Thesis (MA--Art and Design) -- Auckland University of Technology, 2004. / Also held in print (45 leaves, col. ill., 30 cm.) in Wellesley Theses Collection (T 759.99 LEL)

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Unitec New Zealand, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 93-101).

Thesis (P.G. Dip. Theol.)--University of Otago, Dunedin, 1990. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (P.G. Dip. Theol.)--University of Otago, Dunedin, 1990. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Low health literacy affects overall health and is associated with poor chronic disease self-management and medically underserved populations. The purpose of this project was to promote health literacy by utilizing the teach back method to deliver culturally sensitive information to enhance knowledge about the risks, management, and prevention of hypertension among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in a rural primary care clinic in Northern Oahu. Pender’s Health Promotion Model was used to guide the creation of this intervention and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Model was used to guide implementation. Item responses on the High Blood Pressure Questionnaire were used to investigate the efficacy of the teach back method in improving hypertension knowledge pre-and post intervention. Responses were analyzed using an Excel spreadsheet for descriptive data. Eight participants identifying as either Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander aged 35 and over were included in the DNP project. Each answered a questionnaire prior to the intervention, received a one-on-one teach back session, then participated in a telephone interview one week later to complete the post-questionnaire. The results indicated that there was improvement in at least four of the responses from pre to post-intervention. There was no change in four of the item responses as participants had correct knowledge before and after the intervention. Overall, providers should be encouraged to utilize the teach back method when delivering culturally sensitive information to improve their patients’ outcomes.

Thesis (B.A.Hons. 1978) from the Department of History, University of Adelaide. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 149-159).

Researchers across the globe have studied high school dropouts for decades and have identified various factors related to high school dropout rates. These factors have been found to be related to dropout rates among specific ethnic groups, including White, Asian, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Hispanic or Latino Origin high school students. However, the factors related to dropout rates among Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander high school students in the U.S. mainland have not been studied. This study was completed to better understand the factors related to dropout rates among Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander high school dropouts. The sample for this study was 13 males and 4 females that dropped out of high schools located in the Salt Lake and Utah counties in Utah. A qualitative analysis of the interview data indicated that peer-, personal-, family-, culture-, and school-related factors were associated with dropout rates among the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander high school dropouts in these two counties. The implications of these findings are explored.

This study seeks to determine the reasons for the departure of New Zealand-born Samoans from a South Auckland traditional Samoan Seventh-day Adventist church. The concept of SURVIVAL: Exposure, Exit, and Reinvestment Model is used to explain the two factors instrumental in these young people's decisions to depart from the church. The first factor, which is a push factor, is the atmosphere at church, or what I refer to in this study as exposure. The second factor, which is a pull factor, involves the benefits of reinvesting their time and talents in other churches or in other non-church related activities. The results of this study strongly indicate that the church atmosphere was neither conducive nor promising, but very antagonistic to developing New Zealand-born Samoan young people's spiritual and social journeys. Consequently, the situation at church made these young people look elsewhere for social and spiritual survival. An analysis of the data suggests that the church can reverse the problem of departure by putting in place an active and effective system whereby the concerns and ideas of New Zealand-born Samoans as well as other youths are shared, heard, and rightly understood by the elders and the leadership of the church.

The study involved the investigation of ancient dental enamel derived from former inhabitants of Pacific Islands: a population whose movements were necessarily more restricted than their mainland counterparts. Lead and strontium isotope analysis of human teeth were undertaken using TIMS and MC-LAM-ICPMS. Exposure information was obtained from elemental concentrations of lead and strontium using LAM-ICPMS, GFAAS and ASV. Isotopic measurements of lead within the dental enamel of these individuals suggest that the dominant source of biogenic lead exposure in these and other pre-metallurgical societies derived from the local water supply. Data from these ancient populations are compared with measurements made on ‘moderns’ based at Broken Hill, NSW, as well as from other UK-based post Iron Age populations. Results of this study indicate that the concentration of ancient lead within crystalline dental enamel in both ancient and modern populations can in certain circumstances be approximately the same, even when the degree of lead exposure is very high. The study proposes reasons for the discrepancies between these results and those obtained in previous studies, as well as discusses the implications of these analytical results for future studies in lead exposure in human populations. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Research on the causes of truancy from mainstream education suggest that a range of factors such as poverty, ethnicity, the quality of relationship between students and teachers, and the nature of the classroom environment impact on students’ attendance in schools. The majority of the studies on truancy have been carried out with students in alternative education in the U.S.A and Australia. In New Zealand, research has focused on the truancy of Maori students. This study investigates the causes of truancy for Pasifika students in alternative education in New Zealand. Using a qualitative approach, data were collected using questionnaires and three focus group interviews. The findings from this study suggest that a number of factors affected students’ motivation to study. The behaviour of teachers and the school environment were found to affect the Pasifika students’ approach to learning. Some students had negative views of their own ability and lacked perseverance. Other students believed that a lack of parental or family support impacted negatively on their attendance. Consistent with the findings in other studies on truancy, this study found that a range of influences such as a lack of support from community leaders, students’ perceptions of their performance, the nature of the classroom environment, family structure, lifestyle factors and cultural and church activities contributed to Pasifika students’ truanting behaviour. This study suggests that schools that employ teachers who understand and empathize with the cultural aspects of Pasifika students and who can empathize with their situation will be most effective in preventing truancy among these students. Similarly, schools have dedicated programmes that accommodate the academic requirements of Pasifika students foster a more positive learning environment. Finally, schools should look to put in place initiatives to enable Pasifika parents to become effective partners in their children’s education.