s most significant historical sites and stories.  As a Learning Experiences Outside the Classroom (LEOTC) educator, one of my roles is facilitating the understanding of these places and stories with school students.  
Currently, historical sites of national significance in this area are geographically hard to recognise, and have little or no physical interpretation. The ability of students to learn at these sites relies heavily on the educator’s oratory abilities.  Recent development in mobile technology can now provide access to interpretive internet-based content anytime, anywhere and this research investigates potential for mobile technology to be used as a tool to provide meaningful learning experiences that connect students to our unique history in the environment that these events actually took place in.
This research compares different mobile learning methods’ effectiveness in increasing student understanding and retention of social history content. A mobile learning (mLearning) programme was created for the purpose of this research, with the internet-hosted content divided equally between 3 mobile learning methods and one presenter-based method. 
Three groups consisting of Yr 5-6, Yr 7-8 and Yr 9-10 school students participated in the programme. Students completed multi-choice tests before, immediately after and 4 months following the trial programme. The multi choice results were used to compare improvement in student understanding and retention. Focus group interviews were conducted immediately and 4 months after the trial and were used to explore students metacognitive reflections of the learning methods used. 
The results of the study suggest that the mobile audio method was the most effective at increasing student understanding of the learning content and also had the highest level of content retention.  Results also suggest that environmental and technological distraction may have negatively influenced the effectiveness of the two visual mobile learning methods. Distraction may account for the differences between the learning methods effectiveness suggested by the multi-choice testing. Focus group interviews indicate the importance of mobile learning in an authentic context.
Discussion around the reduction, and where possible, elimination of the identified distractions; appropriateness and feasibility of new programme development including: game/trail based mLearning; the importance of authentic contexts for Māori students; student involvement in design; student-centred methods; connection to the classroom; and the relevance of social media are explored.
This research provides a clear direction for future programme development, aligning with the Ministry of Education’s LEOTC review priorities that emphasise raising student achievement for priority students; improving student engagement; and innovative, future focused learning.

year: 2013

title: Defence policy and the death of Private Manning

authors: Smith, Ron C.

subjects: East Timor

abstract: The circumstances of the killing of New Zealand private Leonard Manning in East Timor last year raised many more questions than were answered (or even addressed) in the report of the official Army inquiry released last November. There questions go right to the heart of a crucial issue for New Zealand as far as its defence forces are concerned. Will we resolve properly to support such forces as we send overseas or will we continue to send them anyway?

text: Defence policy and the death of Private Manning The circumstances of the killing of New Zealand private Leonard Manning in East Timor last year raised many more questions than were answered (or even addressed) in the report of the official Army inquiry released last November. There questions go right to the heart of a crucial issue for New Zealand as far as its defence forces are concerned. Will we resolve properly to support such forces as we send overseas or will we continue to send them anyway?

year: 2001