Education Commons^™

Own A Bike You Never Ride? We Need To Learn How To Fail Better At Active Transport, Glen Fuller, Gordon R. Waitt, Ian M. Buchanan, Tess Lea, Theresa Harada

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Once upon a time when something was simple to do we said: "It's as easy as riding a bike." But switching from driving a car to riding a bike as one's main means of transport is anything but easy. The well-documented obstacles holding people back from cycling include a lack of proper bike lanes, secure parking arrangements, end-of-trip facilities and bike-friendly public transport, as well as lack of convenient storage space. Despite these obstacles, people continue to try to make cycling a central part of their lives, with varying degrees of success. While we know broadly what the impediments are, …

Shark Nets Are Destructive And Don't Keep You Safe - Let's Invest In Lifeguards, Leah Maree Gibbs, Lachlan Fetterplace, Quentin A. Hanich

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

As Australians look forward to the summer beach season, the prospect of shark encounters may cross their minds. Shark control has been the subject of furious public debate in recent years and while some governments favour lethal methods, it is the wrong route. Our study, published today in People and Nature, presents further evidence that lethal shark hazard management damages marine life and does not keep people safe. We examined the world's longest-running lethal shark management program, the New South Wales Shark Meshing (Bather Protection) Program, introduced in 1937. We argue it is time to move on from shark nets …

The Relationship Between Neighbourhood Green Space And Child Mental Wellbeing Depends Upon Whom You Ask: Multilevel Evidence From 3083 Children Aged 12-13 Years, Xiaoqi Feng, Thomas E. Astell-Burt

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Recent reviews of the rapidly growing scientific literature on neighbourhood green space and health show strong evidence for protective and restorative effects on mental wellbeing. However, multiple informants are common when reporting mental wellbeing in studies of children. Do different informants lead to different results? This study utilised nationally representative data on Goodman’s 25-item Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire reported by 3083 children (aged 12–13 years old), and their parents and teachers. Multilevel models were used to investigate whether similar associations between child mental wellbeing (as measured using the total difficulties score and the internalising and externalising subscales) and neighbourhood green …

Opinion: The Best Apps You Can Imagine, Irina Verenikina, Lisa K. Kervin, Maria Clara Rivera

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Since digital technologies entered the realm of education, there has been strong debate as to whether they are appropriate, useful, or even harmful for young children. The concept of 'screen time' has been debated with concern (well supported by research) that sitting in front of a computer screen can be detrimental to children's posture, muscular development and body weight, as well as to their eyesight and attention span. Recommendations have suggested the exposure of preschoolers to computers should be limited to 20 minutes, and for those under 2, nil. Digital technologies are becoming increasingly mobile, making previous concerns about posture, …

Can You Be Allergic To Your Wi-Fi?, Sarah P. Loughran

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Electromagnetic fields are all around us. They are a part of our natural environment, produced by the Earth and the sun. But they are also becoming increasingly prominent with advancements in technology, such that we are surrounded daily by many different sources of electromagnetic energy. Mobile phones, Wi-Fi, personal computers, smart meters, radio, television and even the TV remote control - they all emit this kind of energy. Mobile phone base stations are continually being installed, and Wi-Fi hotspots are increasing all of the time. Cafés and restaurants, libraries, hotels and even some city centres and parks now offer free …

Solar Hot Water Giving You Cold Showers? Eight Tips To Warm You Up, Nicholas J. Gill, Christopher R. Gibson, Gordon R. Waitt, Lesley M. Head, Peter Osman

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In Australian homes, reliable hot water supplies for taking showers or bathing the kids are taken for granted. But this has a significant cost - conventional hot water heaters can account for up to 30% of household energy use and can be significant carbon emitters. One alternative is solar hot water, which can supply more than 90% of household hot water and reduce energy bills by 50-85%, as well as lowering carbon emissions. Unfortunately, it is likely that households are not getting the most from their solar hot water systems. In Australia and overseas, there is evidence that the potential …

Have You Got Your Head In The Sand? Respirable Crystalline Exposures Of Restorative Stonemasons, Kerrin Alamango, Jane L. Whitelaw, Linda A. Apthorpe

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Restoration stonemasons play a vital role in preserving culturally significant heritage buildings and the majority of culturally significant buildings in Sydney are constructed using Sydney sandstone, with an average silica content of 75%. Stonemasons conducting the close inspection required for precision sandstone grinding restoration works are considered at significant risk of exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS). An occupational hygiene survey was conducted to assess the risk of RCS exposure of restoration stonemasons conducting various tasks. Exposure monitoring for respirable dust (RD) and RCS was undertaken and the task of grinding sandstone determined as the highest exposure risk. 'Spinning' and …

Reaching 'An Audience That You Would Never Dream Of Speaking To': Influential Public Health Researchers' Views On The Role Of News Media In Influencing Policy And Public Understanding, Simon Chapman, Abby Haynes, Gemma Derrick, Heidi Sturk, Wayne Hall, Alexis B. St George

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

While governments and academic institutions urge researchers to engage with news media, traditional academic values of public disengagement have inhibited many from giving high priority to media activity. In this interview-based study, the authors report on the views about news media engagement and strategies used by 36 peer-voted leading Australian public health researchers in 6 fields. The authors consider their views about the role and importance of media in influencing policy, their reflections on effective or ineffective media communicators, and strategies used by these researchers about how to best retain their credibility and influence while engaging with the news media. …

If At First You Don't Succeed: Older Consumers And Hospital Food & Beverage Packaging - A Matter Of Try, Try And Try Again!, Alison F. Bell, Karen L. Walton, Nicola Westblade, Kate Morson, Jacqueline S. Chevis, Leire Harries, Alaster Yoxall

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

‘Openability’ of food and beverage packaging has been shown to be problematic for older consumers. Pressure on resources has seen the use of packaged food and beverages increase in Hospitals within the NSW region of Australia. Studies at the University of Wollongong have shown that not only is Hospital food & beverage packaging problematic, difficulty opening it was identified as a barrier to nutritional intake.

Given the serious nature of the problem, a series of studies have been undertaken by the University of Wollongong and Sheffield Hallam University, to evaluate the issues surrounding the ‘openability’ of this packaging in an …

Even With Cruise Control You Still Have To Steer: Defining Trolling To Get Things Done, Andrew M. Whelan

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

'Trolling' is not a pre-given aspect of a discursive environment, which we enter into and then identify as such. This paper demonstrates that trolling is contextually mobilised as an occasioned aspect of interaction through an example: a news segment aired on the Australian network television news program Seven News in 2012. This segment is interpreted initially with reference to existing frameworks, so as to make a case about how trolling is conventionally understood, and this interpretation is then respecified through a membership categorisation analysis of the segment in question. By attending to the methods with which trolls are produced and …

You Have To Make Something Of All That Rubbish, Do You? An Empirical Investigation Of The Social Process Of Qualitative Research, Stacy M. Carter, Christopher F. Jordens, Catherine Mcgrath, Miles Little

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In this article, we examine participants' talk about qualitative research. We provide empirical support for post-structural theorizations of the interview and propose three distinct but related dimensions of qualitative research: emotional, purposive/relational, and epistemic/ontological. In this study, participants often became upset but constructed participation as enjoyable and cathartic. The purpose of participation was to assist the communities to which one belonged. Participation was an active, reflexive practice that reconstructed the self and changed knowledge about one's self. This latter epistemic/ontological dimension of participation appeared to be the most compelling for participants, but it is also the hardest to observe, with …

"They All Work...When You Stick To Them": A Qualitative Investigation Of Dieting, Weight Loss, And Physical Exercise, In Obese Individuals, Samantha L. Thomas, Jim Hyde, Asuntha Karunaratne, Rick Kausman, Paul Komesaroff

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background To explore the extent to which people living with obesity have attempted to lose weight, their attitudes towards dieting, physical exercise and weight loss solutions, why their weight loss attempts have failed, and their opinions about what would be most beneficial to them in their struggle with their weight. Method Qualitative study, using open-ended interviews, of 76 people living with obesity in Victoria, Australia in 2006/7. Individuals with a BMI of 30 or over were recruited using articles in local newspapers, convenience sampling, and at a later stage purposive sampling techniques to diversify the sample. Data analysis was conducted …

Performance Indicators: Just How Do You Weight Them?, John Hattie, Jim S. Tognolini

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The development and use of performance indicators in higher education has become a major topic for research and discussion throughout the world. Research efforts and resources are being channeled into improving their use. These efforts include extending the range (including developing indicators of quality) and objectivity of indicators; improving the procedures for measuring weighting and combining performance indicators; and refining procedures for linking funding and resource allocation to performance indicators. This paper uses a questionnaire and a sample of responses to demonstrate a methodology for making explicit the weightings experts ascribe to individual performance indicators used in the process of …