Arts and Social Sciences Papers
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This collection houses research from Te Kura Toi School of Arts, Te Kura Whatu Oho Mauri School of Psychology, and Te Kura Aronui School of Social Sciences at the University of Waikato.
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Item A critical race analysis of Māori representation in university strategic documents in Aotearoa New Zealand(Journal Article, Informa UK Limited, 2024) Waitoki, Waikaremoana; Tan, Kyle K. H.; Roy, Rituparna; Hamley, Logan; Collins, Francis L.Following the recent claims lodged at two universities in Aotearoa New Zealand alleging the existence of racism, there has been scepticism towards the professed commitments by universities to create an inclusive and safe environment for Indigenous Māori. As a Kaupapa Māori-informed study, we (a group of Māori and Tauiwi scholars) employed tenets of Critical Race Theory to examine how the representation of Māori is racialised and subordinated in university strategic documents. We located five predominant discourses portraying different mechanisms that reify whiteness in university practices such as the selective interpretation of Te Tiriti articles, targeted recruitment of Māori, framing of Māori as dependent on the Crown to succeed, commodification of mātauranga Māori, and avoidance of conversations about structural racism, colonisation, and racial equity. Our findings suggest that university strategic goal statements need to incorporate a critical race analysis, or else risk perpetuating practices that fall short of challenging the status quo.Item Psychometric properties of the motors of COVID-19 vaccination acceptance scale in New Zealand: Insights from confirmatory factor analysis(Journal Article, Springer, 2024) Adu, Peter; Popoola, Tosin; Collings, Sunny; Aspin, Clive; Medvedev, Oleg N.; Simpson, Colin R.High vaccination coverage plays an essential role in curbing epidemics and pandemics, making it important to have a country-specific valid and standardised instruments for assessing vaccination attitudes. This study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Motors of COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance Scale (MoVac-COVID19S) in New Zealand. A total of 413 participants completed an online survey in June and July 2022, which included the MoVac-COVID19S questions, demographic factors, and a single-item measure of COVID-19 vaccination willingness. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to examine the factor structures of the scale. Results indicated that the one-factor structure of the 9-item version best fitted the data compared to the one and four factor structures of the 12-item version, which showed acceptable fit indices after model modifications. All estimated fit indices were acceptable: CFI, GFI, and TLI > 0.95, RMSEA and SRMR < 0.08. The full scales of the MoVac-COVID19S demonstrated excellent reliability for both the 12-item (α = 0.91; ω = 0.91) and the 9-item (α = 0.94; ω = 0.95) versions. The bifactor model indicated a strong general factor, explaining 60–90% of the Explained Common Variance (ECV) for most items, surpassing specific factors. The MoVac-COVID19S is a reliable and valid scale to measure COVID-19 vaccination attitudes. The 9-item version appeared as the best choice for a unidimensional assessment. Future vaccination programmes can benefit from an adapted version of the MoVac-COVID19S to assess public attitudes towards new vaccines. Further psychometric assessment, including Rasch analysis, is recommended to strengthen the reliability and validity of the MoVac-COVID19S.Item Go hard, go early: Alternatives to the treatment model for addressing poverty, inequality and mental distress in Aotearoa New Zealand(Journal Article, New Zealand Psychological Society, 2021) Stolte, Ottilie Emma ElisabethThis discussion article is based on a paper presented at the Community Psychology Symposium as part of the 2021 New Zealand Psychology Conference. In this article, I reflect on my teaching praxis, widening inequalities, and on the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for psychology. Currently, the lack of mental health sector capacity and the shortage of some 1000 psychologists, poses a significant conundrum. This article revisits Albee's critique, "that no mass disease or disorder has ever been controlled or eliminated through individual treatment" (2005, p.37), and in so doing I reflect on what community psychology can contribute at this point in history.Item The role of helplines in the anti-trafficking space: Examining contacts to a major ‘modern slavery’ hotline(Journal Article, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2024) Cockbain, Ella; Tompson, LisaAlthough increasingly deployed worldwide, human trafficking hotlines are sorely under-researched. Situated within a complex systems framework, we conceptualise such helplines as both a product of and an influence on broader anti-trafficking ecosystems. Taking the UK as a case study, we undertook exploratory analysis of potential ‘modern slavery’ cases (n=3,613) reported to a major independent anti-trafficking helpline. We examined who seeks help, why and what follows. Contrary to stereotypes, relatively few cases involved sexual exploitation. Many case characteristics varied significantly by exploitation type. Reports about car washes and beauty services heavily influenced overall trends, likely reflecting intense public focus on these sites. Most cases involved adults. Although people self-reporting exploitation are the core target audience, only around 1 in 10 cases derived from self-reports (with higher rates for domestic servitude). We show how third-party reporters vary in their proximity to the people about whom they raise concerns – who themselves may or may not self-identify as victims and/or welcome intervention. Findings around onward action both show a whole-systems response to addressing complex needs and raise difficult tensions around risks of police involvement. Our key contributions include showing what can (and cannot) presently be assessed from such helpline data, proposing a future research agenda and providing a tangible illustration of what it means to theorise helplines as a part of a complex system of anti-trafficking activity. We highlight how their central goal of victim support can be enabled and constrained by wider policies, funding decisions and other structures.Item The Pepsi‐Jenner disaster: Translation and collaboration in global image markets(Journal Article, Wiley, 2022-06) Isaacs, BronwynIn April 2017, Pepsi released a video commercial featuring the American celebrity Kendall Jenner that rapidly ballooned into a pop culture moment with international import. The infamous commercial begins with a soft rock backing track and a young man playing the cello against an unspecified city skyline. The next scene is a clean-cut, multi-ethnic crowd of marching young people. Smiling and fist-pumping under their fedora hats and headscarves, the students are waving signs with slogans including ‘Join the conversation’ and ‘Peace’. As the music crescendos, the students face off in front of a silent line of police. A smiling Jenner then places a can of Pepsi in the muscled hands of a young male officer dressed in an American-style police uniform. A moment of shock. Silence. Then, inexplicably, the protesters burst forth in cheers and dancing.