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Big Boys Don't Cry : Understanding Barriers To Seeking Support For Mental Health Problems Among Adolescent Males, Amanda Miraudo Jan 2003

Big Boys Don't Cry : Understanding Barriers To Seeking Support For Mental Health Problems Among Adolescent Males, Amanda Miraudo

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study explored the possible barriers encountered by adolescents in developing and achieving positive mental health. Male adolescents in Perth, Western Australia were consulted in an attempt to provide insight into the motivating and inhibiting factors influencing help-seeking as a coping strategy. Barriers to seeking help for mental health problems were investigated through the inductive process of grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) to obtain a more detailed understanding of help-seeking than previous studies have provided; The study found that the coping responses most frequently enacted by the adolescent males sampled included avoidance, diversion, and private resolution. Help-seeking was far …


The Influence Of Students' Contextual Perceptions On Motivational Goal Pursuit In The First Year Of Middle School, Caroline Mansfield Jan 2002

The Influence Of Students' Contextual Perceptions On Motivational Goal Pursuit In The First Year Of Middle School, Caroline Mansfield

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The nature of student motivation in schools, particularly during early adolescence, has been of interest and concern to educators and researchers alike. Particularly over the last 20 years, considerable technological advances, societal changes, changes in traditional family structures, and changes in educational structures and practice have seen the issue of student motivation emerge as a prime focus for educators and researchers. Simultaneously, developments in educational research and consequent understandings developed about student motivation in classroom contexts have revealed the complexity of students' motivational processes and served to inspire further research in this field.


Anglo-Indian Women In Western Australia: Past, Present And Future Identities, Erica Lewin Jan 2002

Anglo-Indian Women In Western Australia: Past, Present And Future Identities, Erica Lewin

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The Anglo-Indian community and Anglo-Indian women in particular have been described as 'mixed-race' and 'hybrid'. This study seeks to explore the identity of Anglo-Indian women through the process of migration and settlement in Australia, by following the lives of twenty-six women. Twenty of these women emigrated from India between 1963 and 1977; one arrived in Australia significantly earlier in 1947 and another significantly later, in 1996. Four women were Australian-born. This study traces their identity through their memories of life in India and the process of migration and settlement for themselves and their children, some of whom were born in …


Body Perceptions Of Western Australian Female Group Fitness Instructors And The Influence Of The Workplace, Lana Leslie Jan 2002

Body Perceptions Of Western Australian Female Group Fitness Instructors And The Influence Of The Workplace, Lana Leslie

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Group fitness instructors work in an environment that promotes the often unattainable pursuit of an ideal body shape. The fitness centre often displays pictures of slim body shapes on the walls and sells goods and services that relate to weight loss and the improvement of the appearance. The instructors are part of this environment that promotes ideal body shapes, and they arc often seen as role models of health, fitness and slimness. It is possible that instructors arc under pressure to attain or maintain an ideal body shape, to be consistent with what their work environment represents. The purpose of …


Academic Gains Of Students With Special Needs In An Independent Religious School, Ivanka Saric Jan 2002

Academic Gains Of Students With Special Needs In An Independent Religious School, Ivanka Saric

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The number of children who are performing poorly in school-wide tests seems to be increasing in an independent religious school in the metropolitan area. Several children have been identified "at risk" or having special needs but they seem to show little if any improvement as they get promoted to higher grades. The study investigated the instructional and assessment strategies that upper primary school teachers were using in their classrooms to improve the academic and social skills of children defined as having special needs. Teachers' perceptions were examined to determine whether there had been any observable increases in the academic performance …


Depressed Men Angry Women: Non-Stereotypical Gender Responses To Anti-Smoking Messages In Older Smokers, Debora Brown Jan 2001

Depressed Men Angry Women: Non-Stereotypical Gender Responses To Anti-Smoking Messages In Older Smokers, Debora Brown

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This qualitative study into the effective use of fear arousal in social marketing advertising, focused on exploring gender differences in smokers' attitudes towards threats in anti-smoking messages in the 40 to 50 year old age group. This age group of smokers has received relatively little attention in the fear arousal literature to date, presumably because their 'hard core' attitudes are perceived as difficult to change by social marketing and medical practitioners. The key purpose of this study was to explore the attitudinal responses of male and female smokers in the 40 to 50 year old age group to anti-smoking messages …


Early Childhood Teachers' Knowledge Of Children With Disabilities And Teaching Children With Disabilities, Pamela A. Kilgallon Jan 2001

Early Childhood Teachers' Knowledge Of Children With Disabilities And Teaching Children With Disabilities, Pamela A. Kilgallon

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Trends to integrate students with disabilities into general education schools, rely on early childhood teachers utilising their knowledge and skills to provide successful induction into the education system, and fully including students with disabilities in the teaching program. This study describes early childhood teachers' knowledge of children with disabilities, and the teaching of these children, through teachers recounting their sources of knowledge and experiences in teaching children with disabilities. This study was conducted in the northern metropolitan teaching districts of Perth, Western Australia. Using both quantitative and qualitative methodology, 22 early childhood teachers completed a survey involving open-ended questions, followed …


School Staff Positions On P1 Composite Classes, Elizabeth Stamopoulos Jan 2001

School Staff Positions On P1 Composite Classes, Elizabeth Stamopoulos

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

As a result of a government strategic decision in 1995, a new formation (the PI class) has emerged in Western Australian primary schools and its implementation is now set to accelerate across the state. Unlike multi-age groupings, PI is constructed when there are insufficient numbers of children to run straight pre-primary classes. School staff responsible for developing PI classes have raised a number of concerns. For example, the basis on which PI curriculum is to be built has yet to be promulgated. Also, a formal process for dealing with the ideological differences with respect to pre-primary and primary education has …


Cognitive Apprenticeship In A Building Design Office, Craig A. Baird Jan 2001

Cognitive Apprenticeship In A Building Design Office, Craig A. Baird

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis presents a research study that investigated student learning in a mentor supported design office situation, using a cognitive apprenticeship learning approach that utilised authentic design project tusks. In this study, 29 final year Technical And Further Education (TAFE) building design students undertook authentic building design projects with expert building designers, who acted as mentors, in commercial design office situations. The mentors guided student learning by using a cognitive apprenticeship approach to learning, implemented with authentic design projects designed to replicate the everyday culture of practice activities typical of commercial design office operations. This study follows the progress of …


Principles In Public Reasoning About Criminal Justice : Victim Vulnerability, Trust, And Offender Status, Dianne R. Mckillop Jan 2001

Principles In Public Reasoning About Criminal Justice : Victim Vulnerability, Trust, And Offender Status, Dianne R. Mckillop

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

It is popularly assumed that the public is highly punitive toward criminal offenders and that its reasoning about criminal offences is emotionally and morally based. This assumption has been challenged by social scientists who cite influences of news media and methodological flaws in empirical studies as contributing causes. Public sentiment is a basis for law and the increasing responsiveness of legislator to what is perceived to be public opinion on crime means that accurate information on enduring principles in the public's intuitive reasoning about criminal justice is vital. An initial exploratory study (N = 34) presented members of the public …


Early Childhood Teachers' Perceptions Of Their Leadership Roles, Glenda Boyd Jan 2001

Early Childhood Teachers' Perceptions Of Their Leadership Roles, Glenda Boyd

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Early childhood education has long been regarded as having the lowest status in the education system. Recent government reforms in Australia based on financial rather than education concerns means early childhood education will continue to face declines in status, conditions and appropriate resources, unless educators exercise leadership skills in advocating for appropriate programs and curriculum for young children. A new model of Early Childhood Teacher Leadership was created to measure leadership skills, including leadership in advocating for young children, and tested in Phase One of the study. The model involved General Leadership (Classroom Leadership, Self-directed Leadership, Program Leadership and School …


Teacher Perceptions Of Student Speech, Yvonne G. Haig Jan 2001

Teacher Perceptions Of Student Speech, Yvonne G. Haig

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Although language variation is widespread and natural,it is subject to judgement. Where a standard language has developed, other varieties tend to be judged against its "standards". While a number of overseas studies have found that this type of linguistic bias occurs in education and negatively impacts on dialect speakers, there has been little research in Australia. The research reported in this thesis investigates how teachers perceive the speech of school-aged students and whether the socio-economic status or level of schooling of the students influence these perceptions. Further, it examines the relationships between the teachers' background, the way they define Standard …


To Release Or Not To Release That Is The Question: A Phenomenological Study Of Western Australian Government Freedom Of Information Coordinators, Graham Harnwell Jan 2001

To Release Or Not To Release That Is The Question: A Phenomenological Study Of Western Australian Government Freedom Of Information Coordinators, Graham Harnwell

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study explores the issues that impact on Western Australian State Government Freedom of Information Coordinators who, within the framework of the Freedom of Information Act (1992), manage requests from the public to access agency held documents. A literature review identified two bodies of material. One extolling FOI, the other arguing that some agency personnel have not accepted, and are actively resisting, the concept of FOI. Using a phenomenological approach, eight Coordinators narrated the issues that impact on their roles and decision-making processes. Themes were identified, analysed and reported in the context of the broader FOI environment. This research found …


An Evaluation Of The Orientation Program For Newly Appointed Catholic Primary Principals, Samuel G. Fontaine Jan 2001

An Evaluation Of The Orientation Program For Newly Appointed Catholic Primary Principals, Samuel G. Fontaine

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The structure and operation of Catholic schools in Western Australia have been in a process of change since the early 1970’s. Prior to 1971, most Catholic primary schools were administered by religious orders and much of the religious character of the school reflected the charisma of the particular religious order that operated the school. In the Year 2000 most Catholic primary schools former part of a state-wide system in which the Catholic Education Office (CEO) plays a major administrative and co-ordinating role.


The Role Of Lorikeet Clubhouse In Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Michelle Smith Jan 2001

The Role Of Lorikeet Clubhouse In Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Michelle Smith

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Previous studies have suggested that participation in psychosocial support groups such as the Foundation House (Clubhouse) model have psychological benefits for patients with major mental disorders. In this research, 47 members of the Lorikeet Clubhouse in Shenton Park, WA completed the Brief Symptom Inventory, the Level of Expressed Emotion Scale and the Coping Scale for Adults to investigate whether differences existed between active and inactive Clubhouse members. Analyses of variance found no group differences on these measures, although trends in the data suggest that Clubhouse participation have a protective effect for members who report high levels of expressed emotion (EE) …


Farm Tourism In The South West Tapestry Region, Western Australia : Experiences Of Hosts And Guests, Gloria Ingram Jan 2001

Farm Tourism In The South West Tapestry Region, Western Australia : Experiences Of Hosts And Guests, Gloria Ingram

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis describes a research project in the South West Tapestry Region of Western Australia which uses phenomenological method to investigate the experiences of farm tourism hosts and guests. The overall aim of the research was to identify motivations of both hosts and guests in order to determine to what degree farm tourism in the SWTR provides the kind of holiday experience people are seeking. Phenomenology was chosen as a flexible yet rigorous methodology for researching lived experience, which would enable an in-depth understanding of motivations surrounding hosting farm tourism and choosing a farm tourism holiday. The initial stage of …


Sentencing Decisions : The Public View Of The Effects Of Consequences Of Crime, Offender Remorse And Type Of Crime, Jodie S. Wright Jan 2001

Sentencing Decisions : The Public View Of The Effects Of Consequences Of Crime, Offender Remorse And Type Of Crime, Jodie S. Wright

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The Australian justice system is based in a conventional model of justice with the aim of uniformity in sentencing. It is important to ascertain public opinion on the relevance of different factors to be taken into account at sentencing as accurately as possible, in order to provide informed public opinion which may assist policy makers in making legislation or educating the public on these matters. The current study examined the impact of varying levels of victim harm (high or low) and offender remorse (high or low) for both person and property crimes on sentencing decisions made by both male (n …


Factors In The Development Of Early Childhood Distance Education Curriculum Materials For Language And Literacy In Western Australia, Elisabeth Turner Jan 2001

Factors In The Development Of Early Childhood Distance Education Curriculum Materials For Language And Literacy In Western Australia, Elisabeth Turner

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Many factors influence the changing nature of education: family structures, cultural diversity, rapid technological change, social conditions. In response to these changes the Curriculum Framework for Western Australian schools has been developed to establish the learning outcomes expected of all students from K-12. Students in isolated and distance education settings are supplied curriculum materials designed to meet their diverse educational needs. This study presents one snapshot of an ongoing research project in which new language and literacy curriculum materials for early childhood distance education learners were developed, trialled and further developed. Some factors that appear to be important in the …


How General Practitioners And Aged Care Workers Perceive Incidences Of Elder Abuse, Paul Howrie Jan 2000

How General Practitioners And Aged Care Workers Perceive Incidences Of Elder Abuse, Paul Howrie

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

As the Australian population is expanding and ageing, there is an associated need for a focus to be placed on the Individual rights of elderly people, and for the general populus to be made more aware of areas related to our older generation. Elder abuse, as an area of concern, developed as an offshoot of investigations into child abuse and general domestic violence, and initially surfaced in the 1970s and 80s. Some sections of the medical profession were made specifically aware of the problem initially in 1975, through a letter that was sent to the British Medical Journal. However, throughout …


When Teachers Are Victims : A Study Of Support In Western Australian Government Schools For Teachers Who Have Been Assaulted By Students, Rebecca Evans Jan 2000

When Teachers Are Victims : A Study Of Support In Western Australian Government Schools For Teachers Who Have Been Assaulted By Students, Rebecca Evans

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The aims of this study were to determine the personal effects of student assault upon a teacher and what assaulted teachers feel that they need in the way of support. In particular, I wanted the study to focus on the personal aspects of the cases as I was convinced that assaulted teachers experience similar anxieties, fears and barriers to support and similar difficulties in having those feelings recognised. Many clinical studies of assault victim support have been conducted, however, seemingly none of them are specifically related to assault by a student upon a teacher. This specific type of assault involves …


Assessing Moral Reasoning Development Through Values Education Within A Western Australian Independent School, Kelvin Fairclough Jan 2000

Assessing Moral Reasoning Development Through Values Education Within A Western Australian Independent School, Kelvin Fairclough

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The relationship between Values Education and corresponding moral reasoning development has been explored within a group of forty-six year eight students (twelve and thirteen years old). Participants were tested with a Sociomoral Reflection Objective Measure instrument to index their moral reasoning stage development (reported as a Moral Maturity Score). Randomly dividing the group into two equal proportions they were assigned to an Experimental or Control group. The Experimental group was presented with Values Education through exposure to age relevant moral dilemmas which envelope a societal value drawn from the Core Shared Values (Curriculum Council of Western Australia, 1998). Within each …


Influence Of Home And School Environments On The Academic Performance Of Chinese-Australian And Anglo-Australian Students Studying At An Academically-Oriented High School In Perth, Western Australia, Ranbir Singh Malik Jan 2000

Influence Of Home And School Environments On The Academic Performance Of Chinese-Australian And Anglo-Australian Students Studying At An Academically-Oriented High School In Perth, Western Australia, Ranbir Singh Malik

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Although minority status has been associated with low academic achievement, the “high Asian achieving syndrome" remains as one of the unresolved sociological puzzles. Consistent evidence suggests that regardless of the family status, children from the Asian migrant families, settled in the industrialised countries, tend to perform academically better than their counterparts from the dominant group. This disparity is attributed to a number of factors, which taken separately, do not address this complex issue. In Australia little research has been done to compare the home environment and school experiences of children coming from Chinese-Australian and Anglo-Australian families even though the number …


The Framing Of Truancy : A Study Of Non-Attendance Policy As A Form Of Social Exclusion Within Western Australia, Jan Gray Jan 2000

The Framing Of Truancy : A Study Of Non-Attendance Policy As A Form Of Social Exclusion Within Western Australia, Jan Gray

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Truancy is a product of socially constructed knowledge. The final product of this knowledge provides insight into the defining features of current societal beliefs, values and fears, becoming a powerful framing influence for definitions of acceptable patterns of school attendance and behaviour. In this sense, the perceived incidence of truancy within a community has far more impact on the creation and enactment of public policy associated with young people who do not regularly attend school than the incidence itself. This does not deny the incidence of truancy, nor the empirical data indicating correlates of truancy, illiteracy, crime, poverty and unemployment. …


Leisure Patterns, Constraints And Socio-Demographic Characteristics Of Korean Immigrants In Western Australia, Sooyoung S. Tcha Jan 2000

Leisure Patterns, Constraints And Socio-Demographic Characteristics Of Korean Immigrants In Western Australia, Sooyoung S. Tcha

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study investigated the patterns of and constraints to leisure participation of Korean immigrants in Western Australia. The socioeconomic and demographic attributes of Korean immigrants were examined using descriptive statistical methods and their effects on leisure participation were rigorously analysed using quantitative techniques, based on data that were collected from Korean immigrants in Western Australia. The study showed that Korean immigrants participated in more passive leisure activities such as home-based ones. Participation in more active or western style leisure activities especially sports was found to be considerably low. The study also looked at which variables could explain the change in …


Community Attitudes And The Role Of The Victim Offender Relationship In Child Sexual Abuse Cases, Kirstin Leigh Bouse Jan 2000

Community Attitudes And The Role Of The Victim Offender Relationship In Child Sexual Abuse Cases, Kirstin Leigh Bouse

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Past research has illustrated that communily attitudes tend not to be reflected in crime legislation particularly when considering the victim-offender relationship and perceived seriousness of child sexual abuse. This study examined the effects of 4 different victimoffender relationships and the degree of trust within these relationships on perceptions of offence seriousness and emotional and physical harm, for the offence of indecently dealing with a 14-year old girl. One hundred and sixty community members used a 7- point scale to rate the degree of trust within these relationships, the seriousness of the offence and the emotional and physical harm suffered by …


What Counts As Accountability? : Towards An Accountability Framework For The Pre-Primary, Lennie Barblett Jan 2000

What Counts As Accountability? : Towards An Accountability Framework For The Pre-Primary, Lennie Barblett

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Accountability in the pre-primary year has become a focus for attention as schools develop corporate school plans. Pre-primary teachers can no longer work in isolation and are required to implement the school development plan in order to account for their portion of the school's work. This study aimed to find out how pre-primary teachers accounted for their educational programs and what factors influenced their accountability notions and practices. The study conducted in Western Australia used an ecological theoretical framework. Data was collected using multi-modal techniques and analysed using an interpretive-constructivist approach. Three case studies, a questionnaire and focus groups of …


Developing A Post Compulsory Evidence-Based Alcohol Education Curriculum That Is Relevant To Students And Acceptable To Teachers, Fiona Farringdon Jan 2000

Developing A Post Compulsory Evidence-Based Alcohol Education Curriculum That Is Relevant To Students And Acceptable To Teachers, Fiona Farringdon

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The aim of this study was to develop a post compulsory, alcohol education curriculum that would be perceived as relevant by students and acceptable to teachers. The study had its conceptual basis in harm minimisation that has considerable justification in terms of what school-based alcohol education can realistically achieve. A harm minimisation approach is supported by parental attitudes, teachers, young people and government policy. To ensure the curriculum was developed in the Western Australian education context it has been linked to the Western Australian Curriculum Framework and adheres to the principles that underpin the framework. Furthermore, this study draws on …


The Commercialisation Of Small Firm Technologies In Western Australia : A Case For User-Producer Interaction And The Integration Of Large Industrial Users With Small Technology Producers, Michelle Navaratnam Jan 1999

The Commercialisation Of Small Firm Technologies In Western Australia : A Case For User-Producer Interaction And The Integration Of Large Industrial Users With Small Technology Producers, Michelle Navaratnam

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this study was to: * examine how grantee firms of the Western Australian Innovation Support Scheme (WAISS) have overcome their impediments to commercialisation; * examine how the process of user-producer interaction has enabled grantee firms to commercialise their technologies; * examine the process of user-producer interaction with large and/or small industrial users, and the subsequent benefits derived; * examine the entry barriers faced by grantee firms in forming interactions with large industrial users. The study examined the literature involving the role of small firms in the development and commercialisation of new technologies. The study adopted a multiple, …


Analysis Of Increases In Fishing Power In The Western Rock Lobster (Panulirus Cygnus) Fishery, John Fernandez Jan 1999

Analysis Of Increases In Fishing Power In The Western Rock Lobster (Panulirus Cygnus) Fishery, John Fernandez

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The western rock lobster, Panulirus cygnus, fishery represents a significant commercial asset to Western Australia, and it is therefore important that appropriate strategies are developed to effectively manage it. Because the fishery has a very high level of exploitation, researchers and managers rely significantly on annual stock assessments which are based on catch and effort data. This study will identify and assess the effects that changes in fishing power factors (e.g. advances in fish-finding technology) have had on estimates of catch and effort. The fishing power increases can be used to adjust nominal fishing effort to produce a time series …


Student And Teacher Perceptions Of A Season Of Sport Education In A Regional Primary School, J. G. Strikwerda-Brown Jan 1999

Student And Teacher Perceptions Of A Season Of Sport Education In A Regional Primary School, J. G. Strikwerda-Brown

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

An interpretive case study approach was employed to examine student and teacher perceptions of the implementation of a sport education in physical education program (SEPEP) in a Western Australian regional primary school. Choi’s (1992) curriculum dimensions were used as a framework. Three year seven teachers implemented SEPEP using a team teaching approach. The focus teacher, Ms Jenson, a highly regarded classroom teacher, described herself as non-sporty and lacking confidence and expertise in PE teaching. Students in her SEPEP volleyball class were considered less popular and less athletic when compared with those in the other two SEPEP classes. A focus volleyball …