Digital Commons Network^™

Straddling Two Worlds: How Linguistic Backgrounds And Sociocultural Norms Influence The Experiences Of Saudi Female Expats In Australia, Lamia Alhassoun

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

This study constructs a collective story of Saudi female expats (SFEs) as they navigate the transition from their conservative society in Saudi Arabia to a new one in Australia. It examines the impact of the SFE’s Arabic background and their English learning experiences in Australia on their lives and explores SFEs perceptions of their self-representation in the social and educational milieu in Australia. Additionally, it sheds light on the intricate relationships between language, culture, gender and self-representation.

The study employs a demographic questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with twenty-two SFEs in Australia. The study adopts lenses from social identity theory (Erikson …

Saudi-Arab Emerging Video Game Cultures, Archetypes, Narratives, And User Experiences, Omar Abdulaziz S. Alkhamees

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

Arab representation in media has been a major focus of many works of renowned scholars, such as Edward Said (1978), Shaheen (2000), Karim (2005) and others. Journalism, film, television, and ancient literature have all been studied in these works. A recent addition to the study of Arab representation is the medium of video games. This was first examined by Reichmuth and Werning (2006) and Machin and Suleiman (2006) and extended by many works that are discussed in this thesis. The vast majority of the literature on Arab representation in video games focuses on Western video games and the reaction of …

What Is The Relationship Between Professional Registration, Identity And Professionalisation In Australian Paramedics?, Buchanan Christopher Reed

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

This dissertation examines the relationship between identity, professionalism and regulation in Australian paramedics. This project specifically focuses on the period during the transition to national registration of paramedics in Australia. Paramedicine has existed in some form in Australia for almost a century and a half with origin in 19th century military and civil ambulance corps. Major reforms in the latter half of the 20th century led to the advent of “modern” paramedicine and seen the profession grow exponentially in size, scope and complexity. University education for paramedics was introduced in Australia in the mid-1990s. Advanced medical skills considered ground-breaking in …

Cocooning In Culture: Exploring The Development And Implementation Of A Culturally-Situated Trauma-Informed Approach Within An Aboriginal Community Controlled Out Of Home Care Program, Samantha Lukey

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are 11 times more likely to be placed in Out of Home Care (OOHC) than non-Indigenous children. Trauma-informed practice has been identified as an approach to effectively support children in OOHC. For Aboriginal children cultural connection in the context of trauma-informed practice is found to be lacking. There is little formal exploration about what is needed to develop a culturally-situated trauma-informed practice (CSTIP) approach to supporting Aboriginal children in OOHC.

This community-led Indigenous Informed Participatory Action Research (IPAR) investigates participants' understandings and perceptions of what is required to co-create CSTIP with an Aboriginal organisation …

"Woefully Imprecise": Nerdom As Messy Discourse, Raewyn Campbell

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

This thesis is about the way we talk about nerd identity as a unified and observable ‘fact’ of our cultural experience, even though (as the case studies and participants’ talk reveal) it is an evasive concept that we throw together, even as we discuss it. This thesis is ultimately about mess. Nerd is the case study through which to observe discursive and cultural messiness, and talk – particularly that from my field research – provides examples of the different ways we make sense of such mess and make it into something that appears stable and coherent.