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    The world at her feet : an exploration of the experiences of cultural distance for professional female footballers : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Social Anthropology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2017) Gregorius, Sarah
    This research explores the experiences of five professional female football players from Australia and America who have spent time playing professional football in either South Korea or Japan. Qualitative data was collected from the participants through semi-structured interviews at, or near, the conclusion of their experience. Research participants’ insights were added to by the researcher’s own experiences of playing professional football in Japan. This exploration is an anthropological enquiry into the effect of playing professional sport in a culturally distant environment on a player’s sense of identity and their perceptions of success. Analysis of interviews revealed that success is both personal and subjective, and cannot be judged solely on the traditional empirical measures of success in sport, such as wins and losses, goals scored, or trophies won. A positive sense of personal growth and development was also expressed by all the athletes in the study, demonstrating that the effects of playing and living in a foreign country extend well beyond the playing field. Using Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of habitus alongside ideas drawn from occupational science, sports anthropology, and sociology, the findings show that cultural distance in a professional sporting context can both challenge and empower an individual in ways they often neither predict nor anticipate. This research contributes to an academic field that is relatively small, and demonstrates that sport can be an important domain where wider cultural and societal values are evident. This thesis illustrates the importance of acknowledging how players’ experiences on and off the field influence identity, personal growth, and success as they negotiate cultural distance while playing in foreign environments. The findings in this research can help players, coaches, managers, and sports administrators better understand and consider these effects to implement integration programmes and frameworks for smooth transitions into football, and life, for players from different cultural backgrounds. This research provides a foundation for further research into sports anthropology and professional women’s football, something that is vital as the popularity and participation in this global game continues to increase.
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    First year here : a study of non-New Zealand-trained registered nurses in their first year of practice in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Social Anthropology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2003) Lee, Megan Amanda
    The aim of the research is to explore how non-New Zealand-trained Registered Nurses (RNs) perceive their transition experience, 0-12 months after commencing work in one of Auckland's public hospitals. As there is currently a shortage of RNs not only in New Zealand but worldwide, it is important to ensure New Zealand is a desirable destination for RNs to migrate to. The research illustrated that both non-New Zealand-trained RNs and also New Zealand RNs1 1 New Zealand RNs refers to New Zealand-trained RNs and RNs who have been working in New Zealand longer than 12 months, and are acculturated to Auckland's public hospitals. experience culture shock. The need for cultural competence to occur amongst nursing colleagues and the importance of good support systems in alleviating culture shock was highlighted by the interviews. The disciplines of both anthropology and psychology provide the theoretical base for the research, with particular reference to the constructs of culture and culture shock. The concept of culture shock has been used as a foundation from which to develop insight into the transition experience of the participants. Culture shock has also been utilised to assist in interpreting my observations and also the experiences of non-New Zealand-trained RNs in their first year of practice in public hospitals in Auckland, New Zealand. The body of data was analysed and codes generated from the data using a General Inductive Approach (Thomas, 2000). Critical social science provided the framework for analysing and identifying the factors underlying or contributing to the data resulting from the interviews with participants about their transition experience. Lastly, the findings of the research are discussed and the conclusion sets out the implications of these for both nursing and the transition experience of future non-New Zealand-trained RNs.