title: “Malamalama- Miss, it means to understand, but it can mean light also.”  Pasifika students’ perspectives of studying history in New Zealand.

authors: Reymer, Christina Helene

subjects: Pasifika

abstract: This thesis looks at Pasifika students’ perspectives of studying history in the New Zealand secondary school I currently teach in. The methodology for the thesis was centred on a Tongan research approach referred to as Talanoa. This is an informal conversation during which Year 13 history students, who felt they belonged to the Pasifika collective, shared their experiences, attitudes and perspectives of studying history.  The ideas and insights from the Talanoa are discussed and explored in this thesis. I contend that understanding the identities of our students is essential if we are to understand their experiences and perspectives of the enacted history curriculum and school programme. Therefore, this thesis explores the notion of identity formation, and looks at the various factors that shape the identities of the participants in this research. It is my view that as a result of lived rich cultural experiences Pasifika students have a personal sense of history. This in turn provides a unique lens through which they experience history in the classroom. This way of knowing the past influences their perspectives of the nature and purpose of history education. This includes how they see the role of interpretation in history, and how they find relevance or make connections with the historical contexts they study in the classroom history programme. I discuss curriculum theory that has informed my curriculum understandings. I reflect on the revised New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007) and its supporting assessment policies in light of the implications for both history education in New Zealand, and for Pasifika students who receive this curriculum. It is my contention that the students in this research project demonstrated a deep understanding of history and provided valuable insights for teachers that may enhance teaching and learning experiences in the history classroom.

text: “Malamalama- Miss, it means to understand, but it can mean light also.”  Pasifika students’ perspectives of studying history in New Zealand. This thesis looks at Pasifika students’ perspectives of studying history in the New Zealand secondary school I currently teach in. The methodology for the thesis was centred on a Tongan research approach referred to as Talanoa. This is an informal conversation during which Year 13 history students, who felt they belonged to the Pasifika collective, shared their experiences, attitudes and perspectives of studying history.  The ideas and insights from the Talanoa are discussed and explored in this thesis. I contend that understanding the identities of our students is essential if we are to understand their experiences and perspectives of the enacted history curriculum and school programme. Therefore, this thesis explores the notion of identity formation, and looks at the various factors that shape the identities of the participants in this research. It is my view that as a result of lived rich cultural experiences Pasifika students have a personal sense of history. This in turn provides a unique lens through which they experience history in the classroom. This way of knowing the past influences their perspectives of the nature and purpose of history education. This includes how they see the role of interpretation in history, and how they find relevance or make connections with the historical contexts they study in the classroom history programme. I discuss curriculum theory that has informed my curriculum understandings. I reflect on the revised New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007) and its supporting assessment policies in light of the implications for both history education in New Zealand, and for Pasifika students who receive this curriculum. It is my contention that the students in this research project demonstrated a deep understanding of history and provided valuable insights for teachers that may enhance teaching and learning experiences in the history classroom.

year: 2012

title: Effects of the safe and sound protocol on wellbeing and auditory sensitivities among adults with auditory hypersensitivities.

authors: Khatri, Praveen

abstract: The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), an auditory intervention involving specifically filtered music, based on polyvagal theory, is marketed as a listening therapy that regulates the nervous system and is therefore recommended for a range of problems including trauma, anxiety and sensory sensitivities. There is limited research on the effectiveness of this intervention so far. Most studies have been focused on children and adults with autism and therefore, the effectiveness of SSP across different populations remains unclear. Using a single-subject, within-subject multiple baseline experimental design, this study evaluated the effectiveness of the SSP on well-being and auditory sensitivities among people with self-reported auditory hypersensitivities. Eight participants were randomly assigned to filtered (SSP) or non-filtered music conditions. Participants who received unfiltered music intervention were offered the filtered music intervention later. Three out of four chose to receive filtered music intervention.  Psychological distress, positive and negative affect, psychological safety, and auditory sensitivity were measured before and after the intervention and were analysed using reliable change. The daily well-being ratings were taken throughout the study and were analysed using the percentage exceeding the median method. This study did not find any consistent evidence that the SSP reduces auditory hypersensitivity or improves well-being in these participants. Further research is necessary, employing both qualitative and RCT methodologies, to clarify the effects of SSP.

text: Effects of the safe and sound protocol on wellbeing and auditory sensitivities among adults with auditory hypersensitivities. The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), an auditory intervention involving specifically filtered music, based on polyvagal theory, is marketed as a listening therapy that regulates the nervous system and is therefore recommended for a range of problems including trauma, anxiety and sensory sensitivities. There is limited research on the effectiveness of this intervention so far. Most studies have been focused on children and adults with autism and therefore, the effectiveness of SSP across different populations remains unclear. Using a single-subject, within-subject multiple baseline experimental design, this study evaluated the effectiveness of the SSP on well-being and auditory sensitivities among people with self-reported auditory hypersensitivities. Eight participants were randomly assigned to filtered (SSP) or non-filtered music conditions. Participants who received unfiltered music intervention were offered the filtered music intervention later. Three out of four chose to receive filtered music intervention.  Psychological distress, positive and negative affect, psychological safety, and auditory sensitivity were measured before and after the intervention and were analysed using reliable change. The daily well-being ratings were taken throughout the study and were analysed using the percentage exceeding the median method. This study did not find any consistent evidence that the SSP reduces auditory hypersensitivity or improves well-being in these participants. Further research is necessary, employing both qualitative and RCT methodologies, to clarify the effects of SSP.

year: 2025

title: Dis-lodging literature from English: Challenging linguistic hegemonies

authors: Locke, Terry

subjects: literature

abstract: This paper problematises the location of literature "teaching" within the English (L1) curriculum, as is the case in New Zealand and other settings. It defamiliarises this arrangement by drawing attention to official New Zealand policies of biculturalism and to the increasing cultural and linguistic diversity in many New Zealand classrooms. It identifies a number of social justice issues arising from the current arrangement, and also raises issues in respect of educational policy and ways in which canonical subjects become constructed in practice. It then discusses ways in which a new qualifications template developed at the University of Waikato might provide a vehicle for establishing a new arrangement, in terms of which literature study is dislodged from English and reshaped as a course of study entitled Literature in Society. It indicates ways in which Comparative Literature, as a predominantly university-constituted discipline, might contribute to the theorisation of this new arrangement.

text: Dis-lodging literature from English: Challenging linguistic hegemonies This paper problematises the location of literature "teaching" within the English (L1) curriculum, as is the case in New Zealand and other settings. It defamiliarises this arrangement by drawing attention to official New Zealand policies of biculturalism and to the increasing cultural and linguistic diversity in many New Zealand classrooms. It identifies a number of social justice issues arising from the current arrangement, and also raises issues in respect of educational policy and ways in which canonical subjects become constructed in practice. It then discusses ways in which a new qualifications template developed at the University of Waikato might provide a vehicle for establishing a new arrangement, in terms of which literature study is dislodged from English and reshaped as a course of study entitled Literature in Society. It indicates ways in which Comparative Literature, as a predominantly university-constituted discipline, might contribute to the theorisation of this new arrangement.

year: 2004-05-01