Changes in the funding and delivery of research programmes at the university level have, in recent years, resulted in significant changes to research supervision. This paper critically reviews key influences effecting postgraduate supervision. Analysis draws on literature spanning 2000Á2010 to determine the appropriateness of traditional models of postgraduate research curricula and supervision for the New Zealand context. Influences discussed include the research context, faculty issues, supervision pedagogy and models of supervision. Each area is analysed for strengths and challenges and contribution to the knowledge economy. From this review, the authors propose strategies for the development of postgraduate research supervision: faculty development, including supervisor education, and formalised research training for students.

This project was a secondary hermeneutic analysis of text expressing loneliness or social isolation, gathered in an original study exploring how Chinese, Indian and Korean late-life immigrants participated in New Zealand society. It utilised the 24 interview recordings, initially transcribed in participants’ first languages from nine focus group and 15 individual interviews, and translated into English for analysis. Hermeneutic methods were used to extract and analyse quotes indicative of loneliness or social isolation. The data cohered into three notions: being unsettled, feeling sidelined and being oriented towards social connectedness. Being unsettled names the experiences of disconcerting loneliness or social isolation when previously familiar things, people and places were not there in the host society context. Feeling sidelined names the feelings of being put aside by others or feeling opaque with local communities. Being oriented towards social connectedness expresses these late-life immigrants’ longing to communicate with and to join with others in the community through culturally familiar engagements. A mood of loneliness coloured these late-life immigrants’ resettlement experiences in New Zealand. Yet they turned away from loneliness and sought out encounters with other older immigrants within co-ethnic communities.

BackgroundProfessional autonomy is a key concept in understanding nurses’ roles in delivering patient care. Recent research exploring the role of autonomy in the nursing work environment indicated that English and American nurses had differing perceptions of autonomy. This qualitative study aimed to explore the understanding and experiences of autonomy of nurses working in England.MethodsA descriptive phenomenological analysis of data from 48 semi-structured interviews with registered nurses from two National Health Service (NHS) hospitals (purposive sample) was used to explore the concept of autonomy.ResultsSix themes were identified: working independently; working in a team; having professional skills and knowledge; involvement in autonomy; boundaries around autonomy; and developing autonomy requires support. A key finding was that nurses related autonomy to their clinical work and to the immediate work environment of their ward, rather than to a wider professional context. Nurses also perceived that autonomy could be turned off and on rather than comprising an integrated aspect of nursing.ConclusionsFindings suggest that nurses in England, as framed by the sample, had a local ward-focused view of autonomy in comparison to nurses in America, who were reported to relate autonomy to a wider involvement in hospital level committees. Findings further indicate that autonomy was practiced occasionally, rather than incorporated into practice. Findings highlight the need for nurses in England to adopt a broader perspective and actively contribute to writing hospital guidelines and policies that recognise the importance of autonomy to nurse training and practice.

Aim To report a qualitative study of themes Registered Nurses raised spontaneously about their work environment, in a cross‐sectional survey study when responding to the Essentials of Magnetism II (EOMII) scale. Design Qualitative descriptive survey. Methods At the end of the EOMII scale, a free form text section was included asking nurses to add comments about their ward/work environment . Of the 247 nurses who completed the EOMII scale, 30% ( N = 75) provided comments. Inductive content analysis was used to analyse the textual information generated. Results Three key themes emerged: “nurses need nurses to nurse”; working as a team and workplace environment. Participants described issues they were facing which comprised high turnover rates, inadequate staffing levels, increasing workload and high stress levels. Particular attention was drawn to the role of the ward manager in promoting a positive work environment, good teamwork and quality patient care.

Research evidence suggests that older immigrants' resettlement in a new host country is hindered by limited opportunities to engage within communities in deeply familiar ways, using culturally meaningful occupations. A recent study concluded that older Asian immigrants contribute to social capital; yet there is little understanding of how they go about doing so. This New Zealand study examined how older Chinese, Indian, and Korean immigrants' participation contributes to civic society. Research partnerships were established with bilingual local intermediaries, who assisted the study's design and implementation. Bilingual research assistants and translators were contracted to assist with recruitment, data gathering, and transcript translation. Recruitment was conducted through venues where older immigrant ethnic groups frequented. The 74 participants were Chinese (24), Indian (25), and Korean (25) immigrants, aged 60 to 83 years, who were aged 55 or older on arrival, and had resided in New Zealand between 1 and 19 years. Nine focus group interviews, three with each ethnic group, were conducted and analysed. Subsequently, 15 participants, five from each ethnic group, were theoretically sampled for individual interview. Three culture-specific provisional theories were developed. Similarities in the theoretical dimensions justified the analytic development of one crosscultural theory. The resulting theory showed how their engagement with, and participation in, socially embedded older immigrant networks become a form of cultural enfranchisement and a pathway towards wider civic participation. While still largely hidden from societal view, these older immigrants found ways of giving service and strengthening community for the good of all.