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Sydney Playground Project: A Cluster‐Randomized Trial To Increase Physical Activity, Play, And Social Skills, Anita C. Bundy, Lina Engelen, Shirley Wyver, Paul Tranter, Jo Ragen, Adrian E. Bauman, Louise A. Baur, Wendy Schiller, Judy Simpson, Anita Niehues, Gabrielle Perry, Glenda Jessup, Geraldine A. Naughton

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

BACKGROUND

We assessed the effectiveness of a simple intervention for increasing children's physical activity, play, perceived competence/social acceptance, and social skills.

METHODS

A cluster‐randomized controlled trial was conducted, in which schools were the clusters. Twelve Sydney (Australia) primary schools were randomly allocated to intervention or control conditions, with 226 children (5‐7 years old) selected randomly to participate. Data were collected at baseline and after 13 weeks. The intervention consisted of introducing recycled materials without an obvious play purpose into school playgrounds and a risk‐reframing workshop for parents and teachers.

RESULTS

Children from the intervention schools increased physical activity and reduced …

Teaching Kids 21st Century Skills Early Will Help Prepare Them For Their Future, Iram Siraj

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

It may be a truism that the future will be different, but human expectations have rarely been so high about the degree of imminent change. This century's rapid development of artificial intelligence and digital systems has convinced us that almost every aspect of our children's and grandchildren's lives will be different to ours.

The Aboriginal Riverkeeper Team Project - Building Indigenous Knowledge And Skills To Improve Urban Waterways In Sydney's Georges River Catchment, Vanessa I. Cavanagh

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Indigenous Ranger programs, which are predominantly located in regional and remote areas, are commendable for their jobs creation, for strengthening of livelihoods of individuals and communities, and for the cultural and environmental outcomes they engender. However, can similar outcomes be attained in a highly urban setting? This paper is a case study of a current project, the Aboriginal Riverkeeper Team in the Georges River in Sydney's south-west. Through the narrative of the Aboriginal trainees who have been members of the Aboriginal Riverkeeper Team ('the Team'), this paper will illustrate how an environmental project has been successful in delivering significant cultural …

Geographies Of Making: Rethinking Materials And Skills For Volatile Futures, Chontel A. Carr, Christopher R. Gibson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Making material things remains central to human economies and subsistence, and to how earthly resources are transformed. Yet experiences and knowledges of those who make things - especially in the heart of the industrial complex - are notably absent in existing debates on shifting to a less resource-intensive future. We review research on materials and their making, presenting three research trajectories: making beyond binaries of craft and manufacturing; the social life of making; and acknowledging industrial cultures, workers and capacities amidst climate change. Success in transforming economy and society in anticipation of volatile futures depends on material acknowledgements and accomplishments.

Challenges Experienced By Japanese Students With Oral Communication Skills In Australian Universities, Miho Yanagi, Amanda Ann Baker

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Due to ever-increasing demands to acquire effective communicative abilities in the English language, increasing numbers of international students choose to study in Western tertiary institutions; however, they frequently encounter difficulties in performing satisfactorily in English. This study aims to identify specific challenges that Japanese students face with oral communication skills while studying in Australian universities. Results from questionnaire data collected from 33 undergraduate and postgraduate Japanese students in Australia and interview data from five TESOL postgraduate students indicate that Japanese students have greater difficulty with speaking than with listening and pronunciation. It also sheds additional insight into two areas of …

From Incremental Change To Radical Disjuncture: Rethinking Everyday Household Sustainability Practices As Survival Skills, Christopher R. Gibson, Lesley M. Head, Chontel A. Carr

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Households within affluent countries are increasingly prominent in climate change adaptation research; meanwhile, social and cultural research has sought to render more complex the dynamics of domesticity and home spaces. Both bodies of work are nevertheless framed within a view of the future that is recognizable from the present, a future reached via socioecological change that is gradual rather than transformative or catastrophic. In this article, we acknowledge the agency of extreme biophysical forces and ask what everyday household life might be like in an unstable future significantly different from the present. We revisit our own longitudinal empirical research examining …

Counterfactual Thinking And Anticipated Emotions Enhance Performance In Computer Skills Training, Amy Y.C Chan, Peter Caputi, Rohan Jayasuriya, J L. Browne

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The present study examined the relationship between novice learners' counterfactual thinking (i.e. generating what if and if only thoughts) about their initial training experience with a computer application and subsequent improvement in task performance. The role of anticipated emotions towards goal attainment in task performance was also assessed. Undergraduate students (N = 42) with minimal experience in using computer spreadsheets underwent basic training in using Microsoft Excel. All participants were assessed on their anticipated positive and negative emotions regarding goal attainment at the outset. After completing their first task, participants allocated to a counterfactual condition received instructions to generate counterfactual …

Australian Children Lack The Basic Movement Skills To Be Active And Healthy, Lisa Barnett, Louise Hardy, David Lubans, Dylan Cliff, Anthony Okely, A P. Hills, Philip Morgan

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Just as children need to be taught their ABCs to read and write, they also need to be taught fundamental movement skills (FMS), such as running, jumping, throwing and kicking, to provide the strongest foundation for a physically active lifestyle. Children who are proficient at FMS are more likely to be physically active and have adequate cardiorespiratory fitness, and are less likely to be overweight or obese compared with children who are not proficient. In addition, FMS-proficient children are more likely to become adolescents who are more active and with higher cardiorespiratory fitness levels.

"I Hope This Can Be Shared With Everyone In Lots Of Schools": A Novel Intervention To Improve Social Skills Of Peers Of Children With Autism, Sandra Jones, Joanne Telenta, Fiona Mckay

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are lifelong developmental disabilities characterised by marked difficulties in social interaction, impaired communication, restricted and repetitive interests and behaviours, and sensory sensitivities (Aspect 2009). While there is considerable debate as to prevalence, Centrelink data shows an estimated prevalence of 62.5 per 10,000 for 6-12 year old children (McDermott et al. 2007). While young children find social situations aversive and prefer to play alone, as these children reach their teens many desire social contact with their peers but lack the ability to form and maintain friendships. Observations in schools demonstrate peer interaction in children with ASDs is …

Training Self-Assessment And Task-Selection Skills: A Cognitive Approach To Improving Self-Regulated Learning, Danny Kostons, Tamara Van Gog, Fred Paas

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

For self-regulated learning to be effective, students need to be able to accurately assess their own performance on a learning task and use this assessment for the selection of a new learning task. Evidence suggests, however, that students have difficulties with accurate self-assessment and task selection, which may explain the poor learning outcomes often found with self-regulated learning. In experiment 1, the hypothesis was investigated and confirmed that observing a human model engaging in self-assessment, task selection, or both could be effective for secondary education students' (N=80) acquisition of self- assessment and task-selection skills. Experiment 2 investigated and confirmed the …

Proficiency Deficiency: Mastery Of Fundamental Movement Skills And Skill Components In Overweight And Obese Children, Dylan P. Cliff, Anthony D. Okely, Philip J. Morgan, Rachel A. Jones, Julie R. Steele, Louise A. Baur

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

The Sydney Playground Project: Popping The Bubblewrap - Unleashing The Power Of Play: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial Of A Primary School Playground-Based Intervention Aiming To Increase Children's Physical Activity And Social Skills, Anita C. Bundy, Geraldine A. Naughton, Paul Tranter, Shirley Wyver, Louise A. Baur, Wendy Schiller, Adrian E. Bauman, Lina Engelen, Jo Ragen, Tim Luckett, Anita Niehues, Gabrielle Stewart, Glenda Jessup, Jennie Brentnall

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background In the Westernised world, numerous children are overweight and have problems with bullying and mental health. One of the underlying causes for all three is postulated to be a decrease in outdoor free play. The aim of the Sydney Playground Project is to demonstrate the effectiveness of two simple interventions aimed to increase children's physical activity and social skills. Methods/Design This study protocol describes the design of a 3-year cluster randomised controlled trial (CRCT), in which schools are the clusters. The study consists of a 13-week intervention and 1 week each of pre-and post-testing. We are recruiting 12 schools …

Association Between Physical Activity And Motor Skills And Coordination In Portuguese Children, Luis Lopes, Vitor Pires Lopes, Rute Santos, Beatriz Pereira

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Nowadays, there is growing evidence in literature that Health benefits from regular physical activity (PA). The variance in PA among children is caused by a number of factors including their motor abilities and coordination. The aim of the study was to analyse the relation between usual PA and gross motor abilities and motor coordination in children aged 6 to 7 years. The sample comprised 21 children, aged in average 6,38±0,50 years. Physical activity was accessed by accelerometry, gross motor abilities by using the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2) and motor coordination by using the Körperkoordination Test für Kinder (KTK). …

Relationships Between Fundamental Movement Skills And Objectively Measured Physical Activity In Pre-School Children, Dylan P. Cliff, Anthony D. Okely, Lief Smith, Kim Mckeen

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Gender differences in cross-sectional relationships between fundamental movement skill (FMS) subdomains (locomotor skills, object-control skills) and physical activity were examined in preschool children. Forty-six 3- to 5-year-olds (25 boys) had their FMS video assessed (Test of Gross Motor Development II) and their physical activity objectively monitored (Actigraph 7164 accelerometers). Among boys, object-control skills were associated with physical activity and explained 16.9% (p = .024) and 13.7% (p = .049) of the variance in percent of time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and total physical activity, respectively, after controlling for age, SES and z-BMI. Locomotor skills were inversely associated with physical …

From The Web To Writing: The Role Of Collaboration In Providing First Year University Students With The Skills To Succeed, Sarah E. O'Shea, Julie Mundy-Taylor

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

In contemporary university environments not only have student populations become more diverse, but also institutions have embraced technological advances to create new facets to the teaching and learning process. The challenges offered by virtual learning as well as the impact of email and e-learning remain largely under-researched both broadly and in relation to first year transition. First year students are now expected to not only acquire the implicit academic discourse in a timely fashion but also master the computing skills so central to contemporary university delivery. Skills central to effective and efficient academic research and writing are often perceived in …

Learning With The Arts: Palettes, Performance & Employability Skills, Claire Manning

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This research explores the ways in which the arts and learning with the arts can motivate adults to learn and build the skills needed to succeed at work. Through several case studies it unveils the learning experiences of adults who participated in courses, which utilised the skills, techniques and environments offered by the performing and visual arts. This paper presents an analysis of the participants' perceptions of learning with the arts by applying the Employability Skills Framework developed by the Department of Education, Science and Training in 2002 which identifies the skills valued in the workplace. With the emergence of …