2,137 results on '"Research"'
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2. Toward Redefining Library Research Support Services in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand: An Evidence-Based Practice Approach
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Alisa Howlett, Eleanor Colla, and Rebecca Joyce
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An increasingly complex and demanding research landscape has seen university libraries rapidly evolve their services. While research data management, bibliometrics, and research impact services have predominantly featured in the literature to date, the full scope of support libraries are currently providing to their institutions is unknown. This paper aims to present an up-to-date view of the scope and extent of research support services by university libraries across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. A coding process analyzed content data from university library websites. Eleven research support areas were identified. Service delivery is split between synchronous and asynchronous modes. This paper describes a lived experience of an evidence-based library and information practice approach to improving research support services at two Australian university libraries, and while it highlights continued maturation of research support services, more research is needed to better understand influences on service development.
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- 2024
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3. Enabling Writing Behaviours of Successful Professors: Insights into Optimising Research Writing Practices
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Nicholas Baker, Vijay Kumar, and Julie A. Timmermans
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Scholarly investigations continue to explore academics' behaviours towards writing in an effort to optimise research writing productivity. One such suite of behaviours which has received limited focus from previous investigations is known as 'enabling behaviours' - behaviours used to intentionally create environments that enable and optimise writing productivity. This qualitative study reveals and explores the enabling behaviours of 16 successful professors from a research-intensive university in New Zealand. These behaviours that emerged from the analysis centre on creating writing rhythms and relationships with technologies and locales. This study provides insights into the relationship formation processes with time, technology, and space as the enabling behaviours of successful professors. These insights are useful for research writers to optimise their own research writing practices.
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- 2024
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4. Indigenising Research: Moanaroa a Philosophy for Practice
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Dion Enari, Jacoba Matapo, Yvonne Ualesi, Radilaite Cammock, Hilda Port, Juliet Boon, Albert Refiti, Inez Fainga'a-Manu Sione, Patrick Thomsen, and Ruth Faleolo
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Growing interest in Pacific issues has meant a surge in Pacific research across the globe. Sadly, some research on Pacific people has been done without Pacific knowledge, wisdom and culture. As Pacific researchers, we understand the importance of outputs that interweave our ancestral and cultural wisdom, whilst centring and privileging our people's narratives. Through the birth of our Moanaroa Pacific Research group, we explore the importance of a research collective which decolonises and re indigenises research as we know it.
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- 2024
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5. Autoethnography as a Decolonising Tool: Bringing Identity into the Classroom
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Arianna Nisa-Waller and Gemma Piercy
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The need to include indigenous perspectives in curricula is a challenge facing education internationally. In the context of higher education, decolonising practices and processes are the responsibility not just of institutions but also individual academics. Despite individual aspirations to decolonise teaching, it can be difficult to know where to start. Our aim is to guide others to engage in teaching practices that seek to decolonise. To do this we outline our respective teaching and research experiences that are united by our use of critical autoethnography in workshops we have designed for our respective teaching in different institutions. Our paper describes different ways to bring into focus the lived experience and nuanced views of groups who, through the process of colonisation, have not previously been given space or voice in higher education. Enabling the inclusion of indigenous enquiry within classroom settings provides a valuable decolonisation tool for groups such as the indigenous Maori population in Aotearoa New Zealand. Our practices seek to create space to prioritise storytelling, the sharing of researcher positionality, and personal identity in a way that centralises indigenous perspectives. We argue that these autoethnographic practices help teachers and students to hold hegemonic systems to account, explore strengths-based solutions and express aspirations for the future.
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- 2024
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6. Reflecting on an Unexpected Challenge in Obtaining Ethical Approval for Research with Adults with Learning Disabilities
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Newcombe, Nicolina
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Obtaining ethical approval for my PhD research with adults with learning (intellectual) disabilities presented an unexpected challenge of learning to work with two sets of guidance: the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and the Ethical Conduct in Human Research and Related Activities Regulations (HRR). The CRPD binds States Parties to progress equal rights for people with disabilities of which Article 12, equal recognition before the law, disconnects mental capacity from legal capacity. The HRR protects participants, researchers and institutions and recognises mental capacity as a component of informed consent. In applying the CRPD and the HRR as complementary safeguards, and looking through the lens of edgewalking, I gained an appreciation for positively encountering complexity and incorporating multiple points of view. This article will describe how my challenging experience enabled skill building to develop a more strategic academic voice and will be of interest to student and other researchers.
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- 2022
7. Pa'ina: Using the Metaphor of a Potluck to Reimagine a Third Space for Ethical Research in Indigenous Contexts
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Elisabeth Moore
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This paper delves into the innovative use of the potluck, or "pa'ina," as a metaphor to reimagine a research approach aimed at fostering collective understanding between non-Indigenous knowledge seekers and Indigenous knowledge guardians in Indigenous contexts. By embracing the broader context of research, this metaphor strives to create a dialogical, relational, and ethical space for knowledge seekers to engage with knowledge guardians, promoting a reciprocal and respectful relationship. Central to this metaphor is the recognition of the insider/outsider binary and the need to transcend it. Indigenous knowledge is often guarded and restricted, granted access based on relationships and shared experiences. Understanding the complexity of these socio-spatial relationships is crucial for researchers to navigate respectfully. The metaphor also draws from the Oceanic concept of "va/va/wa," signifying the space between entities and the importance of maintaining harmony and balance within relationships. This relational space between the self and the other allows for transformative encounters and meaningful connections. To navigate this third space, researchers must undergo introspective reflexive exercises to understand their situationality and how it influences their research. Knowledge seekers must unsettle their histories, understand context, listen to the stories of others, create shared understanding, and launch new relationships that are centered on respect and reciprocity. Throughout the research process, the metaphor of "pa'ina" encourages researchers to be active participants, nurturing relationships with communities they seek knowledge from and reflecting upon their role within it. The "pa'ina" metaphor offers a transformative approach for Western academia to critically examine its historical impact on Indigenous communities and embrace a more respectful and inclusive research paradigm. By centering Indigenous voices and building meaningful relationships, this third space provides an opportunity for collaborative and sustainable research for the benefit of all stakeholders involved.
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- 2023
8. Sticky Floors, Double-Binds, and Double Whammies: Adjusting for Research Performance Reveals Universities' Gender Pay Gap Is Not Disappearing
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Ann Brower and Alex James
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We use 12 years of holistic research performance scores for each academic in all New Zealand universities to ask whether gendered gaps in pay, age, research performance score, and performance-adjusted pay are narrowing with time. We find that the gender gaps in age and research performance score narrowed from 2006 to 2018, but the gender gaps in pay and performance-adjusted pay did not. Controlling for research performance score, age, and field, women's odds of advancement to high ranks converged to around two-thirds of men's advancement odds. Similarly, the lifetime performance-adjusted gender pay gap has converged to around one-third the price of an average home. Trends suggest that, no matter how much women improve their research scores and "lean-in" for promotions, the performance-adjusted pay gap has plateaued to an equilibrium. Data from an entire national workforce fail to support the most common explanations for academic gender pay gaps--child-bearing and demographic inertia. But results are consistent with a systemic dynamic in which double-binds and double-whammies create a sticky floor that starts women at lower pay and impedes their advancement over time. We conclude with some suggested remedies from the literature of behavioral science. Without concerted efforts to change the structures of hiring and promotion, the gender pay gap in universities will not disappear of its own inertia.
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- 2023
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9. Market Making and the (Re)production of Knowledge in Public Universities
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Lewis, Nick, Robertson, Susan, Lim, Miguel Antonio, Komljenovic, Janja, Muellerleile, Chris, Shore, Cris, and Bajenova, Tatyana
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This collection of short essays presents and examines six vignettes of organisational change in British, New Zealand and European universities. Drawing on the social studies of economisation literature, formal research projects and auto-ethnographic insights, the authors detail profound changes in how knowledge is produced in universities. They examine policy documents, calculative techniques and management practices to illustrate how proliferating market rationalities, technologies and relations are reimagining university missions, reframing their practices and refashioning their subjects. Their vignettes demonstrate that market-making pressures are emerging from micro-scale socio-technical arrangements as well as altered funding models and external policy imperatives. They reveal the extent and detail of market-making pressures on academic practice in research and teaching. Finding ways to contest these pressures is imperative.
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- 2022
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10. Scholarly Communication Competencies: An Analysis of Confidence among Australasia Library Staff
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Kingsley, Danny, Kennan, Mary Anne, and Richardson, Joanna
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Through a nationwide survey of universities and research organizations in Australia and New Zealand, this article investigates the level of confidence that librarians working in scholarly communication have in their current competencies. The results show that, while respondents were generally confident across seven competency areas (institutional repository management, publishing services, research practice, copyright services, open access policies and scholarly communication landscape, data management services, and assessment and impact metrics), the majority combined their scholarly communication tasks with other roles. Challenges across the sector in updating skills and knowledge to keep abreast of current trends and developments were identified, with implications for improving professional development opportunities.
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- 2022
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11. Supervising Art and Design Students Who Integrate Mental Health Experiences with Autobiographical Research
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Ings, Welby
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This article discusses some implications of working supportively with art and design students who manage mental health conditions in a postgraduate environment in a New Zealand University. The paper begins with a discussion of contesting research that considers relationships between highly creative thinkers and certain mental health conditions. It then proposes that, irrespective of arguments around correlations, supervisors are able to make a significant contribution to supporting candidates who combine autobiographically sourced knowledge with artistic inquiries into the experience of living with a mental health condition. In considering this proposition, the paper employs two case studies that illustrate certain strategies that proved useful when seeking to maximise the chances of successful and productive thesis completions. Working in tandem with wider institutional and therapeutic support, these strategies functioned alongside each candidate's research journey. Eight of these approaches are discussed in relation to a pedagogically responsive, informed and creatively supportive environment in which the students were able to develop complex and insightful research projects.
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- 2022
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12. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science (MPEES): A Summary of MPEES-Related Activities in 2021
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Myers, Nicholas D., Lee, Seungmin, Chun, Haeyong, and Silverman, Stephen
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Purpose: The purpose of this manuscript is to provide a summary of Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science (MPEES)-related activities in 2021. Manuscripts submitted: In 2021 original submissions (i.e., not counting revised manuscripts) increased by [approximately]20% as compared to 2020. Fifty-eight countries were represented across the 464 original manuscripts submitted to MPEES in 2021. MPEES continues to welcome high-quality submissions from around the world in 2022. Manuscripts submitted by section: The seven sections of MPEES are: (1) exercise science, (2) physical activity, (3) physical education pedagogy, (4) psychology, (5) research methodology and statistics, (6) sport management and administration, and (7) tutorial and teacher's toolbox. More than three-fourths of the manuscripts submitted to MPEES in 2021 were submitted to one of three sections: exercise science or physical activity or research methodology and statistics. MPEES continues to welcome high-quality submissions within each of the seven sections that comprise the journal in 2022. Review process: Each of the original manuscripts submitted to MPEES in 2021 had received an initial decision by April 4, 2022 (i.e., 464 of the 464 manuscripts received). When an immediate decision (e.g., desk-rejection) was rendered by the editor-in-chief it always (i.e., for 369 of 369 manuscripts) occurred within 10 days of receiving the manuscript. When a manuscript was assigned to a section editor by the editor-in-chief it typically (i.e., for 91 of 95 manuscripts) received an initial decision within 90 days of receiving the manuscript. Twenty-four countries were represented across reviewers for the original manuscripts sent out for external review by MPEES in 2021. We gratefully acknowledge, and list in the Appendix, the many scholars (N = 151) from around the world who served as a reviewer for MPEES in 2021. Manuscripts published: Volume 25 (i.e., the volume published in 2021) of MPEES published a total of 37 manuscripts. More than two-thirds of the published manuscripts were submitted to one of two sections: exercise science or research methodology and statistics. MPEES continues to strive for publishing high-quality manuscripts within each of the seven sections that comprise the journal in 2022. Fourteen countries were represented across the manuscripts published in Volume 25 of MPEES. MPEES continues to strive for publishing high-quality manuscripts written by one or more authors from around the world in 2022. Impact factor: The 2020 impact factor for MPEES was 2.30 representing an increase of [approximately]31% compared to 2019 when the journal's impact factor was 1.75. The value of the 2020 impact factor placed MPEES in the second quartile (i.e., ranked #131 out of 265 journals) within the Education & Educational Research category of Clarivate Analytics. The 2021 impact factor for MPEES is expected to be released in [approximately]June 2022.
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- 2022
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13. Embracing the Global: The Role of Ranking, Research Mandate, and Sector in the Internationalisation of Higher Education
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Buckner, Elizabeth
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Universities around the world are increasingly orienting themselves towards global engagement in the form of internationalisation. This article examines how the importance of internationalisation and international research collaborations varies across institutions. Using data from the Fourth Global Survey of Internationalisation, it finds that research orientation, sector, and ranking influence the prioritisation of internationalisation in nuanced ways. Globally ranked institutions express a high level of commitment to both internationalisation and international research collaborations. In contrast, unranked public institutions prioritise internationalisation less overall than unranked private institutions, but international research collaborations more. I argue that even in the contemporary era of globalisation, public colleges and universities continue to be more explicitly nation-serving and research-oriented than private ones. In contrast, among globally ranked institutions, public and private universities use internationalisation to signal their standing as global research universities. The article deepens our understanding of how internationalisation is differentially affecting higher education institutions.
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- 2022
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14. 'It's a Case of Access.' The Problematics of Accessing Research Participants
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Amundsen, Diana, Msoroka, Moham, and Findsen, Brian
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The problematics of accessing res participants have been largely under-stated in the education research literature. This article discusses two case studies which illustrate the complexity of the process of access. This is complexity beyond ethical consent; it is the complexity of gaining access to research sites and participants and of ongoing negotiation concerning aspects of access, especially when the stakes are high for participants. In this article we first set out what is already known in the literature about challenges and strategies of access. Next, we evaluate our own experiences of access with others. Our analysis reveals key findings: a) the relevance of insider/outsider status; b) the need to engage in repeated negotiations to obtain the agreement and consent of gatekeepers; c) the value of identifying kaiarahi (guides) and building relationships; d) the importance of understanding organisational culture, power dynamics of relationships and of knowledge production; and e) the significance of operating in a transparent manner around researcher identity and the nature of the specific study. A research plan may be approved as ethical but may not prove to be practical when the researcher tries to enact it, thus necessitating modification. The challenge becomes finding a practice that is ethical for a particular group and context. Lastly, we propose that education researchers who have negotiated the power dynamics to build relationships among kaiarahi, gatekeepers and participants need to communicate their knowledge and experiences of accessing research participants with other researchers.
- Published
- 2017
15. The Effects of Agential Realism on Sex Research, Intersexuality and Education
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Pasley, And
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This article provides an account of the role that agential realism might play in sex research, intersexuality and education, as well as the possibilities this opens up for research, institutions, policy, intersex communities and understandings of intersexuality. The account begins by addressing key issues in the field of sex research, intersexuality and education, then demonstrates how these may be read through an agential realist lens. This approach provides a more accountable means of thinking through matters of sexual difference and opens up more nuanced enquiry. Subsequently, the article speculates on what kinds of explorations of sex might emerge with future research and pedagogy, followed by an example of the ways in which this reading of sex has flow-on effects in relation to gender and sexuality, which are often taught alongside sexual difference. From consultations with members of the New Zealand intersex community, the article closes by discussing pertinent issues the community faces, which might be addressed in sex education.
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- 2021
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16. Autism Spectrum Disorder/Takiwatanga: An Integrated Data Infrastructure-Based Approach to Autism Spectrum Disorder Research in New Zealand
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Bowden, Nicholas, Thabrew, Hiran, Kokaua, Jesse, Audas, Richard, Milne, Barry, Smiler, Kirsten, Stace, Hilary, Taylor, Barry, and Gibb, Sheree
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New Zealand has few estimates of the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder and no national registry. The use of administrative data sources is expanding and could be useful in autism spectrum disorder research. However, the extent to which autism spectrum disorder can be captured in these data sources is unknown. In this study, we utilised three linked administrative health data sources from the Integrated Data Infrastructure to identify cases of autism spectrum disorder among New Zealand children and young people. We then investigated the extent to which a range of mental health, neurodevelopmental and related problems co-occur with autism spectrum disorder. In total, 9555 unique individuals aged 0-24 with autism spectrum disorder were identified. The identification rate for 8-year-olds was 1 in 102. Co-occurring mental health or related problems were noted in 68% of the autism spectrum disorder group. The most common co-occurring conditions were intellectual disability, disruptive behaviours and emotional problems. Although data from the Integrated Data Infrastructure may currently undercount cases of autism spectrum disorder, they could be useful for monitoring service and treatment-related trends, types of co-occurring conditions and for examining social outcomes. With further refinement, the Integrated Data Infrastructure could prove valuable for informing the national incidence and prevalence of autism spectrum disorder and the long-term effectiveness of clinical guidelines and interventions for this group.
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- 2020
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17. Secondary Students' Attitudes to Animal Research: Examining the Potential of a Resource to Communicate the Scientist's Perspective
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France, Bev and Birdsall, Sally
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A DVD resource that provided a scientist's perspective on the use of animals in research and teaching was evaluated with a questionnaire that asked students' views pre and post their access to the resource. Thirty-nine secondary students (Y10-Y13) took part in three different teaching programmes that provided information about animal research and allowed them to explore the issues. Students' opinions about the use of animals for research and teaching were measured by matched pre and post questionnaires and open responses they made to justify their positions. The findings showed that students' views on animal research are strongly held and they express their views with emotion. The resource helped students to realise the complexity of the issue and provided them with knowledge to write more nuanced justifications. This resource was focussed on providing students with cognitive input and this evaluation indicated that equal attention should be provided to the affect component of attitude formation.
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- 2015
18. Older Academics: Motivation to Keep Working
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Boulton-Lewis, Gillian M. and Buys, Laurie
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This is an interpretive-descriptive analysis of responses to 41 open ended questionnaires returned by academics working beyond normal retirement age. The sample consisted mainly of academics from the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. The research addressed the question of what motivates some academics to continue working beyond the "usual" retirement age. The main motivation for continuing was strong interest and commitment, particularly to research and writing. Some also gave social, financial, and other reasons for continuing. Those not in full time employment described barriers, including finance and facilities and the support that they needed to maintain their activities. In most countries institutional and government policies made it possible for them to stay involved academically even if it meant making a personal effort. Most of them would have liked better support or recognition from their universities. The results suggest that universities should more actively support older academics in continuing activity.
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- 2014
19. The Rankings of Research Funding among Universities in Taiwan
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Wang, Ru-Jer
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With the current trend that universities around the world have gradually stepped into higher education systems of popularization, there has been more diversity in universities; hence it has become necessary to increase the transparency of university governance. Since that university classification or university ranking is a powerful mechanism to demonstrate the diversity of an institute, the rankings of research funding have become desirable and also of great value. The main purpose of this study is to analyze the rankings of research funding among universities in Taiwan, and make relevant suggestions based on the findings. A secondary data analysis was conducted on the data obtained from the database of National Science Council, in order to develop the rankings of research funding among 164 universities in Taiwan. Based on the results, the conclusions are as follows: (1) The top three universities which won the funding of the National Science Council Research Project with the best overall strength were National Taiwan University, National Cheng Gung University, and National Chiao Tung University; (2) The top three universities which won the funding of the National Science Council Research Project with the best average faculty strength were National Tsing Hua University, National Chiao Tung University, and National Taiwan University. It is suggested that, when rating the strength of a university to win the research funding, both overall strength and average faculty strength should be considered to avoid the unfairness towards universities of smaller scale. (Contains 8 tables.)
- Published
- 2010
20. Nurturing Lifelong Readers
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International Association of School Librarianship (IASL), School Library Association of Queensland Inc. (SLAQ), and Judkins, Gerri
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In this paper the author relates how the thing he enjoys most about his job as a school librarian is nurturing lifelong readers, in particular readers of children's literature. In talking about nurturing lifelong readers and, referring to students, staff and school librarians, the author discusses: (1) The Southwell Library Programme; (2) The Lit Club and the Kids' Lit Quiz; (3) Writers in Schools and the New Zealand Book Council; (4) Storylines and The Waikato Children's Literature Association; (5) School Library Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (SLANZA) and International Association of School Librarianship (IASL); and (6) Studying children's literature and a New Zealand picture book research project.
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- 2010
21. Inquiring about Values: Enhancing Consultation through Critical Research Ethics
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Reynolds, Martyn
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If schools wish to be more inclusive by reflecting the communities they serve, paying deliberate attention to embedded values can be helpful. This article describes thinking and actions set in a school with a history of attending to values. It suggests that when consulting on values, the ethics of critical research can enhance the process of inquiry. This happens if the values that are present in how we inquire are brought to the surface to complement the values-based information we learn. This is not an easy matter. It is a journey that involves a balance between leadership and consultation, and that prioritises listening as widely as possible in ways that can lead to change.
- Published
- 2019
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22. Photovoice and Refugee Research: The Case for a 'Layers' versus 'Labels' Approach to Vulnerability
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Humpage, Louise, Fozdar, Farida, Marlowe, Jay, and Hartley, Lisa
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'Vulnerability' is a key concept used to understand the ethical implications of conducting refugee-focused research. This case study illustrates the need to follow Luna's (2009) call for a shift from a 'labels' to a 'layers' approach to vulnerability by analysing how two university ethics committees responded to issues of informed consent in two similar refugee research projects using the PhotoVoice method. The following commentary argues that, when driven by a research governance regime, ethics review risks viewing refugees through a static label of vulnerability, negatively affecting research viability and data quality. In contrast, a layers approach opens space for understanding the potential for vulnerability amongst refugee research participants while supporting PhotoVoice's goals of empowerment and facilitating agency. The case study highlights the need for national-level ethics statements that encourage a more flexible approach within research institutions.
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- 2019
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23. One Size Fits 'Not Quite' All: Universal Research Ethics with Diversity
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Msoroka, Mohamed S. and Amundsen, Diana
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For researchers in Aotearoa New Zealand who intend to conduct research with people, it is common practice to first ensure that their proposals are approved by a Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC). HRECs take the role of reviewing, approving or rejecting research proposals and deciding on whether the intended research will be completed in the 'right', rather than the 'wrong' way. Such decisions are based upon a system which is guided by universal ethical principles--principles that assume there is universal agreement about the ethically right way to conduct research. Increasingly, Aotearoa New Zealand is becoming more culturally diverse. Actions that are assumed as 'right' in reference to ethical norms endorsed in one culture or society may not always be considered 'right' in reference to ethical norms in another culture or society. In this article we first set out what is already known in the literature about the origins and applications of universal ethics in a research context. Next, we analyse how cultural values and beliefs bear influence on the process of ethical deliberation. Two case studies illustrate our own examples of how conducting ethical research projects following universal principles with cultural diversity operated in practice. We conclude that one size fits not quite all. Lastly, we propose that Aotearoa New Zealand HRECs may need to consider expanding their approach from universal ethical principles to include a more diverse interpretation of what is 'ethical research conduct'. Rather than advocating a radical approach, i.e. either universality or diversity, it is time for HRECs to consider a hybrid approach of universality with diversity that permits partial detour from universal principles when considering ethics application proposals.
- Published
- 2018
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24. Play Theory: A Personal Journey and New Thoughts
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Sutton-Smith, Brian
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A preeminent play-theory scholar reviews a lifetime devoted to the study of play in a lively, even playful, recounting of his illustrious career and some of its autobiographical roots. The author covers the development of his three major theories of play--as a viability variable, as culturally relative play forms, and as a co-evolutionary multiplex of functions--and points to some new areas of inquiry on the topic.
- Published
- 2008
25. Critique of Research Assessments
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Currie, Jan
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This article introduces the issue of articles on research assessments and rankings. It focuses on the British Research Assessment Exercises (RAEs) and New Zealand's Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF). It contrasts these with systems that are not tied to funding formulas and emphasise quality enhancement rather than quality assurance. It indicates the negative consequences for individuals, institutions and the professional ethos of universities. It does not deny that there are also benefits gained by institutions that win additional funding through these mechanisms. Research managers benefit by being able to concentrate the efforts of researchers and gain more control over the research enterprise. However, scholarship and creativity are the likely losers in these exercises.
- Published
- 2008
26. Frequently Asked Questions: Minimum Legal Drinking Age/Age 21
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Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention (ED)
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This paper provides answers to questions about minimum legal drinking age. The questions include: (1) Youth in other countries are exposed to alcohol at earlier ages and engage in less alcohol abuse and have healthier attitudes toward alcohol. Don't those countries have fewer alcohol-related problems than we do?; (2) Does educating teens about safe alcohol use starting at age 18 encourage responsible drinking?; (3) Has the minimum legal drinking age been lowered before? What were the results of that "natural experiment"?; (4) Have better safety measures, tougher enforcement, and the use of designated drivers caused the reduction in traffic deaths?; (5) If a person can go to war, shouldn't he or she be able to have a beer?; (6) Is there support for lowering the legal drinking age?; (7) Many youth under age 21 still drink, despite the current legal drinking age. Doesn't that prove that this policy is ineffective?; (8) What strategies are effective for reducing high-risk alcohol use?; (9) Should we reduce the Minimum Legal Drinking Age to 18?; (10) What are the long-term effects of alcohol use on a developing brain?; and (11) What does the research say about the effects of the MLDA?
- Published
- 2008
27. Activating a Research Context in Art and Design Practice
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de Freitas, Nancy
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Practice-based research in art and design is the focus of postgraduate programmes at many universities. The term is useful when practice constitutes a critical part of the research methodology resulting in a form of research through practice. This study uses one such postgraduate programme to examine student researchers' understanding of their practice-based research methods, organisation of their studio processes and awareness of learning. A structured interview was used to investigate: 1) how artists and designers use documentation as part of their creative practice; 2) what forms and processes constitute this activity; 3) what the artist's or designer's perception is of the role documentation plays in their practice-based research and 4) the perceived positive or negative impacts resulting from the practice of active documentation of creative work. The context of the work is the wider debate around defining the role of the artefact as part the research process in art and design and the relationship between linguistic and non-linguistic components in the articulation of practice-based research. The results reveal some of the ways in which new researchers begin to understand and ultimately take control of their working methods, including the generation of new artefacts, the implementation of acquired knowledge and communication about significant processes. The results add to our understanding of the way in which artists and designers perceive the transition from professional practice to research practice.
- Published
- 2007
28. Researching Pleasures: Care of the Scholarly Self.
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Middleton, Sue
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Michel Foucault wrote of the "well-managed life" as one that would require a certain "care of the self." As a preliminary to the exploration of the care of the self as a scholar, this paper explores why scholars choose to live the "researching life" in the first place. The experiences of 57 people who completed Ph.D.s in Education in New Zealand provide the data for this exploration. Interviews with these scholars show the important influences of family, community, and school, and for some, religious values. Whatever the eventual directions their scholarship took, the participants described their childhood and adolescent years as foundational. Many reported an early interest in problem solving. Of these 57 researchers, 31 had at some point taught in the primary schools. Working as a teacher, more than attending college, was likely to have inspired them to become education academics or professional researchers. Success at the master's degree level led them to continue to doctoral programs. For most of those interviewed, the experience of doing the Ph.D. could be conceptualized in terms used by Foucault: as a tension between being subject of disciplinary norms and crafting an independent scholarly self. (Contains 35 references.) (SLD)
- Published
- 2001
29. Making Room: The Place of Academic Study.
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Middleton, Sue
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This study followed 57 New Zealand candidates for a Ph.D. in Education through the years of writing their theses, focusing on their internal struggles and how these affected, and were affected by, those with whom they had close relationships. Their efforts to balance the scholarly, professional, interpersonal, and domestic dimensions of life, a struggle that has been described by Michel Foucault, did not occur in isolation. Interviews described how the various networks of social relations of their households and families were stretched to fit around their scholarship. Their research was carried out in multiple sites, but the working environment most frequently encountered was that of the university or college campus, where most of the subjects were teaching as well as studying. The demands of the job and the research added another kind of conflict to the Ph.D. process conflict. As these students learned to "speak the language" of doctoral research, they were subject to the norms of the discipline while finding their own places and selves. (Contains 29 references.) (SLD)
- Published
- 2001
30. New Directions in Sexuality and Relationships Education
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Quinlivan, Kathleen
- Abstract
Kathleen Quinlivan is passionate about raising the profile and quality of sexuality education in schools. As a past secondary school teacher and current university associate professor she strives to bring research and practice closer together, keeping both connected with students' and teachers' everyday lives. In March this year Kathleen ran an international symposium titled "State of the Art: New Directions in Sexuality Education/Current Social Science Theories In Practice." Teachers, academics, and youth workers gathered together to share and debate recent developments in the field. Kathleen responds to "Set's" questions about the current status of sexuality education and advocates for contemporary research-informed approaches to teaching and learning. [This article was written with Josie Roberts.]
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- 2018
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31. PETE Academics as Public Intellectuals and Activists in a Global Teacher Education Context
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O'Sullivan, Mary
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Mary O'Sullivan writes that she spent part of her sabbatical leave interviewing teacher educators from nine countries across three continents exploring teacher education contexts both nationally and locally, and the nature of the 'teacher educators' work in these contexts. Three issues struck her: (1) The intensification of regulation and policy changes around education globally was placing enormous strain on local and national initial teacher education (ITE) systems, higher education, schools and the teacher educators who enact these programmes; (2) demands on academic staff to be research active, socially engaged, AND committed to innovation in teaching and programme design was as a professor noted, 'gruelling and relentless; and (3) A sense of lack of interest in (and in a few cases a lack of respect for) teacher education research by several scholars. This special issue is part of a raft of recent publications focused on Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE), and suggests a resurgence of interest in PETE research. Exploration of how sociological and social justice issues are addressed and implemented in PETE programs internationally demands teacher educators to be more critically aware how and why they might value and advocate for social justice as part of their work. O'Sullivan believes that the contributors to this issue are more optimistic relative to the potential of transformative pedagogies in PETE than Patti Lather who claimed that implementing a critical pedagogy in the field of schooling is impossible. The contributions to this special issue provoke readers to engage with PETE and PETE research and encourage the sharing of best practices in fostering awareness and commitments to social justice and equal access for all to quality teaching and learning experiences
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- 2018
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32. Research Support at the Crossroads: Capability, Capacity, and Collaboration
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Lang, Lucy, Wilson, Trish, Wilson, Katie, and Kirkpatrick, Aubrey
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Victoria University of Wellington Library's support for research is at a crossroads. The university is implementing an ambitious research strategy. In response, the library is repositioning services and support based on the identified needs of our researchers and contextualized within the research lifecycle. This is paralleled by the changing expectations and responsibilities of library staff and the skills, knowledge and pan-university relationships that are needed to deliver these evolving services. In this case study the key priorities for the Library's service development and delivery are outlined along with plans for building the capability of subject librarians in key areas. It discusses the challenges that are being addressed and key initiatives undertaken in collaboration with other university colleagues. It outlines strengths that already exist within the library structure, identifies what new skills and competencies are required, and touches on future developments.
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- 2018
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33. A Decade of Change for Tertiary Education and Science Research in New Zealand: Who Benefits?
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Harvey, Sharon
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The paper considers the key changes in tertiary education research and the national science regime under neo-liberal governments in New Zealand. It tracks the moves in both systems towards mounting contestability and integration for increased economic performance. This investigation questions whether government policies around knowledge production will be successful in giving New Zealand entree into the much touted "knowledge society" and whether this is a desirable goal for the country, anyway. Finally, it looks at the other possibilities for the production of knowledge and the conditions within which it occurs. (Contains 45 references.) (Author/SAH)
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- 1999
34. Early Career Development in the Public Sector: Lessons from a Social Constructionist Perspective
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Bridgman, Todd and De'ath, Annie
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This article explores the contribution a social constructionist paradigm can make to the study of career, through a small-scale empirical study of recent graduates employed in New Zealand's state sector. A social constructionist lens denies the possibility of an individualised, generalised understanding of 'career', highlighting instead its local, contingent character as the product of social interaction. Our respondents' collective construction of career was heavily shaped by a range of context-specific interactions and influences, such as the perception of a distinctive national identity, as well as by their young age and state sector location. It was also shaped by the research process, with us as researchers implicated in these meaning-making processes. Social constructionism shines a light on aspects of the field that are underplayed by mainstream, scientific approaches to the study of career, and therefore has valuable implications for practitioners, as well as scholars.
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- 2017
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35. The Approval and Accreditation of Degrees and Related Qualifications. Quality Assurance in Education and Training.
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New Zealand Qualifications Authority, Wellington.
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This booklet provides information on the approval and accreditation of degrees and related qualifications for New Zealand institutions, government training establishments, and private training establishments. The first of the booklet's eight sections explains the criteria for approval of New Zealand degree and related courses and for accreditation of their providers. Section 2 provides a contact for inquiries regarding those universities not governed by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA). The third section focuses on applications for the approval of degree and postgraduate courses and accreditation of their providers by NZQA. Section 4 outlines the evaluation process of the applications. Sections 5-8 detail rules and procedures for the following: (1) approval of degree and postgraduate courses; (2) accreditation of providers of degree and postgraduate courses (3) approval of bachelor's and master's research degrees and of postgraduate research diplomas; and (4) accreditation of providers of bachelor's and master's research degrees and of postgraduate research diplomas. Appendixes include information on the following: applications and the evaluation process; academic regulations; types of amendments to NZQA degree and postgraduate qualifications already approved; definitions of degree and research; and an extract from the Code of Practice on Post-Graduate Training and Research. (YLB)
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- 1993
36. Ethical Considerations in Sensitive Suicide Research Reliant on Non-Clinical Researchers
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Mckenzie, Sarah K., Li, Cissy, Jenkin, Gabrielle, and Collings, Sunny
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The impact on researchers of working with sensitive data is often not considered by ethics committees when approving research proposals. We conducted interviews with eight research assistants processing clinical notes on emergency department presentations for deliberate self-harm and suicide attempts during a suicide prevention trial. Common experiences of working with the data included feeling unprepared for the level of detail in the records, being drawn deeply into individual stories, emotional exhaustion from the cumulative exposure to the data over long periods of time while working alone, and experiencing a heightened awareness of the fragility of life and the need for safety. The research assistants also reported on some of the strategies they had developed to cope with the sensitive nature of the data and the demands of the work. The ethical implications for suicide research reliant on non-clinically trained researchers exploring sensitive data are considered. These include the need for research leaders and ethics committees to be aware of the potential adverse mental health impacts for these researchers examining sensitive data and to make appropriate arrangements to minimize the mental health impacts of such work.
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- 2017
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37. Are Research Ethics Guidelines Culturally Competent?
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Gray, Ben, Hilder, Jo, Macdonald, Lindsay, Tester, Rachel, Dowell, Anthony, and Stubbe, Maria
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Research ethics guidelines grew out of several infamous episodes where research subjects were exploited. There is significant international synchronization of guidelines. However, indigenous groups in New Zealand, Canada and Australia have criticized these guidelines as being inadequate for research involving indigenous people and have developed guidelines from their own cultural perspectives. Whilst traditional research ethics guidelines place a lot of emphasis on informed consent, these indigenous guidelines put much greater emphasis on interdependence and trust. This article argues that traditional guidelines are premised on relationships of equal power, and that often the researcher has more power that is not fully equalized by providing information. Where there is a relationship of unequal power, then focusing on interdependence and trust is more likely to achieve ethical safety. We illustrate this thesis by describing the detail of a research project looking at the use of interpreters, where we video-recorded live consultations and then interviewed the patient, interpreter and doctor. We conclude by suggesting that mainstream research ethics guidelines should pay more attention to the development of a trustworthy relationship between subject and researcher, and that, following the lead from clinical medicine, we should develop a culturally competent ethical framework for research on human subjects.
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- 2017
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38. A DBR Framework for Designing Mobile Virtual Reality Learning Environments
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Cochrane, Thomas Donald, Cook, Stuart, Aiello, Stephen, Christie, Duncan, Sinfield, David, Steagall, Marcus, and Aguayo, Claudio
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This paper proposes a design based research (DBR) framework for designing mobile virtual reality learning environments. The application of the framework is illustrated by two design-based research projects that aim to develop more authentic educational experiences and learner-centred pedagogies in higher education. The projects highlight the first two phases of the DBR framework, involving the exploration of mobile virtual reality (VR) to enhance the learning environment, and the design of prototype solutions for the different contexts. The design of the projects is guided by a set of design principles identified from the literature.
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- 2017
39. Key Themes in Mobile Learning: Prospects for Learner-Generated Learning through AR and VR
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Aguayo, Claudio, Cochrane, Thomas, and Narayan, Vickel
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This paper summarises the findings from a literature review in mobile learning, developed as part of a 2-year six-institution project in New Zealand. Through the development of a key themes codebook, we address selected key themes with respect to their relevance to learner-generated learning through emerging technologies, with attention to mobile augmented reality and mobile virtual reality. We see that these two current mobile learning affordances, complemented though relevant approaches to research and practice in mobile learning such as design-based research and connected social learning, are critical to reconceptualise learning through mobile devices. We conclude that mobile learning still requires the theories, methodologies, and practices of its own as a field. We also see a need for mobile learning to be conceptualised around ever-changing learning affordances and educational settings, rather than focusing on static structures such as content-delivery approaches, while embedding it within the scholarship of technology enhanced learning.
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- 2017
40. Consent, Assent and Dissent: A Case Study of One Child's Understanding of Research
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Bissenden, Michelle and Gunn, Alexandra C.
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As a non-participant observer of a Teaching and Learning Research Initiative (TLRI) on children's storytelling, I explored children's understanding of research involving them, including their rights to consent, assent and dissent to participate. In this case study of Timmy's participation in research, I show how Timmy's researcher sought and affirmed his ongoing right to agree to participate in data gathering, or not. The data show that Timmy's understanding of his part in the research process was limited to parts of the research process. I conclude with a discussion of some consequences for research that supports children's participation rights.
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- 2017
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41. 'Unless You Are Collaborating with a Big Name Successful Professor, You Are Unlikely to Receive Funding'
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Leberman, Sarah I., Eames, Brigit, and Barnett, Shirley
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Women consistently remain underrepresented in senior academic roles within the academy worldwide. Academics increasingly require research funding to conduct research, leading to publications, both of which can then be used for promotion applications. This article explores fourteen academic women's experiences of the research funding process in New Zealand, to provide insights into one aspect of why this inequity continues. The findings identify institutional, personal, and funding issues that impact on women's application behaviour. Addressing these may assist in developing women's careers as academics and provides us with a more in-depth understanding of the issues than have previously been gleamed from large quantitative studies.
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- 2016
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42. Leisure Matters: The State and Future of Leisure Studies
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Walker, Gordon J., Scott, David, Stodolska, Monika, Walker, Gordon J., Scott, David, and Stodolska, Monika
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"Leisure Matters: The State and Future of Leisure Studies" updates and expands Jackson and Burton's "Mapping the Past, Charting the Future" (1989) and "Leisure Studies: Prospects for the Twenty-First Century" (1999). The need to do so was driven by the significant new developments in the leisure studies field and the arrival of new and upcoming experts in specific areas of study. "Leisure Matters" features new sections on: (1) Disciplinary Perspectives (including chapters on anthropology, history, philosophy, psychology, sociology, biology, and economics of leisure); (2) Cognate Area Perspectives (including chapters on leisure, health, and physical activity; leisure and religion/spirituality; sport as leisure; and tourism); (3) International Perspectives (including chapters on leisure in Africa, Australia and New Zealand, East Asia, Europe, Latin America); and (4) Diverse Perspectives (including chapters on leisure in terms of youth, family, older adults, immigrants, racial and ethnic groups, the LGBQ community; and people with disabilities). Other book chapters focus on leisure theory; leisure, time, and technology; leisure needs, motivations, and constraints; leisure, place, and social capital; leisure planning, marketing, and management; leisure research methods; and the future of the leisure studies field. Approximately 80% of each chapter summarizes the current state of that specific leisure concept, topic, or area, while the remaining 20% dares to "speculate imaginatively" about where it could (and should) proceed in the future. Both summary and speculation are limited to approximately 6,000 words, as chapter authors were instructed to heed French philosopher Blaise Pascal's (1656) oft-cited apology that "I have only made this letter longer because I have not had the time to make it shorter." While "Leisure Matters" maintains the spirit and rigor of Jackson and Burton's earlier books, it also reflects the growth and maturity that has subsequently occurred in the leisure studies field. Following an introduction by the editors, this book contains the following chapters: (1) Anthropology and Leisure (Garry Chick); (2) Leisure at the Biological Level (Bryan McCormick); (3) Economic Decision Making in Leisure and Recreation (Chi-Ok Oh, Robert B. Richardson, and Geoff Lacher); (4) History of Leisure (John L. Hemingway); (5) Philosophy and Leisure Studies (Charles Sylvester); (6) Psychology of Leisure, Positive Psychology, and "Psychologizing" Leisure Theory (Steven E. Mock, Roger C. Mannell, and Daniel Guttentag); (7) Rethinking Sociological Leisure Studies for the Twenty-First Century (Tony Blackshaw); (8) Leisure, Health, and Physical Activity (Jason N. Bocarro and Michael B. Edwards); (9) Leisure and Religion/Spirituality (Paul Heintzman); (10) Sport as a Leisure Behavior (Laurence Chalip); (11) Tourism (Heather J. Gibson); (12) Leisure in Africa (Maliga Naidoo); (13) Leisure in Australia and New Zealand (Simone Fullagar and Lee Davidson); (14) Leisure in East Asia (Huimei Liu, Monica Z. Li, Yoshitaka Iwasaki, Tetsuya Onda, and Jin-Hyung Lee); (15) "Loisir Sans Frontiers?" Leisure in Europe (Fiona Jordan); (16) Leisure in Latin America (Alcyane Marinho and Arianne C. Reis); (17) Leisure, Needs, and Motivations (Gordon J. Walker); (18) Leisure Constraints and Negotiation: Highlights from the Journey Past, Present, and Future (Ingrid E. Schneider); (19) Leisure and Intensity of Participation (David Scott); (20) From Purple Roots to Dark, Sexy, and Diverse: The Past, Present, and Future of Deviant Leisure (D. J. Williams); (21) Youth and Leisure (Linda L. Caldwell); (22) Family Leisure (Dawn E. Trussell); (23) Leisure and Aging (Well) (Douglas A. Kleiber); (24) The Relational Politics of Gender and Leisure (Diana C. Parry); (25) More Equitable Moments: The Changing Nature of Leisure for the LGBQ Community (Corey W. Johnson); (26) Leisure and People with Disabilities (John Dattilo); (27) How Does Leisure Studies Respond to the Needs and Requests of Indigenous People? (Karen M. Fox); (28) Leisure, Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration (Monika Stodolska and Myron F. Floyd); (29) Trends in Time for Leisure (Geoffrey Godbey); (30) The Roles Technology Plays in Twenty-First Century Leisure (Galit Nimrod); (31) Place and Leisure (Gerard Kyle); (32) Leveraging Leisure-Based Community Networks to Access Social Capital (Troy D. Glover); (33) Public Policy and Planning Frameworks (A. J. Veal); (34) Marketing Public Leisure Services: Key Concepts, Approaches, and Emerging Trends (Andrew J. Mowen and Mark Havitz); (35) Contemporary Views of Management and Leadership in Leisure Studies (Debra J. Jordan); (36) Metatheorizing Leisure Theory (Gordon J. Walker, Shintaro Kono, and Rodney B. Dieser); (37) Qualitative Inquiry in Leisure Studies (Diane M. Samdahl); (38) Experimental Designs in Leisure Studies (Gary Ellis, KangJae Jerry Lee, and Thitikan Satchabut); (39) Leisure and the Academy: Curricula and Scholarship in Higher Education (Karla A. Henderson); and (40) Celebrating Leisure Studies: Onward, Outward, and Upward (Daniel L. Dustin, Keri A. Schwab, and Kelly S. Bricker). (Individual chapters contain references.) [Forewords by Tomas L. Burton and Edgar L. Jackson.]
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- 2016
43. Information for Consent: Too Long and Too Hard to Read
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Biggs, John S. G. and Marchesi, August
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The length of participant information sheets (ISs) for research and difficulties in their comprehension have been a cause of increasing concern. We aimed to examine the information sheets in research proposals submitted to an Australian HREC in one year, comparing the results with national recommendations and published data. Information sheets in all 86 research submissions were analysed using available software. The work of Flesch was used for Reading Ease or Readability and that of Flesch and Kincaid for the level of education required for comprehension, the Reading Grade Level. The mean length of 86 information sheets was 3110 words; many had more than 5000 words. Using the Flesch scale of 0 to 100, with 0 meaning most difficult and 100 very easy to read, the mean readability level was 47. The mean length of education needed to easily grasp the information was 11.6 years, equivalent to senior secondary school. Information sheets in research projects submitted to an HREC were often too long to be read in a reasonable time and too difficult to be easily understood. Recommended standards for information sheets were infrequently met.
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- 2015
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44. Combining Research-Based Student Fieldwork with Staff Research to Reinforce Teaching and Learning
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Fuller, Ian C., Mellor, Antony, and Entwistle, Jane A.
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This paper addresses the relationship between teaching and research in a fieldwork context by seeking student views over 3 years across two institutions to assess the perceived value of blending staff research activity with student fieldwork. Student views were solicited using questionnaires. Despite the contrasting environments, locations and approaches of the institutions' respective field courses, student perceptions are remarkably similar. Engaging in research activity in fieldwork (and specifically combining research-based student fieldwork with staff research) is perceived strongly to add value to study for a degree, as well as stimulate interest in the subject and improve understanding of methodologies employed.
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- 2014
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45. Indigenous Research Capability in Aotearoa
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Ormond, Adreanne and Williams, Les R. Tumoana
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This article begins by considering the general nature of capability, from some dictionary meanings, then extends to theoretical perspectives related to the capability approach. As a consequence, we arrive at an operational definition that emphasises the ability to solve problems in a systematic way that brings transformation. In these terms, capability is seen as an inherent feature of the life process. The second part of this article presents a model of knowledge generation and illustrates how the development of capability is also an inherent feature of the research process in the fundamental goal of transforming both theory and practice. In the final section, we review and update the activities, initiatives and outcomes of the Capability Building program of Nga Pae o te Maramatanga, from its beginning in late 2002 to the present, and show that this multi-level and networked program continues to be successful in building research capability. We end by listing some key objectives that are necessary for continuing to strengthen our research culture and capabilities for the future.
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- 2013
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46. Voicing the Tensions of Implementing Research Strategies: Implications for Organizational Leaders
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Billot, Jennie and Codling, Andrew
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When higher education institutions seek to align their research goals with nationally driven imperatives, various members of the institutional community need to work in concert to achieve them. The identification of effective strategies and the development of a contextually appropriate research culture are fundamental elements to progressing institutional objectives and achieving planned performance outcomes. Because all parties frequently have differing motivations, there are obvious challenges for organizational leadership. This article examines some of the issues facing academic leaders in the changing research environment within New Zealand and links them to a research study of efforts made in two differing tertiary institutions to enhance research productivity. Data indicate that there is great complexity in integrating organizational purpose with academic staff aspirations and endeavours. Of necessity, strategy and initiatives need to be situated contextually and leadership becomes a crucial mechanism for dovetailing the institutional agenda with individual enterprise.
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- 2013
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47. Factors Influencing uUniversity Research Performance
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Edgar, Fiona and Geare, Alan
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This research extends our understanding of research productivity by examining features of managerial practice and culture within university departments. Adopting a robust comparative research design, capturing both interview and survey data sourced from multiple stakeholders from New Zealand universities, we seek to identify factors associated with superior research performance. The findings show that autonomy and egalitarianism, along with a strong cultural ethos supporting achievement and individualism are characteristics of high functioning departments. These comprise core features of commitment-oriented work settings, but we find them to be largely absent from the work environments of low performers. This disparity leads us to consider whether certain managerial practices, when coupled with a supporting set of cultural characteristics, are crucial to influencing research performance outcomes. Management and academics in higher education settings should consider these findings of interest and benefit, as universities in a number of countries approach further rounds of research performance assessment. (Contains 5 tables.)
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- 2013
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48. Research Collaboration across Higher Education Systems: Maturity, Language Use, and Regional Differences
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Shin, Jung Cheol, Lee, Soo Jeung, and Kim, Yangson
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This study analyzed whether research collaboration patterns differ across higher education systems based on maturity of the systems, their language, and their geographical region. This study found that collaboration patterns differ across higher education systems: academics in developed systems are more collaborative than their colleagues in developing systems; academics in English-speaking countries are no more collaborative than their colleagues in non-English speaking countries; and academics in European countries are more collaborative internationally than their colleagues in non-European countries. In addition, it was found that publication is not associated with collaboration, either domestically or internationally. This finding implies that collaboration is a different dimension from publication. Finally, the article discusses implications of the findings for evaluation systems. (Contains 4 tables.)
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- 2013
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49. Creative Research Ethics in the Enterprise University: What Price Academic Freedom?
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O'Neill, John
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Between 1990 and 2010, the New Zealand university adopted an enterprise form. The nature of academic work changed commensurate with changes in the external regulatory and funding environment, the internal performative research culture, the proliferation of trans-national researcher networks, and the growing managerial codification of acceptable academic behaviour. Based on emergent trends in these areas between 1990 and 2010, and using the author's institution as an illustrative case, the article looks forward to the possible relationships between academic freedom and research ethics in the New Zealand enterprise university of 2030.
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- 2013
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50. Academic Dystopia: Knowledge, Performativity, and Tertiary Education
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Roberts, Peter
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Jean-Francois Lyotard's classic work, "The Postmodern Condition," was first published in 1979 and has been available in English translation since 1984 (Lyotard 1984). Intended as a "report on knowledge," "The Postmodern Condition" has gained a wide readership among critical policy analysts with an interest in universities and research. Lyotard identifies fundamental shifts in conceptions of the nature, function, and status of knowledge that would become clearly evident both within and beyond the confines of the academy. Lyotard did not frame his work in terms of the organizing themes of utopia or dystopia, but "The Postmodern Condition" lends itself readily to analysis from such a perspective. With so much having been written about Lyotard, and "The Postmodern Condition" in particular, it can be helpful to focus on a quite specific context as a means for making some broader theoretical observations. In this article, the author examines developments in tertiary education and research policy in New Zealand, paying particular attention to the Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF) as an example of performativity, competition, and the commodification of knowledge in action. He argues that the trends evident in changes under the PBRF constitute a form of academic dystopia. The article begins with an overview of Lyotard's position on knowledge, competition, and research in a computerized, postmodern world. He then assesses the PBRF in the light of Lyotard's ideas. He comments on the limiting language of outputs, discusses links between information, interpretation, and the unknown, and considers the impact of research assessment regimes on intellectual life.
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- 2013
- Full Text
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