Digital Commons Network^™

A Comparison Of Group-Based Research Methods, Melanie Randle, Hugh Mackay, Dorothy Dudley

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

In the modern era, group-based methods have come to largely dominate qualitative research, particularly in the commercial arena of market research. The most commonly used method is the "focus group" technique, which involves a group of strangers being directed to discuss a pre-determined set of topics. In reality, in many parts of the world, including Australia where this study was conducted, focus groups are often employed as the default technique without systematically questioning the appropriateness of methodological characteristics or the impact they have on the resultant data. This empirical study compares two different group-based methods - the "focus group" approach …

Applying Attribution Theory To Is Research As A Practical Method For Assessing Post-Adoption Behaviour, Irit Alony, Helen M. Hasan, Cecile Paris

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Researchers and practitioners alike see great value in understanding the implementation, adoption, and use of technology, and acknowledge the need to better understand post-adoption behaviour. Among theories that explain and predict human behaviour, attribution theory is recognised for its extensive investigation of behaviour's antecedents and consequences. This paper provides an overview of the theory, suggests a practical method for using it in IS contexts, and shows evidence that this method provides meaningful results. In order to address the complexities encountered in field-work, this paper argues that system-usage can be treated as an interpersonal relationship between the user and the system. …

Ict Industry Involvement With Ict Education And Research In Universities: Industry Perceptions, Tanya J. Mcgill, Tony Koppi, Jocelyn Armarego

Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) - Papers

Stronger linkages between the ICT industry and universities have been called for by both the ICT industry and by universities. The study described in this paper explores the ways in which the ICT industry believes it can and should contribute to ICT education and research in universities. The results confirm how important relationships with universities are seen to be and that industry would like to expand its level of involvement. Industry would like further involvement in curriculum design, both directly and through professional associations. The involvement sought is not just with respect to high-level themes, but many participants felt that …

Reflections On The Positioning, Politics, And Pedagogy Of A Language Education/Research Writing Subject For International Hdr Students, Alisa J. Percy, Emily Rose Purser

Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) - Papers

This presentation reflects on the positioning, politics, and pedagogy of a centrally delivered language education/research writing subject for international HDR students at the University of Wollongong,

Research Framework On Employee Skills Development Through Competency Based Curriculum And Assessment, Fazluz Zaman, S Rizvi

UOW College

This essay would like to address the challenges that today's workforce face, specifically in the global and Australian labor economy. The writer discusses the importance of the role of the employees' training and competence in finding stable jobs in the highly competitive industries. In the same manner, to give stress on the enhancement of the existing skills and talents of the employees in order to sustain their professional growth in the organization they work for in the long run. Hence, the productivity of the employees should be given priority in order to maintain the growth and profitability and economic stability …

Protocol For The Process Evaluation Of A Complex Intervention Designed To Increase The Use Of Research In Health Policy And Program Organisations (The Spirit Study), Abby Haynes, Sue Brennan, Stacy M. Carter, Denise O'Connor, Carmen Huckel Schneider, Tari Turner, Gisselle Gallego

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background Process evaluation is vital for understanding how interventions function in different settings, including if and why they have different effects or do not work at all. This is particularly important in trials of complex interventions in `real world' organisational settings where causality is difficult to determine. Complexity presents challenges for process evaluation, and process evaluations that tackle complexity are rarely reported. This paper presents the detailed protocol for a process evaluation embedded in a randomised trial of a complex intervention known as SPIRIT (Supporting Policy In health with Research: an Intervention Trial). SPIRIT aims to build capacity for using …

Recovering Knowledge For Science Education Research: Exploring The "Icarus Effect" In Student Work, Helen Georgiou, Karl A. Maton, Manjula Sharma

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Science education research has built a strong body of work on students' understandings but largely overlooked the nature of science knowledge itself. Legitimation Code Theory (LCT), a rapidly growing approach to education, offers a way of analyzing the organizing principles of knowledge practices and their effects on science education. This article focuses on one specific concept from LCT-semantic gravity-that conceptualizes differences in context dependence. The article uses this concept to qualitatively analyze tertiary student responses to a thermal physics question. One result, that legitimate answers must reside within a specific range of context dependence, illustrates how a focus on the …

Qualitative Methods In Socio-Spatial Research, Phillip O'Neill, Pauline M. Mcguirk

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This chapter explores the rationale for qualitative methods, the origins of qualitative research, and a number of important issues relating to the conduct of qualitative research. The chapter is not intended to be a comprehensive guide to qualitative methods in socio-spatial research. Rather its intention is stimulate the reader's interest in qualitative methods and encourage their pursuit in a rigorous effective manner. Comprehensive guides and key references to qualitative methods can be found in Crang (2003), Hay (2010) and Herbert et al (2009). Qualitative methods were developed in the 1980s and 1990s as an alternative way to make observations, collect …

Conceptualising Technology Use As Social Practice To Research Student Experiences Of Technology In Higher Education, Sue Bennett

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The purpose of this paper is to argue for the importance of sociological approaches to educational technology research which can make new advances in the field that complement the existing research base. Such research can address questions of how individuals use technology across different spheres of their lives, including education, and asks what role technology plays in educational institutions and how it interacts academic practices. Research of this kind can tells us much about how we might adopt and adapt technologies from outside education to support teaching and learning. By conceptualising technology use as social practice, rather than as attributes …

Increasing Specificity Of Correlate Research: Exploring Correlates Of Children's Lunchtime And After-School Physical Activity, Rebecca M. Stanley, Kate Ridley, Timothy Olds, James Dollman

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background The lunchtime and after-school contexts are critical windows in a school day for children to be physically active. While numerous studies have investigated correlates of children's habitual physical activity, few have explored correlates of physical activity occurring at lunchtime and after-school from a social-ecological perspective. Exploring correlates that influence physical activity occurring in specific contexts can potentially improve the prediction and understanding of physical activity. Using a context-specific approach, this study investigated correlates of children's lunchtime and after-school physical activity. Methods Cross-sectional data were collected from 423 South Australian children aged 10.0-13.9 years (200 boys; 223 girls) attending 10 …

Containership Routing And Scheduling In Liner Shipping: Overview And Future Research Directions, Qiang Meng, Shuaian Wang, Henrik Andersson, Kristian Thun

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

This paper reviews studies from the past 30 years that use operations research methods to tackle containership routing and scheduling problems at the strategic, tactical, and operational planning levels. These problems are first classified and summarized, with a focus on model formulations, assumptions, and algorithm design. The paper then gives an overview of studies on containership fleet size and mix, alliance strategy, and network design (at the strategic level); frequency determination, fleet deployment, speed optimization, and schedule design (at the tactical level); and container booking and routing and ship rescheduling (at the operational level). The paper further elaborates on the …

Adaptive Diagrams: A Research Agenda To Explore How Learners Can Manipulate Online Diagrams To Self-Manage Cognitive Load, Shirley Agostinho, Sharon Tindall-Ford, Sahar Bokosmaty

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This chapter presents an emerging research agenda focused on empowering learners to apply well-known instructional design principles, reserved mainly for application by instructional designers, to the design of diagrams to support their learning. Significant advances have been made in terms of developing design principles that can be applied to the design of diagrams to facilitate the efficient learning of diagrammatic information. However, little is known about how these design principles can be applied by learners themselves. In a technologically rich environment where learners can access a range of online diagrammatic information, we argue that it is imperative that learners' are …

Mixed Methods To The Rescue: Addressing The Problem Of Employee Turnover Using Marital Research, Irit Alony, Helen M. Hasan, Andrew J. Sense

Sydney Business School - Papers

Decades of turnover research have identified sets of factors that lead to voluntary employee separation. However, the predictive power of existing turnover models is extremely limited, and does not go far beyond 30%. In contrast, marital research has developed a MMR tool for predicting dissolution which has an accuracy of over 90%, based on a couple's reflections on their past. This paper presents this complex prediction method in current MMR terms, and details the process of adjusting it into employment setting. The paper presents the main issues to consider when adjusting this tool, and provides a detailed description of the …

'Ngulluck Katitj Wah Koorl Koorliny / Us Mob Going Along Learning To Research Together': Drawing On Action Research To Develop A Literature Review On Indigenous Gendered Health And Wellbeing, Bronwyn Fredericks, Kathleen Clapham, Roxanne Bainbridge, Len Collard, Mick Adams, Dawn Bessarab, Clair Andersen, Deb Duthie, Rowena Ball, Marlene Thompson (Longbottom), Carolyn Daniels

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

This paper describes the collaborative work practices of the Health and Wellbeing Node within the National Indigenous Research and Knowledges Network (NIRAKN). The authors reflect on the processes they used to research and develop a literature review. As a newly established research team, the Health and Wellbeing Node members developed a collaborative approach that was informed by action research practices and underpinned by Indigenous ways of working. The authors identify strong links between action research and Indigenous processes. They suggest that, through ongoing cycles of research and review, the NIRAKN Health and Wellbeing Node developed a culturally safe, respectful and …

Geographical Fire Research In Australia: Review And Prospects, Christine Eriksen, Lesley Head

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

'You live in the bush. You live by the rules of the bush, and that's it.' These were the reflective words of Mrs Dunlop upon seeing the blackened rubble of her home, which made headline news the morning after the first, and most destructive, fire front tore through the Blue Mountains in New South Wales on 17 October 2013 (Partridge and Levy, 2013). While seemingly a simple statement, it goes right to the heart of heated public and political debates - past and present - over who belongs where and why in the fire-prone landscapes that surround Australia's cities. Bushfire …

Family-Focused Autism Spectrum Disorder Research: A Review Of The Utility Of Family Systems Approaches, Elizabeth Kate Cridland, Sandra C. Jones, Christopher A. Magee, Peter Caputi

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

A family member with an autism spectrum disorder presents pervasive and bidirectional influences on the entire family system, suggesting a need for family-focused autism spectrum disorder research. While there has been increasing interest in this research area, family-focused autism spectrum disorder research can still be considered relatively recent, and there are limitations to the existing literature. The purpose of this article is to provide theoretical and methodological directions for future family-focused autism spectrum disorder research. In particular, this article proposes Family Systems approaches as a common theoretical framework for future family-focused autism spectrum disorder research by considering theoretical concepts such …

Smart Recovery: New Research Directions, Peter James Kelly, Chris Blatch, Frank Deane, Amanda L. Baker

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs Conference 2014, 9-12 November 2014, Adelaide, Australia

Addressing Multiple Health Risk Behaviours In Disadvantaged Populations: Research Being Led By The National Health And Medical Research Council Centre Of Research Excellence In Mental Health And Substance Use, Peter James Kelly, Amanda Baker, Frances Kay-Lambkin

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs Conference 2014, 9-12 November 2014, Adelaide, Australia

Arts-Science Collaboration, Embodied Research Methods, And The Politics Of Belonging: 'Siteworks' And The Shoalhaven River, Australia, Leah Maree Gibbs

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Arts-science collaboration is gaining increasing attention in geography and other disciplines, in part due to its ability to 'do' social, cultural and political work. This paper considers the work of SiteWorks, a series of projects initiated by Bundanon Trust - an Australian public company. SiteWorks involves arts practitioners, scientists, other scholars and local people creating works in response to the Bundanon site, on the Shoalhaven River, southeastern Australia. The paper draws on my experience as a SiteWorks participant, and poses two questions. What does this arts-science collaboration contribute to an understanding of the more-than-human world of this site? What are …

Blogging As Art, Art As Research, Lucas Ihlein

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

Since 2003, I have used a blog to collect and publish my ideas about art and social engagement, or to write short accounts of artworks I have witnessed and participated in (Ihlein 2003). What motivates me to blog in this way is the desire to leave behind an experiential document of ephemeral art practices. Conceptual art, performance art, Happenings, Fluxus events and Expanded Cinema: all these constitute important moments in avant-garde art history which I 'know' only by accessing fragmentary, in complete archival documents - photographs, videotapes, artists' statements. For artists working today, these archives make a significant contribution to …

Getting My Hands Dirty: Research And Writing, Shady E. Cosgrove

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

Biographical note:

Shady Cosgrove is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Wollongong. Her novel What the Ground Can’t Hold (Picador 2013) tells the story of a group of people stranded in the Andes, all of whom have links to Argentina’s Dirty War. Her memoir She Played Elvis (Allen and Unwin, 2009) was shortlisted for the Australian Vogel Literary Prize, and her short stories and articles have appeared in Best Australian Stories, Antipodes, Southerly, Overland, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Melbourne Age. She has also written about the ethics of representation and teaching of creative writing. For further information …

Resisting Condescending Research Ethics In Aotearoa/New Zealand, Juan M. Tauri

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Recently, Indigenous scholars have raised a number of concerns with the activities of Research Ethics Boards (REBs) and their members, including the preference of REBs for Eurocentric conceptualizations of what does or does not constitute "ethical research conduct", and the privilege accorded liberal notions of the "autonomous individual participant". Informed by the author's refl ections on the REB process, those of Indigenous Canadian and New Zealand research participants, and the extant literature, this paper begins by critiquing the processes employed by New Zealand REBs to assess Indigenous- focused or Indigenous- led research in the criminological realm. The paper ends with …

Research Methodologies For Complex Ecosystems: Enhancing The Societal Value Of Is, Helen M. Hasan, Henry Linger

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Societal ecosystems are struggling to solve complex problems that could benefit from research by information systems (IS) scholars. However, existing IS research methodologies seek to reduce complexity and so are unsuited to the holistic investigation of complex phenomena. This paper presents a research methodology based on principles of complexity theory consisting of three non-linear phases, namely sensemaking, action and reflection. This complexity-aware methodology requires innovative methods of data collection, analysis and presentation. In order to demonstrate the application of the methodology, an action research project, which investigates the complex challenge of enabling elderly citizens to use IS for social wellbeing, …

Appreciating, Measuring And Incentivising Discipline Diversity: Meaningful Indicators Of Collaboration In Research, Helen M. Hasan, Linda Dawson

Australian Health Services Research Institute

Inter-disciplinary collaborative research is generally believed to lead to innovative outcomes in areas that may be missed in research studies based in a single discipline. However, currently available research performance indicators, based on scholarly peer-reviewed publications and citations from a single discipline, do little to recognise the merits of collaborative and inter-disciplinary research. This paper presents an empirical study of members of a research unit and their publication and grant profiles. From analysis of this data a set of profile categories emerged together with the relevant indicators which provide a framework from which a deeper understanding of how different research …

The Contribution Of Focus Group Discussions To Aboriginal Australian Health Service Research: A Content Analysis Of Practice And Experience, Angela Dawson, John Daniels, Kathleen F. Clapham

Australian Health Services Research Institute

Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) are a common way of gathering qualitative data in Aboriginal health services research; however there have been no studies on the question of whether they are appropriate research tools in such contexts, nor are there are specific guidelines available to ensure that FGDs are delivered to collect data in ways that are consistent with Aboriginal approaches to consultation, ownership and ways of knowing. Furthermore, there is a lack of clarity concerning the theoretical and methodological perspectives that could be operationalised by FGDs to gather data, guide analysis and interpretation in ways that are culturally appropriate, ethically …

Research The Whistleblowers Want - And What They Need, Brian Martin

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

The topic of this chapter is research helpful to whistleblowers. I begin by outlining my experiences as a whistleblower adviser and describing some of the insights this role provides. Then I discuss what whistleblowers really need: practical skills and insights into the ways organizations and society operate. Next is an outline of the ways that research can help whistleblowers. Finally, I list a variety of research areas that I think are highly relevant to whistleblowers. These offer a research agenda oriented to those on the front line.

A Critical Turn In Higher Education Research: Turning The Critical Lens On The Academic Language And Learning Educator, Alisa Percy

Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) - Papers

This paper suggests that historical ontology, as one form of reflexive critique, is an instructive research design for making sense of the political and historical constitution of the Academic Language and Learning (ALL) educator in Australian higher education. The ALL educator in this paper refers to those practitioners in the field of ALL, whose ethical agency has largely been taken for granted since their slow and uneven emergence in the latter half of the twentieth century. Using the lens of governmentality, genealogical design and archaeological method, the historical ontology proposed in this paper demonstrates how the ethical remit of the …

The Use Of Grounded Theory In Research: Knowledge Sharing In The Australian Film Industry, Michael Jones, Irit Alony

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Selecting the most appropriate research method is one of the most difficult problems facing a researcher. Grounded Theory is presented here as a method of choice as it is. This paper tracks a Grounded Theory research project undertaken to study the phenomena of collaboration and knowledge sharing in the Australian Film Industry. The detailed, rigorous, and systematic approach of the theory Grounded Theory also permits flexibility and freedom rendering Grounded Theory suitable for the investigation of complex multifaceted phenomena. Grounded Theory is also well equipped to explore socially related issues. This cha pter describes the techniques, utility, and ease of …

Ethics-In-Practice In Collaborative Management Research, Richard Badham, Michael Zanko

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Reflections on ethics-in-practice and the informal, implicit, situational and political nature of ethical action as a social process stand in marked contrast to the restrictive focus of ethical formalism in the process of applying explicit and formal rules to adjudicate on matters of moral concern (Bauman 2003). Such reflections incorporate and address the inevitable 'practice gap' between what rules prescribe and situations demand (Taylor 1993). The call for greater transparency and reflexivity on this social process advocates cultivating increased sensitivity towards and honesty about such ethical activities (Bell & Bryman; Bell & Wray-Bliss 2009). One way of enhancing such an …

Barriers To Qualitative Dementia Research: The Elephant In The Room, John Carmody, Victoria Traynor, Elena Marchetti

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

As our population is aging, the global prevalence of dementia is rising. Recent extensive reviews of the dementia literature highlight a clear need for additional qualitative research to address the experiences of people with dementia and their carers. To date, the vast majority of published dementia research is quantitative in nature and, perhaps not surprisingly, attracts the bulk of government funding. In contrast, qualitative dementia research is poorly resourced and less frequently published. Although a myriad of factors are responsible for this dichotomy, we propose that inadequate funding represents the "elephant in the room" of dementia research. In this article, …