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    An exploration of the experience and sense-making of refugee parents and children of the Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2018) Arif, Areej
    According to the UNHCR (2015), the number of people forcibly displaced globally was 65.3 million by the end of 2015; the highest since World War II. The drastic increase of numbers in recent years makes research on refugees, displaced persons, and asylum seekers particularly important. As a contribution to help those affected by the global crisis, the current study qualitatively explores one of the challenges that refugees face after resettlement, parenting. The study is based in New Zealand, which has also increased its refugee quota in recent years. Seven mothers from refugee backgrounds were interviewed following their attendance at an evidence-based parenting program; the Triple P Discussion Group Series. During the interview, participants discussed their parenting experiences before and after they had attended the program. Their children were also involved in the study by being asked to respond to a series of vignettes related to the Discussion Groups in order to explore their sense-making of parenting situations. Data were analysed using thematic analysis, where four main themes emerged related to the parenting struggles which were not resolved after completion of the programme, the influences on parenting, the parenting strengths of participants, and the usefulness of the programme. While the study suggests that the Triple P Discussion Group Series was useful for the participants, it also proposes that additions to the program would make it more useful and relevant. Suggested additions include addressing parental mental status and mental health, changes to family dynamics, and the development of acculturation gaps between refugee background parents and their children.
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    Samoan kids in the city : the impact of Samoan parenting practices on Samoan children's independent mobility and physical activity : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health at Massey University, SHORE & Whariki Research Centre, Auckland, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2017) Fa'avale, Nicola Tava'e
    Physical activity (PA) is vital to the optimal health and development of children and in turn, independent mobility (IM) - outdoor play and travelling to destinations unsupervised - is an essential component of PA for children. There is a growing body of research on the extent to which children’s daily IM and PA are influenced by parents’ experiences and perceptions of streets and public spaces as safe and desirable – or otherwise. However, little is known about Samoan parents’ experiences and perceptions of their social and physical surroundings and the associated impact on their children’s daily IM and PA. Extended families, traditional households and the village-based life of Samoan people are changing. For Samoan people in New Zealand, the transition from a traditional ad hoc and exchange-based way of life to a modern, more formal and cash-based socio-economic reality has seen Samoan parents increasingly living in a ‘rat race’. This modern reality has influenced Samoan parenting practices in New Zealand. This research is nested in and arose from the ‘Kids in the City’ (KITC) research project – a Health Research Council funded study of the independent mobility and physical activity of children, in relation to neighbourhood urban design and neighbourhood perceptions of safety in six Auckland neighbourhoods. The critical realism approach from KITC was used to identify the underlying mechanisms influencing Samoan parents’ parenting practices and children’s IM and PA behaviours. Three methods were used to collect the data: computer assisted telephone interviews (CATI) with parents (n=36); semi-structured interviews with parents (n=14), follow up interviews with parents (n=8), and key informant interviews (n=6); as well as 7-day selfreported travel diaries kept by the children (n=37). Triangulating the data collection methods allowed varied perspectives on the influences of Samoan parenting practices to be gathered, as well as information on how their perceptions of their neighbourhoods were shaped, and how these perceptions then informed their decision-making around their children’s activity behaviours. Key themes that emerged from the findings were: 1) Samoan parenting incorporates Samoan practices with Western practices and the values and beliefs that underpin these; 2) Samoan cultural affiliation impacts on how parents perceive their social and physical surroundings as positive or negative; and 3) parents’ perceptions of their surroundings largely informs where children are allowed to go and not go – unsupervised. The findings make it clear that cultural perceptions influence the decisions Samoan parents make about where they will allow their children go without adult supervision, thereby rendering notions of IM to be of little value. They do not see the value of IM when the developmental benefits of being physically active can be achieved through collective family, church and other activities. Further, Samoan ontology and epistemologies need to be valued and validated in urban planning and design to allow a better understanding of how and why Samoan children interact with their surrounding social and physical neighbourhoods – independently or otherwise.
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    A study of the effects of changing community life on child-rearing patterns in a small, rural, Maori community : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for degree of Master of Arts in Social Anthropology at Massey University
    (1980) Taiapa, Julia
    Given the fact that change is an inevitable process in all societies, the aim of this thesis is to show the connection between social change and child-rearing practices in a small Maori community. The study is concerned with social change within New Zealand society, particularly amongst the Maori population of Hicks Bay and the effects of this on the family unit. Although the particular concern was with the influence of the mother-figure on the socialisation process and adaptability of the child, circumstances prevented the full inclusion of this latter part of the study within this thesis. However, a brief outline of these issues and their relevance to the particular Hicks Bay community is included. A sociological approach is adopted in parts of this study primarily from an anthropological perspective. Social Anthropology examines the different kinds of relationships within a society with particular emphasis on aspects of the culture that are common to other cultures; the institutionalized aspects of the society and the ideas and values that are associated with it. In this study, the influence of these factors on the social organisation of Hicks Bay is examined and the particular consequences of the socialisation process are described.
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    A darn good hiding or the naughty step? : ideas on child discipline in New Zealand 1890-2008 : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2008) Rayner, Helen J
    This thesis examines the history of child discipline in New Zealand since 1890, taking into account both trends in child-rearing advice and the common practices of ordinary parents. It explores the common stereotype that children "these days" are ill-disciplined in comparison with their earlier counterparts, and argues that while physical punishment is used less often than in the past, and usually in a milder form, it is still used more frequently and harshly than would be expected from the results of recent opinion polls. Child discipline has always been about setting a child up to live a happy life. As ideas on how to achieve this goal have changed, so too have the acceptable forms of punishment. During the 1890s-1920s, the difference between good discipline and abuse was simply a matter of frequency, and this idea was shared by both parenting advisors and the general public. Since the 1930s, however, parenting experts were frequently out of step with the parents they were trying to teach, and that their influence on parenting practice was at best delayed, and at worst entirely contradictory to that which they intended. Letters magazine and newspaper articles and contemporary studies on attitudes to discipline are used to show that parenting practice was often very different to that promoted by parenting advisors. Finally, this thesis concludes that a contextualist approach best suits the history of child-rearing advice in New Zealand, while an evolutionist approach is more appropriate in terms of common practice.
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    Bodies in context : a comparative study of early childhood education in New Zealand and Japan : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social Anthropology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2013) Burke, Rachael Sarah
    Early childhood education in both New Zealand and Japan is increasingly being seen as an essential experience for children as evidenced by the growth of the early childhood sector and lively political debate. In New Zealand, the bi-cultural curriculum makes a clear commitment to supporting ethnic diversity in the classroom. While Japanese centres have been categorised as culturally homogeneous in the past, focus is now turning to accommodating children from a variety of backgrounds. In both countries less attention has been paid to the latent cultural assumptions underpinning children’s, families and teachers’ experiences of early childhood education. Using Tobin et al.’s (1989, 2009) PSC3 methodology to stimulate a multi-vocal text through the use of videotape, this thesis examines how early childhood settings in New Zealand and Japan incorporate these implicit beliefs into pedagogy and practice. This study suggests that implicit cultural practices not only shape many of the interactions of the early childhood context, but also many of these practices often go unnoticed or unrecognised as culturally informed. Using visual methods to reflect on comparative material is a powerful way to reveal hidden cultural assumptions. The video-cued method works to collapse and accelerate the traditional ethnographic fieldwork process as the videos provide a focus for discussion, and help reduce the kind of ambiguity that can occur when interviewing across cultural contexts. Through the layers of dialogue stimulated by the videos, children’s bodies emerged as the locus of the work. Although the body was once neglected as an object of scholarly study, it has now become a significant site for anthropological analysis. Inspired by Foucault (1995) scholars came to acknowledge that the body is not only socially and culturally produced, but historically situated within conceptions of society and nature. Using the theories of Foucault (1995), Douglas (1966, 1996) and Mauss (1973) as a framework, this study argues that the ways in which children’s bodies are constructed, protected, disciplined and challenged provide a useful lens through which to examine unseen cultural practices. As early childhood settings become more diverse, it is hoped this study will provide points for reflection and offer practical applications for teachers. With this aim in mind, the thesis incorporates film, qualitative interviews, vignettes and personal reflections to make the work accessible to a wider audience than traditional academic writing.