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Item 'But we're just the same humans as you' : refugees negotiating exclusions, belonging and language in Sweden and New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Linguistics at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand(Massey University, 2025-01-28) Svensson, Hanna Lena KatrinRefugee settlement is a complex process requiring the navigation of new linguistic and social spaces and the renegotiation of belonging and identity. The process can also be complicated by the contested nature of national belonging and the politicisation of social cohesion, as well as by forms of everyday exclusion. Drawing on a Bakhtinian dialogical framework, this study used qualitative data from interviews with language teachers, settlement support workers and refugee-background residents in New Zealand and Sweden to investigate dimensions of belonging, social cohesion, and language in relation to refugee settlement. The study sought to discover how belonging and social cohesion are perceived and experienced by refugee-background residents in these contexts, how they are promoted by the two settlement nations, and how they are operationalised in political and public discourse to enforce boundaries and construct national and refugee identities. Of particular interest was the intersection of public discourse and lived experience, and the tensions and contestations that may arise in these spaces. Language learning and use were seen as crucial aspects of belonging and social cohesion and were investigated both in terms of linguistic inequalities in the settlement location and in terms of the unique language learning journeys of adult learners. The findings suggest that there are significant gaps in the understanding of refugee experiences among policy makers and that discursive representations of refugees, particularly in terms of social cohesion and belonging, often impact negatively on the settlement process. The politicisation of belonging and the appropriation of social cohesion discourses as tools for differentiation, and potentially exclusion, can have negative impacts on individuals’ rights and settlement prospects while reductive representations of refugees lead to unrealistic expectations in terms of language acquisition and labour market participation and to restrictive policies that hinder the settlement process. The thesis concludes by arguing that in order to strengthen social cohesion and belonging, it is imperative that refugees are included as dialogical partners, practically and ideologically. It identifies theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of the research and raises further questions in relation to gender, language acquisition, incentivisation and dialogical practice in the context of refugee settlement.Item Causal involvement of the left angular gyrus in higher functions as revealed by transcranial magnetic stimulation: a systematic review(Springer Nature, 2023-01-01) Wagner J; Rusconi ETranscranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive technique that can transiently interfere with local cortical functioning, thus enabling inferences of causal left AG involvement in higher functions from experimentation with healthy participants. Here, we examine 35 studies that measure behavioural outcomes soon after or during targeting TMS to the left AG, by design and as documented by individual magnetic resonance images, in healthy adult participants. The reviewed evidence suggests a specific causal involvement of the left AG in a wide range of tasks involving language, memory, number processing, visuospatial attention, body awareness and motor planning functions. These core findings are particularly valuable to inform theoretical models of the left AG role(s) in higher functions, due to the anatomical specificity afforded by the selected studies and the complementarity of TMS to different methods of investigation. In particular, the variety of the operations within and between functions in which the left AG appears to be causally involved poses a formidable challenge to any attempts to identify a single computational process subserved by the left AG (as opposed to just outlining a broad type of functional contribution) that could apply across thematic areas. We conclude by highlighting directions for improvement in future experimentation with TMS, in order to strengthen the available evidence, while taking into account the anatomical heterogeneity of this brain region.Item Body appreciation around the world: Measurement invariance of the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age.(Elsevier B.V., 2023-08-13) Swami V; Tran US; Stieger S; Aavik T; Ranjbar HA; Adebayo SO; Afhami R; Ahmed O; Aimé A; Akel M; Halbusi HA; Alexias G; Ali KF; Alp-Dal N; Alsalhani AB; Álvares-Solas S; Amaral ACS; Andrianto S; Aspden T; Argyrides M; Aruta JJBR; Atkin S; Ayandele O; Baceviciene M; Bahbouh R; Ballesio A; Barron D; Bellard A; Bender SS; Beydağ KD; Birovljević G; Blackburn M-È; Borja-Alvarez T; Borowiec J; Bozogáňová M; Bratland-Sanda S; Browning MHEM; Brytek-Matera A; Burakova M; Çakır-Koçak Y; Camacho P; Camilleri VE; Cazzato V; Cerea S; Chaiwutikornwanich A; Chaleeraktrakoon T; Chambers T; Chen Q-W; Chen X; Chien C-L; Chobthamkit P; Choompunuch B; Compte EJ; Corrigan J; Cosmas G; Cowden RG; Czepczor-Bernat K; Czub M; da Silva WR; Dadfar M; Dalley SE; Dany L; Datu JAD; Berbert de Carvalho PH; Coelho GLDH; De Jesus AOS; Debbabi SH; Dhakal S; Di Bernardo F; Dimitrova DD; Dion J; Dixson B; Donofrio SM; Drysch M; Du H; Dzhambov AM; El-Jor C; Enea V; Eskin M; Farbod F; Farrugia L; Fian L; Fisher ML; Folwarczny M; Frederick DA; Fuller-Tyszkiewicz M; Furnham A; García AA; Geller S; Ghisi M; Ghorbani A; Martinez MAG; Gradidge S; Graf S; Grano C; Gyene G; Hallit S; Hamdan M; Handelzalts JE; Hanel PHP; Hawks SR; Hekmati I; Helmy M; Hill T; Hina F; Holenweger G; Hřebíčková M; Ijabadeniyi OA; Imam A; İnce B; Irrazabal N; Jankauskiene R; Jiang D-Y; Jiménez-Borja M; Jiménez-Borja V; Johnson EM; Jovanović V; Jović M; Jović M; Junqueira ACP; Kahle L-M; Kantanista A; Karakiraz A; Karkin AN; Kasten E; Khatib S; Khieowan N; Kimong PJ; Kiropoulos L; Knittel J; Kohli N; Koprivnik M; Kospakov A; Król-Zielińska M; Krug I; Kuan G; Kueh YC; Kujan O; Kukić M; Kumar S; Kumar V; Lamba N; Lauri MA; Laus MF; LeBlanc LA; Lee HJ; Lipowska M; Lipowski M; Lombardo C; Lukács A; Maïano C; Malik S; Manjary M; Baldó LM; Martinez-Banfi M; Massar K; Matera C; McAnirlin O; Mebarak MR; Mechri A; Meireles JFF; Mesko N; Mills J; Miyairi M; Modi R; Modrzejewska A; Modrzejewska J; Mulgrew KE; Myers TA; Namatame H; Nassani MZ; Nerini A; Neto F; Neto J; Neves AN; Ng S-K; Nithiya D; O J; Obeid S; Oda-Montecinos C; Olapegba PO; Olonisakin TT; Omar SS; Örlygsdóttir B; Özsoy E; Otterbring T; Pahl S; Panasiti MS; Park Y; Patwary MM; Pethö T; Petrova N; Pietschnig J; Pourmahmoud S; Prabhu VG; Poštuvan V; Prokop P; Ramseyer Winter VL; Razmus M; Ru T; Rupar M; Sahlan RN; Hassan MS; Šalov A; Sapkota S; Sarfo JO; Sawamiya Y; Schaefer K; Schulte-Mecklenbeck M; Seekis V; Selvi K; Sharifi M; Shrivastava A; Siddique RF; Sigurdsson V; Silkane V; Šimunić A; Singh G; Slezáčková A; Sundgot-Borgen C; Ten Hoor G; Tevichapong P; Tipandjan A; Todd J; Togas C; Tonini F; Tovar-Castro JC; Trangsrud LKJ; Tripathi P; Tudorel O; Tylka TL; Uyzbayeva A; Vally Z; Vanags E; Vega LD; Vicente-Arruebarrena A; Vidal-Mollón J; Vilar R; Villegas H; Vintilă M; Wallner C; White MP; Whitebridge S; Windhager S; Wong KY; Yau EK; Yamamiya Y; Yeung VWL; Zanetti MC; Zawisza M; Zeeni N; Zvaríková M; Voracek MThe Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) is a widely used measure of a core facet of the positive body image construct. However, extant research concerning measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across a large number of nations remains limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset - with data collected between 2020 and 2022 - to assess measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis indicated that full scalar invariance was upheld across all nations, languages, gender identities, and age groups, suggesting that the unidimensional BAS-2 model has widespread applicability. There were large differences across nations and languages in latent body appreciation, while differences across gender identities and age groups were negligible-to-small. Additionally, greater body appreciation was significantly associated with higher life satisfaction, being single (versus being married or in a committed relationship), and greater rurality (versus urbanicity). Across a subset of nations where nation-level data were available, greater body appreciation was also significantly associated with greater cultural distance from the United States and greater relative income inequality. These findings suggest that the BAS-2 likely captures a near-universal conceptualisation of the body appreciation construct, which should facilitate further cross-cultural research.Item Kaumātua Mana Motuhake Pōi: a study protocol for enhancing wellbeing, social connectedness and cultural identity for Māori elders.(BioMed Central, 2020-10-02) Hokowhitu B; Oetzel JG; Simpson ML; Nock S; Reddy R; Meha P; Johnston K; Jackson A-M; Erueti B; Rewi P; Warbrick I; Cameron MP; Zhang Y; Ruru SBACKGROUND: The Aotearoa New Zealand population is ageing accompanied by health and social challenges including significant inequities that exist between Māori and non-Māori around poor ageing and health. Although historically kaumātua (elder Māori) faced a dominant society that failed to realise their full potential as they age, Māori culture has remained steadfast in upholding elders as cultural/community anchors. Yet, many of today's kaumātua have experienced 'cultural dissonance' as the result of a hegemonic dominant culture subjugating an Indigenous culture, leading to generations of Indigenous peoples compelled or forced to dissociate with their culture. The present research project, Kaumātua Mana Motuhake Pōī (KMMP) comprises two interrelated projects that foreground dimensions of wellbeing within a holistic Te Ao Māori (Māori epistemology) view of wellbeing. Project 1 involves a tuakana-teina/peer educator model approach focused on increasing service access and utilisation to support kaumātua with the greatest health and social needs. Project 2 focuses on physical activity and cultural knowledge exchange (including te reo Māori--Māori language) through intergenerational models of learning. METHODS: Both projects have a consistent research design and common set of methods that coalesce around the emphasis on kaupapa kaumatua; research projects led by kaumātua and kaumātua providers that advance better life outcomes for kaumātua and their communities. The research design for each project is a mixed-methods, pre-test and two post-test, staggered design with 2-3 providers receiving the approach first and then 2-3 receiving it on a delayed basis. A pre-test (baseline) of all participants will be completed. The approach will then be implemented with the first providers. There will then be a follow-up data collection for all participants (post-test 1). The second providers will then implement the approach, which will be followed by a final data collection for all participants (post-test 2). DISCUSSION: Two specific outcomes are anticipated from this research; firstly, it is hoped that the research methodology provides a framework for how government agencies, researchers and relevant sector stakeholders can work with Māori communities. Secondly, the two individual projects will each produce a tangible approach that, it is anticipated, will be cost effective in enhancing kaumātua hauora and mana motuhake. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australia New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry ( ACTRN12620000316909 ). Registered 6 March 2020.Item Effects of APOE e4-allele and mental work demands on cognitive decline in old age: Results from the German Study on Ageing, Cognition, and Dementia in Primary Care Patients (AgeCoDe)(John Wiley and Sons Ltd, 2021-01) Rodriguez FS; Roehr S; Pabst A; Kleineidam L; Fuchs A; Wiese B; Lühmann D; Brettschneider C; Wolfsgruber S; Pentzek M; van den Bussche H; König H-H; Weyerer S; Werle J; Bickel H; Weeg D; Maier W; Scherer M; Wagner M; Riedel-Heller SGObjectives Previous studies have observed protective effects of high mental demands at work on cognitive functioning and dementia risk. However, it is unclear what types of demands drive this effect and whether this effect is subject to a person's genetic risk. We investigated to what extent eight different types of mental demands at work together with the APOE e4 allele, a major risk gene for late-onset Alzheimer's disease, affect cognitive functioning in late life. Methods/Design The population-based German Study on Ageing, Cognition, and Dementia in Primary Care Patients (AgeCoDe, n = 2 154) followed cognitively healthy individuals aged 75 years and older in seven assessment waves. Cognitive functioning was assessed via the mini-mental status examination. Results Mixed-effects modeling (adjusted for education, gender, marital status, stroke, depression, and diabetes) indicated that participants who had an occupational history of working in jobs with high compared to low demands in “Language & Knowledge”, “Pattern detection”, “Information processing”, and “Service” had a slower cognitive decline. APOE e4-allele carriers had an accelerated cognitive decline, but this decline was significantly smaller if they had a medium compared to a low level of demands in contrast to non-carriers. Conclusions Our longitudinal observations suggest that cognitive decline could be slowed by an intellectually enriched lifestyle even in risk gene carriers. Fostering intellectual engagement throughout the life-course could be a key prevention initiative to promote better cognitive health in old age.Item The internal and external consistency of a speech reception threshold test for isiZulu speakers with normal hearing sensitivity(AOSIS, 2018-06-25) Panday S; Kathard H; Pillay M; Wilson WBackground and objectives: This study investigated reliability, particularly the internal and external consistency, of a new isiZulu speech reception threshold (SRT) test. Methods: To examine internal consistency, 21 adult isiZulu speakers with normal hearing sensitivity completed the SRT test using the first and second halves of the SRT wordlist in the same test session. To examine external consistency, a separate 23 adult isiZulu speakers with normal hearing sensitivity completed the SRT test, using the whole word list on two occasions 4 weeks apart. Consistency of SRT test scores in these test conditions was measured using intraclass correlation coefficient analyses (a measure of the consistency or reproducibility of different observations of the same quantity) and Bland and Altman analyses of agreement (a comparison of measurement error with the expected variation amongst subjects). Results: Intraclass correlation coefficient values ranged from 0.69 to 0.79, showing the isiZulu test scores were highly consistent between the test and retest conditions used in this study. Bland and Altman analyses showed that isiZulu speakers with normal hearing sensitivity can be expected to return isiZulu SRT test scores that differ by no more than 7.5 dB HL – 8.7 dB HL between original and repeat assessments. Conclusion: The isiZulu SRT test was reliable, showing high internal and external consistency, when used to assess first-language speakers of isiZulu with normal hearing sensitivity. These findings warrant continued development of the isiZulu SRT test for eventual clinical use. This development should include validating this test on first-language speakers of isiZulu with and without hearing loss.Item Language switching in aviation : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Aviation at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand(Massey University, 2018) Daskova, MartinaClear and precise communication between pilots and air traffic controllers is a precondition for safe operations. Communication has long been identified as a major element of the cockpit–controller interface, explaining one third of general aviation incidents (Etem & Patten, 1998). Yet, despite multilingualism with English as the lingua franca being a characteristic of aviation communication, little research appears to have investigated the efficiency of operation of bilinguals alternating between their dominant, usually native, language and English in a bilingual air traffic environment. The studies undertaken for this research sought to rectify this situation by examining the cognitive aspects of situation awareness during language switching in aviation. Quantitatively and qualitatively analysed responses to an online-distributed survey aimed at investigating the current bilingual situation in aviation revealed that while situation awareness for the majority (76%) of native-English speakers was adversely affected by bilingualism, almost 30% of bilinguals also reported their situation awareness being affected. Subsequent experimental analyses using a language switching paradigm investigated how participants recognize a target call sign, identify an error and predict in bilingual compared with monolingual English conditions. The effect of the language condition participants’ native Chinese only, English only, or a mix of both, varied across the three tasks. Call sign recognition performance was found to be faster in the English condition than in the bilingual condition, but accuracy did not differ, a finding that was attributed to the effect of call sign similarity. However, when the task was more complicated, the difference between the conditions diminished. No effect on performance was found for simultaneously listening to two speech sources, which is potentially analogous to cockpit communication and radio calls. The error analyses served to test for response bias by calculating sensitivity, d', and decision criterion C in accordance with Stanislaw and Todorov’s (1999) Signal Detection Theory calculations. Several cognitive implications for practice were proposed, for example, in Crew Resource Management (CRM) training and personal airmanship development, exploration of own behavioural biases might be used to adjust the placement of the criterion. The cognitive implications largely focused on affecting attitudes to increase awareness. Attention was focused on performance of bilinguals to identify which language condition facilitated faster and more accurate responses. The findings were unable to support any of the conditions, leaving the question: Would a universal language for communication on radio frequencies be worth considering, to allow everyone to understand what is said? Disentangling the effects of language switching on the performance of bilingual pilots and air traffic controllers remains a task for future studies.Item Selected men's linguistic representations of violent relationships in families and their readiness for change : a thesis submitted to Massey University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Linguistics & Second Language Teaching(Massey University, 1999) Finch, Lester FairfaxThe thesis provides an overview of the literature relevant to current practice of those working with violent men. Four men, identified by the court as having been violent in their families, are interviewed and their use of language while giving an account of their experience of family violence is analysed. The results of the linguistic analysis are related to the change process and implications for changing behaviour from violence to non-violence are presented. This research confirms the work done particularly by Adams (1995) in recent years in describing how men can justify, camouflage and maintain positions of dominance in relationships with women, and provides a reference for assisting with increased understanding of the functions of the linguistic forms used by these men. Building on the work done by those in medical and therapeutic fields, a model has been developed which provides a reference for mapping men's readiness for change and their progress through the change process.Item New Zealand speech-language therapists' perceptions and experiences of supporting preschool children with complex communication needs : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Speech-Language Therapy at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand(Massey University, 2017) Roberts, Claire-EllenCommunication allows a person to express their thoughts and feelings and participate fully in life. It is a basic human right. Children with complex communication needs (CCN) also have this right and require early access to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to support their development of language and communication skills. This study employed a descriptive cross-sectional survey design to gather insight into the perceptions and experiences of speech-language therapists supporting preschool children with CCN in New Zealand. The survey was completed by 61 speech-language therapists working in early intervention. There were a number of key findings. Only 37% of the participants reported that they used AAC with all of the children with CCN on their caseloads. In terms of their education and competence in AAC, 74% of participants said that their qualification did not include a paper on AAC and 57% rated their competence in AAC as being at the novice level. Team attitudes, lack of specialist support and inconsistent use of the system were the most frequently reported barriers. Whereas, team members’ willingness to try, supportive teams and education of those involved were the most frequently reported facilitators to AAC implementation. This study revealed the need for more education and support for speechlanguage therapists working in early intervention with children with CCN. This support is essential to help these children to develop the language and communication skills needed to participate fully in society, education and work.Item Japanese women's language : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Japanese at Massey University(Massey University, 1998) Morimoto, KeikoJapanese women's language has a long history. At first, it was created by women themselves. Its important characteristic was the avoidance of Chinese words. As time went on, men took advantage of women's language to condition women. For the most part, contemporary women's language was established in the Meiji period, reflecting prewar values. Therefore women's language has traits such as a higher level of politeness than men's language, sentence final particles to soften the statement, and avoidance of assertive and imperative forms and of derogatory expressions. Women born after the war, who were educated based on the ideal of sexual equality, began to feel awkward using women's language. Evidence of gender difference in language was obtained from the analyses of survey results and of two TV programmes. Most feminine expressions are used predominantly by women, and most masculine expressions are used predominantly by men. Women use politer expressions than do men in the situations surveyed. However, some contrasting tendencies were also demonstrated. Two feminine expressions which strongly demonstrate femininity (no when used with polite forms, and kasira) are not used by many women. Two masculine expressions which do not have derogatory connotations but function to show solidarity, dekkai and umai, are used by many women. One feminine expression which has emotional function but does not sound feminine, Ussoo!, is used by many men. Women's and men's social roles are beginning to overlap, so too therefore are women's speech and men's speech. From comparisons of the results between Japan and New Zealand, it was verified that in general women's speech is less feminine and men's speech is less masculine in New Zealand compared with that in Japan. This would appear to be a result of the influence of New Zealand society, in which gender difference in social roles is small and there are many mixed-sex interactions. As far as ways to ask a favour of a person are concerned, generally speaking, both women and men in Japan use politer expressions than women and men in New Zealand, respectively. This would appear to be a result of the strong reflection of the importance attached in Japan to conforming to social conventions (a phenomenon labelled "discernment" by some authors, and called wakimae in Japanese). It was certified that most women and men in both Japan and New Zealand regard women's language as necessary. Even though the gender difference in roles is becoming smaller, there is little possibility of the gender difference in language disappearing, as well as the gender difference in social roles in Japan. This is because wakimae is deep-rooted in Japanese people's minds. It seems likely that, in the future, stereotyped feminine expressions which demonstrate femininity, and masculine expressions which have derogatory connotations, will be abandoned. However, Japanese people will leave the gender difference in language to a certain extent, because of their desire for discernment.