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Research Commons is the University of Waikato's open access research repository, housing research publications and theses produced by the University's staff and students.

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Using the theory of planned behaviour to understand vaping behaviour on campus
(The University of Waikato, 2026) Liu, Jia Qi; Piercy-Cameron, Gemma; Starkey, Nicola J.
As part of the New Zealand National Smokefree policy, vaping is banned in public areas for example, public transport, schools and University campuses. Despite the policy and signage on campuses, like the University of Waikato, vaping behaviour still occurs. To understand the occurrence of vaping on campus, this study used the Theory of Planned Behaviour to examine how e-cigarette users’ attitude, their social groups' attitude and self-control influence their intention to vape on campus; and where on campus e-cigarette users choose to vape. The study included 152 participants who completed an online questionnaire, yielding 92 usable responses. The results showed that e-cigarette users with a more positive attitude towards vaping behaviour and lower perceived behavioural control (PBC) were more likely to plan to vape on campus. Results indicated that e-cigarette users who vape on campus and those who do not significantly differ in attitude, subjective norms, PBC. Results also suggested that people with longer vaping duration and more frequent daily vaping were more likely to vape on campus. The vaping spots where e-cigarette users were more likely to choose were the edge of the campus (76%), the field/lake (48%), walking on the campus (45%), public bathroom (38%), and student accommodation - bedroom (28%). Overall, this study indicates the importance of attitudes, subjective norms, and PBC in influencing vaping behaviour. This study extends the Theory of Planned Behaviour to address a gap in the analysis of on-campus vaping behaviour and offers new insights into the psychological drivers of vaping to inform efforts to mitigate its occurrence. These findings could be used to identify target groups and locations for promoting campus smokefree policy and designing educational campaigns to reduce vaping on campus and prevent vaping.
“We don’t have to carry the shame”: Autobiographical documentary filmmaking as a collective healing artifact for child abuse survivors
(The University of Waikato, 2026) Visage, Anthea; Perrott, Lisa; Schott, Gareth R.
Sitting at the intersection between autobiographical documentary theory and child abuse-related trauma theory, this thesis explores the wellbeing outcomes and impacts for child abuse survivors who create and view autobiographical documentaries that represent discourses about child abuse, intergenerational trauma, and healing. Adopting an anti-pathologising approach to trauma, this thesis explores and amplifies the historically silenced voices of child abuse survivors. Life is given to the underrepresented experiential accounts of autobiographical documentarians, with a focus on an uncharted community of practitioners: survivor-filmmakers. Further elevating survivor narratives, I position myself as a survivor-researcher, embracing an autoethnographic approach wherein my ‘presence’ remains integral to the research (Ellis et al., 2000; Bochner et al., 2016; Bochner, 2022; 2016). As a secondary research focus, this thesis seeks to understand what affordances survivor-researchers may bring to research projects that explore the experiences of child abuse survivors. A tripartite model for analysis of audio-visual texts frames the exploration, spanning three domains: production, text, and (potential) audience reception (Thompson, 1990). Trauma-and-violence-informed interviews were conducted to investigate the experiences of four survivor-filmmakers: Gwen van de Pas (Groomed, 2021); Tracey Arcabasso Smith (Relative, 2022); Jasmín Mara López (Silent Beauty, 2022); and Ginene Humphrey (Dandelions, TBC). Audio-visual methods of textual analysis, critical discourse analysis (Fairclough, 1992a; 1992b; 1998; 2001), and affect analysis (Rose, 2016; Tait, 2016; Plantinga & Tan, 2007) were applied to identify affordances and examine the discursive functionality of the documentaries. Interviews with wellbeing professionals were conducted to investigate the potential therapeutic value of the texts for survivor-viewers. Interview transcripts were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun et al., 2022a; 2022b; 2019). Synthesising the findings across the three domains, the research reveals how autobiographical documentary filmmaking and viewing can function as therapeutic healing tools, affording survivor-filmmakers and survivor-viewers the ability to re/process, challenge and let go of shame – a central aspect of the survivor experience, perpetuated and reinforced by victim-blaming culture. The filmmaking process functions as a ‘platform of vulnerability’ for survivor-filmmakers, a double-edged sword where traumatic stress and retraumatisation can be evoked, and where shame can be challenged. Challenging shame occurs through therapeutically impacting other survivors, experiencing survivorship, and re/processing in a myriad of ways, which engagement with representational strategies helps afford (including reenactments to represent traumatic memories and the child self, animation to represent, connect with and re-parent the inner-child, and using ocean imagery and sound as a mode of cultural memory). Post-release, autobiographical documentaries about abuse and healing may function as ‘collective healing artefacts,’ taking on an immortal life of their own that leads to ongoing therapeutic impact for survivors. The concept ‘vicarious therapy’ is coined to encapsulate how survivor-viewers may vicariously experience therapeutic impact, such as gaining a sense of survivorship, and re/processing possibilities of traumatic growth. This occurs through the intertwined processes of witnessing and feeling survivors – the elicitation of memories and affect(s) – and how autobiographical documentary representations can speak survivors’ shared language of shame. In other words, they can authentically represent aspects of the survivor experience. Contrasting individualistic healing approaches that dominate mainstream therapeutic practice, the findings magnify the value of collective approaches to heal abuse related trauma and shame. Autobiographical documentary filmmaking, and cinematherapy utilising autobiographical documentaries, may function as tools of collective healing. Findings suggest the need to move towards shame-sensitive approaches to autobiographical documentary filmmaking, building on the trauma-informed guidelines created by the Documentary Accountability Working Group (2022).
Building futures: Engaging students with dioramas in STEAM education
(Springer Science and Business Media LLC) Taylor, Simon
This study examined the perspectives and experiences of teachers and students in constructing dioramas. It was conducted in a small rural secondary school in Aotearoa, New Zealand. The three-dimensional models acted as tools for helping students visualise and represent ideas, supporting the development of environmental and sustainability concepts. The study involved four teachers collaboratively teaching a combined Year 9 and 10 class within an integrated STEAM (Science, Technology, Environment, Arts, Mathematics) programme, where students were challenged to design and construct imaginary habitats of future homes and local environments as dioramas, merging scientific knowledge with creative expression. The purpose of using dioramas extended beyond artistic representation; they provided a tangible way for students to engage with climate science by modelling ecosystems, illustrating interdependencies, and simulating the impact of human actions on environments. Through this process, students explored cause-and-effect relationships, considered adaptation and mitigation strategies, and envisioned sustainable futures. Dioramas acted as cognitive bridges, supporting learners to develop understanding of abstract climate science concepts into concrete, visual narratives that encouraged role play and dialogue. Themes emerging from the study included how the students identified and expressed their understandings of possible futures through diorama models, how they incorporated climate-change actions and solutions into their designs, and how the construction process prompted reasoning and discussion. The strengths of diorama construction lie in its ability to tell a story, make a claim, activate dialogue, and, importantly, help young people imagine and articulate sustainable futures.
A data-driven approach to real-time reconstruction of turbulent flow fields above a coarse-grain bed using sparse observational boundary data
(2026) Yang, Yifan; Xie, Yushu; Mullarney, Julia C.; Shao, Dong
Reconstructing turbulent flow fields from sparse or partial measurements has become increasingly feasible with advances in data-driven machine learning. This study introduces a convolutional autoencoder-based neural network for reconstructing real-time velocity and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) fields at the same sampling time as the boundary input over coarse-grain beds in a 100 mm × 100 mm region, solely using upstream boundary profiles. A scalable model architecture is established to handle various input/output data formats, and a physics-informed training strategy is implemented to enhance training efficiency and accuracy. Assessments demonstrate that the model effectively captures spatiotemporal flow patterns, particularly horizontal and total velocities, while time-averaged fields further reduce errors in real-time outputs. However, accuracy decreases for vertical velocity and high-TKE regions. Robustness tests indicate that the model generally remains stable under incomplete or corrupted inputs, whereas TKE reconstructions are more sensitive to those disturbances and require cleaner data and improved training. This study highlights the importance of embedding more physical laws within the model. Overall, the proposed model demonstrates promising potential for real-time flow field reconstruction that requires fewer input data, though further refinement is necessary to improve the generalizability, physical consistency, and application to more complex flow environments.
Interstellar conditions deduced from interstellar neutral helium observed by IBEX and global heliosphere modeling
(IOP Publishing, 2023) Swaczyna, Paweł; Bzowski, Maciej; Heerikhuisen, Jacob; Kubiak, Marzena A.; Rahmanifard, Fatemeh; Zirnstein, Eric J.; Fuselier, Stephen A.; Galli, André; McComas, David J.; Möbius, Eberhard; Schwadron, Nathan A.
In situ observations of interstellar neutral (ISN) helium atoms by the IBEX-Lo instrument on board the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission are used to determine the velocity and temperature of the pristine very local interstellar medium (VLISM). Most ISN helium atoms penetrating the heliosphere, known as the primary population, originate in the pristine VLISM. As the primary atoms travel through the outer heliosheath, they charge exchange with He+ ions in slowed and compressed plasma, creating the secondary population. With more than 2.4 million ISN helium atoms being sampled by IBEX during ISN seasons 2009-2020, we compare the observations with the predictions of a parameterized model of ISN helium transport in the heliosphere. We account for the filtration of ISN helium atoms at the heliospheric boundaries by charge-exchange and elastic collisions. We examine the sensitivity of the ISN helium fluxes to the interstellar conditions described by the pristine VLISM velocity, temperature, magnetic field, and composition. We show that comprehensive modeling of the filtration processes is critical for interpreting ISN helium observations, as the change in the derived VLISM conditions exceeds the statistical uncertainties when accounting for these effects. The pristine VLISM parameters found by this analysis are the flow speed (26.6 km s−1), inflow direction in ecliptic coordinates (255.°7, 5.°04), temperature (7350 K), and B − V plane inclination to the ecliptic plane (53.°7). The derived pristine VLISM He+ density is 9.7 × 10−3 cm−3. Additionally, we show a strong correlation between the interstellar plasma density and magnetic field strength deduced from these observations.