title: The Price of Pain: Studying Strategies Used by Women with Chronic Pain Disability to Sustain Worker Identity

authors: Ferry-Parker, Charlotte

subjects: Disability

abstract: Chronic pain is pain that persists longer than would be expected for healing to occur. It is an invisible disability for 20% of people worldwide, affecting a higher percentage of women than men. It is defined as an invisible disability because it has no immediate physical expression. In the workplace, employers, supervisors and colleagues may not know that work needs to be reconfigured to enable a person with chronic pain to function effectively. This thesis investigates how women with invisible pain disability are able to be successful at work. The research questions as set out in Chapter One are: What is the experience of women in chronic pain who are involved in paid work? How does suffering chronic pain force women to relate to their ‘space’ differently in the workplace? What kind of strategies are put in place to enable women to thrive in the workplace?
Chapter One sets out the initial qualitative research design. Its main elements were solicited photo diaries and qualitative semi-structured interviews. Five participants were recruited. However, after three months none of them had completed any diary entries. Chapter Two outlines the modified research methodology that was then developed. A variety of ways of interviewing and questioning participants was used and additional participants were recruited. Information was collected from seven women. 
Reflections on participants’ responses led to the discovery of the significance of the role of identity in their lives. Two of the significant identities for the women in this project were those of worker and of a person in chronic pain. Chapter Three includes a discussion of how participants manage the clash between these by prioritising their identity as worker over their pain identity. 
In Chapter Four, seven strategies are identified as the main methods used by participants to maintain their worker identity in the face of their chronic pain. These have been identified through thematic analysis of what the participants reported. The strategies are: modifying the work space, managing their workload, establishing and maintaining positive relationships with employers, developing supportive relationships with colleagues and family, receiving and asking for help when required, disassociating themselves from pain, and managing life outside of work. 
The conclusion, Chapter Five, summarises the project’s findings about the salience of worker identity and how strategies are used by women to maintain their worker identity. It also includes the methodological insight that the failure of participants to complete solicited diaries arose out of the disruption to identity salience caused by having to focus on their chronic pain disability.

text: The Price of Pain: Studying Strategies Used by Women with Chronic Pain Disability to Sustain Worker Identity Chronic pain is pain that persists longer than would be expected for healing to occur. It is an invisible disability for 20% of people worldwide, affecting a higher percentage of women than men. It is defined as an invisible disability because it has no immediate physical expression. In the workplace, employers, supervisors and colleagues may not know that work needs to be reconfigured to enable a person with chronic pain to function effectively. This thesis investigates how women with invisible pain disability are able to be successful at work. The research questions as set out in Chapter One are: What is the experience of women in chronic pain who are involved in paid work? How does suffering chronic pain force women to relate to their ‘space’ differently in the workplace? What kind of strategies are put in place to enable women to thrive in the workplace?
Chapter One sets out the initial qualitative research design. Its main elements were solicited photo diaries and qualitative semi-structured interviews. Five participants were recruited. However, after three months none of them had completed any diary entries. Chapter Two outlines the modified research methodology that was then developed. A variety of ways of interviewing and questioning participants was used and additional participants were recruited. Information was collected from seven women. 
Reflections on participants’ responses led to the discovery of the significance of the role of identity in their lives. Two of the significant identities for the women in this project were those of worker and of a person in chronic pain. Chapter Three includes a discussion of how participants manage the clash between these by prioritising their identity as worker over their pain identity. 
In Chapter Four, seven strategies are identified as the main methods used by participants to maintain their worker identity in the face of their chronic pain. These have been identified through thematic analysis of what the participants reported. The strategies are: modifying the work space, managing their workload, establishing and maintaining positive relationships with employers, developing supportive relationships with colleagues and family, receiving and asking for help when required, disassociating themselves from pain, and managing life outside of work. 
The conclusion, Chapter Five, summarises the project’s findings about the salience of worker identity and how strategies are used by women to maintain their worker identity. It also includes the methodological insight that the failure of participants to complete solicited diaries arose out of the disruption to identity salience caused by having to focus on their chronic pain disability.

year: 2017

title: Looking in: Mapping representations of teachers' discursive writing practices

authors: Dix, Stephanie Margaret

subjects: teaching writing

abstract: Over the past four decades changes in political, social, and educational curriculum policies have created discursive shifts in writing theory and practice. While these policies have historically privileged a particular view of writing over others, very little is known about how New Zealand teachers engage with discourses of writing. Research in the field of literacy has traditionally favoured reading, creating variable opportunities for building knowledge of writing theory and practice, and often leaving teachers querying how to teach writing now.

Employing an interpretive methodology and a qualitative approach, this study sought to understand how a group of New Zealand primary school teachers taught writing in their classrooms at a particular time. The research was conducted in two phases. Phase One employed thematic analysis to identify how the teachers taught writing in their classrooms. The teachers’ self-reported practice described their beliefs about teaching writing, the ways they grouped students for writing, the practices they valued, planning decisions they made and assessment strategies they employed in their writing communities. It became evident that while there were strong commonalities, as a group the teachers demonstrated discursive practices.

The development of a conceptual tool enabled further analysis of the teachers’ talk. Three Writing Discourses, Writer, Text and Social, each representing different ideologies, beliefs, theories and practices, provided a framework to analyse why teachers subscribed to different Writing Discourses. The findings revealed that the teachers engaged in various ways, taking dominant, merging and often conflicting positions which created complex identities for them as teachers of writing. The study argues that when teachers confidently work from a dominant Writing Discourse they present a narrowed perspective that may exclude their students from opportunities to participate in other writing experiences. Enhancement of teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge, in particular an awareness of the available Writing Discourses, is required for self- reflection and a deepening understanding of “ways of working and being a teacher of writing”.

Phase Two of the investigation, a case study, closely observed one teacher’s enacted practice in her classroom. The case study focused on how this teacher apprenticed her Year 2 and 3 children (6-8 years old) to write a character description. A participatory scaffolding framework (PSFW) was developed for analysis. Key indicators signifying characteristics of scaffolding practice identified in the literature were adjusted to accommodate student responses from the data to interpret teacher-student learning interactions. An analysis of the teacher’s pedagogy demonstrated that dialogic conversations, student participation and negotiation of the task developed powerful learning. A further analytical framework was developed to investigate how the teacher systematically scaffolded learning writing over time. Five factors were identified as crucial for signifying a synergy of participatory scaffolding (SPSFW). The study revealed that the teacher wove layers of scaffolding at the macro, micro and close-up levels. These scaffolding interactions were flexible, complex but connected and responsive to the students’ participation. When students and teacher collaborated in the construction zone, a magical place where minds could meet, it became evident that learning was enhanced but for each of the participants learning was different.

text: Looking in: Mapping representations of teachers' discursive writing practices Over the past four decades changes in political, social, and educational curriculum policies have created discursive shifts in writing theory and practice. While these policies have historically privileged a particular view of writing over others, very little is known about how New Zealand teachers engage with discourses of writing. Research in the field of literacy has traditionally favoured reading, creating variable opportunities for building knowledge of writing theory and practice, and often leaving teachers querying how to teach writing now.

Employing an interpretive methodology and a qualitative approach, this study sought to understand how a group of New Zealand primary school teachers taught writing in their classrooms at a particular time. The research was conducted in two phases. Phase One employed thematic analysis to identify how the teachers taught writing in their classrooms. The teachers’ self-reported practice described their beliefs about teaching writing, the ways they grouped students for writing, the practices they valued, planning decisions they made and assessment strategies they employed in their writing communities. It became evident that while there were strong commonalities, as a group the teachers demonstrated discursive practices.

The development of a conceptual tool enabled further analysis of the teachers’ talk. Three Writing Discourses, Writer, Text and Social, each representing different ideologies, beliefs, theories and practices, provided a framework to analyse why teachers subscribed to different Writing Discourses. The findings revealed that the teachers engaged in various ways, taking dominant, merging and often conflicting positions which created complex identities for them as teachers of writing. The study argues that when teachers confidently work from a dominant Writing Discourse they present a narrowed perspective that may exclude their students from opportunities to participate in other writing experiences. Enhancement of teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge, in particular an awareness of the available Writing Discourses, is required for self- reflection and a deepening understanding of “ways of working and being a teacher of writing”.

Phase Two of the investigation, a case study, closely observed one teacher’s enacted practice in her classroom. The case study focused on how this teacher apprenticed her Year 2 and 3 children (6-8 years old) to write a character description. A participatory scaffolding framework (PSFW) was developed for analysis. Key indicators signifying characteristics of scaffolding practice identified in the literature were adjusted to accommodate student responses from the data to interpret teacher-student learning interactions. An analysis of the teacher’s pedagogy demonstrated that dialogic conversations, student participation and negotiation of the task developed powerful learning. A further analytical framework was developed to investigate how the teacher systematically scaffolded learning writing over time. Five factors were identified as crucial for signifying a synergy of participatory scaffolding (SPSFW). The study revealed that the teacher wove layers of scaffolding at the macro, micro and close-up levels. These scaffolding interactions were flexible, complex but connected and responsive to the students’ participation. When students and teacher collaborated in the construction zone, a magical place where minds could meet, it became evident that learning was enhanced but for each of the participants learning was different.

year: 2014

title: Anti-racism Allyship Amongst Psychologists and Students in Psychology Training in Aotearoa New Zealand

authors: Tan, Kyle K. H.

abstract: Racism is a well-established social determinant of health, impacting Māori, Pacific, and Asian communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. However, few scholarly studies have focused on racial justice allyship in Aotearoa, particularly within the psychology discipline. This study examines demographic and attitudinal factors associated with anti-racism allyship among psychologists and students in psychology training amidst escalating racist rhetoric and opposition to Māori self-determination in Aotearoa. Drawing data from an online anonymous survey (n = 280), we assessed participants’ responses on three scales: 1) Attitudes towards aspects of Māori (taha Māori); 2) Attitudes towards acknowledging the existence of racism and settler colonialism 3) Anti-racist allyship. Certain demographic groups (Pākehā, Asian, older-aged, male, or those who entered training decades ago) scored lower on these scales, indicating the need for targeted training. Regression analyses showed both ‘Attitudes towards taha Māori’ and ‘Attitudes towards racism and colonisation’ scales were significantly correlated with anti-racist allyship. Our findings call for a sustained investment in training anti-racist psychologists who are competent in providing culturally safe care and capable of challenging racial injustices. Future research is required on the development of a racial justice allyship model across all institutions that train, employ and regulate psychologists in Aotearoa that is informed by Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

text: Anti-racism Allyship Amongst Psychologists and Students in Psychology Training in Aotearoa New Zealand Racism is a well-established social determinant of health, impacting Māori, Pacific, and Asian communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. However, few scholarly studies have focused on racial justice allyship in Aotearoa, particularly within the psychology discipline. This study examines demographic and attitudinal factors associated with anti-racism allyship among psychologists and students in psychology training amidst escalating racist rhetoric and opposition to Māori self-determination in Aotearoa. Drawing data from an online anonymous survey (n = 280), we assessed participants’ responses on three scales: 1) Attitudes towards aspects of Māori (taha Māori); 2) Attitudes towards acknowledging the existence of racism and settler colonialism 3) Anti-racist allyship. Certain demographic groups (Pākehā, Asian, older-aged, male, or those who entered training decades ago) scored lower on these scales, indicating the need for targeted training. Regression analyses showed both ‘Attitudes towards taha Māori’ and ‘Attitudes towards racism and colonisation’ scales were significantly correlated with anti-racist allyship. Our findings call for a sustained investment in training anti-racist psychologists who are competent in providing culturally safe care and capable of challenging racial injustices. Future research is required on the development of a racial justice allyship model across all institutions that train, employ and regulate psychologists in Aotearoa that is informed by Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

year: 2025