Education Commons^™

The Lessons To Be Learned Now The Abc's Pulled Its 'Inaccurate' Wi-Fried Program, Rodney J. Croft

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The ABC has this week announced that an episode of its Catalyst television program "breached the ABC's impartiality standards" when it raised concerns about the safety of wireless devices such as mobile phones.

The episode, titled Wi-Fried? and broadcast on February 16 this year, claimed that the radiofrequency (RF) emissions from Wi-Fi was causing health effects ranging from DNA damage to cancer.

Such statements are not mainstream scientific positions, but rather are views that leading health authorities have considered when concluding that there is no evidence that low-level RF, such as that from Wi-Fi, mobile phones or base stations, impairs …

Evaluation Of A Sexually Transmissible Infections Education Program: Lessons For General Practice Learning, Jenny Reath, Penny Abbott, Ann Dadich, Hassan Hosseinzadeh, Wendy Hu, Melissa Kang, Tim Usherwood, Carolyn Murray, Chris Bourne

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: The New South Wales (NSW) Sexually Transmissible Infections Program Unit (STIPU) produced nine resources to support the diagnosis and management of sexually transmissible infections (STIs) in general practice. Objective: In this study, we explored the processes of developing the resources and outcomes achieved. Methods: We analysed project documents and undertook a focus group interview with the STIPU Working Group to evaluate resource development and dissemination. Interviews with general practitioners (GPs) and practice nurses (PNs), combined with previously reported survey findings, provided an outcomes evaluation. Results: STIPU used a rigorous, multimodal approach to develop evidence-based clinical resources. GPs and PNs …

Assessing The Sustained Impact Of A School-Based Obesity Prevention Program For Adolescent Boys: The Atlas Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial, David R. Lubans, Jordan J. Smith, Ronald Plotnikoff, Kerry A. Dally, Anthony D. Okely, Jo Salmon, Philip J. Morgan

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Obesity prevention interventions targeting 'at-risk' adolescents are urgently needed. The aim of this study is to evaluate the sustained impact of the 'Active Teen Leaders Avoiding Screen-time' (ATLAS) obesity prevention program. Methods: Cluster RCT in 14 secondary schools in low-income communities of New South Wales, Australia. Participants were 361 adolescent boys (aged 12-14 years) 'at risk' of obesity. The intervention was based on Self-Determination Theory and Social Cognitive Theory and involved: professional development, fitness equipment for schools, teacher-delivered physical activity sessions, lunch-time activity sessions, researcher-led seminars, a smartphone application, and parental strategies. Assessments for the primary (body mass index …

Evaluation Of An Australian Alcohol Media Literacy Program, Chloe Gordon, Steven J. Howard, Sandra C. Jones, Lisa K. Kervin

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: A 10-lesson alcohol media literacy program was developed, underpinned by the message interpretation processing model, inoculation theory, and constructivist learning theory, and was tailored to be culturally relevant to the Australian context. This program aimed to increase students' media deconstruction skills and reduce intent to drink alcohol. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in achieving these goals through a short-term quasi-experimental trial. Method: Elementary schools were assigned to either the intervention group (83 students) or a wait-list control group (82 students). Student questionnaires were administered at three time points (baseline, after the …

'We Are History In The Making And We Are Walking Together To Change Things For The Better': Exploring The Flows And Ripples Of Learning In A Mentoring Program For Indigenous Young People, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea, Samantha Mcmahon, Amy Priestly, Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews, Valerie Harwood

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This article explores the unique mentoring model that the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) has established to assist Australian Indigenous young people succeed educationally. AIME can be described as a structured educational mentoring programme, which recruits university students to mentor Indigenous high school students. The success of the programme is unequivocal, with the AIME Indigenous mentees completing high school and the transition to further education and employment at higher rates than their non-AIME Indigenous counterparts. This article reports on a study that sought to deeply explore the particular approach to mentoring that AIME adopts. The study drew upon interviews, observations …

Evaluation Report 2015: Investigating The Effectiveness Of The In2uni Year 12 University Preparation Program, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea, Valerie Harwood, Steven J. Howard, Ken Cliff, Janine Delahunty

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In2Uni's Year 12 University Preparation Program (UPP), which commenced in 2014, is an innovative program for students in their HSC year working towards an ATAR. It targets schools in UOW catchment areas, and particularly those identified as being from the 39 low-ICSEA (Index of Community and Socio-Educational Advantage) areas. Students must meet eligibility criteria, one being that their academic performance is not currently on the trajectory to meet university entry requirements (In2Uni, My Way, 2016). Once accepted into UPP, students attend on-campus study sessions for two hours per week over a 20- week period from April to September. The general …