Ageing in place and social isolation in rural dwelling older adults : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Health Psychology at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand

This research set out to answer three related research questions. Firstly, if and how rural dwelling older adults experience social isolation; secondly, what aspects of community were seen as contributing to or buffering against social isolation; and thirdly, how these aspects affected older adults’ ability to age in place in their rural communities. This research used a social constructionist informed thematic analysis to analyse the interviews from seven participants over the age of 65 who lived in rural areas of the Manawatu-Whanganui Region classed as ‘rural with low urban influence’ under Statistics New Zealand’s Urban/Rural Profile (2004). The findings from this research revealed that the participants did not experience social isolation from surrounding urban centres due to increased accessibility but did experience some social isolation within their rural communities due to social, demographic and economic changes in their localities. These changes had significant implications for possible social interactions and the participant’s ability to age in place and was influenced by whether a participant felt included or excluded in their rural community. The participants formed two definitions of social isolation based on their experiences. One, based on travel time relative to distance; and the other based on expectations of social interaction frequency when living a ‘rural lifestyle’ in a ‘rural community’. These findings contribute to the literature on social isolation, ageing in place, and age friendly rural communities within a New Zealand context, by drawing attention to the nuanced ways in which social isolation might be experienced, and by reflecting on the significance of the connections between people and places in the construction of ‘communities’

An exploration of families’ experiences of young people’s self-harm

This portfolio thesis consists of three parts. Part one is a systematic literature review and part two is an empirical paper. Taken together they provide a greater understanding of the experiences of young people’s self-harm amongst parents and families. Part three forms the appendices.Part One: A systematic literature review of parents’ experiences and understandings of self- harm amongst young people in the United Kingdom. The review identified ten articles and completed a narrative synthesis, which identified six themes. The review demonstrated the impact of self-harm on parents and the potential influence of parents in supporting their child with self-harm. It emphasised the importance of thinking and working systemically with self- harm and highlighted the need to challenge negative societal discourses regarding self-harm. Part Two: An empirical study exploring family experiences of adolescent self-harm within the context of having received a systemic family intervention. Four families (n = 8) completed non-directive interviews that were analysed using narrative analysis. The study found that significant life events precipitate self-harm, which is a significant cause of stress and difficulty amongst families. Different experiences of help-seeking were reported, but all families experienced a turning point associated with receiving a systemic family intervention and with changes within the family’s wider context. Implications of the research and areas for future research are discussed.Part Three: Appendices relating to the systematic literature review and empirical paper, including all relevant documentation, a reflective statement and an epistemological statement

Sport action zones: empowering local communities? The regional manifestation of a national initiative

In response to the Social Exclusion Unit's Policy Action Team 10 (1999), Sport Action Zones (SAZs) were launched in 2000 as Sport England's attempt to create an effective and sustainable sporting infrastructure in areas of high economic and social deprivation, ensuring more equitable participation in sport (Sport England, 2003a). Such an initiative was supported by the firm belief that although sport and physical activity could not in themselves prevent or eradicate social exclusion (Pitter and Andrews, 1997), they were one potential means of positively affecting health, education and crime (PAT 10, 1999; Farrell and Shields, 2002; Sandford et al., 2006). It is essential to adopt a holistic approach that concentrates on those problems experienced by individuals engaged in a physical activity intervention (the context), rather than the intervention itself. This is a consequence of the fact that any quest to abolish dimensions of social exclusion will involve a plethora of complex associations and factors which create a myriad of outcomes (Coalter et al., 2000). Using hybrid grounded theory as the theoretical underpinning, this study investigated over three years (2002-2005) the implementation of four projects within the Wear Valley SAZ in the north-east of England: Walking the Way to Health; Community Physical Activity Coordinators; Positive Futures; Modem Apprentices. Adopting an internal relative ontology and a subjective epistemology, case study methodology was employed in conjunction with participant observation, questionnaires, focus groups and interviews. Key themes emerged from the qualitative analysis of data, facilitating a deeper understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the Sport Action Zone, and of the individuals who engaged with it. The Wear Valley SAZ was seen to positively impact upon health, education, and crime. Nevertheless, the extent of this contribution to social inclusion was limited as it failed to adequately engage with those at greatest risk of social exclusion. Sport Action Zones have the potential to contribute significantly to social inclusion in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation, but this impact will be determined by the extent of consideration given to both the context within which the intervention is to exist and the potential mechanisms responsible for change. Moreover, to be successful, any such intervention must (at the design stage) be cognisant of the interrelationships between: physical activity determinants, notions of empowerment, attitude towards physical activity, and sustainability of participation. These are fundamental intervention precursors required to maximise those positive impacts upon health, education, and crime. Furthermore, as the complexity of the multiple risk factors associated with social exclusion inevitably lead to delays in affecting significant change, allowing time to address individual risk factors will increase the probability of creating a more effective and sustainable sporting infrastructure, particularly in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation

The Effect of Direct Instruction on Spanish Language Acquisition in a Preschool Free-Play Environment: A Single-Case Design

The predicted increase in Spanish speakers within the United States brings to light a new direction for preschool curricula. There are multiple, on-going arguments about the best time for children to learn a second language and what role critical periods for brain development play in second language acquisition. Although there are individual differences in development, the current study demonstrates that children can learn Spanish vocabulary words with an average of 30 minutes of instruction per week. Using a combination of direct instruction with developmentally appropriate practices, hands-on, and engaging activities, the teaching of Spanish vocabulary, themed and age appropriate for preschoolers, was incorporated into the West Virginia University Nursery School classroom. Six children from the afternoon collaborative class were chosen to participate in various forms of activities that incorporated English and Spanish into play-based interactions. Using prompts and feedback or praise, the progress of the children across days and over weeks was recorded and examined. Girls improved significantly on Spanish words correctly identified from pre-test to post-test, while boys showed little to no improvement. However, all children improved in fluency, or time taken to identify a pictorial response. Across the five-week intervention, all children demonstrated improved pronunciation and increasing independence and use within each set of themed words. A combination of direct instruction and engaging, interactive activities was shown to be beneficial in the learning of the children. This method of teaching can be easily incorporated into a more naturalistic classroom setting by providing opportunities of various types to slip vocabulary, directives, and bilingual instruction into the daily routine

Acquisition, patronage and display : contextualising the art collections of Longford Castle during the long eighteenth century

This thesis is a study of the formation of the collections at Longford Castle during the period c.1730 to c.1830 by the Bouverie family (later Earls of Radnor). It draws upon previously untapped archival material relating to this understudied but nationally significant collection of art, to provide a contribution to current scholarship on country houses and the history of collecting. The thesis considers issues of acquisition, patronage and display, and looks across a range of art forms, including painting, sculpture, decorative arts and furnishings, exploring the degree to which this family’s artistic tastes can be understood as conventional or distinctive for the time. By contextualising these acquisitions and commissions in terms of their setting, it is shown that although Longford Castle, an unusually shaped Elizabethan building, was appropriated and adapted for the display of art in line with eighteenth-century ideals, its owners also valued and retained aspects of its distinctive character. In addition, the thesis shows that Longford functioned both as a private home and as a public space where visitors experienced the collections. An introduction to the Bouverie family is provided, so as to further contextualise their tastes, exploring their Huguenot and mercantile heritage, and ennoblements, artistic networks, and interests during the long eighteenth century. The thesis argues that these interests were characterised by both an independent spirit and a desire to conform to contemporary trends and to articulate a sense of Englishness. The thesis takes a broad methodological approach, combining studies of architecture, interiors, gardens, furnishings, fine art and social history. It explores the castle and its contents through both archival research and object-based study, providing the first comprehensive study of Longford and its art collections

Acquisition, patronage and display : contextualising the art collections of Longford Castle during the long eighteenth century

This thesis is a study of the formation of the collections at Longford Castle during the period c.1730 to c.1830 by the Bouverie family (later Earls of Radnor). It draws upon previously untapped archival material relating to this understudied but nationally significant collection of art, to provide a contribution to current scholarship on country houses and the history of collecting. The thesis considers issues of acquisition, patronage and display, and looks across a range of art forms, including painting, sculpture, decorative arts and furnishings, exploring the degree to which this family’s artistic tastes can be understood as conventional or distinctive for the time. By contextualising these acquisitions and commissions in terms of their setting, it is shown that although Longford Castle, an unusually shaped Elizabethan building, was appropriated and adapted for the display of art in line with eighteenth-century ideals, its owners also valued and retained aspects of its distinctive character. In addition, the thesis shows that Longford functioned both as a private home and as a public space where visitors experienced the collections. An introduction to the Bouverie family is provided, so as to further contextualise their tastes, exploring their Huguenot and mercantile heritage, and ennoblements, artistic networks, and interests during the long eighteenth century. The thesis argues that these interests were characterised by both an independent spirit and a desire to conform to contemporary trends and to articulate a sense of Englishness. The thesis takes a broad methodological approach, combining studies of architecture, interiors, gardens, furnishings, fine art and social history. It explores the castle and its contents through both archival research and object-based study, providing the first comprehensive study of Longford and its art collections

Day-to-Day Engagement: A Study of the Complexities of Climate Change Engagement in the Context of Day-to-day Life

This thesis adds a complex account to existing climate change engagement literature, which captures the ways that interactions with, and interpretations of, climate change emerge across the spaces and practices of day-to-day life. The empirical research for this thesis was based in Penryn and Falmouth, two small adjoining coastal towns located in the county of Cornwall, in the southwest of the UK. Fieldwork across a number of sites including schools, community groups and the local fishery engaged participants in a wide variety of research interactions. A combination of ethnographic and autoethnographic techniques were applied to produce complex, nuanced and personal accounts of interactions with and reflections on climate change that emerged in a day-to-day context. This study employed the innovative use of a personal research archive to facilitate the process of sense making across a body of highly detailed and contextual data. Through the use of thematic coding, links between data collected in diverse research encounters has been drawn together to produce meaningful narratives of climate change engagement in day-to-day life. These narratives capture the adaptive, imperfectly situated and inconsistent engagement responses that emerge as a result of the challenging nature of climate change and the inevitable, multiple pressures of the day-to-day context. The research approach taken in this study, and the findings set out in the thesis make contributions to three main areas of climate change engagement literature. Firstly, it explores the way that climate change is situated and understood in the context of day-to-day life. Secondly, it considers the implications of conceptualising climate change engagement as either a ‘process’ or a ‘state’. Finally, it extends existing analysis of ‘barriers to engagement’, locating them within the complexity of the day-to-day context and identifying them as part of essential interpretive iterations of engagement.European Social Fun

Assessing the Nitrogen Saturation Status of Appalachian Forests using Stable Isotopes of Nitrate

Chronic elevated nitrogen (N) deposition can lead to ecosystem N saturation, which is theorized to occur when N supply exceeds biological demand and excess N leaches to receiving waters. This research examined the post-depositional fate and transport of atmospheric nitrate in Appalachian forests across spatial and temporal scales by characterizing the nitrate stable isotopic composition (δ15N, δ18O, and Δ17O) of precipitation, soil water, and streams. Data indicate that elevated N deposition does not saturate biological demand; rather, N processing becomes more extensive as N availability increases. Along a regional N deposition gradient (North Carolina to New Hampshire), mean proportions of atmospheric nitrate in streams were inversely related to long-term annual average nitrate deposition. Stream nitrate concentrations were also negatively correlated to the proportion of atmospheric nitrate in streams (R2=0.23; p<0.05). Similar relationships occurred along an N saturation gradient in four watersheds at Fernow Experimental Forest (West Virginia). The most N-saturated watershed had the highest stream nitrate concentrations (mean=3.7 mg L-1) but the lowest proportions of atmospheric nitrate in the stream (mean=5%). Conversely, the stream in the N-limited watershed had the lowest nitrate concentrations (mean=0.0 mg L-1) and the highest proportions of atmospheric nitrate (mean=42% among samples with sufficient nitrate for isotope analysis). High spatial variability of nitrate sources in one watershed at Fernow (WS4) suggests a decoupling of source dynamics across spatial scales. Proportions of atmospheric nitrate in soil solution ranged from zero to 96% across WS4, but consistently low proportions of atmospheric nitrate in the stream suggest that watershed areas with high proportions of atmospheric nitrate may not contribute significantly to the stream. Storm event water and nitrate isotope data support this idea, indicating transient hydrologic flowpaths from hillslopes to the stream during storms. Although these transient flowpaths resulted in a wide range of mean event water contributions to stormflow (6% to 34%) during events, the maximum proportion of atmospheric nitrate in stormflow was only 8%. These trends in nitrate source contributions to streams along gradients of space, time, N deposition, and N saturation suggest that the widely-accepted mechanisms of nitrogen saturation require reevaluation