title: Helping students value cultural diversity through research-based teaching

authors: Deakins, Eric

subjects: diversity (institutional)

abstract: Although international students studying in New Zealand desire and expect contact with their domestic peers, the level of cross-national interactions remains generally low. This paper describes an initiative to promote more and better intercultural understanding within a target group of students having similar needs and interests in a higher education setting. A research-based teaching approach progressively increased student engagement with higher order cognitive skills and both topic and process were aligned in such a way that training opportunities in intercultural competence were explored while also providing a process that offered further training in intercultural competence. Enduring appreciation of cultural diversity issues was achieved via deep styles of teaching and learning that raised awareness, changed attitudes and behaviour and ultimately impacted classroom culture. Initiative design, evaluation and results are described and limitations noted. The findings should be of interest to teachers of multicultural students and to academics studying cultural diversity issues.

text: Helping students value cultural diversity through research-based teaching Although international students studying in New Zealand desire and expect contact with their domestic peers, the level of cross-national interactions remains generally low. This paper describes an initiative to promote more and better intercultural understanding within a target group of students having similar needs and interests in a higher education setting. A research-based teaching approach progressively increased student engagement with higher order cognitive skills and both topic and process were aligned in such a way that training opportunities in intercultural competence were explored while also providing a process that offered further training in intercultural competence. Enduring appreciation of cultural diversity issues was achieved via deep styles of teaching and learning that raised awareness, changed attitudes and behaviour and ultimately impacted classroom culture. Initiative design, evaluation and results are described and limitations noted. The findings should be of interest to teachers of multicultural students and to academics studying cultural diversity issues.

year: 2009

title: The role of control in risk perception on rural roads

authors: Starkey, Nicola J.

subjects: Illusion of control

abstract: Risk perception plays an important role in driver behaviour, particularly for speed choice. Risk perception studies use a range of techniques from on-road data collection to ratings of still photos, however participants’ratings differ depending on the study methodology, possibly due to their perception of control. To explore this we conducted a multiple methods study to investigate drivers’perceptions of risk on rural roads. One group of participants drove (Drivers, n = 13) a 180 km route along rural roads (accompanied by a research assistant) and provided verbal risk ratings at thirteen locations of interest. A second group (Passengers, n = 10) provided ratings at the same points when travelling as a passenger in a vehicle (driven by a research assistant). The third group (Observers, n = 14) were shown videos of the same rural roads (filmed from the drivers’perspective) and also provided risk ratings at the same locations. A week later participants were invited to the laboratory to review the video footage and comment on factors that contributed to the risk ratings. Overall, the Observers gave the highest risk ratings and Drivers the lowest. The Observers also provided twice the number of comments to justify their risk rating compared to the other two groups. The results suggest that control, and on-road experience play a significant role in how perceptions of driving risk are formed and the degree of risk experienced.These findings also bring into question the accuracy of using video-based tasks to assess drivers’ risk perception (and speed choice), particularly if the findings are used to inform on-road safety interventions.

text: The role of control in risk perception on rural roads Risk perception plays an important role in driver behaviour, particularly for speed choice. Risk perception studies use a range of techniques from on-road data collection to ratings of still photos, however participants’ratings differ depending on the study methodology, possibly due to their perception of control. To explore this we conducted a multiple methods study to investigate drivers’perceptions of risk on rural roads. One group of participants drove (Drivers, n = 13) a 180 km route along rural roads (accompanied by a research assistant) and provided verbal risk ratings at thirteen locations of interest. A second group (Passengers, n = 10) provided ratings at the same points when travelling as a passenger in a vehicle (driven by a research assistant). The third group (Observers, n = 14) were shown videos of the same rural roads (filmed from the drivers’perspective) and also provided risk ratings at the same locations. A week later participants were invited to the laboratory to review the video footage and comment on factors that contributed to the risk ratings. Overall, the Observers gave the highest risk ratings and Drivers the lowest. The Observers also provided twice the number of comments to justify their risk rating compared to the other two groups. The results suggest that control, and on-road experience play a significant role in how perceptions of driving risk are formed and the degree of risk experienced.These findings also bring into question the accuracy of using video-based tasks to assess drivers’ risk perception (and speed choice), particularly if the findings are used to inform on-road safety interventions.

year: 2020

title: What do New Zealand picturebooks tell us about New Zealand national identity?

authors: Daly, Nicola

abstract: Jeffries (2004, p. 4) defines national identity as ' ... a shared sense of belonging of a group of people that depends on a common area of named place, a common set of beliefs and values, and positive feelings for a specific named geographical area'. In her examination of how New Zealand culture is portrayed in picturebooks published between 2000 and 2005, McNeur (2006) suggests that the visual and textual messages in children's picturebooks are an important contributor to the development of children's national identity. This paper describes the process of choosing a collection of 22 New Zealand children's picturebooks (known as the New Zealand PictureBook Collection) to reflect and represent diversity in New Zealand national identity, and analyses what these books tell us about the New Zealand national identity.

text: What do New Zealand picturebooks tell us about New Zealand national identity? Jeffries (2004, p. 4) defines national identity as ' ... a shared sense of belonging of a group of people that depends on a common area of named place, a common set of beliefs and values, and positive feelings for a specific named geographical area'. In her examination of how New Zealand culture is portrayed in picturebooks published between 2000 and 2005, McNeur (2006) suggests that the visual and textual messages in children's picturebooks are an important contributor to the development of children's national identity. This paper describes the process of choosing a collection of 22 New Zealand children's picturebooks (known as the New Zealand PictureBook Collection) to reflect and represent diversity in New Zealand national identity, and analyses what these books tell us about the New Zealand national identity.

year: 2016