Masters Degree Theses
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Item Decolonising Midwifery Education in Aotearoa: A Case Study Approach(Thesis, The University of Waikato, 2023) Cleaver, Deanne LesleyThe bicultural nature of Aotearoa (New Zealand) creates a strong foundation for the unique environment that supports the weaving of indigenous knowledge throughout midwifery education, and in turn creating a platform for decolonisation. Te Tiriti o Waitangi/ The Treaty of Waitangi serves to inform the direction that midwifery education and midwifery practice must take by underpinning these frameworks. The revised midwifery curriculum and reaccreditation that supported the immersion of Indigenous knowledge throughout the midwifery degree at Wintec is currently in its fifth year. It was identified that there needed to be a more explicit focus of cultural safety and responsiveness, therefore in support of this Mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) was carefully embedded and linked to learning outcomes. This is in direct support of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and a move towards a Te Tiriti honouring programme. Topics that relate to tikanga Māori (customs), Te Ao Māori (Māori worldview) and Te Reo Māori (language) are respectfully taught, providing opportunities for understanding and growing competencies for midwifery tauira. Understanding colonisation in its global context alongside its role in the history of Aotearoa supported by Te Tiriti o Waitangi knowledge, is vital in the process of decolonisation. Tauira are encouraged to explore and reflect on these factors throughout their degree, supporting their growing cultural safety and awareness of relationships. An anti-racism workshop in the final year of the degree adds another layer to the work of decolonisation and equips tauira with tools to be active in their allyship. This personal and curricula journey empowers tauira to become culturally safe and responsive midwives, positively impacting the health of whānau Māori. Through a case study approach the effectiveness of the interweaving of indigenous knowledge, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Anti-Racism praxis will be explored, with the purpose of unpacking the learnings as a tool for social transformation within the process of decolonisation. These changes promote the professional development of educators and the empowerment of tauira to uphold Indigenous rights, while providing care in partnership that is respectful. Decolonising Midwifery Education in Aotearoa: A Case Study approach’ will be explored and unpacked.Item Emotional labour and well-being for early childhood teachers: The role of psychological capital and perceived organisational support(Thesis, The University of Waikato, 2023) Carey, SamanthaEarly childhood teachers play an integral role in the development of children enrolled in early childhood services, yet teachers often face stressful and challenging conditions that impact their well-being and consequently the quality of care and education they provide. Emotional labour, the requirement to suppress and express emotions as determined by the organisation, is considered a prominent component of early childhood teachers’ roles. Emotional labour is comprised of two display-rule strategies: Surface Acting where employees suppress their feelings and feign their emotions, and Deep Acting where feelings are modified to create a genuine performance of emotion. Both negatively relate to employee well-being, but we don’t know what personal or organisational resources might help protect early childhood teachers’ well-being. The present study sought to explore this, examining if Psychological Capital (PsyCap: hope, optimism, efficacy, resilience) and perceived organisational support could mitigate any negative consequences of emotional labour. The cross-sectional, non-experimental design surveyed 320 early childhood teachers currently working in New Zealand who completed measures assessing emotional labour, well-being, PsyCap, and perceived organisational support. Structural Equation Modeling examined the relationships between the constructs under investigation. The findings indicated that early childhood teachers who engaged in surface acting, but not deep acting, were likely to experience a decrease in well-being. The PsyCap resources of hope and optimism, but not efficacy and resilience, were found to be viable avenues to increase or protect early childhood teachers’ well-being, as was perceived organisational support. These results present a valuable contribution to our understanding of early childhood teachers’ well-being and highlight the importance of personal and organisational resources in supporting teachers.Item Measuring procrastination: A delay discounting approach within a New Zealand academic domain(Thesis, The University of Waikato, 2024) Paterson, KarissaDelay discounting is often used to measure impulsiveness and has contributed to the development of interventions within the scopes of gambling, eating disorders, and drug addiction. Procrastination is the opposite of impulsiveness and, therefore, can be measured using delay discounting tools, as shown in previous research on scalloping behaviour. Procrastination is a common issue faced within academia, with research detailing the impacts on student grades and mental wellbeing. I aimed to assess the validity of an academic discounting task (ADT) in measuring procrastination within a cohort of university students while assessing if procrastination impacts students’ grades. Other measures of procrastination were used to analyse the validity of the k values produced by the ADT, such as the latency with which assignments were submitted by students, the number of late submissions, and the level of engagement within the paper. Forty-nine participants enrolled in a 3rd-year university paper completed an online questionnaire on Qualtrics that included the ADT. Additional data on student marks and engagement were collected through Moodle and Panopto. The k values produced from the ADT were not related to student marks or any other measure of procrastination. However, a relationship was identified between student overall marks and measures of procrastination such as latency of submission, number of late submissions and engagement scores, while scallop behaviour was also apparent within the cohort, but varying between tests and assignments. The findings of a relationship between the non-ADT measures of procrastination and overall marks suggests student procrastination behaviour does impact overall marks and therefore the ADT k values were not measuring procrastination and future research is needed with amendments to the ADT to make it a valid measure of procrastination. The variance in scallop behaviour between tests and assignments suggested that the scallop behaviour may not necessarily be always under control by the closeness of the reinforcer and can also be impacted by other variables.Item The nature and dynamics of the Rotorua eruptive episode, Okataina Volcanic Centre, Taupo Volcanic Zone(Thesis, The University of Waikato, 2002) Kilgour, GeoffThe 15.7 cal yrs B.P. Rotorua eruptive episode is the latest expression of western Okataina volcanism. Okataina is one of the world's most active rhyolitic volcanoes and this eruptive episode provides an ideal opportunity to examine the nature, dynamics and impacts of a large magnitude explosive eruption from this volcanic centre. This re-investigation of the Rotorua eruptive episode has lead to the grouping of the deposits into two distinct phases of eruption. The Rotorua Tephra and Eastern Dome (previously thought to be Te Rere-related) are termed 'Rotorua A' phase. Trig 7693 andMiddle domes (previously linked to the source of the Rotorua Tephra) have been grouped with the Upper Rotorua Tephra into the. 'Rotorua B' phase. These groupings are predominantly based on mineralogy and geochemistry on samples of pyroclastic and dome deposits. The eruptive sequence began with a small initial ash without a basalt trigger, followed soon after by a plinian fall deposit (1.62 km³) directed to the NW. Dome growth ensued (Eastern dome), creating an extensive rhyolite dome (0.72 km³) in the Okareka Embayment. Soon after Eastern dome growth (based on the absence of paleosol development) the Rotorua B phase was initiated. This phase of predominant effusive dome growth lead to the construction of the coalesced Trig 7693 and Middle domes. Periodic vulcanian explosions and dome collapses lead to the localised dispersal to the S and E, of pyroclastic density currents and fall. A new age of 12941 ± 75 ¹⁴C years BP was obtained from charcoal in a surge deposit at a proximal site. This results in a revised age for the Rotorua eruption of 15 700 cal yrs BP. The eruption duration is estimated to exceed 15 yrs, based on a total dome volume of 1.37 km³, assuming a growth rate of 3 m ³/s. To the NW, the Rotorua A plinian deposit (Ap-1 to Ap-10 sub units) is overall normally graded, however cm-scale bedding is evident throughout the deposit. The grain size ranges from a block-sized, basal sub unit to a medium ash, upper. The plinian tephra is biotite-poor compared to the distinct Rotorua B deposits (previously 'Upper Rotorua Tephra'), which is biotite-rich. Whole rock geochemistry on the Rotorua A pyroclastics, forms an apparent trend, suggesting the magma supplying the explosive phase was compositional zoned prior to eruption and was subsequently disrupted immediately prior to or during eruption. The Rotorua A and B phases plot as distinct clusters in all binary element plots. Intensive parameters calculated on Fe-Ti oxides highlights the distinction between Rotorua A (Rotorua Tephra and Eastern Dome) and Trig 7693 and Middle domes. Isotopic evidence indicates the Trig 7 693 and Middle domes were supplied by a separate magma batch to the Rotorua A phase, suggesting small ( <1 km³) magma batches were residing in close proximity. An eruption of this size today would cause the total destruction of Rotorua City (home to >50,000 people) due to ~ 1.5 m of volcanic ejecta accumulating in this region. This would cripple the central North Island for weeks to months. Due to the length of the eruption, mitigation would be required for an extended period after the initial phase of the eruptive episode. Livestock would be severely affected from blanketing tephra, along with the complete collapse of intensive forestry operations in the Rotorua District. National and international flights from Hamilton and Auckland airports would be heavily disrupted causing major economic losses. Respiratory problems and contaminated water intake would continue for a long period after the cessation of volcanic activity.Item Te kū o te kupu(Thesis, The University of Waikato, 2000) Raerino, Heddell RobertKo tēnei tuhingaroa, he rangahau hai wherawhera ake i te āhuatanga o te reo Māori, e kiia ana ko tōna oro, me te kū o ngā kupu kōrero o taua reo. Ko te aronga whakaaro o tēnei rangahau, he rapu i tētahi āhuatanga kāore anō kia tirotirohia, kia tuhia rānei mō te reo Māori. Ehara tēnei rangahau i te kaupapa, i te mahi hou. Otirā, kai te whai te kaituhi i ngā rangahau kua oti kē i wētahi tohunga te wānanga mō wētahi atu reo. Ko tā te kaituhi he whai i ngā tauira a te hunga wetewete reo nei, ka uwhi ai ki runga i te reo Māori hai āwhina i ngā tātaritanga ā te kaituhi mō tōna ake reo, arā, te reo Māori. Kai te upoko tuatahi ka whaia ngā rerenga whakaaro i pūpū ake ai te taitara 'te kū o te kupu' mō tēnei mahi rangahau. Inā ka tirohia i ahu ngā oro o te reo mai i whea e ai ki tā te Māori wānanga. Mai i ngā oro ka puta ko ngā ku o ngā kupu me ngā kupu o ngā rārangi kōrero. Hai te upoko tuarua ka tirohia ngā kōrero kua tuhia e ngā tohunga wetewete reo e pā ana ki te kaupapa o tēnei tuhingaroa, arā, te kū o te kupu. Ko ngā tirohanga mō te reo ake, arā, i ahu mai i whea, he aha ōna momo whakaata me tōna pakaritanga ka tirohia i roto i te upoko tuatoru. Mai i ngā momo whakaata o te reo i roto i ngā momo waiata, ka āta tahuri te kaituhi ki te whakawhānui haere i tana wetewete me tāna tūhononga i ngā rerenga me ngā pekanga o te ku o te kupu. Kai te upoko tuarima ka tirohia ngā whāinga me ngā aronga ā wētahi kaitito waiata Māori me wētahi kaikōrero i te reo Māori, mō ō rātau māramatanga ki ngā kū me ngā oro o te reo Māori. Kai te upoko tuaono e whāriki ana wētahi tauira kōrero Māori, hai whakaata i ngā momo orōmāhara, oro ohorere, ororite, kupu whakahuarua me wērā atu tauira whakaahua i ngā kū o te kupu me ngā oro o te reo Māori. Ko ngā hua o tēnei rangahau, o tēnei tuhingaroa ka kitea i roto i te upoko tuawhitu. Kōinei te whakakopinga o tēnei mahi.