Higher Degree Theses

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An experimental evaluation on the effect of dynamic chairs on students' behaviour, movement, and academic achievement in mathematics
(The University of Waikato, 2026-05-04) Martin, Isaac; Anderson, Angelika; Starkey, Nicola J.
Traditional classroom chairs are often rigid and inflexible, resulting in uncomfortable static sitting. Conversely, dynamic chairs are designed to promote healthy movement and comfort, which is hypothesised to improve student engagement, reduce disruptive behaviour, and, in turn, improve academic achievement. Currently, there is a lack of research into the effects of dynamic chairs on students’ behaviour and outcomes compared to regular classroom chairs. This thesis comprises a series of studies that investigate the effect of BodyfurnFlex chairs, a new type of dynamic chair, on the behaviour, movement, achievement, and perceptions of students compared with traditional classroom chairs. In Study 1, I used a multiple baseline ABAB reversal design to investigate the effect that BodyfurnFlex chairs had on students’ behaviour and movement in comparison to regular classroom chairs. Additionally, a survey was used to assess students' perceptions of the chairs, while classroom environmental conditions were monitored as potential confounding variables. The results showed that BodyfurnFlex chairs significantly increased students’ on-task behaviour and reduced disruptive behaviours, including chair tipping and out-of-seat behaviour. Meanwhile, both in-chair and overall movement in the classroom increased when students were seated in BodyfurnFlex chairs. The majority of participants preferred BodyfurnFlex chairs, finding them more comfortable and believing they made it easier to complete their schoolwork. The environmental conditions in the classroom remained within the recommended levels throughout data collection, indicating they were not confounding variables in this study. In Study 2, I conducted a detailed analysis of the movement and environmental data collected in Study 1. This included analysing different aspects of the in-chair movement data, including displacement, acceleration, and rotation. Additionally, I examined whether BodyfurnFlex chairs could influence noise levels in classrooms and explored possible connections between movement, environmental, noise, and behavioural variables. The results showed that both in-chair displacement and acceleration significantly increased when students sat in BodyfurnFlex chairs. However, while displacement was not associated with students’ behaviour, acceleration was, suggesting that student behaviour is not related to how much students move but rather how consistently they move. Noise levels in the classroom had a significant negative correlation with on-task behaviour and decreased when students sat in BodyfurnFlex chairs. All environmental variables (CO2, temperature, and humidity) showed small, non-significant correlations with all other variables, indicating that they were not confounding factors. In Study 3, I investigated the effect of BodyfurnFlex chairs on students' academic achievement across multiple mathematics assessments using a pre-post intervention between-groups design. Additionally, focus group discussions were conducted to gain greater insight into teachers' and students’ perceptions of the chairs. The results showed no significant difference in test grades between students who used the BodyfurnFlex chairs and those who used regular chairs. However, several limitations around the results, including the testing/grading system and design, are discussed. Students reported far greater satisfaction with BodyfurnFlex chairs compared to the regular chairs, stating that they were more comfortable and functional, aided their ability to do their schoolwork, and felt they had a positive effect on their test results.
Classroom perceptions of physics and the introduction of technological applications
(The University of Waikato, 1987) Jones, Alister; Liley, Bruce; Osborne, Roger
This study explores the classroom perceptions of physics held by both teachers and students. A method of introducing technological applications into the classroom based on the generative learning model is investigated. Students’ views of school physics were examined by interviews with 60 7th form (17-18 years) students and surveys with 426 6th form (16-17 years) and 168 7th form physics students. The interviews and surveys showed that physics students generally had negative perceptions of school physics. The students ascribed these perceptions mainly to the apparent lack of relevance. The study also examined the students’ reasons for studying physics at secondary school and university. The major reasons given were career choice and interest. There were significant gender differences in career choice. The initial career destination of New Zealand physics graduates was also investigated. The ideas of the generative learning model and mini-theories were used as a theoretical base for the introduction of technological applications. One of the important aspects of these models is the learner’s existing knowledge (which includes interests). The students’ interests in technological applications were explored by interviews (40 students) and surveys (500 students). The results indicated that students were interested in applications within their own environment, directly involving people and aspects which corresponded to their intended careers and anticipated needs. There were gender differences in interest. Students were generally not interested in ‘school’ physics or domestic applications. Teachers’ approaches to the teaching and learning of school physics were examined by interviews (12) and their views on the introduction of technological applications were investigated by surveys (204). The findings were consistent with a transmission view of teaching and an overloaded syllabus. In a small study possible ways of introducing technological applications were examined. A new teaching strategy, based on the generative learning model, was developed for the two 7th form physics topics of electrical capacitance and the Doppler effect. These strategies were initially trialled with two classes and then with other classes at two other schools. The classes were observed throughout the trials and teacher and student interviews were undertaken. Compared with the previous teaching programmes the students were generally very positive about the approaches. The reasons students gave for being more positive were; the introduction of technological applications that they were interested in and could relate to, the experiments. individual projects, the class discussions and being able to explore ideas for themselves. They were also more confident to attempt traditional physics problems. The implications of the findings for teaching and learning, the curriculum and further research are discussed in the final chapter.
Metropolitan reform and decision making: Dove-Myer Robinson’s challenge to local body morphological fundamentalism
(The University of Waikato, 1987) Edgar, John Timothy; Barber, Laurie; Hart, Philip
The capacity of New Zealand local bodies to perceive their geographical identities and political autonomy as enduringly useful and to jealously protect these against proposals for structural change is studied in this thesis. This self protective guardianship is termed morphological fundamentalism. The latter word is derived from a theological description of the evangelical movement that considered the truth of the Bible to be unchanging and applicable to any age, while “morphological” pertains to the biological study of form and structure. Taken together, the words denote a dogmatic assumption of structural unalterability. The effect of this determined defence of local body geographical and political integrity has been to contain administrative change despite the emergence of urban and metropolitan communities from the country’s colonial settlement. This thesis is concerned first with a challenge to New Zealand local body morphological fundamentalism posed by Dove-Myer Robinson, Mayor of Auckland 1959-1965, 1968-1980 who campaigned for the reform of metropolitan government and the establishment of an Auckland Regional Authority. The thesis is concerned secondly with Robinson’s continued challenge to morphological fundamentalism after the Auckland Regional Authority is established and his failure to become an authoritative metropolitan decision maker. The first part of this study of Dove-Myer Robinson’s political career is intended to identify the strength of morphological fundamentalism in Greater Auckland and the urgency for reform there of the local body structure, which consisted of thirty two different municipalities of counties and twenty special purpose bodies. Robinson’s role in promoting the Auckland Regional Authority concept, his choice of overseas models for the authority, the reactions of local and central government politicians to his proposals and the vexed progress of legislation establishing the Auckland Regional Authority are assessed. Dove-Myer Robinson played a leading role in Auckland City politics, beginning with his entry into the Brown’s Island Drainage controversy in 1944. He became an Auckland City Councillor in 1952, Chairman of the Auckland and Suburban Drainage Board in 1953 and Mayor of Auckland City in 1959. Then in 1960 he began his struggle for the creation of a Greater Auckland Authority, able to coalesce metropolitan opinion and promulgate major metropolitan and regional development. This thesis outlines the reputation Robinson brought to his reform campaign. Robinson was an independent political figure who developed a personal following amongst Aucklanders as well as a strong populist appeal in the working class areas of the city. As such he was unacceptable to the Greater Auckland local body Establishment and particularly to the ruling Citizens’ and Ratepayers’ Association on the Auckland City Council. His Jewish and working class origins, his wartime activities, his personal life and his personality were also considered dubious by his opponents. This study demonstrates the effects Robinson’s personal reputation had on those involved in the metropolitan reform process. It also explains how these factors developed into a feud between Robinson and the two political associations on the Auckland City Council - the Citizens’ and Ratepayers’ Association and the Labour Party. The culmination of the feud - the mayor’s loss of office in the 1965 municipal elections - is linked to his loss of position on the fledgling Auckland Regional Authority and his three year exile from political influence on the body. The second part of this thesis assesses Robinson’s declining ability to influence the metropolitan decision making carried out by the Auckland Regional Authority. This study portrays the changing nature of Robinson’s battle against morphological fundamentalism during which the mayor became frustrated and finally thwarted by the strength of that mentality. After the establishment of the Auckland Regional Authority, it was only a matter of time before morphological fundamentalism was again taken up by the municipal local bodies to protect the political authority and pre-eminence they had enjoyed in the preceding local government structure. In deference to the attitudes associated with the preceding Auckland local government - parochial jealousies and rivalries, consultation between municipalities and inter-municipal agreement on large works, resentment of the central city and timidity in relations with central government - succeeding Auckland Regional Authority chairmen, H.D. Lambie and T.H. Pearce had developed a “benign” regionalism for the Auckland Regional Authority. Its limited objectives were designed to pre-empt any challenge to the body and let the municipal bodies see the body as an extension of their own authority, successfully implementing objectives they had wanted but had not been able to agree on funding. In effect, morphological fundamentalism was being allowed to win by default. Robinson’s rapid rail proposals however, challenged this limited conception of the Auckland Regional Authority and placed strains on the capacity of the Auckland Regional Authority to make decisions that enjoyed widespread support amongst its members and the municipal local bodies. In the face of this challenge, the municipal local bodies became openly defensive of their political authority and Robinson clashed with them, and lost. A brief study of the two overseas examples Robinson most closely modelled his authority upon is made to elucidate the problems Robinson had in challenging the residual morphological fundamentalism after the Auckland Regional Authority was established. The thesis concludes by assessing the impact Robinson had on local body morphological fundamentalism and to what extent his own political methods and reputation had facilitated his challenge.
Stable isotope stratigraphy of deep-sea cores from the Southwest Pacific region: aspects of late Quaternary palaeoceanography
(The University of Waikato, 1988) Cuthbertson, Alison Macauley; Hendy, Chris H.; Nelson, Campbell S.
¹⁸O/¹⁶O and ¹³C/¹²C ratios of calcareous planktonic and benthic foraminifera from the Late Quaternary section of deep-sea sediment cores from the Tasman Sea and Southwest Pacific Ocean have been determined in this study. The core sites cover a latitudinal range from the equator to 49°S, and samples were provided by the Ocean Drilling Program and the New Zealand Oceanographic Institute. In most cases the cores were sampled at 10cm intervals. Generally, attention has been focused on the latest Quaternary (stages 1 to 5) glacial-interglacial oscillations of the δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C record, and aspects of their palaeoceanographic significance. Some longer sequences of core were also studied. Of the Southwest Pacific Ocean cores, 594 yielded the most detailed record for the past 130ky. Located just south of the Subtropical Convergence it has proved particularly sensitive to substage climatic fluctuations. In addition the high sedimentation rate (averaging ~13cm/ky) has reduced smoothing by bioturbation. Core 594 has yielded one of the most detailed isotopic records available world-wide for stages 1 to 6. Concurrent carbonate analysis by Cooke (1988) has revealed a similarly detailed carbonate record whose rises and falls are more or less synchronous with the isotopic record. To the west of New Zealand Core 593 was analysed to 44m sub-bottom depth and a clear record of isotopic fluctuations back to the 55/56 stage boundary was obtained. Sites 593 and 594 have thus provided useful isotopic reference curves for the Southwest Pacific region. Consistent changes in the planktonic δ¹³C record of some of the cores may reflect variations in CaCO₃ productivity linked to cyclical glacial-interglacial fluctuations. Glacial benthic δ¹³C results support a decreased volume of NADW production. Resumption of NADW flow is marked in many cases by a transient drop in δ¹³C values before rising to interglacial values as the relatively stagnant, isotopically lighter water is “flushed” from Deep Water flow paths. AABW appears to dominate during glacial periods. A northern shift of the Subtropical Convergence east of New Zealand is suggested (and supported by micropalaeontological data; Cooke, 1988), with a more restricted shift in the Tasman Sea. Interglacial Deep Waters appear to be dominated during interglacial times by AABW, whilst NADW is dominant in the Tasman Sea. Planktonic δ¹³C results suggest a more southerly position of the Subtropical Divergence in the Tasman Sea during interglacial periods. Lead-lag relationships in the δ¹³O signal between surface and bottom-dwelling foraminifera over Termination Iᴀ reveal a pattern of meltwater circulating first to the surface waters at higher latitudes, and to bottom waters at lower latitude sites. A modification of the meltwater “lid” is proposed, with the lid extending only partially across the ocean surface, and not into equatorial regions.
Colonisation, science, and conservation: the development of colonial attitudes toward the native life of New Zealand with particular reference to the career of the colonial scientist Walter Lawry Buller (1838-1906)
(The University of Waikato, 1989) Galbreath, Ross Alan; Graham, Jeanine; Jensen, John; Gibbons, Peter
New Zealand, by the end of the nineteenth century, was well described as a “Britain of the south”: not only were people of British descent dominant but in much of the country the native life had been replaced by European sheep and grass, weeds and sparrows. In this study the attitudes of the British colonists toward the native life of New Zealand are examined through the life and works of the colonial scientist Walter L. Buller (1838-1906). It is argued that British colonisation of New Zealand proceeded under a set of assumptions and attitudes which together led to the expectation among the colonists that the native flora and fauna, as well as the native people, must inevitably be displaced by the European introductions and immigrants. Ideas concerning the native people on the one hand and native plants and animals on the other were closely connected; in scientific discourse the displacement of the native Māori race was expressed in biological metaphors and “explained” by analogy with the displacement of the native vegetation and the native birds -and conversely the displacement of the native plants and birds was “explained” by analogy with that of the Māori race. In the colonists’ ideology this displacement was seen as not merely assured, but pre-ordained -part of the working out of the law of nature. Analysis of the writings of colonial scientists reveals several forms of the “law” displacement; most of which, despite the use of such catch-phrases as “the struggle for survival”, owe little to Darwinian ideas. By the end of the nineteenth century, while displacement of the natives had largely been achieved, at the same time the contrasting and in many ways contradictory view became accepted that native species should be retained and preserved. It is argued that although many of the ideas of preservation or conservation were drawn or modified from American or British precedents, they gained particular acceptance in New Zealand by association with a developing national sentiment. As British colonists became New Zealanders they invested the native New Zealand scenery, flora and fauna with newly patriotic significance, as part of the “heritage” of the New Zealander. Images of native birds, drawn largely from the illustrations of Buller’s scientific treatises, became used for trademarks and other symbols, and some species -especially the Kiwi Apteryx australis -were elevated as emblems of New Zealand identity. As well as analysing colonial attitudes toward native things in New Zealand, especially as articulated by Walter Buller, the study aims to broaden the contextual framework in which these attitudes are understood, by exploring them within the contexts of colonisation, of colonial science, and of the development of a New Zealand identity among the colonists.
A study of the aggregating cationic antibacterial proteins and peptides in bovine seminal plasma
(The University of Waikato, 1987) Hameed, Imran; Molan, Peter C.
Several non-specific defence mechanisms are known to be involved in the protection of the mammalian host against invading microorganisms. Among them are well researched proteins like lysozyme and lactoferrin, systems like the myeloperoxidase- and lactoperoxidase-mediated system, and two complement systems. Also, a number of mammalian cationic proteins and peptides have been found to have antibacterial properties. The antibacterial activity in bovine seminal plasma has been reported to be due to proteins which appeared to be present in aggregated forms (Eschenbruch, 1980; Shannon et al., 1987). This investigation was designed to account for the aggregation and disaggregation of the antibacterial activity in bovine seminal plasma. The overall study demonstrated that most or all of the high molecular weight antibacterial proteins of bovine seminal plasma are aggregates. Three major antibacterial aggregates with molecular weights of around 500 kDa, 250 kDa and 20 kDa were identified and isolated using gel filtration chromatography at neutral pH. Acidic gel filtration chromatography, cation exchange chromatography using citrate buffer and anion exchange chromatography at pH 12.0 and pH 13.0 were found to be successful techniques for disaggregation of the antibacterial aggregates. FPLC of diluted samples using acetonitrile and trifluoroacetic acid was found to give complete disaggregation. The aggregates were found to be made up of two peptides, a basic antibacterial peptide with a molecular weight of about 1.2 kDa and an inactive acidic peptide with a molecular weight of about 1 kDa. However, the molecular weights estimated of the components and the aggregates could be larger than estimated in this study because of possible retardation on gel filtration chromatography. Both the peptides were shown to be necessary for the formation of the antibacterial aggregate. These peptides were found to form a stable antibacterial aggregate of about 20 kDa mainly through hydrophobic interactions. The aggregation beyond the 20 kDa aggregate, resulting in the formation of the 500 kDa and 250 kDa aggregates, was found to occur through ionic interactions. Furthermore, lysozyme was found to occur both in a free form and bound with the antibacterial aggregates. The possible significance of the aggregation on the antibacterial activity is discussed.
River oxygen uptake by benthic microorganisms
(The University of Waikato, 1985) Hickey, Christopher W.; Harfoot, C.G.
The factors influencing benthic microbial uptake of river dissolved oxygen (DO) and dissolved organic matter (DOM) were investigated in 4 New Zealand rivers receiving organic waste discharges from dairy factories and a pulp and paper company. A chamber system for in situ use was developed and tested against segment oxygen mass balances in 3 rivers. Benthic oxygen uptake rate (BUR) was found to be strongly affected by circulation velocity, electron acceptor (oxygen) concentration and in some instances electron donor (glucose) concentration. Satisfactory agreement between calculated BUR values and those obtained using the chamber was obtained with matching boundary velocities (0.05 m above bed) in the 2 shallow (<0.5 m) rivers, with low chamber values in the deep (>1.5 m) river. Thus chamber devices must adequately simulate the natural flow and turbulence conditions in order to obtain realistic BUR measurements. Maximum BUR was measured for filamentous ‘sewage fungus’ colonisation at 70.2 g O₂ m⁻² day at 7.0 g O₂ m⁻³. Benthic oxygen penetration depths were estimated from chamber and sediment intrinsic activity measurements and ranged from 0.32 to 32 cm, with minimum values for ‘sewage fungus’ biofilms. Actual measurements of interstitial DO for 2 pumice bed rivers, showed DO present down to at least 10 cm in the Waiotapu River and down to 15 cm in the Tarawera River. The estimated oxygen penetration depths were used to calculate benthic dispersion coefficients. These values ranged from 0.38-16.30 x 10⁻³ cm⁻² s⁻¹ which are several orders of magnitude higher than previously reported maxima. Such high values imply that a high rate of sediment-water exchange was sustained by turbulent mass transfer processes rather than molecular diffusion. Benthic biomass values by ATP extraction ranged from 0.67-4.95 μg ATP cm⁻³, with higher maximum values for the rivers studied than have been reported for sediments in other aquatic systems, and suggesting greater levels of metabolic activity. Benthic biomass involved with sediment-water exchange was shown to be up to 50 times the planktonic biomass present, and generally 5 to 10 times for sites below organic discharges. Longitudinal and depth profile studies of enzyme activities showed that the predominant benthic metabolic activity changed in relation to distance from the organic discharge and with depth beneath the sediment surface, presumably reflecting changes in organic constituents and concentrations in the overlying flow. Removal of organic wastes from the river water in shallow systems was shown to be largely the net effect of 2 processes: (i) active benthic microbial removal of DOM and (ii) passive settling particulate organic material. It is concluded that lotic river environments may sustain higher levels of benthic biomass and nutrient transformation than do lentic environments as a result of turbulent sediment-water exchange processes. Substantial differences in the level of activity will occur between rivers with an erosional environment, which promote epilithic metabolic processes, and those with a depositional environment where detrital processes predominate.
The taxonomy and ecology of the genus Thermus
(The University of Waikato, 1986) Hudson, J. Andrew; Morgan, Hugh W.
The phenotype distribution of Thermus isolates was examined by numerical classification using isolates from New Zealand, Iceland, New Mexico and Yellowstone Park. Analysis of the New Zealand isolates showed that there was a relationship between the hot pool temperatures and pHs, and the phenotypes which could be isolated from them. Evidence also emerged which suggested that geographical factors, between distant thermal areas, may also influence the phenotypes isolated from those areas. Analysis of the Icelandic isolates supported these assertions by showing a lack of similarity to the New Zealand isolates. A classification was constructed using all of the available isolates and this showed the same patterns. All of the isolates could be divided into 8 major clusters and it is suggested that these could represent species. In this classification T. ruber and T. aquaticus would be type strains of two of the species as would the invalidly named “T. thermophilus”. Continuous culture experiments and analysis of isolates taken from hot pools over a period of time, did not support the proposal of genetic instability in Thermus. Varying the pH and temperature of continuous culture did not significantly change the phenotype. Analysis of isolates from the same pools over a time course showed there to be resident and transient strains, as well as showing a limitation of the phenotypes which could be recovered from any one pool. A new isolate is described, which formed trichomes that further coiled to form braiding. Trichomes also exhibited swellings and necridia. Thin-section electronmicroscopy showed a similar cell wall to Thermus with the addition of 2 extra layers which appeared to hold the cells together in the form of trichomes. The isolate showed many features in common with Thermus and the only significant difference lay in the morphology. It is suggested that this organism be adopted as a new species of Thermus and named Thermus filiformis, to reflect its filamentous nature. The aminopeptidase test was negative for T. ruber, T. aquaticus and “T. thermophilus” which is characteristic of Gram type positive organisms, while the KOH lysis test was positive, for these organisms, which is characteristic of Gram type negative organisms. This evidence adds to the contradictory literature derived data on the genus, which although staining Gram-negatively shows many Gram-positive characteristics. It is suggested that these anomalies may represent adaptations to life at high temperatures or may reflect the divergent evolutionary line of descent of the genus.
Towards a model of the Cenozoic tectonic development of New Zealand
(The University of Waikato, 1985) Kamp, Peter J.J.; Selby, Michael J.; Nelson, Campbell S.
New Zealand has a regionally complex and diverse Cenozoic geological record. However, few attempts have been made so far to formulate a model of the Cenozoic tectonic development of New Zealand, which reconciles this regional complexity and diversity. The objective of this thesis is to work towards such a model. This has involved the identification and resolution of five critical and interrelated problems: (1) The age of inception of the New Zealand sector of the Australia-Pacific plate boundary. (2) The tectonic setting during the Paleogene. (3) The nature and location, north of the Alpine Fault proper, of the relative plate motion which is evident as dextral fault displacement on the Alpine Fault. (4) The total amount of Cenozoic horizontal displacement through New Zealand. (5) The Neogene and Quaternary extent and geometry of the subducted Pacific Plate beneath northern New Zealand. The proposed solutions to these problems are as follows: (1) The Australia-Pacific plate boundary formed during the early Miocene, about 23 My B.P. (2) A continental rift system developed through western New Zealand during the Paleogene. (3) Northeast of the Alpine Fault the relative plate motion was expressed as a combination of brittle and ductile shearing that formed a recurved arc. (4) There has been a total of 500 km of horizontal displacement through New Zealand. (5) The subducting slab of Pacific Ocean lithosphere progressively increased its extent to the southwest beneath northern New Zealand and concomitantly increased its dip. Based on these solutions, it is proposed that the Cenozoic geological development of New Zealand may be modelled as a tectonic succession, involving the oblique dislocation and tectonic overprinting of a Paleogene north-south trending continental rift system through western New Zealand, by a Neogene-Quaternary transform to obliquely convergent plate boundary. In this context most of the regional complexity and diversity arises for the following reasons: (1) The rift system developed as two independent segments, a North Island segment and a South Island segment, and each in different ways. (2) Rifting continued along some parts of the rift system after the transform plate boundary had started to dislocate the South Island rift segment in the early Miocene. Adjacent to the Alpine Fault in central Westland, rifting ceased immediately following inception of the plate boundary. However, the effects of the change in tectonic regime were recorded later and to a lesser degree in the rift system at localities further away from the Alpine Fault. (3) While the relative plate motion was accommodated on a continent-continent transform fault in the South Island, ocean-continent convergence progressively emplaced a slab of Pacific Ocean lithosphere beneath the North Island. The shallow dip of this slab beneath eastern North Island is responsible for a portion of the compression which dominates the Neogene and Quaternary record there. In northern and western North Island, the emplacement of the slab and changes in its geometry are responsible for the tectonic overprinting of the western rift system; the southwestward direction of slab emplacement accounts for the north to south overprinting of the North Island segment of the former rift system. (4) A major contributor to the regional complexity of the Cenozoic geological record is the nature of the basement. Differences in the competence of the Tuhua Orogen (late Precambrian-early Paleozoic) versus the Rangitata Orogen (late Paleozoic-Mesozoic) caused the relative plate motion to be expressed as Alpine Fault movement in the South Island but as the formation of a mega brittle-ductile shear zone in Marlborough and eastern North Island.
The study and learning strategies of students in a New Zealand tertiary institution
(The University of Waikato, 1989) Calder, Ian; Freyberg, Peter; Katterns, Robert; Haigh, Neil
This research examined the study and learning strategies of students in the natural setting of a New Zealand teachers college. It was prompted by the researchers’ professional interest as a teachers college lecturer, the need expressed in the research literature for in-depth longitudinal research into learning at the tertiary level, and the contradictory findings in that literature about students’ attitudes towards learning and their ability to acquire a reflective, analytical and critical approach to study. The researcher was interested in the strategies adopted by students when faced with their normal learning tasks in a teachers college setting. What determined the strategies that students used? How effective were these strategies? Did these strategies change with time and experience? Could these strategies be improved? These questions were researched by means of a two-phase research design. Phase 1 was a longitudinal study of a single cohort (n=86) of Hamilton Teachers College students over the three year period of their preservice programme. The methodology here was a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches. Psychometric instruments used were the Approaches to Studying Inventory - ASI (Entwistle and Ramsden, 1983), The State Trait Anxiety Inventory - STAI (Spielberger et al. 1968), The Expressed Vocational Commitment Scale - EVCS (Ramsay, 1978). Factor analysis of the ASI generated some alternative sub-scales which were also applied. Qualitative data to do with learning strategies and motivation stemmed from a series of five interviews over the three year period with two groups of students: 12 students selected for their high degree of a surface-confused approach to study and learning as revealed by their performance on the ASI, and 20 students who were randomly selected. Phase 2 of the research involved a cross-sectional study of Year 1, 2, and 3 students (n = 136, 130, and 102 respectively), and a comparison of the perceptions of students and teachers college staff regarding students’ development as learners. The cross-sectional application of the ASI was an attempt to offset special problems with factor analysis activity as a result of a smaller than desirable sample size in the Phase 1 longitudinal design. A sample of staff (n=13) was interviewed about their views on students as learners and also responded to a Staff Perceptions of Student Development Questionnaire (SPSDQ) which derived from factor analysis of the ASI. The items of the SPSDQ were embedded in the ASI as administered to the cross-sectional sample making it possible to directly compare student and staff perceptions of students as learners. Students in the original (longitudinal) sample appeared not to develop as better learners, and their pattern of development strongly resembled that of students in an Australian study (Watkins and Hattie, 1983). Students in the cross-sectional sample did appear to develop in positive directions with an increase in deep learning and the development of positive attitudes towards learning. Whether the difference in the two populations was due to the relative maturity of the cross-sectional population or to a change in the college programme which was instituted between the two phases could not be determined. It is probable that both these actors were involved. Interviews with students revealed insights into the motivational factors underlying student approaches to studying. In particular it was found that stress was an important factor related to students being surface-confused. Some surface-confused students also appeared to be basically deep learners who could not apply that mode of learning appropriately. The majority of students who were interviewed came to college with a surface approach to learning well in place. The advice with respect to studying that these students received at secondary school reinforced that approach. Students appeared also to have ambiguous attitudes towards academic achievement. In general they did not wish to appear achievement orientated when responding to the ASI or to direct questions about achievement in the interviews. For some students it was apparent that this image they wanted to project did not match their learning behaviours. Staff and student perceptions of student development appeared to be in accord with respect to motivational and attitudinal factors but were opposed with respect to approaches to studying and general development. There was some support for the hypothesis that students with a versatile learning style at entry to college would have an academic advantage. The findings have implications for teaching at the tertiary level, and have particular relevance therefore for staff development programmes in tertiary institutions. They also have relevance for the development of study skills programmes for students. Due to the increasing numbers of students staying at school longer, the study also has relevance for teaching at the secondary school level.
Reverse gyrase from archaebacteria
(The University of Waikato, 1990) Collin, R.G.; Musgrave, D.R.; Morgan, Hugh W.
Reverse gyrase, an enzyme that positively supercoils DNA, was examined with regard to its distribution in thermophilic and mesophilic bacteria. It was discovered that, among the bacterial species tested, reverse gyrase activity was only present in the sulphur metabolizing archaebacteria. While screening for reverse gyrase, endonuclease and relaxing topoisomerase activities were also detected in some bacterial species. Two archaebacteria, Sulfolobus solfataricus and the Thermococcus-like isolate AN1, were chosen as representatives of the major branches of archaebacteria which exhibit the greatest phylogenetic diversity among bacteria known to contain reverse gyrase. Reverse gyrase from these organisms was further investigated following the purification and characterization of the enzyme. The results suggested that reverse gyrase was not significantly different between S. solfataricus and AN1 in physical properties or in the catalytic conditions under which activity is maximal. Furthermore this similarity extends to the reverse gyrase from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius (Forterre et al., 1985; Nadal et al., 1988; Nakasu and Kikuchi, 1985) and Desulfurococcus amylolyticus (Slesarev, 1988). The role of reverse gyrase in sulphur metabolizing archaebacteria was examined by attempting to elucidate the supercoiled state of their genomic DNA. The technique used for these experiments followed that of Worcel and Burgi, 1972 who extracted nucleoids from E. coli and ran them on sucrose gradients under different concentrations of ethidium bromide. The procedures necessary to succeed in using this technique were successfully developed using E. coli which was confirmed as containing a negatively supercoiled genome. However attempts to isolate nucleoids from S. solfataricus and AN1 were not successful and the supercoiled state of chromosomal DNA in these cells could not be determined.
Learning science from technology
(The University of Waikato, 1989) Cosgrove, Mark McElroy; Osborne, Roger John; Carr, M.D.
The study explored the possibility that science can be learned from technology and it described the effects of a teaching approach on electric current with learners aged 11 - 15 years. It was based on a constructivist-developmentalist view of learning which recognises that learners bring prior knowledge to science lessons. The nature of that knowledge and how it is incorporated into lessons is believed to influence subsequent learning. The purpose of science learning is seen as developing learners’ own ideas into more coherent conceptual knowledge so that learners can make better sense of their world. As technology is a part of that world, its place as a context for learning was investigated. Technology was defined in this study as ‘the ways humans use their intellectual capabilities and physical resources to solve problems of survival, well-being and quality of life.’ Related to this is a view of science which sees it as problematic, provisional and progressive, and hence different from views of science that are based on positivist-inductivist philosophies. This instrumentalist approach to science provided scope for analogy exploration. A teaching model incorporating learners’ prior ideas was derived from a learning theory which recognised that the principal action in learning occurs when learners generate new meanings. This teaching model used the familiar technology of the learners’ culture as a context for learning electric current. Problem solving was strongly featured in the teaching package. This study confirmed that many learners have prior ideas about electricity which are undifferentiated (with respect to current and e.m.f.), and have based their thinking about it on sequential reasoning and on schemata dealing with consumption. These theories and processes of knowing are resistant to change and likely to impede access to the ideas scientists regard as coherent. The task of changing to systems reasoning and of reducing the weight given to consumption notions has been extremely hard for most learners. An intermediate position may be a more realistic achievement at first contact. A teaching package was designed so that the ideas of 11 - 15 year-old learners could be studied as they followed a course of study on electric current. Its effects were monitored by a range of qualitative research methods in six classroom trials. Some learners adopted new views initially but regressed to their earlier views. Others adopted a new view, and for some this resembled the scientists’ notion that electric current is conserved. Significant changes occurred where learners were able to invent analogies and explore the implications of those analogies in a relaxed environment where there was plenty of time. Learners were not able to change from sequential reasoning, nor from their belief that something is consumed; they coped with the latter idea by proposing a two-component system in which one component, the current, is conserved but the other, a “fuel,” is not. Changing to a two-component model, called a transitional framework, is thought to be as big a differentiation as can be achieved. Thus it is unlikely that learners would develop a view of electric current consistent with scientific ideas at first contact. Female learners appeared not to be disadvantaged by this approach. Implications for the pre-service and in-service education of teachers were considered, resulting in an approach which attempts to ensure that teachers are conversant with the philosophical and psychological ideas embedded in it. Guidelines for considering technological systems from which science might be learned have been suggested.
The effect of procedural variations on discriminative performance: visual acuity in the domestic hen
(The University of Waikato, 1989) DeMello, L.R.; Foster, Mary T.; Temple, William
Changes in discriminative performance as a function of procedural variations were studied, using domestic hens in a visual acuity task. Square-wave gratings and grey stimuli were presented in a successive conditional discrimination. All probe sessions were conducted with increasingly fine gratings. Several methods of analysis were evaluated and various threshold criteria used. For the first set of experiments, Experiments 1.1 to 1.5, a spatial discrimination procedure was used. A comparison of an ascending and descending series of stimulus presentation showed no consistent difference in discriminative performance. An increase in response requirements to the sample key, from FR1 to FR5 and to FR10 in Experiment 1.2, generally resulted in higher accuracy at most grating values. Increasing response requirements further, resulted in inconsistent improvements in performance. Discriminative performance under a limited range of luminances was assessed in Experiment 1.3. Data showed greater accuracy at the highest compared to the lowest luminance, for most hens and most grating values. In Experiment 1.4 the effects of training hens to stability using a finer grating showed that extended practice on a finer grating value did not consistently improve discriminative performance. A one session probe is thus an accurate description of stable performance. A comparison of performance under a controlled and uncontrolled reinforcement procedure in Experiment 1.5 showed greater overall accuracy of performance with the uncontrolled procedure. The second set of experiments were a systematic replication of Experiments 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 and 1.5, using a non-spatial conditional discrimination procedure. Results of the comparison of the ascending and descending series of stimulus presentation were replicated. Increased response requirements from FR1 to FR5 and FR10 generally resulted in increased accuracy at only the coarsest grating. The effects of changing luminance were replicated. The controlled reinforcement procedure gave slightly higher accuracy. Negative exponential functions fitted to group data described the data well and indicated a lower initial accuracy and greater rate of decay of discriminative performance as a function of grating spatial frequency, for the non-spatial discrimination procedure. Threshold estimates were consistently lower (measured in cycles/degree) for performance with the non-spatial discrimination procedure, than with the spatial discrimination task. Several methods of data analysis were used, and thresholds were estimated using various criteria. Threshold estimates changed, generally reflecting changes in discriminative performance, and as such provided a useful measure of the effects of procedural variations on discriminative performance. However, thresholds estimated from least-squares fitted lines may arguably be more useful than those taken from a unitary value, because they include more of the available data. Problems associated with this and with the use of various criteria are discussed. Furthermore, the use of a constant and variable stimulus as used in these studies, is discussed with regard to the role it may play in encouraging response biases at finer gratings. The results of these experiments indicate that the measurement of psychophysical phenomena, as exemplified by visual acuity in the domestic hen, may be consistently changed by variables which directly effect the sensory functioning, such as luminance. Discriminative performance was, however, confounded by the effects of non-sensory procedural variations, and the most important of these appears to be task difficulty.
Studies on late Quaternary tephras in the Waikato and other regions in northern North Island, New Zealand, based on distal deposits in lake sediments and peats
(The University of Waikato, 1987) Lowe, David J.; McCraw, J.D.; Briggs, Roger M.
Aspects of late Quaternary tephrostratigraphy and tephrochronology of the Waikato and other regions in northern North Island, New Zealand, are investigated using distal tephras contained in lake sediments and peats. Such environments are advantageous for tephra studies, particularly in distal localities where tephra identifications have previously been difficult, because the tephras are preserved as discrete layers relatively little affected by postdepositional reworking or weathering processes. Tephras can thus be correlated with confidence much further from source and mapped with a degree of thickness resolution around 10-100 times better than previously possible. Sediment cores from lakes and bogs enable the stratigraphic, chronologic, and compositional relationships of tephras erupted from different sources to be elucidated, and a record of explosive volcanism to be documented. Forty-one distal tephras of rhyolitic or andesitic composition have been deposited in lakes in the Waikato area over the past c.17 000 years. The tephras originated from six volcanic centres and are identified using their mineralogy (particularly ferromagnesian silicate assemblages) and glass and mineral composition (determined by electron microprobe) in combination with stratigraphic position and ¹⁴C chronology. The correlated tephras associated with each source (approximate ages in years B.P., old T½ basis) are: Taupo: Taupo (1800), Mapara (2200), Whakaipo (2800), Hinemaiaia (4500), Opepe (8900): Okataina: Whakatane (4800), Mamaku (7000), Rotoma (8500), Waiohau (12 200), Rotorua (13 300), Rerewhakaaitu (14 700), Okareka (17 000): Maroa: Puketarata (14 000): Mayor Island: Tuhua (6200). uncorrelated (14 500); Tongariro: Mangamate (Te Rato Lapilli?) (9950), Okupata (8 informal units Oa-1 to Oa-8: 10 100, 10 500, 10 800, 11 050, 11 200, 11 700, 12 100, 12 700), uncorrelated (13 100). Rotoaira (13 700); Egmont: 15 informal (uncorrelated) units Eg-1 to Eg-15 (2500, 3700, 3750, 4100, 4400, 5250, 5850, 5900, 9300, 9600, 10 100, 11 050, 14 500, 15 000, 15 500). Eleven Holocene tephras, mostly rhyolitic, are identified in bogs in Urewera National Park (Kaipo Lagoon, Te Rangaakapua): Kaharoa (700 years B.P.), Taupo, Mapara, Waimihia (3200 years B.P.), Hinemaiaia, Whakatane, Rotoma, Opepe, Poronui (9900 years B.P.), Karapiti (10 100 years B.P.), and Okupata (10 300 years B.P.). Distal rhyolitic tephras identified in Auckland (Lake Waiatarua) include Tuhua, Mamaku(?), Rotoma, and Opepe(?); in Northland (Lake Omapere), Mamaku and Rotoehu (c.50 000 years B.P.) tephras are identified. New methods for detecting thin tephra layers in organic sediments are investigated: x-radiography of unopened, small diameter sediment cores, rapid x-ray fluorescence of peat samples, and the application of subsurface interface radar (SIR) to tephra-bearing lake sediments and peats. SIR is fast and precise with depth penetration up to 10 m, and could be very effective in mapping shallow tephra layers in various environments. Controls on the rates of weathering and the genesis of clay minerals in tephras of acid to intermediate composition are reviewed. A study of controls on weathering and clay mineral genesis in subaerial late Quaternary tephra deposits and soils in the Waikato region is greatly facilitated by the stratigraphic, compositional, and pattern of distribution of the unweathered counterpart tephras preserved in adjacent lakes and bogs. The study demonstrates that rates of weathering and clay mineral transformations in tephra materials are strongly influenced by composition and environmental factors, especially microenvironmental factors, rather than a tephra age-dependent factor. The dated tephras in c.17 000 year-old lakes in the Waikato region provide time-stratigraphic markers for multidisciplinary palaeoenvironmental studies, many of which are currently in progress, on the lake sediments. The developmental history of Lake Maratoto, near Hamilton. is investigated using tephrochronology and ¹⁴C dating, and enables some aspects of postglacial climatic change to be inferred.
Cultural reciprocity in deep knowledge co-production
(The University of Waikato, 2026) Hudson, Maui; Tiakiwai, Sarah-Jane; Smith, Linda Tuhiwai; Diaz, Vince
My approach to completing this PhD by publication did not follow a standard process and as such the thesis has a different structure. This is related in part to my circumstances and the length of time to conclude this thesis, the evolving nature of my research projects, and the movement of discourse over that period of time. What this thesis represents is a body of research that I have been fortunate to be a part of over the past ten years. All of the projects were collaborative activities, and all involved the integration of both western and Māori bodies of knowledge. Each project has its own methodological approach and methods although most drew predominantly on kaupapa Māori methodology. The introduction provides a general summary and positionality statement to orient the reader to my background and motivations. Chapter One provides an outline to the structure of the thesis including the research question, methodological approach, and methods for the construction of the thesis. Chapter Two is a literature review exploring the cultural interface between Indigenous knowledge and science, and the challenge of braiding these bodies of knowledge within research projects. Chapter Three describes the foundations of cultural reciprocity and the dimensions and attributes that comprise the Cultural Reciprocity Framework. This represents the primary new output of the thesis, woven together from the literature review and the learnings that emerged from the published papers. Chapters 4 – 15 represent selected papers/project outputs for which a general description is provided as well as a Cultural Reciprocity Framework assessment. These chapters are structured into three parts, locally focused projects (4-6), nationally focused projects (7-12), and internationally focused projects (13-15). Chapter 16 is the discussion section exploring what the use of the Cultural Reciprocity Framework indicates and how it might be used to encourage a deeper and more substantive approach to the braiding of Indigenous knowledge and science in research or what I think of as ‘deep knowledge co-production’.
Extremely thermophilic bacteria in New Zealand hot springs
(The University of Waikato, 1984) Patel, B.K.C.; Morgan, Hugh W.; Daniel, Roy M.
Pools in thermal areas were investigated by direct microscopic procedures, by indirect tracer methods and by conventional bacteriological methods of enrichment and isolation, in order to determine the diversity and distribution of extremely thermophilic bacteria. The indirect isotope uptake tracer method was unsuccessful during the earlier part of the project. Although, problems with isotope methodology were largely solved, this did not occur early enough in the investigation to allow use of the method as a means of establishing a biomass activity index for pools. The immunofluorescence method worked well on laboratory grown isolates but was surprisingly unsatisfactory when used in situ. The method was abandoned because of the time required to correct possible problems which may have been due to the choice of the microorganisms used in the study. The implications of these results with regard to ecological studies are discussed in the thesis. Electron microscopy was used to further investigate the morphology and diversity of bacteria in pools. Direct microscopic examination of pool water by phase contrast microscopy showed that over 90% of the pools contained bacteria. Gram staining of slides colonized in situ revealed that Gram negative bacteria were the only types present in most pools. New methods of grid preparation and handling were developed. In situ colonisation of grids showed that practically all the 38 pools over the temperature range of 70°C to 102°C and pH’s from 3.0 to 9.5 contained bacteria. Pools varied as to diversity of species and numbers of cells of the same morphotype in each pool. Some pools contained an apparent monoculture whereas others had a diverse ecosystem. In situ EM technique and subsequent cultural studies revealed that sulphur-respiring archaebacteria were the dominant microorganisms present in springs with temperatures above 90°C with both coccal and rod-shaped forms present. Methanogens, another archaebacterial group, were also isolated but they inhabited pools with lower temperatures (between 65 to 80°C). Isolation and cultivation procedures were also successfully used to obtain cultures of more conventional anaerobes. These were chiefly obtained from neutral springs in the 70 to 85°C range and fermented carbohydrates to a variety of end products but primarily acetate, ethanol or lactate. The diversity of this group of caldoactive glycolytic anaerobes was demonstrated by isolating species which produced quite distinct ratios of the three major end products. Some of these isolates were very similar to glycolytic anaerobes described previously e.g. Thermoanaerobium brockii, Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus. A number of isolates had properties different from the type strains. Investigation of the aerobic flora of thermal springs were not as intensive as those on anaerobes, largely because these organisms have been well described elsewhere. Thermus and Bacillus species were the most dominant aerobic microflora in many of the New Zealand springs. Their distribution and characteristics conformed to expectations of overseas results. Thermothrix and Sulfolobus species were isolated from a few pools but Thermomicrobium species which have been isolated from the Yellowstone National Park thermal springs, USA, have not been detected in the New Zealand thermal springs.
Some chemistry of Group IVB-cobalt carbonyl compounds
(The University of Waikato, 1988) Lee, Siew Kim; Mackay, Kenneth M.; Nicholson, Brian K.
The reaction of MeGeH₃ and Co₂(CO)₈ has been reinvestigated. Products obtained from this reaction include MeGeCo₃(CO)₁₁, Me₂Ge₂Co₄(CO)₁₄ (or [MeGeCo(CO)₄]₂Co₂(CO)₆), MeGeHCo₂(CO)ₓ (x = 7 or 8), (MeGe)₂Co₄(CO)₁₁ and Co₄(CO)₁₂, the relative proportion depending on the ratio of the reactants. Decarbonylation of a mixture of Me₂Ge₂Co₄(CO)₁₄, MeGeCo₃(CO)₁₁ and MeGeHCo₂(CO)ₓ produced a small amount of (MeGe)₂Co₄(CO)₁₁ together with a new compound Me₃Ge₃Co₅(CO)₁₄ (or (MeGe)₂Co₄(CO)₁₀(μ-Ge(Me)Co(CO)₄)) which was characterised by a full crystal structure. The crystal structure of MeGeCo₃(CO)₁₁ was also determined. A new, convenient and efficient route to (MeM')₂Co₄(CO)₁₁ (M'= Si, Ge) clusters has been developed, based on the reaction of MeM'H₃ with Co₄(CO)₁₂. Reactions of RGeH₃ (R= Me, Et, Ph) with M'Co₄(CO)₁₄ (M'= Si, Ge) have been investigated in detail. (RGeH)ₙGeCo₄(CO)₁₄₋ₙ (n= 1 or 2) were obtained from the GeCo₄(CO)₁₄ system. Further reaction of the products with Co₂(CO)₈ produced two new clusters : RGe₂Co₅(CO)₁₅ (or (RGe)Co₄(CO)₁₁(GeCo(CO)₄)) (R= Me, Ph) from the (RGeH)GeCo₄(CO)₁₃ reaction and R₂Ge₃Co₆(CO)₁₇ (or (RGe)₂Co₄(CO)₁₀(μ-GeCo₂(CO)₇) from the (RGeH)₂GeCo₄(CO)₁₂ reaction. Representative X-ray crystal structures of MeGe₂Co₅(CO)₁₅ and Et₂Ge₃Co₆(CO)₁₇ are described. With SiCo₄(CO)₁₄, MeGeH₃ produced a mixture of compounds, including the new compound RGeSiCo₅(CO)₁₅ (or (RGe)Co₄(CO)₁₁(SiCo(CO)₄), characterised by a full crystal structure), (RGe)₂Co₄(CO)₁₁, Me₃Ge₃Co₅(CO)₁₄, SiCo₄(CO)₁₃, Co₄(CO)₁₂ and Co₂(CO)₈. RR'GeH₂ (R= Me, R'=Me, Cl) reacted with GeCo₄(CO)₁₄ to form (RR'Ge)GeCo₄(CO)₁₃ and (RR'Ge)₂GeCo₄ (CO)₁₂ depending on the reaction conditions. Preliminary studies on the reaction of Me₂GeH₂ with SiCo₄(CO)₁₄ indicated that Me₂GeCo₂(CO)₇, Me₂GeCo₂(CO)₈ (Me₂Ge)₂Co₂(CO)₆ and SiCo₄(CO)₁₃ were formed. The reaction of MeSiH₃ with GeCo₄(CO)₁₄ resulted only in the decarbonylation of GeCo₄(CO)₁₄ to GeCo₄(CO)₁₃. However, in the reaction of MeSiH₃ with SiCo₄(CO)₁₄, a number of products were formed. These include MeSiH₂Co(CO)₄, Co₂(CO)₈, SiCo₄(CO)₁₃ and a new product of formula MeSi₂Co₅(CO)₁₅ (or (MeSi)Co₄(CO)₁₁(SiCo(CO)₄). Preliminary studies on the following reactions were also carried out: the reaction of Me₂SiH₂ with M'Co₄(CO)₁₄ and the reaction of Me₂SiH₂ with Co₄(CO)₁₂. In the GeCo₄(CO)₁₄ system no reaction other than the decarbonylation of GeCo₄(CO)₁₄ to GeCo₄(CO)₁₃ was observed. In both the SiCo₄(CO)₁₄ and Co₄(CO)₁₂ systems, Me₂SiHCo(CO)₄, Me₂[Co(CO)₄]SiOCCo₃(CO)₉, Co₂(CO)₈ and Co₄(CO)₁₂ were obtained. All new products in this study were fully characterised by infrared, ¹H NMR, ¹³CO NMR and mass spectroscopy, and for most, by X-ray crystallography. Some ¹³CO NMR studies on M'-Co carbonyl compounds are also reported.
Children's questions: their place in primary science education
(The University of Waikato, 1989) Biddulph, Frederick G. M.; Carr, Malcolm; McLaren, Ian; Osborne, Roger; Freyberg, Peter
This study addressed four problems identified in primary science education in New Zealand. (i) Most primary teachers lacked confidence in science and therefore avoided teaching the subject as much as possible. (ii) Primary science teaching that took place tended to be superficial, and inconsistent with the processes of scientific endeavour. (iii) Children seldom appreciated the purposes of the experiences and tasks in which teachers engaged them. (iv) Children frequently constructed ideas that were unintended and unrecognised by their teachers. The study consisted of a series of relatively small-scale, action research investigations carried out in selected primary schools and classrooms in two regions of New Zealand. These explored the possibility of developing a viable alternative approach to primary science education that might overcome the difficulties identified. Recent advances in both the philosophy of science, and the psychology of learning (for example constructivist learning theory), suggested that children’s own questions might provide a suitable basis for such an alternative. The study therefore built upon (i) three former primary science programmes that had children’s questions as a central focus, namely Nuffield Junior Science, Science 5/13 and Elementary School Science, and (ii) the experimental study by Symington (1980) in Melbourne which tested several assumptions relating to the use of children’s questions in primary science programmes. There were four main phases to the study: (i) determining whether questions could be elicited readily from New Zealand primary school children in science classrooms, (ii) constructing a viable alternative teaching approach incorporating children’s questions, (iii) investigating the ability of a small but representative sample of teachers to adopt the alternative approach as intended by the developers, and (iv) exploring the views of children and teachers who had experienced the alternative teaching approach. Teaching and observations in classrooms, together with both formal and informal interviews of teachers and children, constituted the main methodology used. The major outcomes of the study were: (i) A sample of New Zealand primary school children were found to be able to generate a wealth of questions in school about natural and technological phenomena if given the opportunity and encouragement. (ii) With judicious selection, their questions could be incorporated into a viable, structured, but flexible alternative teaching approach that largely overcame the problems identified. This approach was termed an ‘interactive’ teaching approach to emphasise the interactive and transactional nature of the learning and teaching that occurred in primary science classrooms when the approach was used. (iii) Since the approach differed markedly in its perspective on science, learning, and teaching from that held by most teachers, few could adopt it as intended by the developers without the experience of a special inservice programme designed to be congruent with the principles of the interactive approach. (iv) When children experienced the interactive approach they were found to have far greater ownership of the learning involved than previously, while their teachers experienced considerable relief in feeling they no longer had to be ‘experts’ in science themselves, together with a sense of fascination with the world of children’s ideas and skills which was opened up to them.
Generation and application of squeezed light
(The University of Waikato, 1988) Marte, Monika Alice Maria; Walls, D.F.; Gardiner, Crispin
This thesis investigates some aspects of future applications of squeezed states. Subsequent to an introductory part summarizing a few basic notions and facts related to squeezing, a detailed study of the generation of squeezed light and its effects in two different quantum optical systems is presented. Firstly a more technology-oriented application of squeezed states is discussed, namely a four-wave mixing optical rotation sensor. In an optical rotation sensor or “laser gyroscope” an external rotation is measured by means of the so-called Sagnac effect; that is one detects the relative phase shift which is induced between a co-rotating and a counter-rotating beam, when the cavity or fiber is in a state of rotation. It is demonstrated that the non-linearity in the fiber medium of a laser gyroscope can be used to produce squeezed light, which leads to a better signal to noise ratio in the subsequent heterodyne detection of the Sagnac phase shift. The major part of this thesis is dedicated to the analysis of the “squeezed reservoir laser”, which is of a more theoretical nature. The laser is treated as an open quantum system which is coupled to a squeezed environment. Both possibilities have been investigated: squeezing the reservoir which models the incoherent pumping process and the spontaneous emission or, alternatively, squeezing the other heatbath, modelling the vacuum modes entering the laser cavity. The analysis includes a detailed discussion of the semiclassical theory, the rotating wave van der Pol oscillator model for the squeezed reservoir laser, the derivation of the laser linewidth and the calculation of the spectrum of fluctuations from a linearized theory. Two main results are the locking of the laser phase due to the anisotropy of the fluctuations in the squeezed reservoirs and the possibility of generating squeezed laser light.
Preparation and reactions of some orthomanganated ketones, amides and aldehydes
(The University of Waikato, 1989) Robinson, Nicholas P.; Main, Lyndsay; Nicholson, Brian K.
η²-(1-acetyl-2-indolyl)tetracarbonylmanganese (7, R=CH₃) and η²-(2-N,N- dimethylamidophenyl)tetracarbonylmanganese (13), the first examples of orthomanganated amides, have been synthesized by reaction of N-acetylindole and N,N-dimethylbenzamide respectively with PhCH₂Mn(CO)₅. 7 (R=CH₃) was identified by X-ray crystallography. Preparation of the N-benzoyl- (7, R=Ph) analogue highlights a preference for metalation at the 5-membered indolyl ring, rather than the benzoyl ring. The N-benzoylpyrrole analogue of 7, η²-(1-benzoyl-2-pyrrolyl)tetracarbonylmanganese (4) was also prepared. Orthomanganated N,N-dimethylbenzamide (13) showed only oxygen donation to manganese, despite the presence of a possible nitrogen donor. N,N-diethyl and N,N-pyrrolidinyl analogues of 13 behaved similarly. [diagram] (7) [diagram] (13) η²-(2-formyl-5-dimethylaminophenyl)tetracarbonylmanganese (21) and its 5-methoxy analogue were prepared similarly and are the first examples of orthomanganated aldehydes. 2-thiophenecarboxaldehyde and 3-thiophenecarboxaldehyde gave analogous 3-metalated and 2-metalated aldehyde products. Two new dimetalated arenes, η²,η²-(2,4-diacetylphenyl)bis-1,5- (tetracarbonyl)manganese (25) and η²,η²-(2,5-diacetylphenyl)bis-1,4-(tetracarbonyl)manganese (27), have been identified, in the former case by crystal structure analysis. The first examples of coupling reactions of orthomanganated carbonyl compounds with alkynes are reported that do not require a palladium(II) catalyst: η²-(2-acetylphenyl)tetracarbonylmanganese (39) was treated with diphenylacetylene to give in good yield 1-methyl-2,3-diphenylinden-1-ol (40), the structure of which was determined crystallographically. Acetylene, 4-octyne and bis(trimethylsilyl)-acetylene reacted similarly. For indenols arising from coupling with the unsymmetric alkynes phenylacetylene and trimethylsilylacetylene, the alkyne substituent occupied the 2-position in the final product. A possible mechanism for the couplings is discussed. [Diagram] (40) Coupling of diphenylacetylene was effected with three other types of substrate; η²-(2-N,N-dimethylamidophenyl)-tetracarbonylmanganese (13) gave 2,3-diphenylindenone, η²-(2- carboxymethyl-4,5,6-trimethoxyphenyl)tetracarbonylmanganese (51) gave 2,3-diphenyl-5-dimethylaminoindenone and η²-(2-formyl-5-dimethylaminophenyl)tetracarbonylmanganese (21) gave rise to 2,3-diphenyl-4,5,6-trimethoxyindenone. Coupling of amide (13) with excess acetylene, however, gave a cyclohexadienyl-Mn(CO)₃ compound (50). [Diagram] (50) η²-(1-acetyl-2-indolyl)tetracarbonylmanganese (7) coupled with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate to afford a tricyclic nucleus, that of dimethyl 1-methyl-1-hydroxypyrrolo[l,2a]indole-2,3-dicarboxylate (56). The product has potential applications in the synthesis of mitomycin-based anti-tumour agents. Its crystal structure is reported and is of interest as a rare example of a stable carbinolamine. Possible reaction pathways to the variety of product types are considered throughout. [Diagram] (56) Some preliminary studies into electrophilic substitutions of (arene)M(CO)₃ (M= Cr, Mn) complexes were conducted. Despite an apparent lack of success in this area, the experimental procedures are recorded.

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