Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Gender And Task Complexity On Audit Judgment, Janne Chung, Gary S. Monroe

Research outputs pre 2011

This study examines the interaction effect between gender and task complexity on audit judgment based on the selectivity hypothesis. This hypothesis states that males are selective information processors whereas females are detailed information processors. The study extends this hypothesis to an auditing context and hypothesizes that males will outperform females when task complexity is low while females will outperform males when task complexity is high. A two (males and females) by two (task complexity - high and low) full factorial experiment was carried out. The low and high task complexity conditions were created by manipulating the number of cues. The …

Statistical Boundaries: A Means By Which The Realities Of Rural Decline In The Western Australian Wheatbelt Has Been Hidden, Fiona M. Haslam-Mckenzie

Research outputs pre 2011

This paper will focus on a recent demographic study of the statistical subdivisions between Geraldton and Esperance and an ethnographic survey in that region, undertaken to understand the changes occurring in rural- communities. The paper will then examine the links between continuing depopulation trends and diminishing infrastructure, focusing on how these demographic changes impact on the daily lives of the Western Australian agricultural population, particularly women, and what effect these changes and government policy are having on the delivery of essential services.

The overall population of the region from Geraldton south to Esperance in Western Australia, excluding the metropolitan area, …

Australian Aboriginal Students In Higher Education, Ian Malcolm, Judith Rochecouste

Research outputs pre 2011

One of the striking features of Australian higher education over the last ten years has been the marked increase in participation by Indigenous Australians. In a National Review of Education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, carried out in 1994, it was noted that the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students had more than doubled between 1988 and 1993 (National Review of Education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, 1994:28-29). Indigenous Australians constitute 1.6 per cent of the population of Australia and in 1993 some 5,578 indigenous people were attending Australian public universities, which is 1.3% …

Human Services: A Discussion Paper, David Wiles

Research outputs pre 2011

Human services is an emergent field of study and work in Australia. Its definition is complex, needing continuing theoretical and empirical clarification. Despite the contemporary decline of the Australian welfare state, human services has emerged in cultural congruence with historic Australian notions of a 'fair go', of social equity, and of social egalitarianism. Human services constitutes a nascent profession, which - in the main - helps people with problems, particularly including members of the social 'underclass'. With much of its origins in volunteerism and the voluntary sector, human service organisational theory is now developing, and is helping workers and students …

The Effects Of Counterexplanation And Audit Groups On Fraud Detection, Janne Chung, Gary S. Monroe

Research outputs pre 2011

Prior studies have found that auditors' fraud detection rates are relatively low (Bernardi 1994; Pincus 1991 ). The present study examines whether counterexplaining inaccurate judgments will increase fraud detection rates and whether audit groups can counterexplain more effectively compared to individual auditors. The possible negative effect of counterexplanation is examined by requiring audit groups and individual auditors to counterexplain accurate judgments. The purpose of this 'inanipulatiori is to determine whether counterexplaining accurate judgments will lead to negative belief revision, and whether this negative belief revision will be mitigated by the use of audit groups. A 2 x 2 x 2 …

Pedagogic Approaches And Cultural Scripts: The Use Of Talk During Shared Literacy Lessons In Three Primary Two Classrooms In Singapore, Maha Sripathy

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study investigates the use and occurrence of talk during the implementation of the key approaches of Shared Book Reading and Class Dictated Story in three Primary Two classrooms in Singapore. These approaches are based on a constructive perspective of literacy where children make meaning from texts read with the teacher through joint exploration and connection with their respective background knowledge and experiences. Central to this joint exploration and meaning-making is the teacher-pupil talk. The occurrence and use of talk in the implementation of these approaches in three primary two classrooms was recorded, transcribed and analyzed. Teachers' and pupils' experiences …

Redefining The Art Experience : From Static To Temporal Art Forms, Justine Mcknight

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research examines an approach to art making and viewing that questions the acceptance of the autonomous object in favour of a transient experience. It focuses specifically on work and writing from the 1960s by the American artist Robert Morris that attempted to alter the then predominant Formalist understanding of the art object as autonomous and self-referential. This investigation follows the formal and conceptual development of Morris' work (and that of associated artists Richard Serra and Rafael Ferrer) with particular focus on the shift from static objects to time-based and transient an-forms including film/video and installation. I address the influence …

Factors Influencing Continuation And Withdrawal From Coaching Youth Football In Metropolitan Western Australia, James T. K. Milne

Theses : Honours

It is inevitable that at some stage of his career. a coach will withdraw. This qualitative study explored the various reasons why coaches of youth football (between the ages of 13 and 17 years) choose to continue or withdraw their involvement with the sport. It was the first part of a two phase larger study into this topic involving: (a) in depth interviews with current and former youth football coaches: and (b) the uses of themes from the interview data to develop a questionnaire for distribution to a larger sample of youth football coaches at a later stage. Perceptions and …

Young Children's Understanding Of Design In The Technology Process, Jean E. O'Sullivan

Theses : Honours

This study explored the development of children's thinking when social constructivist principles of learning were implemented through technological experiences. The study monitored the development of children's understanding of “design" through project work, using classroom based action research. In addition to investigating children's understandings, the study explored the use of technology in early childhood curriculum to develop the skills said to be required in the next millennium. The study found that five year old children are capable of "designing" and that technology is an effective vehicle for developing socially, contextually and culturally appropriate learning experiences.

Improving Provision For Disaffected Students: Toward A New Educational Model, Cecilia Netolicky

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this study is to develop and review strategies and policies to drive retentive teaching-learning environments for disaffected students, modifying their modus operandi sufficiently for them to qualify and retain a tertiary place or position in the workforce, or sustain a return to mainstream schooling. I employed action research methods to examine Strike Four. an educational model servicing students with severe social and/ or emotional difficulties and behavioural disorders. I tested the Strike Four model during an intensive study period on two programs. Part 1 of the thesis comprises three Chapters. An introduction to the issue of the …

Extending The Boundaries : Portraits Of Activism In Perth, Western Australia, Alan Wilson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

For some analysts, post-industrial capitalist societies have pathological deficiencies which manifest themselves locally and further afield, in marginalisation and oppression of people and despoliation of the environment. For those who are passionately driven to challenge those consequences of the dominant paradigm, activism is deemed to be a potent force for effecting social and political change. The aim of this study was to establish how activists integrate issues, context, strategies, personal factors and other influences into a strategy for action.

Factors Which Influence Women's Decisions For Choice Of Primary Surgery For Stage I And Stage Ii Breast Cancer, Barbara Mastaglia

Theses : Honours

A descriptive correlational study was conducted to describe the factors that Western Australian women with either Stage I or Stage II Breast Cancer, perceived to be important considerations when deciding upon either Modified Radical Mastectomy (MRM) or Breast Conserving Treatment (BCT) for surgical treatment. The Conflict Theory of Decision Making (Janis & Mann, 1977) was used as the theoretical framework to guide this study. Ward, Heidrich and Wolberg's (1989) Factor List, the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) Scale (Wallston, Wallston & De Vellis, 1978) and a demographic questionnaire were used to measure variables. Questionnaires were mailed to a consecutive …

Parent Involvement In A Year One In-Class Reading Practice Program, Sheelagh Tillotson

Theses : Honours

Parents play a crucial role in their children's literacy development, and their influence on early reading attitudes is profound. Many successful programs have been developed in England, US, Australia and New Zealand to involve parents in assisting their children's reading both at home and at school, but research has also shown that there are a number of difficulties associated with instigating classroom-based programs. The purpose of this study was to investigate an existing, classroom-based reading practice program involving parents and to analyse how and whether it was successful for each participating group: that is parents, students and the teacher. The …

Software Flexibility In A Web Environment, Michael Layng

Theses : Honours

Flexible software systems are designed to be able to adapt to changes in their environment without the need for programmer intervention. This allows companies and institutions to avoid the cost of hiring a programmer every time a business rule changes or a data structure is modified. The techniques of designing and implementing flexible 3GL software systems have been proven as a means of reducing the high cost of software maintenance caused by the changing of systems requirements. Such systems have been in operation in the European finance sector since the early 1980's. Edith Cowan University is participating in current research …

Person-Job Fit In The Changing Work Environment : Models For Office Workers And Teleworkers, Sharon C. Elsley

Theses : Honours

This thesis empirically examined the theoretical domain of Person-Job Fit proposed by Edwards (1991). Two models were tested with data collected from a sample of 101 Office Workers and 101 Teleworkers categorised as professional, managerial, clerical, technical and sales. The adequacy of the two models was tested using Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis. The Person-Job Fit model found that measures of Abilities, Desires, Supplies and Demands were equally predictive of Personal and Organisational Outcomes for both groups. Commensurate measures were employed for Desires and Supplies. The h1ended Person-Job Fit model included the meaning of home (Groves, 1996b), which was hypothesised …

The Effect Of Lip-Slur Practice On Increasing Pitch Range In Brasswind Instrument Students, Robert L. Benton

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Lip-slur exercises comprise part of the practice routines of many professional and serious amateur brasswind players. There are several reasons why so many players practise lip-slurs. One of those reasons is the belief that lip-slurs contribute to the development of the brasswind high register. This study argues that while there is a vast amount of anecdotal evidence from many authors widely deemed to be influential in the form of method books or writings that lip-slurs can contribute to the development of the brasswind high register, there has been little research to support this widely held belief. This study used a …

Art Therapy In Mainstream Primary Schools In The United Kingdom And The United States Of America : Identifying Connections With The Australian Experience, Jan Bowdler

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis is a case study that explores art therapy programs that are being or have been established in mainstream primary education settings in the United Kingdom, United States of America and Australia. The study includes a review of literature which relates an application of art therapy principles and practice to an education framework and the developmental and emotional needs of primary age children. The art therapy programs are examined in terms of the target population (eg. abused, rejected, disaffected, vulnerable children); the value of these programs to children in the primary school system (ie. in helping to remove students' …

A Comparative Study Of Controversy In The Education Systems Of Western Australia, Victoria And New Zealand: Community Participation In Government Schools 1985-1993, Anne M. Coffey

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The release of Better Schools in Western Australia: A Programme for Improvement (1987), in line with other public sector agency reforms; contained a prescription for the restructuring of the Education Department of Western Australia from 11 bureaucratic to a corporate management system of school administration. These changes were intended to render the education system, and especially schools more flexible, responsive and accountable. Among the proposals for educational restructuring was a new opportunity for community participation through ''school based decision making groups." Contemporaneously, the education systems in Victoria and New Zealand were undergoing similar reforms. The research agenda for this thesis …

The Experience Of Flow And Learning By Designing Interactive Multimedia Software, Leonie Ramondt

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

As computer technology is increasingly adopted in education, some students continue to have little context for its use. This is particularly true of tertiary drama education students, of whom many still remain computer illiterate. Constructivist pedagogy proposes that a learner constructs knowledge through active participation in their learning. An approach that is gaining currency which applies this principle is learning by designing. This approach was adopted for this study, with the premise that the process of designing multimedia software for their peers would not only motivate these students to use computers but could also lead to a deepening of their …

Attacking The Articulation Problem In Teacher Education, Robert G. Barker, Shelleyanne Scott, Beverly Showers

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

A continuing challenge for preservice teacher education is the articulation between initial training and subsequent practice. This study investigated the effect of a fully elaborated training model on the transfer of complex teaching strategies into the practice of first year graduates. A cohort of 30 graduates was followed through their first year of full time teaching to determine the frequency and appropriateness of their use of two complex teaching strategies, Concept Attainment and Inductive Thinking (Joyce and Weil, 1996). Although only some 10% of inservice teachers transfer new learning into their active teaching repertoires without workplace support for their new …

Investigating Teaching Strategies In Mathematics Classrooms : A Cd-Rom Resource Enabling Teachers To Explore Teaching Strategies In Mathematics Education, Tony John Herrington, Len Sparrow, Jan Herrington, Ron Oliver

Research outputs pre 2011

Teaching mathematics has traditionally followed a standard pattern across the world. Students are placed in classrooms where they are seated individually, are required to listen passively and observe the teacher demonstrating mathematical procedure and then s1 end extensive time practicing the newly acquired ski ll s. Generally the content being taught comprises mathematical facts and skills taught sequentially in the order presented by a textbook. Students are then assessed by unseen pencil and paper tests for the purpose of grading and ranking. This cycle is then repeated with another mathematical topic which is viewed by students as discrete from the …

Homework And Telework: A Guide To Best Practice In Human Resource Management, Peter Standen, Maryam Omari

Research outputs pre 2011

In Australia today there is widespread interest in homeworking and teleworking as flexible work options with significant advantages to both employers and employees. In the research behind this guide we surveyed 500 Australian organisations, finding employer interest in these advantages, along with uncertainty about how to implement homeworking, and some worries about potential drawbacks. Significantly, those organisations that had implemented homeworking reported positive outcomes. In an interview study, homeworkers themselves reported improved work performance, and were appreciative of the flexibility. This guide shows how to implement homework and telework to achieve such outcomes while avoiding the problems that concern managers.

Pre-Primary Children's Progress And The School Development Plan, Elizabeth A. Moulin

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In recent years several policy changes have occurred in Western Australia regarding the provision of pre-compulsory education, particularly for children turning five. These changes have led to education of such children centred largely in full-time, on-site classes rather than in sessional, independent community centres, resulting in pre-primary education becoming mainstream school business. As such it is incorporated in the administrative, managerial and educational policies of the school including school development planning. The school development plan (SDP), a major tool of accountability within the school, provides a planning framework in selected priority areas in which methods of assessment and evaluation of …

Radio, Community And The Public : Community Radio In Western Australia, Bob Hope-Hume

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis examines community radio in Western Australia and its relationship to "the public sphere". The public sphere is that field in which private. persons interact with other private. persons and in so doing construct a 11public". Public opinion is formed through this interaction in the public sphere. The media provide a major part of that interaction. Moreover, the media determine which voices are privileged within the communicative sphere. Drawing from Jurgen Habennas I explore theories of the public sphere arguing that community radio constructs a new form of public sphere in contemporary culture. I explore notions of democratic radio …

Student Violence And School Practice : Experiences Of A Lower Secondary Male Student Using The Methodology Of Participant Observation, Denese Shepherdson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

School experiences are said to be a preparation for life. The experience of violence perpetrated against a male student over a period of years has resulted in wide reaching implications for him, his family, the perpetrators, his peer group and school staff. This case study examines the experiences of a provocative victim and his bullies.

Fear, Frustration And The Will To Overcome: A Social History Of Poliomyelitis In Western Australia, John H. Smith

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis investigates community responses to Poliomyelitis, and the Impact of the disease on those who experienced It, particularly during the epidemics that occurred In Western Australia between 1938 and 1956. The research sources an.: W.A. Health Department records, held mostly at the Battye Library, records held by Australian Archives and Royal Perth Hospital, newspaper reports, comparative studies from several states in Australia and overseas, oral history interviews, biographies and personal records. The history of polio has several layers and the presence or the disease In the community evoked varied and ambiguous reactions, summarised here as fear, frustration and the …

Evaluation Of The Bunbury Chronic Pain Management Program, Samar Aoun, Carmen Gregg

Research outputs pre 2011

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a six-week program in pain management for patients with chronic pain referred by GPs in Bunbury, Australind, Harvey, Collie, and Donnybrook. The evaluation consisted of a retrospective analysis of patient data from the first 3 courses of the program (November 1996 to March 1997), and satisfaction surveys for 26 clients, 26 GPs and the 7 staff in the multidisciplinary team.

A comparison of pre-program and post-program pain inventory psychometric measures revealed a significant decrease in the amount pain interfered with general activity, social activities, normal work, sleep and mood. …

Investigating Assessment Strategies In Mathematics Classrooms : A Cd-Rom Resource Enabling Teachers To Explore Assessment Strategies In Mathematics Education, Tony Herrington, Len Sparrow, Jan Herrington, Ron Oliver

Research outputs pre 2011

No abstract provided.

Graduate Secretaries : The Politics Of Course Titles And Career Choices In A University Setting : Results Of A Research Project, Kaye Harrold

Research outputs pre 2011

Secretaries, typists, stenographers, personal assistants and word processing operators comprise approximately 10% of the female work force in Australia. Add to this the other 'categories' of receptionist and office assistant and the number increases markedly.

Yet 'secretaries' hold no status within the work force, there are fewer career paths, few job descriptions and little opportunity for recognition of the fact that industry and business could not function without their knowledge and skills.

Secretaries with tertiary qualifications have been in the Australian work force since 1972. What career opportunities were open to tertiary qualified secretaries? Did they receive the recognition and …

Glass Ceilings, Glass Walls And Sticky Floors: Barriers To Career Progress For Women In The Finance Industry, Leonie V. Still

Research outputs pre 2011

Interest in the employment status of women has been an on-going research topic in Australia since the 1975 Royal Commission into Australian Government Administration conducted the first status review of the Australian federal public service (Taperell, Fox and Roberts, 1975). Since then numerous report have examined the position of women in the professions, particular occupations, tertiary institutions, state public services and industry and commerce. Despite the passage of time a similar finding emerges from these investigations: namely, that irrespective of the area being examined within Australian society, women's employment is still primarily confined to certain occupational groupings while they are …