Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Making It: The Role Of School-Based Intervention In Shaping Educational Aspirations Expectations And Achievement Among High School Students, Maeve Williams

Honors Theses

In an age when higher education has become increasingly channeled as a means of gaining access to an information-driven economy, it is important to note who does and does not enroll in postsecondary courses. The American ‘achievement’ ideology touts education as an opportunity equalizer, and attributes lack of achievement in this system to individual failing. An extensive body of literature, however, points to systemic barriers which create a gap in achievement, primarily along the social fault lines of early development and family characteristics, peers and community, school environment and locational setting, and the demographic factors of race, socioeconomic class and …

Impact Of Universal Social-Emotional And Behavioral Screening Among Middle School Students: A Multistage Approach To Identification, Kristen M. Ballinger

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Mental health problems often have an onset during the school age years and significantly impact the development, academic achievement, and future success of children and adolescents (Kessler et al., 2005). Less than half of the 10% to 20% of youth believed to be emotionally and behaviorally at-risk receive the mental health services they need (Bradshaw et al., 2008; Gresham, 2007). As a result, universal screening for mental health risk has been recommended as the best initial step to identifying and intervening with at-risk students. Numerous screeners and methods of implementation exist, but a widely accepted and utilized process has failed …

Creating Culturally Relevant Approaches To Social Work Across Oceania, Jioji Ravulo

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

As guest editor, I've been greatly encouraged by the shared vision to support the evolving professionalism of social work, alongside the need to promote inclusive discourses characterised by cultural differences across Oceania.

Pacific Islands Field Education - Promoting Pacific Social Work Education & Practice Across Oceania, Jioji Ravulo

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The Pacific Islands Field Education (PIFE) initiative started in 2012 and has developed into an innovative project combining various stakeholders. Over the last 4 years, it has seen 20 Western Sydney University (WSU) students successfully complete a 3-month field education placement in either Fiji, Samoa or Tonga; in an array of agencies working with women, children, families and adult offenders. Apart from mobilising students to undertake international learning opportunities, the initiative strives to support the development of social work education, teaching and learning outcomes with the University of the South Pacific (USP); who has an active MOU arrangement with Western …

Geography And The New Social Contract For Global Change Research, Noel Castree

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Anxious about the failure of decisionmakers to significantly reduce 'the human impact' on Earth, many global change researchers are looking for ways and means to influence public policy, business strategy and civil society more strongly. As part of this, there is a greater emphasis on understanding and altering the 'human dimensions' of global environmental change. A number of physical and society-environment geographers are involved in this endeavour, building on some valuable past achievements. But what lies ahead? I address this question by examining the rich idea of a 'social contract' - one little used in disciplinary debates about Geography's past, …

Social Climate Profiles In Adolescent Sports: Associations With Enjoyment And Intention To Continue, Lauren Gardner, Christopher A. Magee, Stewart A. Vella

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study explored whether adolescent sports participants' perceptions of the social climate fall into distinct profiles, and whether these profiles are related to enjoyment and intention to continue. A Latent Profile Analysis using 313 Australian sports participants (M_age = 13.03 years) revealed four distinct profiles: positive social climate (45.1%), diminished social climate (19.8%), positive coach relationship quality (19.8%), and positive friendship quality (15.3%). Individuals within the positive social climate and the positive coach relationship quality profiles reported relatively higher levels of enjoyment and intention to continue than individuals in the diminished social climate and the positive friendship quality …

Cognitive Benefits Of Social Dancing And Walking In Old Age: The Dancing Mind Randomized Controlled Trial, Dafna Merom, Anne Grunseit, Ranmalee Eramudugolla, Barbara Jefferis, Jade Mcneill, Kaarin J. Anstey

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: A physically active lifestyle has the potential to prevent cognitive decline and dementia, yet the optimal type of physical activity/exercise remains unclear. Dance is of special interest as it complex sensorimotor rhythmic activity with additional cognitive, social, and affective dimensions. Objectives: To determine whether dance benefits executive function more than walking, an activity that is simple and functional. Methods: Two-arm randomized controlled trial among community-dwelling older adults. The intervention group received 1 h of ballroom dancing twice weekly over 8 months (~69 sessions) in local community dance studios. The control group received a combination of a home walking program …

Social Practices Of 3d Printing: Decentralising Control And Reconfiguring Regulation, Luke Heemsbergen, Robbie Fordyce, Bjorn Nansen, Thomas Apperley, Michael Arnold, Thomas Birtchnell

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper considers the social practices of 3D printing by comparing consumer perspectives and practices with legal scholarship on intellectual property regimes. The paper draws on data gained through a mixed-methods approach involving participant observation, focus groups, and social network analysis of 3D printing file-sharing practices. It finds that while consumers display a level of naivety about their 3D printing rights and responsibilities, they possess a latent understanding about broader digital economies that guide their practices. We suggest that the social practices associated with 3D printing function through communication networks to decentralise manufacture and reconfigure legal capacities for regulation. The …

Shifting The Blame In Higher Education - Social Inclusion And Deficit Discourses, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea, Pauline Lysaght, Jen Roberts, Valerie Harwood

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The principles of social inclusion have been embraced by institutions across the higher education sector but their translation into practice through pedagogy is not readily apparent. This paper examines perceptions of social inclusion and inclusive pedagogies held by academic staff at an Australian university. Of specific interest were the perceptions of teaching staff with regard to diverse student populations, particularly students from low socio-economic (LSES) backgrounds, given the institution's reasonably high proportion of LSES student enrolment (14%). A mixed-method approach was utilised: (i) in-depth interviews with a representative sample of academic staff and (ii) an online survey targeting all academic …

"Urban" Schooling And "Urban" Families: The Role Of Context And Place, Vivian L. Gadsden, Ezekiel J. Dixon-Román

Ezekiel J Dixon-Román