Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Conceptualising Technology Practice In Education Using Bourdieu's Sociology, Karley A. Beckman, Tiffani L. Apps, Sue Bennett, Lori Lockyer

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Evidence from large-scale studies of primary and secondary students' technology practices at school over the last decade show disparities in student practices and suggest that schools need to do more to cater for all students. Research that explores the influence of social and cultural factors may be useful for understanding such inequality in student practice. Bourdieu's theory of practice [(1977). Outline of a Theory of Practice. London: Cambridge University Press] is proposed as an example of a sociological theory that can be adopted in educational technology research to move towards understanding the wider complexities of technology practice. To encourage discourse …

Towards Sustainable Technology-Enhanced Innovation In Higher Education: Advancing Learning Design By Understanding And Supporting Teacher Design Practice, Sue Bennett, Lori Lockyer, Shirley Agostinho

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Improving teacher design promises to be a scalable, sustainable approach to building capacity amongst a workforce faced with complex and evolving drivers of change in higher education worldwide. While design has long been recognised as a routine part of teaching, there has been renewed interest in supporting and understanding the design work that teachers do to foster innovation, particularly in technology-enhanced learning, at institutional scale by influencing teachers' practices. Re-framing teaching as design usefully emphasises the creative problem-solving needed to balance pedagogical, logistical and technical considerations within specific educational contexts, tailored to learners' needs. There is potential for this re-framing …

Employability In A Global Context: Evolving Policy And Practice In Employability, Work Integrated Learning, And Career Development Learning, Martin Smith, Kenton Bell, Dawn Bennett, Alan Mcalpine

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This research project was activated to explore trends emerging in the intersecting domains of employability, work-integrated learning, and career development learning. In late 2015, researchers, academics, and career practitioners from Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada gathered to attend an Employability Masterclass at the University of Wollongong. Attendees explored questions around employability in vocationally specific and non-vocationally specific degrees. The language and conversations highlighted the influence of global contexts on strategies and practices in transnational settings-specifically, how employability is defined and supported across the breadth of university activity.

Lessons From The Aime Approach To The Teaching Relationship: Valuing Biepistemic Practice, Samantha Mcmahon, Valerie Harwood, Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea, Anthony D. Mcknight, Paul A. Chandler, Amy Priestly

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) is a national, extra-curricular mentoring programme that is closing the educational gap for young Indigenous Australians. So what is AIME doing that is working so well? This article draws on a large-scale classroom ethnography to describe the pedagogies that facilitate the teacher-student relationships in this programme. We use Shawn Wilson's theorisation of Indigenous ways of knowing in order to 'unpack' how these approaches succeeded in creating the egalitarian and trust-filled relationships reportedly experienced in the AIME programme.

A Self-Reported Survey On The Confidence Levels And Motivation Of New South Wales Practice Nurses On Conducting Advance-Care Planning (Acp) Initiatives In The General-Practice Setting, Emilia Fan, Joel J. Rhee

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

Nurses are well positioned to initiate and conduct advance-care planning (ACP) conversations; however, there has been limited research on practice nurses performing this role in Australia. The aim of the present study was to understand the beliefs, attitudes, perceptions, confidence, training and educational needs of New South Wales practice nurses with regards to involvement in ACP. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in August to October 2014. Nurses were recruited through nursing organisations and Medicare Locals. There were 147 completed surveys (n = 147). Participants were mostly female registered nurses, with a median age of 50, and 6 years of …

Inspiring Environmentally Responsible Preschool Children Through The Implementation Of The National Quality Framework: Uncovering What Lies Between Theory And Practice, Krista Pollock, Jane D. Warren, Peter J. Andersen

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION FOR environmental sustainability (ECEfES) has become significant in the early years, as highlighted by the inclusion of ECEfES in Australia's first and current National Quality Framework (NQF) for early childhood education and care (ECEC). This article reports on the major findings from a case study (Pollock, 2014), which aimed to uncover what lies between theory and practice, as ECEC educators attempt to support young children to become environmentally responsible, through the implementation of the NQF. This article discusses some of the findings from an analysis of the documents central to the NQF as well as semi-structured interviews …

The Development Of Professional Practice Standards For Australian General Practice Nurses, Elizabeth J. Halcomb, Moira Stephens, Julianne Bryce, Elizabeth Foley, Christine Ashley

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

Aims The aim of this study was to explore the current role of general practice nurses and the scope of nursing practice to inform the development of national professional practice standards for Australian general practice nurses.

Background Increasing numbers of nurses have been employed in Australian general practice to meet the growing demand for primary care services. This has brought significant changes to the nursing role. Competency standards for nurses working in general practice were first developed in Australia in 2005, but limited attention has been placed on articulating the contemporary scope of practice for nurses in this setting.

Design …

Development Of Advanced Practice Competency Standards For Dietetics In Australia, Claire Palermo, Sandra Capra, Eleanor J. Beck, Janeane Dart, J Conway, Susan Ash

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

Aim: This study aimed to explore the work roles, major tasks and core activities of advanced practice dietitians in Australia to define the Competency Standards for advanced practice. Methods: A qualitative approach was used to review advanced dietetic practice in Australia involving experienced professionals, mostly dietitians. Four focus groups were conducted with a total of 17 participants and an average of 20 years experience: 15 dietitian practitioners plus 2 employers (1 dietitian and 1 non-dietitian). The focus groups explored the key purpose, roles and outcomes of these practitioners. Data from the focus groups were confirmed with in-depth interviews about their …

Patients' Attitudes Towards Chaperone Use For Intimate Physical Examinations In General Practice, Lucie C. Stanford, Andrew D. Bonney, Rowena G. Ivers, Judy Mullan, Warren C. Rich, Bridget R. Dijkmans-Hadley

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

BACKGROUND: The objective of this article is to investigate patients' attitudes to the use of chaperones for intimate physical examinations (IPEs) in a sample of Australian general practices. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of adult patients from 13 randomly selected general practices in regional New South Wales was conducted between September and November 2012. Generalised linear mixed models were used for analysis. RESULTS: Of 780 surveys distributed, 687 (88%) were returned; the age range was 18-91 years and 356 (52%) were from female patients. Most women had never had a chaperone present for a Papanicolaou (Pap) smear (82.6%). Between 23% and …

Patient, Oncologist And Gp Views About Cancer Follow-Up Care In General Practice, Heike Schutze, Melvin Chin, David Weller, Sue Suchy, Mark Fort Harris

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the 2nd International Conference on General Practice & Primary Care, 18-19 September 2017, Zurich, Switzerland

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 …

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 …

A Virtual Community Of Practice For General Practice Training: A Preimplementation Survey, Stephen Barnett, Sandra C. Jones, Sue Bennett, Donald C. Iverson, Laura Robinson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Professional isolation is an important factor in low rural health workforce retention.

Objective: The aim of this study was to gain insights to inform the development of an implementation plan for a virtual community of practice (VCoP) for general practice (GP) training in regional Australia. The study also aimed to assess the applicability of the findings of an existing framework in developing this plan. This included ascertaining the main drivers of usage, or usefulness, of the VCoP for users and establishing the different priorities between user groups.

Methods: A survey study, based on the seven-step health VCoP framework, was …

The Clinical Effectiveness Of Concise Cognitive Behavioral Therapy With Or Without Pharmacotherapy For Depressive And Anxiety Disorders; A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Equivalence Trial In Clinical Practice, Denise Meuldijk, Ingrid V. Carlier, Irene M. Van Vliet, T Van Veen, R Wolterbeek, Albert M. Van Hemert, Frans G. Zitman

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Depressive and anxiety disorders contribute to a high disease burden. This paper investigates whether concise formats of cognitive behavioral- and/or pharmacotherapy are equivalent with longer standard care in the treatment of depressive and/or anxiety disorders in secondary mental health care. Methods: A pragmatic randomized controlled equivalence trial was conducted at five Dutch outpatient Mental Healthcare Centers (MHCs) of the Regional Mental Health Provider (RMHP) 'Rivierduinen'. Patients (aged 18-65 years) with a mild to moderate anxiety and/or depressive disorder, were randomly allocated to concise or standard care. Data were collected at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months by Routine Outcome …

Wildfire Survival Plans In Theory And Practice, Christine Eriksen, Trent D. Penman, Bronwyn L. Horsey, Ross A. Bradstock

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

Bushfire survival plans are a valuable tool for residents living in fire-prone landscapes. Plans include assigning trigger points for action, roles for all household members, and alternate approaches should the original plan fail. Fire agencies advocate that residents write, practise and discuss these plans before the fire season. In this study we use a multiple-methods approach to examine the theoretical and actual application of bushfire survival plans in south-east Australia. First, we review agency advice regarding survival plans to determine the consistency, clarity and specificity of the advice. Second, an online survey of residents examines the relationships between types of …

Learning To Walk The Community Of Practice Tightrope, Denise A. Edgar, Rosie Watson, Sherro Towle, Joanne Mcloughlin, Amanda Paloff, Sonia Markocic, Joanne T. Joyce-Mccoach, Vida V. Bliokas, Janine M. Bothe

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: The Community of Practice Research was established as a new local health district service initiative. The community comprises novice and experienced multidisciplinary health researchers. Aims: This paper reflects our experience of being Community of Practice Research members and aims to explore the practice development principles aligned to the purpose, progress and outcomes of this community. Conclusions: The journey is compared to walking a tightrope from the beginning to the end. Success in moving forward is attributed to positive leadership and group dynamics enabling a supportive environment. This environment allowed for different types of learning: new research skills and new …

Evaluating Women's Knowledge Of The Combined Oral Contraceptive Pill In An Australian Rural General Practice Setting, Sharna Kulhavy, Teresa M. Treweek

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

Background: In addition to the contraceptive action of the combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP), there are a number of other benefits to its use such as menstrual cycle regulation. However, COCP use is also associated with a higher risk of thromboembolism. Despite the prevalence of COCP use, studies have indicated that overall women have poor knowledge of the COCP.

Aim: To evaluate women's knowledge of the COCP in a rural general practice setting. The extent of knowledge was assessed in several domains including: COCP use and effectiveness, mechanism of action, and the risks and benefits of COCP use. …

Support For Assessment Practice: Developing The Assessment Design Decisions Framework, Margaret Bearman, Phillip Dawson, David J. Boud, Sue Bennett, Matt Hall, Elizabeth K. Molloy

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

There are many excellent publications outlining features of assessment and feedback design in higher education. However, university educators often find these ideas challenging to realise in practice, as much of the literature focuses on institutional change rather than supporting academics. This paper describes the conceptual development of a practical framework designed to stimulate educators' thinking when creating or modifying assessments. We explain the concepts that underpin this practical support, including the notions of 'assessment decisions' and 'assessment design phases', as informed by relevant literature and empirical data. We also present the outcome of this work. The Assessment Design Decisions Framework. …

Fostering Effective Early Learning (Feel) Through A Professional Development Programme For Early Childhood Educators To Improve Professional Practice And Child Outcomes In The Year Before Formal Schooling: Study Protocol For A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial, Edward Melhuish, Steven J. Howard, Iram Siraj, Cathrine Marguerite Neilsen-Hewett, Denise Kingston, Marc De Rosnay, Elisabeth Duursma, Betty Luu

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: A substantial research base documents the benefits of attendance at high-quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) for positive behavioural and learning outcomes. Research has also found that the quality of many young children's experiences and opportunities in ECEC depends on the skills, dispositions and understandings of the early childhood adult educators. Increasingly, research has shown that the quality of children's interactions with educators and their peers, more than any other programme feature, influence what children learn and how they feel about learning. Hence, we sought to investigate the extent to which evidence-based professional development (PD) - focussed on …

Policy Into Practice: Using Practice Theory To Implement An English Language Policy, Alisa J. Percy, Leonie G. Watson, Catriona A. Taylor

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

National studies concerned with the assurance of students' language communication within higher education courses have identified several principles for leveraging change, which include an institutional wide strategy, the articulation of clear language communication outcomes at the course and subject level, the identification of subjects within courses from first year to the capstone that have a particular focus on teaching and assessing communication skills, the incorporation of English language and literacy into assessment criteria, and collaboration between discipline staff and academic language and learning staff (Arkoudis, 2012, 2014). These principles have been incorporated into an English Language Policy at one university; …

The Relevance Of Mindfulness Practice For Trauma-Exposed Disaster Researchers, Christine Eriksen, Tamara Ditrich

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper aims to raise awareness of vicarious trauma amongst disaster researchers, and suggests ways to prevent vicarious traumatisation from happening and/or reaching incapacitating levels. The paper examines the potential of mindfulness practice, grounded in Buddhist meditation, as a set of contemplation tools through which optimal level of functionality can be maintained or restored. The relevance of the emphasis in mindfulness on understanding suffering, non-attachment, non-judgement, and full participation in the present moment are related to the context of disaster research. The paper demonstrates the potential for increased researcher resilience through acknowledgement and understanding of impermanence, as well as skilful …

Living With Invasive Plants In The Anthropocene: The Importance Of Understanding Practice And Experience, Lesley M. Head, Brendon M. Larson, Richard Hobbs, Jennifer M. Atchison, Nicholas J. Gill, Christian Kull, Haripriya Rangan

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The role of humans in facilitating the rapid spread of plants at a scale that is considered invasive is one manifestation of the Anthropocene, now framed as a geological period in which humans are the dominant force in landscape transformation. Invasive plant management faces intensified challenges, and can no longer be viewed in terms of 'eradication' or 'restoration of original landscapes'. In this perspectives piece, we focus on the practice and experience of people engaged in invasive plant management, using examples from Australia and Canada. We show how managers 1) face several pragmatic trade-offs; 2) must reconcile diverse views, even …

Health Promotion Practice, Research Ethics And Publishing In The Health Promotion Journal Of Australia, Stacy M. Carter, Annette J. Braunack-Mayer, Jonine Jancey

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This special issue of the HPJA focuses on ethics in the context of health promotion practice. This editorial takes a narrower focus: the issue of Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) approval for health promotion research, evaluation and quality assurance (QA). We will focus on three papers in the special issue: each argue that those working in health promotion should consider ethics from the very beginning of their research, evaluation and/or QA activities. The first paper, by Ainsley Newson and Wendy Lipworth, is entitled ‘Why should ethics approval be required before publication of health promotion research?’ In it they argue that …

Ethics And Health Promotion: Research, Theory, Policy And Practice, Annette J. Braunack-Mayer, Stacy M. Carter

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This special issue of the HPJA deals with ethics and health promotion. The accompanying editorial focuses particularly on Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) approval for health promotion research, evaluation and quality assurance (QA), based on the first three papers in this issue. In this brief editorial, we introduce the remaining papers, noting some common threads that are woven through the papers.

Upper Limb Spasticity Management For Patients Who Have Received Botulinum Toxin A Injection: Australian Therapy Practice, Anne Cusick, Natasha Lannin, Bianca Kinnear

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background/aim To describe Australian physiotherapy and occupational therapy practice for patients who receive upper-limb Botulinum Toxin-A (BoNT-A). Method Anonymous online survey asking about practice experience. Convenience sample of 128 BoNT-A experienced occupational therapists and physiotherapists. Results The primary work setting was multidisciplinary inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation services where therapists had automatic referral to BoNT-A patients. Patients expected BoNT-A to improve functional movement, reduce hypertonicity, increase passive range, reduce pain, improve appearance and hand hygiene. Most patients were injected in multidisciplinary public hospital clinics and had median 2 pre-injection (range 0-30) and 8 post-injection (range 0-50) therapy sessions. Biceps, flexor digitorum …

Evaluation Of Assessment In The Context Of Work-Based Learning: Qualitative Perspectives Of New Graduates, Claire Palermo, Alexandra Chung, Eleanor Beck, Susan Ash, Sandra Capra, Helen Truby, Brian Jolly

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

Aim Evaluation or assessment of competence is an important step to ensure the safety and efficacy of health professionals, including dietitians. Most competency-based assessment studies are focused on valid and reliable methods of assessment for the preparation of entry-level dietitians, few papers have explored student dietitians' perceptions of these evaluations. The present study aimed to explore the perceptions of recent graduates from accredited nutrition and dietetics training programs in Australia. It also aimed to establish the relevance of competency-based assessment to adequately prepare them for entry-level work roles. Methods A purposive sample of newly graduated dietitians with a range of …

Transforming Assessment Practice: Evidencing And Benchmarking Student Learning Outcomes In Chemistry, Siegbert Schmid, Simon Bernard Bedford, Adam Bridgeman, Glennys A. O'Brien, Ian Jamie, Gwen Lawrie, Kieran Lim, Samuel Priest, Simon Pyke, Madeleine Schultz, Daniel Southam

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

Higher Education in Australia is in a phase of rapid change due to a number of regulatory changes. Over the past five years the Australian Chemistry community has agreed on a list of Chemistry Threshold Learning Outcomes (CTLOs) that every student graduating from an Australian University will have attained. In addition, the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) has changed its accreditation process for Chemistry degrees and now uses these CTLOs as the basis for accreditation. Therefore, it is now paramount to ensure that our assessment items allow students to demonstrate attainment of the CTLOs during a degree [1]. The "Assessing …

Institutional Wide Implementation Of Key Advice For Socially Inclusive Teaching In Higher Education. A Practice Report, Lisa Thomas, Jennifer Heath

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

Government policy and institutional initiatives have influenced increases in enrolment of non-traditional students to Australian universities. For these students, university culture is often incongruent with their own, making it difficult to understand the tacit requirements for participation and success. Academic teaching staff are important in creating socially inclusive learning experiences, particularly in first year subjects. This paper presents an institution-wide approach to enhancing socially inclusive teaching at one Australian university. Underpinned by a framework of "bridging social-incongruity" the initiative was guided by six principles of socially inclusive teaching to support practice as proposed in the 2012 "Effective support of students …

Building Capacity Through Ethical Understanding And Practice, Michaela Baker, Erin Corderoy, Laura Ann Hammersley, Kate Lloyd, Kathryn Mclachlan, Anne-Louise Semple, Karolyn L. White

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Fostering ethical understanding and practice in Work Integrated Learning (WIL) and other forms of experiential learning is integral to preparing students for engagement with society beyond university (Campbell, 2011; Campbell & Zegwaard, 2011a; Campbell & Zegwaard, 2011b). Ethical practice is a fundamental aspect of Macquarie University's Professional and Community Engagement (PACE) initiative, and our research and practice to date have examined how ethical understanding can be translated into ethical practice by students (Baker et al., 2013). This paper details further developments in our endeavour to prepare students for ethical complexities and build their capacity to respond to them. It also …

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 …