title: Accumulation of soil organic C and change in C:N ratio after establishment of pastures on reverted scrubland in New Zealand

authors: Schipper, Louis A.

subjects: soil organic C

abstract: Rates of organic carbon accumulation and changes in C:N ratio are reported for 10 New Zealand soils converted to pastures from scrub. The data were derived from archive papers originally published in 1964, but which did not report on changes in the C contents of the soils. The soils had been sampled to 0–7.5, 7.5–15, and 15–30 cm depths and chronosequences of up to 66 years obtained by selecting sites with differing times since pasture establishment. We calculated changes in the mass of C and N in the 0–7.5 cm depth and compared that to the mass in the 0–30 cm depth of soil. The shortest time over which organic matter change was assessed was 18 years and the longest was 66 years. Nine of the ten soils showed increases in the C contents of the 0–7.5 cm depth soil, and a natural logarithmic curve generally gave a better fit to the time course data than a linear fit. However, when the full 0–30 cm depth was considered, only two soils showed a significant increase in total C, changes in the C contents of other soils were non-significant, and two soils showed a decline in total C. The rates of change in the C contents were averaged over 0–5 years, 5–25 years and 25–50 years. Across all 10 soils, the mean rates of accumulation of C in the 0–7.5 cm depth were 1.07 (between 0 and 5 years), 0.27 (between 5 and 25 years) and 0.09 Mg C ha−1 year−1 (between 25 and 50 years) and significantly (P < 0.05) greater than zero. Very similar rates were obtained for the 0–30 cm depth of soil with mean rates across all soils 1.01 (0–5 years), 0.25 (5–25 years) and 0.09 Mg C ha−1 year −1 (25–50 years), respectively. In the 0–7.5 cm depth of soil, total Kjeldahl N (TKN) increased significantly in seven of the 10 soils. When expressed for the 0–30 cm depth of soil, only five soils still showed significant increases in TKN contents over time. Using the data for the 0–7.5 cm depth, the predicted time (mean and standard error) for the soils to reach a C:N ratio of <10 was 46 ± 17 years. The soils were originally sampled over 44 years ago, suggesting that currently (2009), very few of them could be expected to have capacity for further N storage in organic matter in the surface soil unless there was an increase in soil C. Changes in soil C and N in the shallow upper soil layers are easily masked by the relatively small changes in C and N contents and much greater masses of soil at lower depths.

text: Accumulation of soil organic C and change in C:N ratio after establishment of pastures on reverted scrubland in New Zealand Rates of organic carbon accumulation and changes in C:N ratio are reported for 10 New Zealand soils converted to pastures from scrub. The data were derived from archive papers originally published in 1964, but which did not report on changes in the C contents of the soils. The soils had been sampled to 0–7.5, 7.5–15, and 15–30 cm depths and chronosequences of up to 66 years obtained by selecting sites with differing times since pasture establishment. We calculated changes in the mass of C and N in the 0–7.5 cm depth and compared that to the mass in the 0–30 cm depth of soil. The shortest time over which organic matter change was assessed was 18 years and the longest was 66 years. Nine of the ten soils showed increases in the C contents of the 0–7.5 cm depth soil, and a natural logarithmic curve generally gave a better fit to the time course data than a linear fit. However, when the full 0–30 cm depth was considered, only two soils showed a significant increase in total C, changes in the C contents of other soils were non-significant, and two soils showed a decline in total C. The rates of change in the C contents were averaged over 0–5 years, 5–25 years and 25–50 years. Across all 10 soils, the mean rates of accumulation of C in the 0–7.5 cm depth were 1.07 (between 0 and 5 years), 0.27 (between 5 and 25 years) and 0.09 Mg C ha−1 year−1 (between 25 and 50 years) and significantly (P < 0.05) greater than zero. Very similar rates were obtained for the 0–30 cm depth of soil with mean rates across all soils 1.01 (0–5 years), 0.25 (5–25 years) and 0.09 Mg C ha−1 year −1 (25–50 years), respectively. In the 0–7.5 cm depth of soil, total Kjeldahl N (TKN) increased significantly in seven of the 10 soils. When expressed for the 0–30 cm depth of soil, only five soils still showed significant increases in TKN contents over time. Using the data for the 0–7.5 cm depth, the predicted time (mean and standard error) for the soils to reach a C:N ratio of <10 was 46 ± 17 years. The soils were originally sampled over 44 years ago, suggesting that currently (2009), very few of them could be expected to have capacity for further N storage in organic matter in the surface soil unless there was an increase in soil C. Changes in soil C and N in the shallow upper soil layers are easily masked by the relatively small changes in C and N contents and much greater masses of soil at lower depths.

year: 2010

title: Teachers' experiences in implementing inclusive education policy in Papua New Guinea: A study of two primary schools in the National Capital District.

authors: Torombe, Rachael

subjects: inclusive education policy, implementation, inclusive education, teachers, regular primary schools

abstract: Papua New Guinea (PNG) endorsed its inclusive education policy entitled ‘National Special Education Policy, Plans and Guidelines’ (NSEPPG) in 1993. It is one of the essential documents that PNG formulated in connection to international trends such as the 1990 World Declaration on Education for All and the 1994 Salamanca Statement that advocate that regular schools should accommodate all children regardless of their physical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguistic or other conditions to receive education along with their able bodied peers (Smith-Davis, 2002). The NSEPPG provides the cornerstone of how inclusive education is to be achieved across all levels of education in PNG. The PNG government began with initial plans to merge special education practices to inclusive education since 1993 when the inclusive education policy was enacted. The actual progress began in 1994. 

This landmark document warranted that all children with disability that have remained excluded in regular schools are to access education in their nearby schools without any forms of discrimination. The policy proclaims that teachers’ are responsible to provide the inclusion education for all children through the regular teaching and learning process and the government promised to support the implementation processes. This study was set out to capture this moment in history in two urban primary schools in PNG and to determine the factors that have influenced the implementation of inclusive education policy.

The research gazed through Pierre Bourdieu’s three conceptual tools of  habitus, field and capital as a theoretical framework to examine twelve experienced teachers’ to story their experiences via focus group and follow-up individual interviews on how they implement inclusive education policy. In correlation to Bourdieu’s concepts habits, field and capital, what teachers experienced during their teaching in the school identified key factors that least facilitated policy implementation processes. The study has recognized a disconnection between the knowledge on inclusive education and the practices of implementation in the field. 

The study found that despite teachers’ having positive nurturing instinct to support children’s education in view of the Education for All agenda, they are confronted with numerous challenges and complexities as they work to embrace practices of integration and inclusion within their capacities as teachers. The study found that the challenges imposed on teachers were lack of knowledge and skills in inclusive education, large class size, lack of collaborative support system within the school and the education system along with lack of incentives.

The recommendations and the reflections put forth in this thesis offer insight into, roles of primary school teachers,  school Principals, school inspectors, teacher educators and educational policy makers in general to look again into how this government innovation can better facilitated at the primary school level where vast majority of school aged children cannot be absent from education. The study suggest what teachers and policy makers can learn from the current study to look into the future of inclusive education in PNG to create a connectedness between policy and practice is no rhetoric policy proclamation to actual practice.

text: Teachers' experiences in implementing inclusive education policy in Papua New Guinea: A study of two primary schools in the National Capital District. Papua New Guinea (PNG) endorsed its inclusive education policy entitled ‘National Special Education Policy, Plans and Guidelines’ (NSEPPG) in 1993. It is one of the essential documents that PNG formulated in connection to international trends such as the 1990 World Declaration on Education for All and the 1994 Salamanca Statement that advocate that regular schools should accommodate all children regardless of their physical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguistic or other conditions to receive education along with their able bodied peers (Smith-Davis, 2002). The NSEPPG provides the cornerstone of how inclusive education is to be achieved across all levels of education in PNG. The PNG government began with initial plans to merge special education practices to inclusive education since 1993 when the inclusive education policy was enacted. The actual progress began in 1994. 

This landmark document warranted that all children with disability that have remained excluded in regular schools are to access education in their nearby schools without any forms of discrimination. The policy proclaims that teachers’ are responsible to provide the inclusion education for all children through the regular teaching and learning process and the government promised to support the implementation processes. This study was set out to capture this moment in history in two urban primary schools in PNG and to determine the factors that have influenced the implementation of inclusive education policy.

The research gazed through Pierre Bourdieu’s three conceptual tools of  habitus, field and capital as a theoretical framework to examine twelve experienced teachers’ to story their experiences via focus group and follow-up individual interviews on how they implement inclusive education policy. In correlation to Bourdieu’s concepts habits, field and capital, what teachers experienced during their teaching in the school identified key factors that least facilitated policy implementation processes. The study has recognized a disconnection between the knowledge on inclusive education and the practices of implementation in the field. 

The study found that despite teachers’ having positive nurturing instinct to support children’s education in view of the Education for All agenda, they are confronted with numerous challenges and complexities as they work to embrace practices of integration and inclusion within their capacities as teachers. The study found that the challenges imposed on teachers were lack of knowledge and skills in inclusive education, large class size, lack of collaborative support system within the school and the education system along with lack of incentives.

The recommendations and the reflections put forth in this thesis offer insight into, roles of primary school teachers,  school Principals, school inspectors, teacher educators and educational policy makers in general to look again into how this government innovation can better facilitated at the primary school level where vast majority of school aged children cannot be absent from education. The study suggest what teachers and policy makers can learn from the current study to look into the future of inclusive education in PNG to create a connectedness between policy and practice is no rhetoric policy proclamation to actual practice.

year: 2013

title: Kaupapa Māori research- Some Kaupapa Māori principles

authors: Smith, Linda Tuhiwai

abstract: This paper was first presented at a conference of Māori academic staff at Massey University in 1996. It predates the publication of Decolonising Methodologies in 1998. You will note that since this paper was first presented our understandings and experiences in using Kaupapa Māori have deepened and we have significant capacity in Kaupapa Māori research. In 1996 there were many topics we could not imagine in depth as we had not completed the work to realise the potential of Kaupapa Māori. Also, our thinking was tentative and we were searching for the pathways to research that made sense in Māori ways. In looking back on the paper I can see my own naïve explorations into ideas that I thought were important. I have resisted the urge to rewrite this paper entirely as I think it stands as a good historical moment of where we were and where we are now. It needs to be read in the context of the 1990s.

text: Kaupapa Māori research- Some Kaupapa Māori principles This paper was first presented at a conference of Māori academic staff at Massey University in 1996. It predates the publication of Decolonising Methodologies in 1998. You will note that since this paper was first presented our understandings and experiences in using Kaupapa Māori have deepened and we have significant capacity in Kaupapa Māori research. In 1996 there were many topics we could not imagine in depth as we had not completed the work to realise the potential of Kaupapa Māori. Also, our thinking was tentative and we were searching for the pathways to research that made sense in Māori ways. In looking back on the paper I can see my own naïve explorations into ideas that I thought were important. I have resisted the urge to rewrite this paper entirely as I think it stands as a good historical moment of where we were and where we are now. It needs to be read in the context of the 1990s.

year: 2015