Judging Competency A study of in-training evaluation of veterinary students : A thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand

Listed in 2016 Dean's List of Exceptional ThesesIn-training evaluations are a common but highly criticised method of assessing the competency of veterinary students completing training. They involve assessment of on-going performance in the workplace, performed by the supervisor. They are highly feasible and one of the few ways that a student’s performance in an authentic context can be evaluated. Psychometric research has suggested, however, that in-training evaluations are unreliable, do not discriminate aspects of performance, and do not predict performance on other assessments, casting doubt on the credibility of scores. Research on rater judgement processes suggests, in contrast, that multiple aspects are discriminated and that accounting for context and inferred reasons for behaviour contributes to rater variability. Very little research has considered in-training evaluation in a veterinary context. In a mixed method study this research investigated how well the in-training evaluation used during clinical placements in one veterinary school captured the aspects of student performance it was designed to capture. It explored the supervisor’s view of student performance, and how that related to the dimensions being assessed in in-training evaluation, and to the constructs of competency articulated in frameworks. Complementary research strands involved analysis of semi-structured interviews with supervisors, common factor analysis of in-training evaluation scores, ordinal logistic regression relating factors to overall judgement, and thematic comparisons of findings with competency frameworks. Together, the nature of what supervisors considered, the dimensional structure of scores, and the relationship of dimensions with the overall judgement suggested that the in-training evaluation is both holistic and discriminating, and that important aspects of performance are student engagement and trustworthiness. The aspects captured by the evaluation aligned well with the design of the instrument, and generally well with the veterinary competency frameworks. However, some areas were highlighted where concepts of veterinary competency and the competencies required in different subdisciplines need further consideration by the profession. The findings give insights into the process of judgement of competency by veterinary supervisors that will inform further research. They support some aspects of a validity argument in relation to scoring processes, and inform the design of evaluation instruments by underscoring the construct-relevance of interrelated dimensions

Review of: Catherine Manton, Fed Up: Women and Food in America

A review of the book Fed Up: Women and Food in America by Catherine Manton (Bergin & Garvey 1999). Bibliography, index, notes. ISBN 0-89789-448-0 [184 pp. $55.00. Cloth, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881]

Becoming a three tikanga church : the Bi-cultural Commission on the Revision of the Constitution 1986-1992 : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History at Massey University

Text in Maori from pages 136 onwardsIn 1984 the General Synod of the Church of the Province of New Zealand established a Bi-cultural Commission on the Treaty of Waitangi. The Commission was required to study the Treaty and consider whether any principles of partnership and bi-cultural development were implied, and if so, how those principles could be embodied in the life of the Church. The Commission of three Maori and three Pakeha members consulted widely throughout the Church in both Maori and Pakeha settings, reporting back to General Synod in 1986 with 18 recommendations covering a wide range of issues, including land and the Maori language. The most significant of the recommendations established a further Bi-cultural Commission to revise the Church's constitution. The Commission's task was to be the revision of the constitution to ensure: that the preamble reflected the growth of the Church in New Zealand from 1814 to the present day; that the principles of partnership and bi-cultural development were expressed and entrenched; that the provisions of the Church of England Empowering Act 1928 were incorporated; and that Te Pihopa o Aotearoa and Te Runanga o Te Pihopatanga o Aotearoa had equal status with Diocesan Bishops and Synods. The Commission was, 'to have regard to the Report and Recommendations of the Bi-cultural Commission on the Treaty of Waitangi; and in particular to consider the Commission's response to the submission from Te Runanga [o Te Pihopatanga].' 1 Bi-cultural Commission of the Anglican Church on the Treaty of Waitangi, Report of the Bi-Cultural Commission of the Anglican Church on the Treaty of Waitangi, te Kaupapa Tikanga Rua. [Christchurch]: Provincial Secretary of the Church of the Province of New Zealand,1986, p.26. Crucial factors in the development of the constitution were the Commission on the Treaty of Waitangi's definition of the terms partnership and bi-cultural development, and the structural model proposed to the Commission by Te Runanga o Te Pihopatanga

Sexual Violence and Relationship Abuse among College Students: The Bystander Intervention Process

This project investigated how college students describe bystander intervention in the context of sexual violence and relationship abuse compared to intervention in a general helping situation. The participants were 53 undergraduate students at a New England University. Prior to graduation, all of the participants were asked questions via audio controlled, face-to-face qualitative interviews that related to their helping behaviors during their time in college. The participant responses revealed that general helping is often a simple, one-time event if time permits it. However, helping in the context of sexual violence or relationship abuse revealed many serious barriers for the bystander due to the complex nature of the situations. An updated model of intervention that takes this type of help into consideration is suggested in order to provide a schema for those who step in and help in a situation involving sexual violence or relationship abuse

Guest editorial: special issue on bone tissue engineering

No abstract availabl

An Apology for Confederate Poetry

This paper explores the reasons why poetry written in the Confederate states during the Civil War is rarely included in the American literary canon. Historians and literary critics have dismissed Confederate poetry as nothing more than jingoistic and sentimental trash in rhyme. Nevertheless, poems buried in the mountains of Southern literary magazines and journals from the period tell a more nuanced story. Covering a wide and fascinating range of subjects, both good and bad Confederate poems aptly reflected how the Southern popular mind reacted to and dealt with the events of the war