title: Telemetric longitudinal measurement of young driver behaviour

authors: Starkey, Nicola J.

subjects: New Zealand

abstract: New Zealand is one of the few countries that currently allows teenagers to become solo drivers at 15 ½ years of age. During their first six months of solo driving, these teenagers are 19 times more likely to crash compared to the period of supervised driving. The behaviour of these adolescent drivers represents the single largest cause of fatalities in that age group and is widely acknowledged as one of the most serious social issues facing New Zealand. This state of affairs, often referred to as ‘the young driver problem,’ with an over representation of young drivers in motor vehicle crashes, is not unique to New Zealand. In fact, a similar situation can be found inmost of the world’s developed nations.

text: Telemetric longitudinal measurement of young driver behaviour New Zealand is one of the few countries that currently allows teenagers to become solo drivers at 15 ½ years of age. During their first six months of solo driving, these teenagers are 19 times more likely to crash compared to the period of supervised driving. The behaviour of these adolescent drivers represents the single largest cause of fatalities in that age group and is widely acknowledged as one of the most serious social issues facing New Zealand. This state of affairs, often referred to as ‘the young driver problem,’ with an over representation of young drivers in motor vehicle crashes, is not unique to New Zealand. In fact, a similar situation can be found inmost of the world’s developed nations.

year: 2008

title: Collaborative CoRe design for year 10 electricity and magnetism: Professional development for enhancing practising science teachers' PCK

authors: Carpendale, Jared Alan

subjects: Science Education

abstract: This study investigated the effectiveness of collaborative content representation (CoRe) design as a professional learning and development (PLD) intervention for enhancing practising science teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching Year 10 (14-15-year olds) Electricity and Magnetism in New Zealand. There were three case study teachers in this study, each of whom were practising science teachers with a limited physics background. These teachers collaborated with six other experienced science teachers; three of whom also had a limited physics background, while the others were physics specialist teachers. All nine teachers were from the same school.
PCK is a highly specific form of professional knowledge that teachers have, which enables them to teach particular content to a particular group of students. Since its inception, many approaches have been suggested for exploring science teachers’ PCK, but the exact nature of PCK and how to measure it has been problematic. To address these issues, two international PCK Summits have been held to advance the agenda of PCK research. The first Summit was in 2012, where a key output was a Consensus Model of PCK. The second Summit was in 2016, where researchers critiqued the use of that model, and discussed future PCK research. Outcomes of the second Summit are being published in the book Repositioning PCK in Teachers’ Professional Knowledge (due out in late 2018). This book introduces the Refined Consensus Model of PCK (RCM of PCK), which was used as conceptual framework to guide this study.
Data was collected in three phases. In Phase One, case study teachers were interviewed about teaching Year 10 Electricity and Magnetism and then observed teaching this topic. Phase Two involved all participants in two CoRe design workshops, where they shared and debated ideas, and discussed pedagogical considerations with respect to teaching different concepts. The first workshop was a pilot exercise, while the second focused on Year 10 Electricity and Magnetism. All discussions were recorded and field notes were taken in workshops. In Phase Three, case study teachers were observed teaching the same topic to a different Year 10 class, then interviewed about changes to their practice. All participants were also asked about their overall experiences with collaborative CoRe design.
Findings show collaborative CoRe design enhanced the case study teachers’ PCK for Year 10 Electricity and Magnetism. Development was seen in their subject matter knowledge, knowledge of instructional strategies, and knowledge of students’ understanding and learning. Furthermore, all participants saw value in CoRe design as it allows topics to be unpacked and teacher’s PCK to be shared. The teachers felt it was a worthwhile PLD intervention, they were interested in taking part in CoRe design in the future, and they offered suggestions to make it sustainable within their school.
Thus, this study showed collaborative CoRe design is a worthwhile and effective PLD intervention for practising teachers. Not only did teachers explicitly identify their own PCK developments, enhancements were also seen in lesson observations. Schools could adopt this model of PLD to encourage collaboration amongst their staff and to allow for knowledge transfers between teachers with differing content backgrounds and pedagogical strengths.

text: Collaborative CoRe design for year 10 electricity and magnetism: Professional development for enhancing practising science teachers' PCK This study investigated the effectiveness of collaborative content representation (CoRe) design as a professional learning and development (PLD) intervention for enhancing practising science teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching Year 10 (14-15-year olds) Electricity and Magnetism in New Zealand. There were three case study teachers in this study, each of whom were practising science teachers with a limited physics background. These teachers collaborated with six other experienced science teachers; three of whom also had a limited physics background, while the others were physics specialist teachers. All nine teachers were from the same school.
PCK is a highly specific form of professional knowledge that teachers have, which enables them to teach particular content to a particular group of students. Since its inception, many approaches have been suggested for exploring science teachers’ PCK, but the exact nature of PCK and how to measure it has been problematic. To address these issues, two international PCK Summits have been held to advance the agenda of PCK research. The first Summit was in 2012, where a key output was a Consensus Model of PCK. The second Summit was in 2016, where researchers critiqued the use of that model, and discussed future PCK research. Outcomes of the second Summit are being published in the book Repositioning PCK in Teachers’ Professional Knowledge (due out in late 2018). This book introduces the Refined Consensus Model of PCK (RCM of PCK), which was used as conceptual framework to guide this study.
Data was collected in three phases. In Phase One, case study teachers were interviewed about teaching Year 10 Electricity and Magnetism and then observed teaching this topic. Phase Two involved all participants in two CoRe design workshops, where they shared and debated ideas, and discussed pedagogical considerations with respect to teaching different concepts. The first workshop was a pilot exercise, while the second focused on Year 10 Electricity and Magnetism. All discussions were recorded and field notes were taken in workshops. In Phase Three, case study teachers were observed teaching the same topic to a different Year 10 class, then interviewed about changes to their practice. All participants were also asked about their overall experiences with collaborative CoRe design.
Findings show collaborative CoRe design enhanced the case study teachers’ PCK for Year 10 Electricity and Magnetism. Development was seen in their subject matter knowledge, knowledge of instructional strategies, and knowledge of students’ understanding and learning. Furthermore, all participants saw value in CoRe design as it allows topics to be unpacked and teacher’s PCK to be shared. The teachers felt it was a worthwhile PLD intervention, they were interested in taking part in CoRe design in the future, and they offered suggestions to make it sustainable within their school.
Thus, this study showed collaborative CoRe design is a worthwhile and effective PLD intervention for practising teachers. Not only did teachers explicitly identify their own PCK developments, enhancements were also seen in lesson observations. Schools could adopt this model of PLD to encourage collaboration amongst their staff and to allow for knowledge transfers between teachers with differing content backgrounds and pedagogical strengths.

year: 2018

title: The spatial equity and sustainability of general practitioner services: A mixed methods analysis of the Waikato DHB region

authors: Whitehead, Jesse

subjects: spatial equity

abstract: The New Zealand Primary Health Care Strategy states that quality primary health care is the first level of contact with the health system and should be universally accessible. Effective primary health care is an essential component of health systems, and is associated with more equitable distributions of health outcomes. However, not all New Zealanders have ready access to primary health care. For instance, adult residents of the Waikato region, and in particular Māori, have higher levels of unmet need for primay care than others. Improving the spatial equity of health services is a key step in achieving health equity. Health systems should contribute to achieving health equity and maintaining sustainable and equitable services into the future. 

This thesis research examines the spatial equity and sustainability of general practitioner (GP) services in the Waikato DHB region, using a mixed-methods approach to identify not only where inequities exist, but why they occur. A conceptual framework establishes a foundation for examining spatial equity and sustainability in New Zealand. Next, a systematic literature review identifies common definitions and measures of spatial equity. Primary Health Organisation (PHO) enrolment data is used to examine patterns of patient enrolment at GP services, and a range of health needs indicators were assessed for their suitability in the New Zealand primary care context. These findings inform the development of a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) model of spatial accessibility that is tailored to the Waikato District Health Board (DHB) context. The GIS model is then used, in combination with in-depth qualitative interviews, to examine the spatial equity and sustainability of GP services in the Waikato DHB region. 

Key findings include that spatial equity is commonly defined as a ‘need-based distribution of resources’, which can be quantified using a range of statistical and geospatial measures and techniques. PHO enrolment analysis revealed that most patients do not enrol with their closest service, and that the size of the ‘catchment area’ served by GP clinics varies with rurality. Analysis of indicators of health need suggest that ‘Ambulatory Sensitive Hospitalisations’ are a robust indicator; however, area-level socioeconomic deprivation is also strongly associated with other indicators of need and data is more widely available to researchers. Mixed-methods analysis suggests that GP services are not distributed equitably within the Waikato DHB region and that key barriers to access include the affordability, appropriateness, and availability of services. New Zealand’s history of colonisation and discrimination are identified as fundamental drivers of health inequity. Furthermore, population growth and ageing suggest that current levels of access to GP services are unlikely to be maintained in the future, while participants identify key economic, professional, organisation, and social dimensions that influence service sustainability in New Zealand.

text: The spatial equity and sustainability of general practitioner services: A mixed methods analysis of the Waikato DHB region The New Zealand Primary Health Care Strategy states that quality primary health care is the first level of contact with the health system and should be universally accessible. Effective primary health care is an essential component of health systems, and is associated with more equitable distributions of health outcomes. However, not all New Zealanders have ready access to primary health care. For instance, adult residents of the Waikato region, and in particular Māori, have higher levels of unmet need for primay care than others. Improving the spatial equity of health services is a key step in achieving health equity. Health systems should contribute to achieving health equity and maintaining sustainable and equitable services into the future. 

This thesis research examines the spatial equity and sustainability of general practitioner (GP) services in the Waikato DHB region, using a mixed-methods approach to identify not only where inequities exist, but why they occur. A conceptual framework establishes a foundation for examining spatial equity and sustainability in New Zealand. Next, a systematic literature review identifies common definitions and measures of spatial equity. Primary Health Organisation (PHO) enrolment data is used to examine patterns of patient enrolment at GP services, and a range of health needs indicators were assessed for their suitability in the New Zealand primary care context. These findings inform the development of a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) model of spatial accessibility that is tailored to the Waikato District Health Board (DHB) context. The GIS model is then used, in combination with in-depth qualitative interviews, to examine the spatial equity and sustainability of GP services in the Waikato DHB region. 

Key findings include that spatial equity is commonly defined as a ‘need-based distribution of resources’, which can be quantified using a range of statistical and geospatial measures and techniques. PHO enrolment analysis revealed that most patients do not enrol with their closest service, and that the size of the ‘catchment area’ served by GP clinics varies with rurality. Analysis of indicators of health need suggest that ‘Ambulatory Sensitive Hospitalisations’ are a robust indicator; however, area-level socioeconomic deprivation is also strongly associated with other indicators of need and data is more widely available to researchers. Mixed-methods analysis suggests that GP services are not distributed equitably within the Waikato DHB region and that key barriers to access include the affordability, appropriateness, and availability of services. New Zealand’s history of colonisation and discrimination are identified as fundamental drivers of health inequity. Furthermore, population growth and ageing suggest that current levels of access to GP services are unlikely to be maintained in the future, while participants identify key economic, professional, organisation, and social dimensions that influence service sustainability in New Zealand.

year: 2020