title: Limitations unlimited: Interrogating some finer points of the 'scientific study' of adolescence

authors: Payne, Monica A.

subjects: adolescence

abstract: Radical epistemological critiques of developmental and social psychology are nothing new, and major methodological debates are now common even within the mainstream literature. Yet a considerable amount of research continues to be conducted in apparent ignorance of, or with more deliberate disregard for, these challenges. Two pervasive research practices of particular concern are: (a) the espousal of conceptual frugality (authorizing avoidance of in-depth appraisal of existing theory and research), and (b) retrospective confession of methodological shortcomings (often then presumed to no longer matter). Although successful in the sense that researchers are getting their work published, such strategies typically function to sustain disturbingly unsophisticated, and frequently prejudicial, developmental discourses. This paper examines some of the effects of their use within the non-clinical research literature on adolescence.

text: Limitations unlimited: Interrogating some finer points of the 'scientific study' of adolescence Radical epistemological critiques of developmental and social psychology are nothing new, and major methodological debates are now common even within the mainstream literature. Yet a considerable amount of research continues to be conducted in apparent ignorance of, or with more deliberate disregard for, these challenges. Two pervasive research practices of particular concern are: (a) the espousal of conceptual frugality (authorizing avoidance of in-depth appraisal of existing theory and research), and (b) retrospective confession of methodological shortcomings (often then presumed to no longer matter). Although successful in the sense that researchers are getting their work published, such strategies typically function to sustain disturbingly unsophisticated, and frequently prejudicial, developmental discourses. This paper examines some of the effects of their use within the non-clinical research literature on adolescence.

year: 2001

title: Sedimentation and survival of the Mekong Delta: A case study of decreased sediment supply and accelerating rates of relative sea level rise

authors: Allison, Mead A.

abstract: The Mekong Delta, early in the twenty-first century, is at a tipping point for sustainability. The delta is threatened by the implications of (1) damming and land-use changes in the drainage basin, (2) a burgeoning delta population in a nation (Vietnam) undergoing rapid development, (3) accelerating rates of rising sea level, and (4) an uncertain future climate that may impact tropical-cyclone frequency and monsoonal precipitation patterns in the basin. These threats are present in other great rivers that emerge from the Himalayas. Two primary threats are examined in light of recent joint Vietnam-US studies in the largest distributary (Song Hau) of the Mekong River, in the shore-fringing mangroves, and on the adjacent subaqueous delta. We consider the implications of declining sediment loads from the catchment (as well as modification of the annual hydrograph) and flooding and salinity intrusion associated with relative sea level rise (eustatic + subsidence). This 2014–2015 study shows the interconnectivity in fluvial sediment supply to these parts of the delta: declining sediment loads and rising sea levels will likely impact distributary channel morphology and will alter estuarine circulation and sediment-trapping efficiency, all of which have feedbacks on sediment provision to the mangrove forests and the shelf.

text: Sedimentation and survival of the Mekong Delta: A case study of decreased sediment supply and accelerating rates of relative sea level rise The Mekong Delta, early in the twenty-first century, is at a tipping point for sustainability. The delta is threatened by the implications of (1) damming and land-use changes in the drainage basin, (2) a burgeoning delta population in a nation (Vietnam) undergoing rapid development, (3) accelerating rates of rising sea level, and (4) an uncertain future climate that may impact tropical-cyclone frequency and monsoonal precipitation patterns in the basin. These threats are present in other great rivers that emerge from the Himalayas. Two primary threats are examined in light of recent joint Vietnam-US studies in the largest distributary (Song Hau) of the Mekong River, in the shore-fringing mangroves, and on the adjacent subaqueous delta. We consider the implications of declining sediment loads from the catchment (as well as modification of the annual hydrograph) and flooding and salinity intrusion associated with relative sea level rise (eustatic + subsidence). This 2014–2015 study shows the interconnectivity in fluvial sediment supply to these parts of the delta: declining sediment loads and rising sea levels will likely impact distributary channel morphology and will alter estuarine circulation and sediment-trapping efficiency, all of which have feedbacks on sediment provision to the mangrove forests and the shelf.

year: 2017

title: E hoki ki to maunga: The quintessential elements of home

authors: Emery, Debra Joy Tepora

subjects: hau kainga

abstract: He kopu puta tahi, he taura whiri tātou;
whiringa a nuku, whiringa a rangi, te whatia e
Issue of one womb, we are a rope woven of many strands; woven on earth, woven in heaven, it will not break (Rev Māori Marsden, 1992)
Ngati Te Takinga is a hapū (sub-tribe) belonging to the Iwi (tribe) Ngati Pikiao. An affiliated member of the Te Arawa confederation of tribes, Ngati Pikiao occupies the Okere and Rotoiti Lakes district of Rotorua in the central North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand.
This thesis seeks to acknowledge and address the concerns that Ngati Te Takinga has regarding impending cultural discontinuity. The concerns arise due to the hapū's limited human capability and capacity being the result of three things. Firstly, the ongoing demise of tribal elders (and leaders) and the subsequent loss to the hapū of cultural knowledge, skills, leadership and expertise. Secondly, the low numbers of adept,
culturally proficient successors 'coming through' (to replace the elders) and finally, the detribalised and diasporic (dispersed) nature of our people. The hapū and the marae Te Takinga (a last outwardly discernible bastion of Ngati Te Takinga cultural identity and distinction) are jeopardised as a result of these phenomenon.
This thesis is part of a hapū strategy that attempts to address these problems. Positing the
reconnection of our dispersed Ngati Te Takinga 'away-dwellers' as a beginning
solution, the central questions raised by this thesis are  how [does] Ngati Te Takinga
'home-dweller' discourse impact on the 'coming home' experiences and 'reconnection'
of Ngati Te Takinga away-dwellers?  and  what are the [are there] implications for Ngati
Te Takinga cultural continuity? 
The maintenance of Ngati Te Takinga cultural continuity forms the aho mātua or main thread of this work. Using narrative enquiry as a broad methodological framework,stories were gathered from four different groups of Ngati Te Takinga peoples. The groups were home-dwellers (mana whenua or ahi kaa), te ahi tere (away-dwellers who
have returned home to live); te ahi tere (away-dwellers who intend returning in the future) and te ahi tere (away-dwellers who have no intention of returning home to live). The stories (narratives) investigated notions of home, belongingness and Māori identity in relation to the trichotomy of the connection, disconnection and the reconnection of Ngati Te Takinga peoples; the stories were analysed and co-constructed with participants for meaning.
The stories showed that while the hapū aspires to gather up the strengths of a dispersed people to reinvigorate our culture and the marae, existing and competing discourses around authenticity, authority and Ngati Te Takinga identity create a tension between the home (mana whenua/ahi kaa) and away-dwelling Ngati Te Takinga people; including those away-dwellers who have returned. As a basic requirement, this tension must be
diminished in order to build the relationships necessary to improve hapū allegiance
(whānaungatanga), to build hapū strength and to maintain hapū culture and identity. As a priority, decolonising strategies that facilitate an understanding of diversity, promote
participation, maintain tikanga and include our away-dwellers, our 'returnees' and/or our
disconnected people in our hapū-marae interactions, must be considered, developed,
promoted and practiced.

text: E hoki ki to maunga: The quintessential elements of home He kopu puta tahi, he taura whiri tātou;
whiringa a nuku, whiringa a rangi, te whatia e
Issue of one womb, we are a rope woven of many strands; woven on earth, woven in heaven, it will not break (Rev Māori Marsden, 1992)
Ngati Te Takinga is a hapū (sub-tribe) belonging to the Iwi (tribe) Ngati Pikiao. An affiliated member of the Te Arawa confederation of tribes, Ngati Pikiao occupies the Okere and Rotoiti Lakes district of Rotorua in the central North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand.
This thesis seeks to acknowledge and address the concerns that Ngati Te Takinga has regarding impending cultural discontinuity. The concerns arise due to the hapū's limited human capability and capacity being the result of three things. Firstly, the ongoing demise of tribal elders (and leaders) and the subsequent loss to the hapū of cultural knowledge, skills, leadership and expertise. Secondly, the low numbers of adept,
culturally proficient successors 'coming through' (to replace the elders) and finally, the detribalised and diasporic (dispersed) nature of our people. The hapū and the marae Te Takinga (a last outwardly discernible bastion of Ngati Te Takinga cultural identity and distinction) are jeopardised as a result of these phenomenon.
This thesis is part of a hapū strategy that attempts to address these problems. Positing the
reconnection of our dispersed Ngati Te Takinga 'away-dwellers' as a beginning
solution, the central questions raised by this thesis are  how [does] Ngati Te Takinga
'home-dweller' discourse impact on the 'coming home' experiences and 'reconnection'
of Ngati Te Takinga away-dwellers?  and  what are the [are there] implications for Ngati
Te Takinga cultural continuity? 
The maintenance of Ngati Te Takinga cultural continuity forms the aho mātua or main thread of this work. Using narrative enquiry as a broad methodological framework,stories were gathered from four different groups of Ngati Te Takinga peoples. The groups were home-dwellers (mana whenua or ahi kaa), te ahi tere (away-dwellers who
have returned home to live); te ahi tere (away-dwellers who intend returning in the future) and te ahi tere (away-dwellers who have no intention of returning home to live). The stories (narratives) investigated notions of home, belongingness and Māori identity in relation to the trichotomy of the connection, disconnection and the reconnection of Ngati Te Takinga peoples; the stories were analysed and co-constructed with participants for meaning.
The stories showed that while the hapū aspires to gather up the strengths of a dispersed people to reinvigorate our culture and the marae, existing and competing discourses around authenticity, authority and Ngati Te Takinga identity create a tension between the home (mana whenua/ahi kaa) and away-dwelling Ngati Te Takinga people; including those away-dwellers who have returned. As a basic requirement, this tension must be
diminished in order to build the relationships necessary to improve hapū allegiance
(whānaungatanga), to build hapū strength and to maintain hapū culture and identity. As a priority, decolonising strategies that facilitate an understanding of diversity, promote
participation, maintain tikanga and include our away-dwellers, our 'returnees' and/or our
disconnected people in our hapū-marae interactions, must be considered, developed,
promoted and practiced.

year: 2008