title: Variation in benthic primary production during tidal emersion within different intertidal habitats

authors: Rogers, Kate

abstract: Intertidal habitats provide a wealth of ecosystem services including fuelling oceanic food webs and processing nutrients however, understanding the response of these habitats to emersion has been largely overlooked. Increasing rates of terrestrial sediment reaching the coast is degrading the water column light climate and thus the productive capacity of benthic primary producers during immersion. As a result, low tide production may become more significant in the near future. There is currently little knowledge regarding how primary production changes over an emersion period, in particular how it varies with habitat type and the impacts of environmental stressors, such as desiccation.  

This study explored the spatial (between habitats) and temporal (over austral summer and over individual emersion periods) variability in benthic primary production within a temperate barrier-enclosed estuary. Research was conducted in three intertidal habitats (encompassing differences in sediment properties, dominant primary producers, and macrofaunal communities) in Tauranga Harbour, New Zealand. Seagrass (Zostera muelleri), shellfish, and polychaete dominated habitats were chosen as they represent common intertidal habitats found in temperate regions. Emerged gross primary production (GPP), at the community scale, was quantified by measuring changes in carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration over time during a series of successive three minute incubations spanning the entirety of the low tide period. This was achieved by measuring fluxes of CO2 in benthic incubation chambers under both light and dark conditions, to derive net primary production (NPP) and sediment oxygen consumption (SOC) respectively. CO2 fluxes were then analysed to determine whether sampling month or time exposed had a significant difference on the photosynthetic capacity of different intertidal habitats. Sedimentary and environmental variables were sampled to identify any key predictors of emerged primary production. 

Primary production (both NPP and GPP) measured in the seagrass habitat exceeded both bare sediment habitats (by up to 11 times) due to inherent differences in the dominant primary producers (seagrass vs. microphytobenthos) and the associated photosynthetic biomass. Within bare sediment habitats, significant differences in primary production were attributed to variation in sedimentary characteristics (particularly mud content) and macrofaunal communities. GPP was standardised for photosynthesising biomass to provide a measure of photosynthetic efficiency (GPPSG and GPPchl a). Once standardised, month to month differences within individual habitats disappeared, thus initial temporal differences measured over austral summer were primarily attributed to differences in biomass. Temporal trends over individual emersion periods were not consistent across all habitats. GPPSG in the seagrass habitat increased hourly (from T1 to T4) on multiple sampling occasions, while no consistent trends were evident in either of the bare sediment habitats.  

This study recognises that emerged primary production can equal, if not exceed, rates of production and carbon fixation during immersion. This reinforces the importance of including emerged intertidal habitats in global carbon budgets. Especially as the contribution of low tide production will become increasingly important as elevated turbidity levels may compromise the productive capacity of submerged habitats. Understanding the dynamics of intertidal habitats under emersion is valuable as they represent a significant proportion of coastal ecosystems in New Zealand and around the globe.

text: Variation in benthic primary production during tidal emersion within different intertidal habitats Intertidal habitats provide a wealth of ecosystem services including fuelling oceanic food webs and processing nutrients however, understanding the response of these habitats to emersion has been largely overlooked. Increasing rates of terrestrial sediment reaching the coast is degrading the water column light climate and thus the productive capacity of benthic primary producers during immersion. As a result, low tide production may become more significant in the near future. There is currently little knowledge regarding how primary production changes over an emersion period, in particular how it varies with habitat type and the impacts of environmental stressors, such as desiccation.  

This study explored the spatial (between habitats) and temporal (over austral summer and over individual emersion periods) variability in benthic primary production within a temperate barrier-enclosed estuary. Research was conducted in three intertidal habitats (encompassing differences in sediment properties, dominant primary producers, and macrofaunal communities) in Tauranga Harbour, New Zealand. Seagrass (Zostera muelleri), shellfish, and polychaete dominated habitats were chosen as they represent common intertidal habitats found in temperate regions. Emerged gross primary production (GPP), at the community scale, was quantified by measuring changes in carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration over time during a series of successive three minute incubations spanning the entirety of the low tide period. This was achieved by measuring fluxes of CO2 in benthic incubation chambers under both light and dark conditions, to derive net primary production (NPP) and sediment oxygen consumption (SOC) respectively. CO2 fluxes were then analysed to determine whether sampling month or time exposed had a significant difference on the photosynthetic capacity of different intertidal habitats. Sedimentary and environmental variables were sampled to identify any key predictors of emerged primary production. 

Primary production (both NPP and GPP) measured in the seagrass habitat exceeded both bare sediment habitats (by up to 11 times) due to inherent differences in the dominant primary producers (seagrass vs. microphytobenthos) and the associated photosynthetic biomass. Within bare sediment habitats, significant differences in primary production were attributed to variation in sedimentary characteristics (particularly mud content) and macrofaunal communities. GPP was standardised for photosynthesising biomass to provide a measure of photosynthetic efficiency (GPPSG and GPPchl a). Once standardised, month to month differences within individual habitats disappeared, thus initial temporal differences measured over austral summer were primarily attributed to differences in biomass. Temporal trends over individual emersion periods were not consistent across all habitats. GPPSG in the seagrass habitat increased hourly (from T1 to T4) on multiple sampling occasions, while no consistent trends were evident in either of the bare sediment habitats.  

This study recognises that emerged primary production can equal, if not exceed, rates of production and carbon fixation during immersion. This reinforces the importance of including emerged intertidal habitats in global carbon budgets. Especially as the contribution of low tide production will become increasingly important as elevated turbidity levels may compromise the productive capacity of submerged habitats. Understanding the dynamics of intertidal habitats under emersion is valuable as they represent a significant proportion of coastal ecosystems in New Zealand and around the globe.

year: 2019

title: Contextual complexities shaping primary teachers' pedagogical practices with digital technologies: An interpretive phenomenological study in the Maldivian ESL context

authors: Mohamed, Zahra

subjects: Pedagogical practices

abstract: Literature on digital technology (DT) integration has revealed a range of complexities around DT use for teaching and learning. Previous research suggests that frequent DT use does not necessarily lead to the pedagogically purposeful use of DTs for student learning. However, the literature overlooks the impact the various contextual and subject content factors may have when exploring teachers’ technological pedagogical practices. This thesis examines teachers’ practices with DTs in relation to the subject content and multilevel context within which teachers’ practices are situated. My study’s context is that of primary education in Maldivian urban and rural schools, with a specific focus on how teachers use DTs in teaching English as a second language (ESL). I also examine the influence of national, school, classroom, and teacher-level factors at play on the participant primary teacher group. The research questions guiding my study are:
1. What impacts do DT use have on ESL pedagogical practices of primary teachers in two Maldivian schools?
2. What contextual factors affect teaching and learning English with and through DTs in two Maldivian schools, and do they differ across schools?
3. What interplay of factors influence Maldivian primary teachers’ DT use in their English lessons?
Adopting an interpretive phenomenological research design meant I could capture the lived experience of nine (four urban and five rural) primary teachers in two Maldivian schools over 8 months. Data collected through lesson observations, postobservation conversations, lesson plans, semistructured interviews, mini surveys and field notes helped in understanding their practices, beliefs, and attitudes about using DTs in ESL lessons. Additionally, other data collected from mini surveys and postobservation conversations with students of the participant teachers, plus interview data and school documents that principals and IT staff provided, helped my understanding of the multilevel contextual factors that influenced teachers’ DT use for teaching and learning.
The findings indicate that an important reason for using DTs was as an attention grabber, perhaps as a set induction, video explanations, form-focused instruction (FFI), and exam-format listening. These findings were examined in relation to the SAMR model to ascertain the pedagogical level of DT use teachers usually applied. The findings also point to the national, school, and classroom factors affecting primary teachers’ practices with DTs in ESL lessons, and these are addressed fully in the Discussion and Conclusion chapters. At the national level, the two factors that have a potential influence on teachers’ DTs use include the development and promulgation of a national educational ICT policy and teacher education, the focus of which needs to move from developing teachers’ technological knowledge to pedagogical applications of tools. While technology leadership and DT-based professional learning and development were factors at the school level, access to DTs and technical support were classroom-level factors that significantly influenced participant teachers’ decisions around DT use. Apart from these external factors, internal or teacher-level factors such as teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and existing pedagogical practices shaped their practices with DTs when teaching English.
This study has contributed to the literature by identifying primary teachers’ ESL pedagogical practices with DTs. For one thing, it fills a significant gap in TPACK research which often considers TPACK to be subject-independent. My research, therefore, contributes by showing the connection between technology, pedagogy, and subject-specific content (English language). Another contribution is the use of classroom observation data to capture teachers’ DT use, as DT integration literature predominantly uses self-reported data. My research also contributes to a TPACK-in-Context framework (Figure 2.4) adapted from the TPACK framework (Mishra & Koehler, 2006) to provide a contextually situated understanding of primary teachers’ DT use in ESL lessons. Additionally, the NVivo-enhanced Spiral QDA process (Figure 3.7) I adapted from Seidel’s (1998) qualitative data analysis (QDA) model contributes to understanding the nonlinear, recursive, and iterative nature of the qualitative data analysis process. Finally, my illustration of the complex interplay of factors affecting the pedagogical use of DTs (Figure 5.2) contributes to the understanding of the relationships between TPACK (Mishra & Koehler, 2006), TAM (Davis, 1989), and SAMR (Puentedura, 2012), three dominant models/frameworks in DT literature.

text: Contextual complexities shaping primary teachers' pedagogical practices with digital technologies: An interpretive phenomenological study in the Maldivian ESL context Literature on digital technology (DT) integration has revealed a range of complexities around DT use for teaching and learning. Previous research suggests that frequent DT use does not necessarily lead to the pedagogically purposeful use of DTs for student learning. However, the literature overlooks the impact the various contextual and subject content factors may have when exploring teachers’ technological pedagogical practices. This thesis examines teachers’ practices with DTs in relation to the subject content and multilevel context within which teachers’ practices are situated. My study’s context is that of primary education in Maldivian urban and rural schools, with a specific focus on how teachers use DTs in teaching English as a second language (ESL). I also examine the influence of national, school, classroom, and teacher-level factors at play on the participant primary teacher group. The research questions guiding my study are:
1. What impacts do DT use have on ESL pedagogical practices of primary teachers in two Maldivian schools?
2. What contextual factors affect teaching and learning English with and through DTs in two Maldivian schools, and do they differ across schools?
3. What interplay of factors influence Maldivian primary teachers’ DT use in their English lessons?
Adopting an interpretive phenomenological research design meant I could capture the lived experience of nine (four urban and five rural) primary teachers in two Maldivian schools over 8 months. Data collected through lesson observations, postobservation conversations, lesson plans, semistructured interviews, mini surveys and field notes helped in understanding their practices, beliefs, and attitudes about using DTs in ESL lessons. Additionally, other data collected from mini surveys and postobservation conversations with students of the participant teachers, plus interview data and school documents that principals and IT staff provided, helped my understanding of the multilevel contextual factors that influenced teachers’ DT use for teaching and learning.
The findings indicate that an important reason for using DTs was as an attention grabber, perhaps as a set induction, video explanations, form-focused instruction (FFI), and exam-format listening. These findings were examined in relation to the SAMR model to ascertain the pedagogical level of DT use teachers usually applied. The findings also point to the national, school, and classroom factors affecting primary teachers’ practices with DTs in ESL lessons, and these are addressed fully in the Discussion and Conclusion chapters. At the national level, the two factors that have a potential influence on teachers’ DTs use include the development and promulgation of a national educational ICT policy and teacher education, the focus of which needs to move from developing teachers’ technological knowledge to pedagogical applications of tools. While technology leadership and DT-based professional learning and development were factors at the school level, access to DTs and technical support were classroom-level factors that significantly influenced participant teachers’ decisions around DT use. Apart from these external factors, internal or teacher-level factors such as teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and existing pedagogical practices shaped their practices with DTs when teaching English.
This study has contributed to the literature by identifying primary teachers’ ESL pedagogical practices with DTs. For one thing, it fills a significant gap in TPACK research which often considers TPACK to be subject-independent. My research, therefore, contributes by showing the connection between technology, pedagogy, and subject-specific content (English language). Another contribution is the use of classroom observation data to capture teachers’ DT use, as DT integration literature predominantly uses self-reported data. My research also contributes to a TPACK-in-Context framework (Figure 2.4) adapted from the TPACK framework (Mishra & Koehler, 2006) to provide a contextually situated understanding of primary teachers’ DT use in ESL lessons. Additionally, the NVivo-enhanced Spiral QDA process (Figure 3.7) I adapted from Seidel’s (1998) qualitative data analysis (QDA) model contributes to understanding the nonlinear, recursive, and iterative nature of the qualitative data analysis process. Finally, my illustration of the complex interplay of factors affecting the pedagogical use of DTs (Figure 5.2) contributes to the understanding of the relationships between TPACK (Mishra & Koehler, 2006), TAM (Davis, 1989), and SAMR (Puentedura, 2012), three dominant models/frameworks in DT literature.

year: 2023

title: Akoranga whakarei: Learning about inclusion from four kura rumaki

authors: Berryman, Mere

subjects: Special education

abstract: In 2004 the New Zealand Ministry of Education proposed two research projects to understand how learning, social and cultural outcomes were being promoted for tamariki and rangatahi Māori with special educational needs in both kura auraki (English-medium schools) and kura rumaki (Māori-medium schools). 1hey also wanted to understand how this played out for other whānau members. At the time, a description of the services being promoted for Māori with special education needs acknowledged the philosophy that "tamariki and rangatahi with special needs and their whānau learn effectively through the provision of culturally competent services, which will ensure mana and tikanga are upheld" (Ministry of Education, 2003, p. 56). 
This chapter will briefly describe how this research was undertaken in kura rumaki and then discuss the findings that emerged. Perhaps not surprisingly, it will show that the staff from the kura who participated in this study, as with all of their students and whānau, had a very holistic and inclusive view of educating all tamariki and rangatahi, especially those with identified special education needs. The conclusion will consider some of the implications of these findings for others and propose that these research outcomes maintain relevance in 2014, a decade later.

text: Akoranga whakarei: Learning about inclusion from four kura rumaki In 2004 the New Zealand Ministry of Education proposed two research projects to understand how learning, social and cultural outcomes were being promoted for tamariki and rangatahi Māori with special educational needs in both kura auraki (English-medium schools) and kura rumaki (Māori-medium schools). 1hey also wanted to understand how this played out for other whānau members. At the time, a description of the services being promoted for Māori with special education needs acknowledged the philosophy that "tamariki and rangatahi with special needs and their whānau learn effectively through the provision of culturally competent services, which will ensure mana and tikanga are upheld" (Ministry of Education, 2003, p. 56). 
This chapter will briefly describe how this research was undertaken in kura rumaki and then discuss the findings that emerged. Perhaps not surprisingly, it will show that the staff from the kura who participated in this study, as with all of their students and whānau, had a very holistic and inclusive view of educating all tamariki and rangatahi, especially those with identified special education needs. The conclusion will consider some of the implications of these findings for others and propose that these research outcomes maintain relevance in 2014, a decade later.

year: 2015