title: Locating self at the centre of learning: Theory, practice and the lived experience.

authors: Friend, Lorraine A.

subjects: higher education

abstract: One o-going challenge for those teaching in higher education is to engage students in learning activities that are deemed meaningful and professionally relevant. Acknowledging this challenge, students in undergraduate and graduate papers at The University of Waikato have been introduced to using stories to analyse a range of satisfying and dissatisfying experiences. This process requires students to analyse and interpret the social construction of a lived experience through self and collective reflection of written memories. This paper comments on the process of having students connect between their everyday life and university study, provides a background to the memory-work methodology, and discusses how students can apply and respond to using this theoretical framework to acquire knowledge relevant to professional practice in the workplace.

text: Locating self at the centre of learning: Theory, practice and the lived experience. One o-going challenge for those teaching in higher education is to engage students in learning activities that are deemed meaningful and professionally relevant. Acknowledging this challenge, students in undergraduate and graduate papers at The University of Waikato have been introduced to using stories to analyse a range of satisfying and dissatisfying experiences. This process requires students to analyse and interpret the social construction of a lived experience through self and collective reflection of written memories. This paper comments on the process of having students connect between their everyday life and university study, provides a background to the memory-work methodology, and discusses how students can apply and respond to using this theoretical framework to acquire knowledge relevant to professional practice in the workplace.

year: 2001

title: Formative assessment in science classrooms

authors: Cowie, Bronwen

abstract: This study investigated how formative assessment was perceived, experienced and accomplished by teachers and students in ten Year 7 to 10 science classrooms. The study was undertaken within and built on the findings of the Learning in Science Project (Assessment). An interpretive methodology using interviews and participant observation was employed. The study consisted of two phases. During the first phase, the teachers and at least three students of each teacher were interviewed and three classroom observations undertaken to ascertain views of formative assessment. In phase 2, case studies were developed of the formative assessment in the different classrooms. In addition, the teachers participated in eleven teacher development days, which were audio-taped and analysed. 

While the literature provided a definition and discussion of formative assessment relatively little research had explored student perceptions and experiences of formative assessment as an aspect of their everyday classroom life. The links between formative assessment and views of learning had received very little attention. The study provides empirical evidence that formative assessment is accomplished through situated teacher and student actions and interactions that involve the exchange, interpretation and action on information about student learning. It seems teachers and students are active and intentional participants in the process of formative assessment but not necessarily for the same purposes. Student perceptions that interactions could enhance their learning and harm their relationships with others and their view of themselves led them to consider both the possible benefit and the potential harm of disclosing their ideas to others (teachers and peers). Moreover, students indicated that whether they pursued learning or performance goals and how they perceived teacher assessment purposes influenced their purposes for and willingness to participate in assessment interactions. Cognition, affect, conation and relationships with others were experienced by the students as inextricably intertwined with their learning and the formative assessment of it. Thus, the findings indicate that formative assessment contributes to the meaning of being a student, learner, knower and peer and of being a teacher in the classroom.

The findings of the study support the view that formative assessment is a sociocultural activity that may be described and is accomplished along three interdependent planes of the classroom, interpersonal and personal activity and meaning (Rogoff, 1995). On the classroom plane, formative assessment is accomplished through a process of apprenticeship and influences what it means to be a student (and a teacher). On the interpersonal plane, formative assessment is accomplished through a process of guided participation and influences what is taken and counts as school science and hence what it means to be a student (of science) in a particular classroom. It shapes how students view themselves and each other in the social milieu of the classroom. On the personal plane it shapes the language students use and how they feel about themselves as learners and knowers of school science.

text: Formative assessment in science classrooms This study investigated how formative assessment was perceived, experienced and accomplished by teachers and students in ten Year 7 to 10 science classrooms. The study was undertaken within and built on the findings of the Learning in Science Project (Assessment). An interpretive methodology using interviews and participant observation was employed. The study consisted of two phases. During the first phase, the teachers and at least three students of each teacher were interviewed and three classroom observations undertaken to ascertain views of formative assessment. In phase 2, case studies were developed of the formative assessment in the different classrooms. In addition, the teachers participated in eleven teacher development days, which were audio-taped and analysed. 

While the literature provided a definition and discussion of formative assessment relatively little research had explored student perceptions and experiences of formative assessment as an aspect of their everyday classroom life. The links between formative assessment and views of learning had received very little attention. The study provides empirical evidence that formative assessment is accomplished through situated teacher and student actions and interactions that involve the exchange, interpretation and action on information about student learning. It seems teachers and students are active and intentional participants in the process of formative assessment but not necessarily for the same purposes. Student perceptions that interactions could enhance their learning and harm their relationships with others and their view of themselves led them to consider both the possible benefit and the potential harm of disclosing their ideas to others (teachers and peers). Moreover, students indicated that whether they pursued learning or performance goals and how they perceived teacher assessment purposes influenced their purposes for and willingness to participate in assessment interactions. Cognition, affect, conation and relationships with others were experienced by the students as inextricably intertwined with their learning and the formative assessment of it. Thus, the findings indicate that formative assessment contributes to the meaning of being a student, learner, knower and peer and of being a teacher in the classroom.

The findings of the study support the view that formative assessment is a sociocultural activity that may be described and is accomplished along three interdependent planes of the classroom, interpersonal and personal activity and meaning (Rogoff, 1995). On the classroom plane, formative assessment is accomplished through a process of apprenticeship and influences what it means to be a student (and a teacher). On the interpersonal plane, formative assessment is accomplished through a process of guided participation and influences what is taken and counts as school science and hence what it means to be a student (of science) in a particular classroom. It shapes how students view themselves and each other in the social milieu of the classroom. On the personal plane it shapes the language students use and how they feel about themselves as learners and knowers of school science.

year: 2000

title: Making the invisible visible: Exploring the complex pathways between childhood experiences of maltreatment and the perpetration of family harm

authors: Dempster-Rivett, Kirsty

subjects: Childhood maltreatment

abstract: Preventing family harm and providing care for those affected is a high priority for governments and social services worldwide. Adverse consequences of family harm continue to place demands on justice, mental health and care and protection services. The costs to individuals, families and communities are beyond measure, given that rates of family harm are under-reported. Quantitative researchers have demonstrated a link between childhood maltreatment and family harm perpetration with existing psychological theories used to explain this link. However, mainstream theories were first developed many decades ago, at a time when the notion of gender was not inclusively factored into theory development. Neither were they developed with or by Indigenous peoples, calling into question the translatability of mainstream theories for stopping the intergenerational transmission of trauma and violence. 
The main aim of this thesis was to explore the relationship between childhood maltreatment and the perpetration of family harm by investigating two research questions. How could psychological theories better explain the pathways between childhood experiences of maltreatment and family harm perpetration? And, to what extent do psychological theories about the cycle of family harm reflect the experiences of Māori and non-Māori men and women in Aotearoa New Zealand? To answer these questions, interviews were conducted with 16 individuals who self-identified as perpetrating family harm and had childhood histories of maltreatment. (n=8 men, n=8 women). Purposive sampling ensured an equal number of Māori (Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand) and non-Māori participated in the research. Thematic analysis was utilised to examine the personal conceptualisations regarding the association between experiences of childhood maltreatment and subsequent perpetration of family harm. The core corpus of data explored the maltreatment-family harm relationship within and between Māori and non-Māori men and women. This thesis is comprised of three studies that investigate the intergenerational transmission of trauma and violence.

The first study analysed the interviews of the seven participants removed from their families of origin as children. All described ongoing experiences of poly-victimisation in subsequent placements, whether through adoption, foster or residential settings. When examined alongside all women interviewed in this thesis, men more often reported that their childhood maltreatment was overlooked by professionals. The findings of this study highlighted a relationship between the perpetration of family harm and limited relational and emotional experiences during childhood. Intervention points across the life span were identified to stop the intergenerational transmission of trauma and violence for people removed from their family of origin as children.

The second study focused on the experiences of the eight Māori men and women interviewed. A culture of silence surrounding childhood maltreatment pervaded all interviewees’ childhood experiences. However, additional issues, including cultural isolation, were evident for Māori from the adults and professionals charged with their care. Māori interviewees identified three core Indigenous concepts that facilitated healing and intergenerational wellbeing: Wairua (spiritual connection), Pou (becoming a symbol of strength and support for self and others), and Tūrangawaewae (finding a sense of belonging). A return to Indigenous knowledge and practices was integral to stopping the intergenerational transmission of trauma and violence. This highlights the importance of privileging Indigenous knowledge in existing theoretical understanding of the cycle of family harm and incorporation in prevention initiatives.

The final study explored the impact of psychological distress within the cycle of family harm. Everyone interviewed experienced severe adverse trauma reactions linked to mental health and addiction issues, self-harm and suicidality, and instances of family harm. A significant barrier to psychological and familial wellbeing was the lack of access to integrated models of care capable of responding to complex and intertwined issues in trauma informed and Indigenous informed ways. Thus, family harm, trauma and mental health and addiction services need to work together to tailor and deliver treatment according to the individual and family needs to break the cycle of family harm and ongoing adverse life course trajectories. 

This research identifies significant limitations in the psychological theories that usually contribute to thinking about family harm. There has been a particular failure to develop a theory that accounts for the heterogeneous cultural and gendered experiences of the cycle of family harm. Going forward, expanding the? view of traditional psychological theories of intergenerational trauma and violence is required to account for the historical trauma of colonisation and the ongoing adverse consequences for Indigenous communities. Family harm prevention initiatives must be led by and/or developed in partnership with and by Indigenous peoples to ensure responsivity through active incorporation of traditional practices for intergenerational healing and wellbeing.

The impact of poly-victimisation in childhood had severe and ongoing adverse consequences for both men and women that outweighed any obvious gender difference. For people who have experienced childhood maltreatment, it is essential to imbue initiatives with opportunities to understand emotions in relational contexts. Children who are placed in the care of the state must be cared for and, unlike the interviewees in this thesis, free from further childhood maltreatment. A therapeutic web should be established to stop the systemic issues identified in this thesis by providing cohesive and coherent services in a timely fashion for children and adults affected by the cycle of family harm. In conclusion, adopting practices that are informed by understandings of trauma, gender, and Indigenous knowledge are needed to replace the intergenerational transmission of trauma and violence with hope and wellbeing.

text: Making the invisible visible: Exploring the complex pathways between childhood experiences of maltreatment and the perpetration of family harm Preventing family harm and providing care for those affected is a high priority for governments and social services worldwide. Adverse consequences of family harm continue to place demands on justice, mental health and care and protection services. The costs to individuals, families and communities are beyond measure, given that rates of family harm are under-reported. Quantitative researchers have demonstrated a link between childhood maltreatment and family harm perpetration with existing psychological theories used to explain this link. However, mainstream theories were first developed many decades ago, at a time when the notion of gender was not inclusively factored into theory development. Neither were they developed with or by Indigenous peoples, calling into question the translatability of mainstream theories for stopping the intergenerational transmission of trauma and violence. 
The main aim of this thesis was to explore the relationship between childhood maltreatment and the perpetration of family harm by investigating two research questions. How could psychological theories better explain the pathways between childhood experiences of maltreatment and family harm perpetration? And, to what extent do psychological theories about the cycle of family harm reflect the experiences of Māori and non-Māori men and women in Aotearoa New Zealand? To answer these questions, interviews were conducted with 16 individuals who self-identified as perpetrating family harm and had childhood histories of maltreatment. (n=8 men, n=8 women). Purposive sampling ensured an equal number of Māori (Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand) and non-Māori participated in the research. Thematic analysis was utilised to examine the personal conceptualisations regarding the association between experiences of childhood maltreatment and subsequent perpetration of family harm. The core corpus of data explored the maltreatment-family harm relationship within and between Māori and non-Māori men and women. This thesis is comprised of three studies that investigate the intergenerational transmission of trauma and violence.

The first study analysed the interviews of the seven participants removed from their families of origin as children. All described ongoing experiences of poly-victimisation in subsequent placements, whether through adoption, foster or residential settings. When examined alongside all women interviewed in this thesis, men more often reported that their childhood maltreatment was overlooked by professionals. The findings of this study highlighted a relationship between the perpetration of family harm and limited relational and emotional experiences during childhood. Intervention points across the life span were identified to stop the intergenerational transmission of trauma and violence for people removed from their family of origin as children.

The second study focused on the experiences of the eight Māori men and women interviewed. A culture of silence surrounding childhood maltreatment pervaded all interviewees’ childhood experiences. However, additional issues, including cultural isolation, were evident for Māori from the adults and professionals charged with their care. Māori interviewees identified three core Indigenous concepts that facilitated healing and intergenerational wellbeing: Wairua (spiritual connection), Pou (becoming a symbol of strength and support for self and others), and Tūrangawaewae (finding a sense of belonging). A return to Indigenous knowledge and practices was integral to stopping the intergenerational transmission of trauma and violence. This highlights the importance of privileging Indigenous knowledge in existing theoretical understanding of the cycle of family harm and incorporation in prevention initiatives.

The final study explored the impact of psychological distress within the cycle of family harm. Everyone interviewed experienced severe adverse trauma reactions linked to mental health and addiction issues, self-harm and suicidality, and instances of family harm. A significant barrier to psychological and familial wellbeing was the lack of access to integrated models of care capable of responding to complex and intertwined issues in trauma informed and Indigenous informed ways. Thus, family harm, trauma and mental health and addiction services need to work together to tailor and deliver treatment according to the individual and family needs to break the cycle of family harm and ongoing adverse life course trajectories. 

This research identifies significant limitations in the psychological theories that usually contribute to thinking about family harm. There has been a particular failure to develop a theory that accounts for the heterogeneous cultural and gendered experiences of the cycle of family harm. Going forward, expanding the? view of traditional psychological theories of intergenerational trauma and violence is required to account for the historical trauma of colonisation and the ongoing adverse consequences for Indigenous communities. Family harm prevention initiatives must be led by and/or developed in partnership with and by Indigenous peoples to ensure responsivity through active incorporation of traditional practices for intergenerational healing and wellbeing.

The impact of poly-victimisation in childhood had severe and ongoing adverse consequences for both men and women that outweighed any obvious gender difference. For people who have experienced childhood maltreatment, it is essential to imbue initiatives with opportunities to understand emotions in relational contexts. Children who are placed in the care of the state must be cared for and, unlike the interviewees in this thesis, free from further childhood maltreatment. A therapeutic web should be established to stop the systemic issues identified in this thesis by providing cohesive and coherent services in a timely fashion for children and adults affected by the cycle of family harm. In conclusion, adopting practices that are informed by understandings of trauma, gender, and Indigenous knowledge are needed to replace the intergenerational transmission of trauma and violence with hope and wellbeing.

year: 2022