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Item Veterinarians' perspectives of neurology : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Veterinary Science at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand(Massey University, 2024-10-29) Shea, AnitaNegative perspectives of neurology are commonly reported in medical education and have led to concerns regarding patient care and insufficient numbers of neurologists. Most of the proposed contributors to this “neurophobia” relate to intellectual difficulty learning and applying neurology knowledge. However, most studies to date have explored neurophobia superficially and differences between how neurophobia is defined and how it is measured challenge what the term means and our understanding of why it develops. Despite this lack of clarity, there are increasing numbers of reports that cite educational interventions to combat neurophobia. While the medical and veterinary professions share many similarities, there is very little research exploring neurophobia in veterinary medicine. It is unclear whether negative perspectives of neurology are common in veterinarians, and what contributes to the development of veterinarians’ perspectives of neurology. The overarching aims of this research were to better understand veterinarians’ perspectives of neurology, how and why they develop, and the effect they can have on further learning and clinical experiences. This research investigated veterinarians’ and veterinary students’ perspectives of neurology using a mixed method approach. Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews explored how veterinarians’ experiences, and their reactions to those experiences, contributed to their overall attitude towards neurology. Statistical analysis of subsequent surveys of veterinarians and undergraduate veterinary students focused on those with negative or positive attitudes towards neurology to further explore these differing perspectives. The findings of all studies were integrated to obtain a holistic understanding of how similar inciting experiences can lead to different attitudes towards neurology. Intellectual difficulty learning and applying neurology was reported by most participants, regardless of their attitude towards neurology. Differences between participants with negative or positive attitudes towards neurology were often dictated by the individual’s affective responses to that difficulty, which in turn were shaped by personality traits, values, professional identity, and the ability of the individual to resolve internal conflict. Resolution of internal conflict could improve one’s attitude towards neurology. In contrast to medical literature on neurophobia, these findings suggest that an individual’s attitude towards neurology is determined by the way they react to intellectual difficulty, not the difficulty itself. This distinction has implications for educational interventions for any difficult subject, not just neurology.Item Pakiaka Tupuora Parenting From the Start : evaluating a preventative intervention to improve attachment and health outcomes for mothers and their babies : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology at Te Kungenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand(Massey University, 2024-12-06) Morrimire, LeithBackground: Parenting interventions can improve individual and societal outcomes but few are brief, preventative, or consistent with Indigenous knowledge. This is the first based on the latest multidisciplinary theory – the evolved developmental niche (EDN). Objective: To evaluate the one-day (8hr) preventative antenatal Parenting From the Start workshop in terms of infant attachment and other medium-term outcomes. Methods: Randomised controlled trial with two parallel arms open to pregnant residents of the Manawatū/Horowhenua regions of Aotearoa New Zealand. 57 English-speaking women aged 24 to 44 years were randomly assigned to intervention (n = 27) or wait-list control (n = 30) groups alongside standard free maternity care and parental leave. Retention rates were 81% at the home visit (n = 22 intervention; n = 24 control), and 74% at the clinic assessment (n = 20 intervention; n = 20 control). Primary analyses were based on maternal sensitive responsiveness as measured by the Ainsworth Sensitivity Scales, Mini-Maternal Behavior Q- Sort, and Observational Measure of Sensitivity and Responsiveness (11 to 24 months post birth) and infant attachment on the Strange Situation Procedure (11-22 months post birth). Secondary outcomes included a range of self-reported parenting intentions and strategies. Findings: Intervention group infants had higher rates of secure attachment (90%) than the control group (64%). This effect was significant at the level of 3-way attachment security (p = .011, Cramer’s V = 0.448), and attachment subcategory (p = .047, Cramer’s V = 0.552), but not 2-way attachment security (p = .059, Cramer’s V = 0.342). Maternal sensitive responsiveness did not differ across study conditions (p = .097, RBC = 0.288). Parenting intentions relating to breastfeeding, proximal care, room sharing, and elimination communication were significantly increased in the intervention group, as were responsive parenting beliefs, and frequency of positive care reported over the infants’ first year. Interpretation: The intervention significantly increased responsive parenting intentions and beliefs, positive care over the first year, and rates of secure attachment. Parenting From the Start warrants further study as a brief, preventative, bicultural intervention. Trial registration ACTRN12617000321347, universal trial number U111111840331. Trial information can be found at: http://www.ANZCTR.org.au/ACTRN12617000321347.aspxItem Te Kura i Huna : te whakahāngai i ngā pūrākau hei wheako akoranga tino whai hua i ngā kura kaupapa Māori : He tuhinga rangahau hei whakatutuki i ngā tikanga o Te Tohu Kairangi i te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa, Papaioea, Aotearoa(Massey University, 2023) Moeahu, Alishia RangiwhakawaitauKa whai mana tonu ngā mahi pūrākau i te mātauranga Māori, i te mea kei te pupuri ēnei kōrero i ngā taonga tuku iho ā wō tātau tūpuna. Ka taea hoki ngā pūrākau te whakarato i ngā pūmanawa ako i roto i te akomanga. Nā reira ko te kaupapa matua o tēnei rangahau, ko te tūhura ki te whakahāngai i te pūrākau, i te pakiwaitara, i te kōrero tuku iho hoki, hei wheako akoranga tino whai hua i roto i ngā kura kaupapa Māori. I whakahāngaitia anō tētahi huarahi rangahau, tikanga Māori, mā te whakamahi i tētahi anga o ‘Ngā Tai o Whakaaro’ me ngā mātāpono o Te Aho Matua, hei wetewete i ngā raraunga, me te whakaatu i ngā uara e huna ana i ngā pūrākau. I whakamahia te tātaringa kaupapa (thematic analysis) i ngā tikanga arohaehae me ngā kaupapa pūputu i ngā raraunga (Braun & Clarke, 2006). I whakamaheretia te rangahau nei, ki ngā pātai, mai roto i ngā uiuinga, ki te tirotiro ki te whakamahinga o ngā pūrākau, ki roto i ngā mahi whakaako o ngā kaiako e waru, i roto i ngā kura kaupapa Māori. Ko te pātai matua: He nui ngā hua i puta mai i ngā kitenga i ngā kaupapa maha, me te hononga anō o ngā kaupapa ki ngā mātāpono o Te Aho Matua. Ka tirotiro e te rangahau nei ēnei tino hua. Ko te whakamahinga o te pūrākau, he whai mana ki te whakatinana i te mātauranga Māori, kua mau ki roto i ngā pūrākau. E whai hua ana te whakamahi pūrākau hei whakaakoranga i ngā wheako ako. Kua kitea te angitū me te orangatonutanga o te mātauranga i roto i ngā kura kaupapa Māori nā te whakamahi pūrākau. Kua kitea hoki te whakaritenga anō o te pūrākau, kia torotoro i te kaha o te ako, hei tautoko i ngā mahi ako mō te roanga o te wā. Ko te whanaketanga ahurea anō hoki tētahi āhuatanga kua kitea.Item Wairua and the relationship it has with learning te reo Māori within Te Ataarangi : a report presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Educational Administration at Massey University(Massey University, 2005) Browne, Marcia HThis “compressed ethnographic study” (LeCompte & Schensul 1999:59,88) investigates wairua as an aspect of second language acquisition within the organisation of Te Ataarangi, and suggests that wairua is an important phenomenon within the discipline of second language teaching and learning. As this particular area of enquiry has not been a subject of research, the literature review was essentially interdisciplinary. A literature search that incorporated Ethno-linguistics, Linguistics, Psycholinguistics, Philosophy, Psychology, Physics and Indigenous epistemologies provided the support for clear understandings that are being discussed in this thesis. An analysis of ‘organic intellectual’ experiences and flax-root theory regarding wairua and its relationship with learning te reo Māori was interpreted through Māori and Language Acquisition epistemologies based upon implicit learning, and then tied back to other disciplines when the literature was scarce. Wairua a spiritual phenomenon, as described by participants in this study enters the learning environment through a variety of means, which can then be utilised within the teaching and learning process. It is posited that this is essentially through a physical gateway as paralinguistic phenomena, such that sound vibration derived from positive thought intent with related kinaesthetic body responses act as vehicles to transport wairua. Thus wairua becomes an affective input for the implicit unconscious of students. Common links, patterns and themes within participant interview material triangulated with observations, written teaching resources and documents were arrived at with the aid of NVivo, a computer program designed specifically to “give access to data” that “can be examined and analysed” (Gibbs 2002:11) in order to build theoretical understandings. Teaching principles and practices identified by participants as the essential keys in accessing wairua to enhance the learning of te reo Māori are documented. This study opens the field for further investigation which potentially strengthens the work being done to “further current goals for Māori wellbeing” (Durie1995:8) within the cultural framework of a Māori world view.Item Teacher agency in synchronous one-to-one Chinese online language teaching : 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, 2022) Dai, ChujieThis study explores the teacher agency of four Chinese language teachers who teach in one-to-one videoconferencing settings. Since these teachers only had limited teaching experience in such a context, four preparatory workshops were designed for the teacher participants before they began teaching. The study seeks to answer three questions: 1) What kinds of competencies did teachers identify as required in their teaching via one-to-one videoconferencing? 2) What kinds of affordances and constraints did teachers perceive in teaching, and how was their agency influenced by these factors? 3) What was the main value of the preparatory workshops from the teachers’ perspective? The study is informed by ecological perspectives and employs a qualitative longitudinal case study approach. The data collected through teaching recordings, stimulated recall interviews, semi-structured interviews and group discussions formed the main data set. The data collected through a teacher questionnaire, written reflection sheets, opinion frames, and text chat on a social media platform formed the supporting data set. The main part of the study, spanning about eight months, comprised three stages. At the first stage, there were four teacher preparatory workshops, each including a lecture and a group discussion. At the second stage, each teacher conducted a series of Chinese learning sessions with a single learner, which were recorded and analysed. At the third stage, semi-structured interviews with individual teachers were conducted. The findings suggest that the teachers identified four important competencies required for online teaching: pedagogical competency, multimedia competency, social-affective competency and the competency of being reflective and reflexive. Different beliefs about teacher roles, perceived social hierarchy, and their relationships with peer teachers and the learners were the factors that enabled or constrained teachers’ actions. The perceived value of the teacher preparatory workshops was in providing opportunities for the teachers to bridge the gap between theories and teaching practice and to explore the pedagogical possibilities. They collectively formed an idealised notion of online teaching as a result of their discussions and this notion influenced their identity and teaching practice. The study concludes with implications for research methodology and a theoretical frame, shedding light on how the factors from the outer world, and teachers’ experience and aspirations could impact the enactment of agency. It is hoped that this study will be valuable for future online language teacher training and research.Item The veterinarian’s role in end-of-life management of animals : an exploration of veterinary training and the perspectives of New Zealand cat owners : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Veterinary Science at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand(Massey University, 2021) Littlewood, KatherineDomestic cats are living longer and more of them are living with chronic conditions. It is up to the owner(s) to make the decision about when, and how, to end the life of their cat. Owners may find such end-of-life decisions difficult, as they are influenced by many factors relating to their cat and to themselves. Owners often involve their veterinarian in the decision-making process; therefore, it is essential that veterinarians understand the role they play in end-of-life management of animals. To ensure veterinarians are effectively supporting owners to make end-of-life decisions, there is also a need to know how veterinary students are taught relevant topics and skills. The central question this research aimed to answer was: 'what is the veterinarian's role in end-of-life management of older and chronically ill cats in New Zealand?' Study 1 investigated how aspects of end-of-life management – technical euthanasia skills, end-of-life decision-making, and grief management – were taught to Australasian veterinary students. Study 2 then explored the role veterinarians play in end-of-life management from the perspective of owners of older and chronically ill cats, as well as how those owners made the decision to end their cat’s life. Study 1 demonstrated some gaps that, if filled, could improve veterinary training in end-of-life management of animals. Technical aspects of euthanasia were not taught consistently for companion animals and this needs to be improved to ensure new graduates meet client expectations – that is, they are as competent as my cat owner participants assumed. There also appeared to be gaps in teaching end-of-life decision-making relative to what was important to cat owners. Owners expected their veterinarian to be the professional or ‘expert’ when it came to knowledge of animal health and welfare, but not all veterinary students were taught how to assess animal welfare or quality of life in the context of end-of-life decisions. In contrast, teaching of grief-related topics left only a few gaps to fill. Grief management teaching best reflected many of the features my cat owner participants wanted from their veterinarian, and particularly the human-centred themes taught to students. Most of this grief management teaching was performed by student counsellors and psychologists in earlier (preclinical) years. This means these human-centred themes may not have been explicitly linked to the decision-making process, and, more importantly, to the veterinarian’s role in end-of-life management. Without explicit alignment, veterinary students may be left thinking that veterinarians have only a limited role, or even no role at all, in managing their clients’ emotions and that this should be left to trained professionals. However, my cat owner participants emphasised the important role their veterinarian had played in the end-of-life process, suggesting that training, in New Zealand at least, is effective in this regard. Significant methodological developments in this research include designing and conducting in-depth interviews using social science methodology, in addition to the analysis and interpretation of qualitative data. Future studies should compare owner and veterinary perceptions of the same euthanasia event to obtain a detailed picture of the veterinarian’s role in end-of-life management of animals.Item Physical Education (PE) as a pathway to empowerment of young people in Rarotonga, Cook Islands : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand(Massey University, 2021) Greene, MichelleThe Cook Islands secondary school’s curriculum Oraanga e te Tupuanga Meitaki | The Health and Well-being Curriculum (OTM | HWC) derives from the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC). While a western education system is based on the concept of building human capital, which conflicts with Pacific Indigenous education values, The OTM | HWC has been adapted to include Cook Islands values and philosophies. Despite a well-intentioned curriculum, the implementation may face additional challenges, with resourcing and teacher recruitment. The design and delivery of the OTM | HWC has the potential to educate the whole person, but students experiences may differ from intended outcomes. With this in mind, the aim of this research is to understand the potential that a culturally relevant Physical Education (PE) curriculum has to empower young people. This research therefore asks: 1) How has the OTM | HWC been adapted and implemented in Rarotonga, Cook Islands? 2) How is culture utilised within the curriculum and how did this play out in schools? 3) What challenges might be present with respect to the design and delivery of PE programmes? As this thesis is grounded in Development Studies and draws from theories of Sport for Development and PE for Development, of particular interest is understanding from a gendered perspective how PE can facilitate empowerment in Rarotonga. This research is a qualitative case study. Fieldwork was undertaken in two secondary schools in Rarotonga, both of which follow an NZ model of education in the senior school, with students gaining the NZ qualification the National Certificate in Education Achievement (NCEA). Methods of data collection consisted of classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, informal conversations, focus groups and a fieldwork journal. In total 25 participants were interviewed. Through the application of a culturally relevant empowerment framework, which was the theoretical lens by which the findings were deliberated, this research contributes to new ways of understanding the experiences of young men and women within the PE classroom. The research found that several challenges exist including the recruitment of qualified teachers, difficulties with facilities and efforts needed to encourage students who were reluctant to participate. This research shows that social connections with friends and classmates were crucial in the enjoyment of physical activity. This is closely linked with tu akangateitei (respect), which students believed should be shown to the teacher and others when participating. Additionally, self-efficacy was a large contributing factor to participation and enjoyment, with girls often perceiving they lacked in ability. A prevailing hegemonic masculinity influenced the behaviours of boys in the classroom, with some sports having the potential to threaten culturally defined masculinities. For empowerment to be culturally relevant within the PE classroom in Rarotonga, focusing on inclusion and support within activities that do not always focus on physical capability is essential. The inclusion of vaka and other cultural games in the curriculum is fundamental to ensuring local values are maintained and perpetuated.Item Career pathways of New Zealand veterinary graduates : influences, experiences, and decisions : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Veterinary Science at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand(Massey University, 2021) King, NatalieAs local and international concern about a shortage of veterinarians grows, developing an understanding of veterinarians’ career pathways and the factors that influence their career decisions is of increasing importance. The aim of this research was to explore the patterns that exist among the career pathways of two cohorts of New Zealand veterinary graduates, 10- and 20-years post-graduation, and to identify the factors that had been influential in shaping their career trajectories. A mixed methods approach provided a means to develop a detailed understanding of veterinarians’ career pathways through integration of survey (n=109) and interview (n=25) data. Perceptions of why people cease veterinary work were documented alongside the lived career experiences of these two cohorts of Massey University veterinary graduates. Cohort members’ career pathways were varied. Most (83%) held a clinical veterinary role 10 years after graduation. However, after 20 years, fewer (57%) held clinical veterinary roles. Almost one-quarter of the 20-year cohort worked in non-veterinary roles, and a further 14% held non-clinical veterinary roles. Some aspects of career patterns differed between the men and women and between the two cohorts, but there were also similarities. Veterinarians’ career decisions were multifaceted, and six key themes were developed to describe the factors that influenced them. Considering the cohort members’ material, social, and cognitive work values provided a useful lens through which to explore how their work environments and personal characteristics and aspirations influenced their career decisions. Veterinarians’ workplace experiences and the degree of fit between their personal characteristics and aspirations, and the workplace environment, influenced their feelings towards their work and their state of wellbeing, which in turn influenced their career decisions. However, these factors alone were insufficient to fully describe the influences on veterinarians’ career decision-making. Opportunities, professional networks, and non-work factors also played a key role in shaping cohort members’ career trajectories. The findings of this research provide insight into the career patterns and decision-making of New Zealand veterinarians which will be useful for future workforce planning, and in developing initiatives to enhance veterinarians’ career fulfilment and retention within clinical practice and the New Zealand veterinary profession.Item A spoken Chinese corpus : development, description, and application in L2 studies : 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, 2021) Li, LinThis thesis introduces a corpus of present-day spoken Chinese, which contains over 440,000 words of orthographically transcribed interactions. The corpus is made up of an L1 corpus and an L2 corpus. It includes data gathered in informal contexts in 2018, and is, to date, the first Chinese corpus resource of its kind investigating non-test/task-oriented dialogical interaction of L2 Chinese. The main part of the thesis is devoted to a detailed account of the compilation of the spoken Chinese corpus, including its design, the data collection, and transcription. In doing this, this study attempts to answer the question: what are the key considerations in building a spoken Chinese corpus of informal interaction, especially in building a spoken L2 corpus of L1–L2 interaction? Then, this thesis compares the L1 corpus and the L2 corpus before using them to carry out corpus studies. Differences between and within the two subcorpora are discussed in some detail. This corpus comparison is essential to any L1–L2 comparative studies conducted on the basis of the spoken Chinese corpus, and it addresses the question: to what extent is the L1 corpus comparable to the L2 corpus? Finally, this thesis demonstrates the research potential of the spoken Chinese corpus, by presenting an analysis of the L2 use of the discourse marker 就是 jiushi in comparison with the L1 use. Analysis considers mainly the contribution就是 jiushi makes as a reformulation marker to utterance interpretation within the relevance theoretic framework. To do this, it seeks to answer the question: what are the features that characterise the L2 use of the marker 就是 jiushi in informal speech? The results of this study make several useful contributions to the academic community. First of all, the spoken Chinese corpus is available to the academic community through the website, so it is expected the corpus itself will be of use to researchers, Chinese teachers, and students who are interested in spoken Chinese. In addition to the obtainable data, this thesis presents transparent accounts of each step of the compilation of both the L1 and L2 corpora. As a result, decisions and strategies taken with regard to the procedures of spoken corpus design and construction can provide some valuable suggestions to researchers who want to build their own spoken Chinese corpora. Finally, the findings of the comparative analysis of the L2 use of the marker 就是 jiushi will contribute to research on the teaching and learning of interactive spoken Chinese.Item "They come because they know the teachers are gringos" : a post-colonial exploration of the perceived value of volunteer English teaching in Lima, Peru : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of International Development at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2019) Thomas, JohannaOver the past three decades, there has been a growing trend among young people from developed countries to spend time undertaking short-term voluntary activities in developing countries before, during or after university. This phenomenon is known as ‘volunteer-tourism’. Although typically unqualified, volunteer-tourists participate in a wide range of activities, including English language teaching. There is, however, limited exploration on the dynamics of English language education through volunteer-tourism. Furthermore, literature on the role of English in development indicates an uncritical and positive bias towards English as an international language and a tool of ‘development’. This research thus contributes to current literature in two key ways, considering both the dynamics of volunteer-tourism and English language, in a post-colonial context. The research explores the perceived value of volunteer English (EFL) teaching in both elite and disadvantaged communities of post-colonial Peru. Focusing on a volunteer English teaching agency that operates in both public and private schools in Lima, interviews were conducted with both private and public school staff and former students, agency representatives and volunteers, as part of a qualitative study. A post-colonial lens was adopted to frame the research, addressing the following research questions: • What motivates different actors’ involvement in volunteer English teaching programmes and how do they perceive the value of volunteer English teaching and the English language itself? • How is volunteer English teaching and the English language experienced and perceived in elite and disadvantaged environments by different actors? Drawing on a post-colonial analytical strategy, the research discussion highlights three key themes. Firstly, the perceived value of volunteer English teachers is dependent on their having a positive and willing attitude rather than any form of qualification. Furthermore, their role ambiguity means they are absolved of much responsibility both in and outside of the classroom. Secondly, the value of volunteer English teaching lies in its characterisation as a ‘cultural exchange’, whereby volunteer teaching assistants provide ‘authentic’, linguistic and cultural exchange with Peruvian school students, host families and staff. Finally, stepping into the wider context in which the research is situated, English language is seen by Peruvian participants as a way of ‘opening doors to the world’, with direct associations made by all participants between English and the discourse of ‘development’. Overall, the research reveals power relations and subjectivities that are embedded in post-colonial power structures. Elite members of the host community benefit more from the programme and from the English language than those who are less advantaged, and generalisations are made about different groups of actors based on stereotypes that embody post-colonial ways of thinking. Uncritical promotion of the English language as a tool for personal and national ‘development’ is symbolised by notions of superiority regarding the volunteers and the ‘world’ from which they originate. This suggests that neo-colonial processes may also be involved in spreading the English language and its associated ‘culture’. Nevertheless, while local initiatives such as this one may reproduce systemic inequalities, the positive impacts that participants feel they have experienced should not be overlooked. As such, further research into the overlap between English language and volunteering is required to continue unpacking how these areas interact and operate within underlying power relations, expanding the focus from perceived value, to tangible impacts.