title: Use of lag schedules to increase play variability across settings for a preschool child with Autism

authors: de Koster, Anna Elizabeth

subjects: Autism

abstract: The importance of play is becoming increasingly evident in the holistic development of young children.  Play develops effortlessly in typically developing children, but in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), play needs to be taught explicitly.  Children with autism have limited play variability and often display rigid and repetitive play behaviours, which negatively impact their social functioning and language development.  Play in autism is a really important target behaviour.  Teaching play can improve exposure to learning opportunities, social interactions and increase access to reinforcement, which in turn will improve language acquisition and communication skills.  The primary objective of this study was to determine how lag schedules of reinforcement can increase the play variability of a boy, aged three, with limited play and social skills.  A multiple probe design with a changing criterion design was used across three different play settings: wooden figurine and a doll’s house, water play and a fire station play set.  Results showed that lag schedules were sufficient to increase the play variability for the participant across all three settings.  Generalisation was seen to occur during normal play sessions across various play settings in the early childhood centre, with increases in peer interaction.  The current study provides empirical evidence that supports the use of lag schedule of reinforcement to increase the average play variability in children with ASD.

text: Use of lag schedules to increase play variability across settings for a preschool child with Autism The importance of play is becoming increasingly evident in the holistic development of young children.  Play develops effortlessly in typically developing children, but in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), play needs to be taught explicitly.  Children with autism have limited play variability and often display rigid and repetitive play behaviours, which negatively impact their social functioning and language development.  Play in autism is a really important target behaviour.  Teaching play can improve exposure to learning opportunities, social interactions and increase access to reinforcement, which in turn will improve language acquisition and communication skills.  The primary objective of this study was to determine how lag schedules of reinforcement can increase the play variability of a boy, aged three, with limited play and social skills.  A multiple probe design with a changing criterion design was used across three different play settings: wooden figurine and a doll’s house, water play and a fire station play set.  Results showed that lag schedules were sufficient to increase the play variability for the participant across all three settings.  Generalisation was seen to occur during normal play sessions across various play settings in the early childhood centre, with increases in peer interaction.  The current study provides empirical evidence that supports the use of lag schedule of reinforcement to increase the average play variability in children with ASD.

year: 2022

title: The identification of threshold concepts and their application in curriculum development: Exploring threshold concepts through the context of engineering education

authors: Morgan, Alan Alexander Harold

subjects: Threshold Concepts

abstract: Threshold Concept (TC) theory was introduced by Erik Meyer and Ray Land in 2003 and states that every discipline of study contains troublesome concepts that transform the learner when they come to be understood. This transformation will concern either the learner’s thinking about the discipline and/or their perception of the discipline. Five characteristics were originally proposed that can help to signalise TCs, which are, troublesome, transformative, irreversible, integrative and bounded.

This thesis explores both, the in-depth ways in which TCs have sought to be identified, and to what extent the role of TCs in curriculum development has been studied. This was done by exploring researchers’ thinking in regard to the importance of each of the five TC characteristics, the data collection methods and participants that were included in their studies, and the extent to which they attempted to study TCs in relation to the development of curricula. Engineering education TC studies formed the context through which I attempted to answer the research questions. The first method I used to obtain my data was to carry out a systematic quantitative literature review (SQLR) of peer-reviewed TC research articles that were published between 2003 and the present day. From the relevant 147 papers that resulted from my database searching, I narrowed this down to the 15 articles that related directly to engineering education. The SQLR data was then used to inform the semi-structured interviews that I conducted with three TC researchers in the field of engineering education.

The findings suggested troublesome and transformative to be the TC characteristics that are the most essential of the five to consider when seeking to identify TCs. This finding was based on the fact that they were the two characteristics most highly referenced in the SQLR literature and were the ones thought most important by two of three of my interviewees. The inclusion of  multiple types of participants and data collection methods were found to be common and effective practices amongst TC researchers. Again, this finding was supported with the SQLR data and by all three interviewees. Lastly, it was discovered that, despite TCs being considered the potential centrepieces of a curriculum, there is a lack of TC studies focussing on the role of TCs in curriculum development. There existed no studies within the SQLR literature that held this aspect as a sole focus.

text: The identification of threshold concepts and their application in curriculum development: Exploring threshold concepts through the context of engineering education Threshold Concept (TC) theory was introduced by Erik Meyer and Ray Land in 2003 and states that every discipline of study contains troublesome concepts that transform the learner when they come to be understood. This transformation will concern either the learner’s thinking about the discipline and/or their perception of the discipline. Five characteristics were originally proposed that can help to signalise TCs, which are, troublesome, transformative, irreversible, integrative and bounded.

This thesis explores both, the in-depth ways in which TCs have sought to be identified, and to what extent the role of TCs in curriculum development has been studied. This was done by exploring researchers’ thinking in regard to the importance of each of the five TC characteristics, the data collection methods and participants that were included in their studies, and the extent to which they attempted to study TCs in relation to the development of curricula. Engineering education TC studies formed the context through which I attempted to answer the research questions. The first method I used to obtain my data was to carry out a systematic quantitative literature review (SQLR) of peer-reviewed TC research articles that were published between 2003 and the present day. From the relevant 147 papers that resulted from my database searching, I narrowed this down to the 15 articles that related directly to engineering education. The SQLR data was then used to inform the semi-structured interviews that I conducted with three TC researchers in the field of engineering education.

The findings suggested troublesome and transformative to be the TC characteristics that are the most essential of the five to consider when seeking to identify TCs. This finding was based on the fact that they were the two characteristics most highly referenced in the SQLR literature and were the ones thought most important by two of three of my interviewees. The inclusion of  multiple types of participants and data collection methods were found to be common and effective practices amongst TC researchers. Again, this finding was supported with the SQLR data and by all three interviewees. Lastly, it was discovered that, despite TCs being considered the potential centrepieces of a curriculum, there is a lack of TC studies focussing on the role of TCs in curriculum development. There existed no studies within the SQLR literature that held this aspect as a sole focus.

year: 2019

title: Whānau aspirations, extracurricular activity  and positive youth development:  The leisure activity patterns and narratives of successful young Māori men and how they might inform  urban whānau raising tamatāne.

authors: Clarke, Gloria Hinemoa

subjects: Leisure

abstract: The purpose of this research is to offer parents and whānau (extended family groups) insight about the kinds of leisure activities that might make a positive contribution to their boys’ development. Focused on the positive developmental benefits of leisure participation in relation to Māori boys, and employing a kaupapa Māori framework and qualitative methods, this study represents a foray into new territory. 
	Conducted ‘by, with, and for’ Māori (the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand), and guided by the question ‘How might the leisure activity patterns and narratives of successful young Māori men inform urban whānau raising tamatāne (Māori boys/sons)?’ the three-phase research design was strengths-based, collaborative, and both retrospective and prospective. In phase one, a group of 11 parents participated in focus group hui (gatherings) in which they established the criteria for ‘successful young Māori men’ (SYMM) based on their aspirations for their primary-school aged boys. In phase two, this whānau of interest then selected six SYMM from a pool of eight volunteers, who, along with one or both of their parents participated in one-off semi-structured interviews. In these interviews, we co-constructed life and leisure maps, and discussed how their childhood leisure activities and experiences contributed to their development and who they are today. In phase three, a selection of raw data from these interviews was prepared for a group analysis, during which the whānau of interest made three key observations: (1) As children and youth, these SYMM had participated in a number and range of organised and informal leisure activities including sport, kapa haka (Māori cultural performance), music, art, and for three of them, faith-based activities; (2) they were “connected” to their parent(s) and whānau; and (3) their leisure activities had brought them into contact with positive male role models. Consequently, the whānau of interest talked about increasing the number and variety of their boys’ leisure activities; how they could further support their boys’ leisure participation; and bringing more male role models into their boys’ lives. 
	The findings of this study support the current literature regarding extracurricular activity participation in relation to positive youth development, but also highlight some methodological issues and cultural and contextual nuances. The research supports international and local studies in which high-performing students participated in a number and combination of extracurricular activities. In contrast, however, the experiences and reflections of the SYMM in this study highlight the limitations of combining all sports and all arts into broad activity categories. The research participants’ leisure activities also point to the relevance and applicability of the Te Whare Tapa Whā model of health and wellbeing. Their involvement in kapa haka contrasts with the (North American) literature in which males are a minority in the performing arts, and while some studies indicate that participation in music making declines in high school, these young men began playing musical instruments in high school. Moreover, the salience and significance of the research participants’ casual leisure activities challenges the tendency to cast informal leisure as the antithesis of extracurricular activity participation. These findings raise questions about the applicability of using international activity categories in Aotearoa New Zealand research, and consequently the need to conduct our own leisure and positive youth development studies. 
Other topics raised in this thesis include rugby and masculinity, spirituality, and the tensions involved in building and honouring our children’s rangatiratanga (independence). The short answer to the research question is that a variety and balance of leisure activities has the potential to make positive contributions to boys’ lives. Implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research are also discussed.

text: Whānau aspirations, extracurricular activity  and positive youth development:  The leisure activity patterns and narratives of successful young Māori men and how they might inform  urban whānau raising tamatāne. The purpose of this research is to offer parents and whānau (extended family groups) insight about the kinds of leisure activities that might make a positive contribution to their boys’ development. Focused on the positive developmental benefits of leisure participation in relation to Māori boys, and employing a kaupapa Māori framework and qualitative methods, this study represents a foray into new territory. 
	Conducted ‘by, with, and for’ Māori (the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand), and guided by the question ‘How might the leisure activity patterns and narratives of successful young Māori men inform urban whānau raising tamatāne (Māori boys/sons)?’ the three-phase research design was strengths-based, collaborative, and both retrospective and prospective. In phase one, a group of 11 parents participated in focus group hui (gatherings) in which they established the criteria for ‘successful young Māori men’ (SYMM) based on their aspirations for their primary-school aged boys. In phase two, this whānau of interest then selected six SYMM from a pool of eight volunteers, who, along with one or both of their parents participated in one-off semi-structured interviews. In these interviews, we co-constructed life and leisure maps, and discussed how their childhood leisure activities and experiences contributed to their development and who they are today. In phase three, a selection of raw data from these interviews was prepared for a group analysis, during which the whānau of interest made three key observations: (1) As children and youth, these SYMM had participated in a number and range of organised and informal leisure activities including sport, kapa haka (Māori cultural performance), music, art, and for three of them, faith-based activities; (2) they were “connected” to their parent(s) and whānau; and (3) their leisure activities had brought them into contact with positive male role models. Consequently, the whānau of interest talked about increasing the number and variety of their boys’ leisure activities; how they could further support their boys’ leisure participation; and bringing more male role models into their boys’ lives. 
	The findings of this study support the current literature regarding extracurricular activity participation in relation to positive youth development, but also highlight some methodological issues and cultural and contextual nuances. The research supports international and local studies in which high-performing students participated in a number and combination of extracurricular activities. In contrast, however, the experiences and reflections of the SYMM in this study highlight the limitations of combining all sports and all arts into broad activity categories. The research participants’ leisure activities also point to the relevance and applicability of the Te Whare Tapa Whā model of health and wellbeing. Their involvement in kapa haka contrasts with the (North American) literature in which males are a minority in the performing arts, and while some studies indicate that participation in music making declines in high school, these young men began playing musical instruments in high school. Moreover, the salience and significance of the research participants’ casual leisure activities challenges the tendency to cast informal leisure as the antithesis of extracurricular activity participation. These findings raise questions about the applicability of using international activity categories in Aotearoa New Zealand research, and consequently the need to conduct our own leisure and positive youth development studies. 
Other topics raised in this thesis include rugby and masculinity, spirituality, and the tensions involved in building and honouring our children’s rangatiratanga (independence). The short answer to the research question is that a variety and balance of leisure activities has the potential to make positive contributions to boys’ lives. Implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research are also discussed.

year: 2020