title: The economics concepts of sixth and seventh form secondary school students and their teachers

authors: Orere-Clifford, Samuel D.

abstract: The nature of teaching and learning continues to elude educators and researchers despite over half a century of research in teaching and learning. The central problem seems to be how teachers should practise their profession to facilitate student learning. In this regard, there has been several suggestions such as developing certain teacher personality attributes (Ryans, 1960), special teaching behavioural techniques (Rosenshine, 1976a) and the child-centered education of Piaget (1966) and Ausubel (1968).
More recently, studies such as the Learning in Science Project of the University of Waikato (e.g., Osborne, 1981a) have drawn attention to the suggestion that children tend to develop misconceptions about scientific phenomena in the classroom. It is felt this could be due to teachers not tapping and relating new material to children’s previous knowledge and cognitive structures. 
This study sought to examine the suggestions of the Learning in Science Project as described above with regards to Economics. The investigation was therefore aimed at uncovering the Economics ideas Sixth and Seventh Formers generated about certain Economics concepts after lessons. It also investigated the nature of conceptions held by their teachers for the same concepts. 
The method of investigation included both qualitative and quantitative features. A qualitative approach was used to uncover the ideas held by a small sample of students. This was then reduced into a survey format and administered to a large sample of students and teachers.
The findings of the study suggest that Sixth and Seventh Form Economics Students possess conceptions of Economics not generally acceptable to Economists. This substantiates the suggestion of the Learning in Science Project that learners tend to develop misconceptions about phenomena introduced in the classroom. However, the findings of the study also indicate that the teachers of the students also possess misconceptions about Economics concepts. The suggestion is therefore made that students’ misconceptions about Economics concepts may not necessarily be due to teachers not taking students’ past knowledge into account, but to the possibility that teachers may be introducing misconceptions about Economics concepts in the classroom.
The study, therefore, suggests that teaching and learning may be enhanced if teachers take stock of the state of their knowledge of subject matter constantly and also introduce concepts to students in such a way as to retain the meanings of experts.

text: The economics concepts of sixth and seventh form secondary school students and their teachers The nature of teaching and learning continues to elude educators and researchers despite over half a century of research in teaching and learning. The central problem seems to be how teachers should practise their profession to facilitate student learning. In this regard, there has been several suggestions such as developing certain teacher personality attributes (Ryans, 1960), special teaching behavioural techniques (Rosenshine, 1976a) and the child-centered education of Piaget (1966) and Ausubel (1968).
More recently, studies such as the Learning in Science Project of the University of Waikato (e.g., Osborne, 1981a) have drawn attention to the suggestion that children tend to develop misconceptions about scientific phenomena in the classroom. It is felt this could be due to teachers not tapping and relating new material to children’s previous knowledge and cognitive structures. 
This study sought to examine the suggestions of the Learning in Science Project as described above with regards to Economics. The investigation was therefore aimed at uncovering the Economics ideas Sixth and Seventh Formers generated about certain Economics concepts after lessons. It also investigated the nature of conceptions held by their teachers for the same concepts. 
The method of investigation included both qualitative and quantitative features. A qualitative approach was used to uncover the ideas held by a small sample of students. This was then reduced into a survey format and administered to a large sample of students and teachers.
The findings of the study suggest that Sixth and Seventh Form Economics Students possess conceptions of Economics not generally acceptable to Economists. This substantiates the suggestion of the Learning in Science Project that learners tend to develop misconceptions about phenomena introduced in the classroom. However, the findings of the study also indicate that the teachers of the students also possess misconceptions about Economics concepts. The suggestion is therefore made that students’ misconceptions about Economics concepts may not necessarily be due to teachers not taking students’ past knowledge into account, but to the possibility that teachers may be introducing misconceptions about Economics concepts in the classroom.
The study, therefore, suggests that teaching and learning may be enhanced if teachers take stock of the state of their knowledge of subject matter constantly and also introduce concepts to students in such a way as to retain the meanings of experts.

year: 1985

title: Self-reported fever may be a poor proxy for the prevalence of malaria

authors: Alimi, Omoniyi Babatunde

abstract: About 90% of the 0.5 million global annual death toll from malaria occurs in Sub-Saharan Africa, especially amongst young children. While the most popular interventions for reducing the burden of malaria include insecticide-treated nets, improved dwellings, spraying and modification of mosquito habitat (e.g. drainage), use of some of these interventions has reached a plateau in some countries. Recently, a new anti-malaria intervention of reducing deforestation is claimed to be effective. The pathways through which deforestation can increase malaria include ecological effects that increase efficiency of the mosquito vectors and socio-economic changes such as migration that expose people with little tolerance to endemic forms of malaria. It is therefore argued in some studies that reducing deforestation can reduce the prevalence of malaria, presenting a win-win for health and the environment. The evidence on the effect of deforestation on malaria comes especially from linking remote sensing data on forest change to survey reports made by mothers of whether their child had a fever. For example, one influential study from Nigeria estimated the prevalence of malaria by asking mothers whether their child had been ill with a fever during the two weeks preceding the survey. Fever in children can have many causes other than malaria and so this proxy variable may lead to misleading relationships that divert attention from more effective anti-malaria interventions. In this study we use Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from Nigeria and Tanzania which has results from Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT) for parasite antigens in a blood drop, and tests using microscopic examination for Plasmodium in blood slides. We contrast the effects of local deforestation on these measured forms of malaria with the effects of deforestation on mother's report of children's fever (coming from the same DHS samples). In contrast to some recent studies, a positive impact of deforestation on malaria prevalence is not apparent when measured malaria (using microscopy or RDT) is the outcome variable. However, effects of deforestation on fever in children are apparent. The contrast between the impact on a measured health outcome and the impact on a proxy measure (the mother's report of fever in children) suggests that caution is needed when using proxy measures of health outcomes. In terms of policy implications, despite the potential attractiveness of adding child health reasons to the list of reasons for reducing the rate of deforestation, the available evidence for these two sub-Saharan African countries does not support this interpretation, in contrast to some recent studies.

text: Self-reported fever may be a poor proxy for the prevalence of malaria About 90% of the 0.5 million global annual death toll from malaria occurs in Sub-Saharan Africa, especially amongst young children. While the most popular interventions for reducing the burden of malaria include insecticide-treated nets, improved dwellings, spraying and modification of mosquito habitat (e.g. drainage), use of some of these interventions has reached a plateau in some countries. Recently, a new anti-malaria intervention of reducing deforestation is claimed to be effective. The pathways through which deforestation can increase malaria include ecological effects that increase efficiency of the mosquito vectors and socio-economic changes such as migration that expose people with little tolerance to endemic forms of malaria. It is therefore argued in some studies that reducing deforestation can reduce the prevalence of malaria, presenting a win-win for health and the environment. The evidence on the effect of deforestation on malaria comes especially from linking remote sensing data on forest change to survey reports made by mothers of whether their child had a fever. For example, one influential study from Nigeria estimated the prevalence of malaria by asking mothers whether their child had been ill with a fever during the two weeks preceding the survey. Fever in children can have many causes other than malaria and so this proxy variable may lead to misleading relationships that divert attention from more effective anti-malaria interventions. In this study we use Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from Nigeria and Tanzania which has results from Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT) for parasite antigens in a blood drop, and tests using microscopic examination for Plasmodium in blood slides. We contrast the effects of local deforestation on these measured forms of malaria with the effects of deforestation on mother's report of children's fever (coming from the same DHS samples). In contrast to some recent studies, a positive impact of deforestation on malaria prevalence is not apparent when measured malaria (using microscopy or RDT) is the outcome variable. However, effects of deforestation on fever in children are apparent. The contrast between the impact on a measured health outcome and the impact on a proxy measure (the mother's report of fever in children) suggests that caution is needed when using proxy measures of health outcomes. In terms of policy implications, despite the potential attractiveness of adding child health reasons to the list of reasons for reducing the rate of deforestation, the available evidence for these two sub-Saharan African countries does not support this interpretation, in contrast to some recent studies.

year: 2021

title: Nā Wai Koe? Our tūpuna call us home: Maremare whānau thinking about connections to whenua tupuna

authors: Sampson, Jasmine

subjects: Whenua Tūpuna

abstract: This research focuses on the Maremare whānau from Tiniwaitara Marae, Turakina, in order to explore the importance of our relationship with our whenua tupuna and the related concept of returning home. 

Although many academics have carefully attended to the concept of ‘disconnection’ from whenua tupuna in order to describe the effects of Māori mobility, this term unfortunately reinforces the colonial attempt to detach our people from the things that provide us with our sense of belonging. I argue that thinking about relationship with whenua tupuna through terms like ‘disconnection’ and ‘reconnection’ are unhelpful and problematic; instead, when we understand this relationship in Māori terms, our connection to our whenua tupuna is an everlasting relationship that is woven into the fabric of our whakapapa.

The research combines interviews with three generations of the Maremare whānau, including people with diverse experiences of relationships with Turakina, with critical reflection on relevant concepts from Te Ao Māori. Specifically, mobilising a Kaupapa Māori Theory approach, the thesis draws on an oriori, ‘He Oriori mō Wharaurangi’ as the methodology and foundation of this thesis. In this way, the thesis both argues and demonstrates the value of researchers, and in particular kairangahau Māori, look to mātauranga Māori to guide us in our research about Māori topics. This oriori is iwi specific, it holds kōrero tuku iho that pertains to my whakapapa as an uri of Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa and it is very relevant to both my kaupapa and the people participating in the rangahau.

Ultimately, whakapapa rests at the core of connection to whenua tupuna. It is the foundation in which we stand and it connects us as a people to the land that birthed us. This thesis looks at the different ways that our tūpuna call us home, the different ‘returning home’ experiences within the Maremare whānau and how people within the whānau view their connection with our whenua tupuna in Turakina. Nā wai koe? Our tūpuna call us home.

text: Nā Wai Koe? Our tūpuna call us home: Maremare whānau thinking about connections to whenua tupuna This research focuses on the Maremare whānau from Tiniwaitara Marae, Turakina, in order to explore the importance of our relationship with our whenua tupuna and the related concept of returning home. 

Although many academics have carefully attended to the concept of ‘disconnection’ from whenua tupuna in order to describe the effects of Māori mobility, this term unfortunately reinforces the colonial attempt to detach our people from the things that provide us with our sense of belonging. I argue that thinking about relationship with whenua tupuna through terms like ‘disconnection’ and ‘reconnection’ are unhelpful and problematic; instead, when we understand this relationship in Māori terms, our connection to our whenua tupuna is an everlasting relationship that is woven into the fabric of our whakapapa.

The research combines interviews with three generations of the Maremare whānau, including people with diverse experiences of relationships with Turakina, with critical reflection on relevant concepts from Te Ao Māori. Specifically, mobilising a Kaupapa Māori Theory approach, the thesis draws on an oriori, ‘He Oriori mō Wharaurangi’ as the methodology and foundation of this thesis. In this way, the thesis both argues and demonstrates the value of researchers, and in particular kairangahau Māori, look to mātauranga Māori to guide us in our research about Māori topics. This oriori is iwi specific, it holds kōrero tuku iho that pertains to my whakapapa as an uri of Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa and it is very relevant to both my kaupapa and the people participating in the rangahau.

Ultimately, whakapapa rests at the core of connection to whenua tupuna. It is the foundation in which we stand and it connects us as a people to the land that birthed us. This thesis looks at the different ways that our tūpuna call us home, the different ‘returning home’ experiences within the Maremare whānau and how people within the whānau view their connection with our whenua tupuna in Turakina. Nā wai koe? Our tūpuna call us home.

year: 2021