Digital Commons Network^™

End-Of-Life Decision-Making In Critical Care: Minimising The Suffering, Deborah Sundin

ECU Research Week

No abstract provided.

Inclusion At University: Can We Do More Than Open The Door?, John O'Rourke

Research outputs 2011

The inclusion of students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) in university settings is an emerging policy initiative. Different models have evolved to support the inclusion of students with IDD in university settings from full inclusion to specialized separate programs. This paper reports the process of creating a program of inclusion for a student with IDD in a Western Australian university. Based on extensive field notes and interviews with the included student and her mentors, the author seeks to assess the pilot study using a case study approach and reflect on what might be required by university staff to enhance …

School-Based Strategies To Address Cyber Bullying, Donna Cross, Helen Monks, Marilyn Campbell, Barbara Spears, Phillips Slee

Research outputs 2011

Bullying and victimisation among school-age children are recognised as a major public health problem. In its 2009 report on the Australian Covert Bullying Prevalence Study (ACBPS), the Child Health Promotion Research Centre of Edith Cowan University reported that just over one quarter (27 per cent) of school students aged 8 to 14 years were bullied and 9 per cent bullied others on a frequent basis – every few weeks or more often (Cross et al, 2009).

National Safe Schools Framework: Policy And Practice To Reduce Bullying In Australian Schools, Donna Cross, Melanie Epstein, Lydia Hearn, Phillip Slee, Therese Shaw, Helen Monks

Research outputs 2011

In 2003 Australia was one of the first countries to develop an integrated national policy, called the National Safe Schools Framework (NSSF), for the prevention and management of violence, bullying, and other aggressive behaviors. The effectiveness of this framework has not yet been formally evaluated. Cross-sectional data collected in 2007 from 7,418 students aged 9 to 14 years old and 453 teachers from 106 representative Australian schools were analyzed to determine teachers’ perceptions about the extent of implementation of the NSSF, teachers’ capacity to address student bullying, and students’ reports of bullying in their school, 4 years following the framework’s …

Teacher Understandings Of Responsibilities For Reading Instruction In Stage One And Two English Courses Of Study In Western Australian Schools, Liana Strutt

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of the study was to explore secondary teachers’ understandings of their responsibilities towards students who demonstrate poor literacy skills with regard to the Reading Outcome in the Western Australian English Courses of Study. As an experienced secondary English teacher, the researcher was aware that the reading demands of senior secondary classrooms were challenging for some students and that many teachers were unsure of how they should respond to the needs of the students. Since the education reforms which began in Western Australia in the late 1990s and the subsequent introduction of Courses of Study in 2006, a great …

Spirituality And Organised Religion In Supporting Parents Of Children With Down Syndrome And Intellectual Disability, Divia Pillay

Theses : Honours

Background: Raising a child with an intellectual disability can present parents with many challenges. Factors that have been demonstrated to positively impact on the mental and physical health of parents of children with an intellectual disability include greater clinical, family and social supports. One avenue of support that has been rarely explored is the role of spirituality and organised religion in supporting parents of children with an intellectual disability. Aim: The aim of this literature review was to investigate the role of spirituality and organised religion in the lives of parents of children with intellectual disability, specifically Down syndrome. Methods: …

Funding And Secondary School Choice In Australia: A Historical Consideration, Rosemary Cahill, Jan Gray

Research outputs pre 2011

Since public funds first began to flow into non-government schools in the mid-1970s, successive Commonwealth and state governments have steadily increased the amount of funding they have provided to nongovernment schools (Bonnor & Caro, 2007; Macfarlane, 2003). The outcome of this funding decision has brought the cost of a ‘private school education’ within reach of many more Australian families in the 21st century (Rothman, 2003; Symes & Gulson, 2005). This paper explores the historical backdrop within which secondary schooling is provided in Western Australian today in order to better understand how it influences and/or predisposes the secondary school choices currently …

Overseas Students In Australia: An Experiential View, Maria Ryan, Madeleine Ogilvie

Research outputs pre 2011

Overseas students have access to a number of learning opportunities available by virtue of a highly competitive tertiary education market system. Despite the increasing trend for remote, online-based learning programs, many students elect to travel outside their home country to experience the cultural difference of studying abroad. The benefit is symbiotic, with crucial university funding being attracted by increased numbers of overseas students seeking an enriched studying experience. The focus of this paper is the on-campus learning experience received by expatriate students studying in Australia and Singapore. How these students adapt to the different physical, social and emotional environments is …

Schools As Sites Of Race Relations And Intercultural Tension, Fethi Mansouri, Louise Jenkins

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Australia’s education system endeavours to provide an environment in which students can learn in a safe and comfortable manner, free of fear of verbal or physical abuse. However, for many schools, the ability to create this safe environment has been undermined by a recent rise in society-wide intercultural tensions that inevitably permeate the school boundary. Empirical data from a national project about racism among Australian youth provides evidence that these intercultural tensions are generating an unsettling level of verbal, and in some cases, physical abuse in Australian secondary schools. These project findings inform the discussion presented in this paper that …

Stress Among Prospective Teachers: A Review Of The Literature , Sallie Gardner

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Student-teacher distress has the potential to impact on the individuals who are to become teachers, the profession and the education system. This review examines what is known of psychological distress among university students, teachers and student-teachers, the demands associated with their practical experiences and the known impact of psychological distress. A brief overview of contemporary stress management approaches is also presented. The reviewer contends that the potential problem for prospective teachers requires a holistic approach, beginning through understanding contemporary strategies available to individual university students, and preventative stress management programs provided within tertiary education, which may be made available to …

‘Motivation In Action’ In A Collaborative Primary Classroom: Developing And Sustaining Teacher Motivation, Veronica Morcom, Judith Maccallum

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper examines how the process of scaffolding students to solve their social issues developed mature participation for both the teacher and students. A sociocultural perspective framed the research as the underlying assumption is that students learn from each other, mediated by the teacher or more capable peers. The study provides evidence that teachers play a significant role in mediating positive relationships amongst peers, which in this case, sustained the teacher’s motivation to engage in the challenging and at times exhausting process. The teacher used weekly class meetings to negotiate with students how to share ‘power’ and model democratic decision-making. …

Factors That Influence The Decisions Parents Make When Choosing A Secondary School For Their Children, Rosemary Cahill

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The impetus for this portfolio is the accelerating drift of Australian school students from state-run, free government schools to fee-paying independent and/or Catholic schools within the non-government sector. Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data show that between 1996 and 2006, student enrolments in non-government schools grew by 21.5% compared with 1.2% in government schools (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2007). In this portfolio, a sociological lens reflective of the pragmatic paradigm is applied to the question of school choice in order to understand parents' thinking behind the choices they are making and, moving forward, how the funding and governance of …

Student Motivation: Premise, Effective Practice And Policy, Stuart Levy, Holly Campbell

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The purpose of this article is to outline how motivation of first year university students can be enhanced through effective pedagogic practices and to discuss policy level decisions that impact upon the cultivation of student motivation. It reports on practices within a specific first year unit, Understanding University Learning, which successfully incorporates teaching and learning strategies to enhance academic motivation.

Confronting The Pedagogical Challenge Of Cyber Safety., Ria Hanewald

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Cyber violence and the antidote of cyber safety are fast becoming a global concern for governments, educational authorities, teachers, parents and children alike. Despite substantial funding for information dissemination on preventative strategies and the development of electronic responses to hinder perpetrators, the phenomenon of cyber violence has received little attention in the educational research literature. This review paper outlines the status on existing research into cyber violence. Documenting and summarizing the facts on the nature and extend of the issue will inform future debate. It also highlights the need for pre-service and in-service teacher education programs to prepare educators to …

Teaching Sustainable Stormwater Management Using Project Based Learning, Niranjali Jayasuriya

EDU-COM International Conference

Project Based Learning (PBL) is increasingly becoming popular as a teaching aid in many universities across Australia. The theory associated with the Stormwater Management course is taught to students by solving practical problems associated with real life situations. Persistent drought has resulted in treating stormwater as a valuable resource when securing sustainable water futures for capital cities across Australia; including Melbourne. Based on feedback from potential employers of Civil and Environmental Engineering graduates the Stormwater Management course at RMIT University was reorganized to be structured around a major stormwater project to facilitate learning. The project involves arrangements to manage stormwater …

Educating Secondary School Students With Learning Difficulties: The Teacher's Perspective, Christine Potter

Theses : Honours

Educating students with learning difficulties in mainstream classrooms has been a major concern for educators (Elkins, 2007). This paper reviews the research relating to the issues teachers' experience when teaching students with learning difficulties (LD) in secondary schools. The review initially provides an overview of the definition of LD and the academic, social, and behavioural characteristics experienced by students with LD. The review explores student, teacher, and school environment factors that impact on the teachers' role when students with LD are educated in mainstream classrooms. The analysis of the research in this area showed that teacher's attitudes, views, and concerns …

Professional Development As A Critical Componenet Of Continuing Teacher Quality, Paulina Phillips

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Professional Development is critical for improving and maintaining teacher quality and the effect flows on into the classroom. Factors influencing the success of Professional Development activities include potential for workplace change, the diverse effect and understanding of adult learning principles, subject specificity, effective mentoring and the relevance of the presented material. Relevant Professional Development plays a major role in school reform and mentoring programs including new teacher induction and can enhance the benefits of sharing expertise between generations

Curriculum Integration: A Trial, Pat Grant, Kathy Paige

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Curriculum integration and working in teams are two key characteristics of middle schooling in Australia today. As part of a new primary/middle teacher education program an interdisciplinary team of academics has developed a course that aims to teach pre service teachers how to plan for and teach an integrated curriculum unit in an authentic context: their 6 week school placement. This paper will describe the first cycle of an action research project detailing the issues for the third year pre service teachers and for the staff involved in teaching the course as they come to grips with new ways of …

Optimising School Nurse Involvement In Youth Based Tobacco Control Programs: Presented To The Western Australian Health Promotion Foundation, Child Health Promotion Research Unit, Edith Cowan University

Research outputs pre 2011

A significant proportion of youth smoke regularly, placing them at risk of addiction to cigarette smoking. It is known that adolescence is a critical period for the establishment of adult drug use behaviours. The key focus for this research program is the investigation of interventions addressing adolescent smoking cessation, with a particular emphasis on School Nurse involvement.

The research program aims to provide capacity building benefits at three levels: to secondary school nurses, to two post-graduate students, as well as school health promotion /smoking prevention/cessation practitioners and researchers. Ultimately this project may add previously underused but well trained, highly credible …

Towards Dignity And Respect At Work: An Exploration Of Bullying In The Public Sector, Maryam Omari

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Organisations today function in complex and dynamic environments which exert continual pressure to change and compete. Employees are often seen as a key to success in this world, as flexible and adaptable resources. The quality of their work life therefore takes on an important role in ensuring they reach their full potential. A long-standing safety and performance issue in the workplace is bullying, or mobbing as it is called in the European literature. Bullying can have adverse effects for individuals, including both the perpetrator and the victim, as well as their families, the organisation, and ultimately the wider society.

The Role And Meaning Of Spirituality Among Older Adults In Western Australia, Sue Grossman

Theses : Honours

Given the large projected increase in the proportion of Australian older adults (13% in 2004 to 22% in 2031) and the personal importance placed on spirituality in the lives of older adults, it is timely to investigate the role of spirituality in the everyday lives of older adults. The present paper analyses the literature pertaining to the psychological implications of spirituality in older adulthood. The points of discussion identified in the review include the relationship between spirituality and religion, theories of spiritual development, psychosocial wellbeing, health, end of life issues, culture, and psychological practice. It is concluded that the paucity …

Engaging Diversity At An Australian University: Chinese International Students' Perceptions Of Their Social Experience While Studying In Australia, James Cross

EDU-COM International Conference

Increasing diversity of student populations at Australian universities has raised research attention on how international students are coping with their academic and social life. A research project conducted with Chinese students studying at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Western Australia in 2005 revealed various cultural and equity issues which impact on the Chinese international students' academic and social experiences in Australia. This paper focuses on the social aspects of the findings from this study. It was found that most Chinese students reported poor social life and interaction with local and other international students on and off campus. Developing friendship with …

Pastoral Care In Education, Lydia Hearn, Renee Campbell-Pope, Joanne House, Donna Cross

Research outputs pre 2011

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. During the past decade, there has been growing recognition the school environment plays a major role in the social and emotional competence and wellbeing of children. As a consequence, increasing national and international commitment has been directed towards the development of Health Promoting Schools2, with efforts being made to assess how curriculum and pastoral practice can best contribute to students’ social, emotional, physical and moral wellbeing. Within Australia, the National Safe Schools Framework3 has set as a key priority the importance of achieving a shared vision of physical and emotional safety and wellbeing for all students …

Silenced Voices: Experiences Of Grief Following Road Traffic Crashes In Western Australia, Lauren Breen

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Despite the introduction of road safety measures and media campaigns, crashes are a leading cause of death in Western Australia. While economic costs of crashes are relatively easy to determine, their psychosocial burden remains appreciably under-studied, as are the social, cultural, historical, temporal, and political contexts within which grief experiences are housed. As such, I explored the experience of grief resulting from losing a loved one in a crash in Western Australia and described the influence of contextual factors on those grief experiences.

Controlling Involvement To Promote Confidence In Palliative Care Decisions - A Grounded Theory From The Patient's Perspective, Susan F. Lee

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Decision making in the context of palliative care is particularly complex given the unpredictable illness trajectories experienced by patients and the number of individuals who may be part of the decision making process. This grounded theory study explored and described from the perspective of patients with advanced illness, their experiences of making care decisions. A review of literature at the commencement of the study indicated that there was a lack of evidence to support the best way of ascertaining patient's preferences for involvement in decisions in a palliative care context and almost no research to guide clinicians about the involvement …

The Impact Of Digital Persona On The Future Of Learning: A Case Study On Digital Repositories And The Sharing Of Information About Children At Risk In Western Australia, Mark Balnaves, Joseph Luca

Research outputs pre 2011

Modern databases and digital depositories have the capacity to store vast amounts of information on individuals. In the case of normal everyday affairs, of course, there may be many databases and many organizations involved in collecting information on individuals. There are two types of digital persona possible in these environments —active persona and passive persona (Clarke, 2001). In this paper the authors will report on initial results from an exploratory study on attitudes towards information sharing in Western Australian education and explore the role of active and passive digital persona in information sharing. Many organizations collect information on students, ranging …

A Randomised Control Trial To Reduce Bullying And Other Aggressive Behaviours In Secondary Schools, Donna Cross, Hall Marg, Stacey Waters, Greg Hamilton

Research outputs pre 2011

In Australia bullying tends to peak twice in a school student's life - firstly at age 1 0 to 12 and then during the two years following their transition to secondary school (Rigby, 1994; Slee, 1995b) This transition to secondary school is considered a critical period to intervene on bullying (Farrington, 1993; Rigby, 1997, 1999; Sharp, 1995; Stevens, Bourdeaudhuij, & Van Oost, 2000; Whitney & Smith, 1993). It is suggested that compared with primary schools, the change in friendship structures that accompanies the move to secondary school, large student numbers and the less consistent contact and fewer close relationships between …

Six Archbishops And Their Ordinands: A Study Of The Leadership Provided By Successive Archbishops Of Perth In The Recruitment And Formation Of Clergy In Western Australia 1914-2005, Brian Kyme

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis seeks to tell the story of the evolution of ordained ministry in the Christian Church, with an emphasis on the work of the ministry in the Anglican Church of Western Australia since the arrival of the first settlers in 1829. After a brief look at the early days, the focus is on the efforts to recruit ordination candidates in Western Australia during the terms of each of the six Archbishops of Perth from 1914 up to the present time. An integral part of the narrative is the histories of the Perth Clergy Training College, later renamed St John's …

Towards Optimal Student Engagement In Teacher Education, Laurie Brady

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article, written by a teacher educator who won an AUTC National Teaching Award in 2003, focuses on the strategies that might be used in teacher education programs as distinct from addressing subject matter concerns. Endorsing the need for optimal engagement, the article posits a model combining student centred learning (arguing that some strategies by their very nature require greater degrees of student exploration and interaction); problematic and situated learning which finds an ideal expression in case method; and more far reaching expressions of field -based experience including team teaching on site, mentoring and community based professional development

The Role Of Physical Education And Sport In Education (Spined) : Extending At Risk Students' Participation In School Life: A Case Study Of Progress Within A Specialist Sports School, Dawn Penney, Andrew Taggart, Sean Gorman

Research outputs pre 2011

This case study focused on developments at Clontarf Aboriginal College and Football Academy, a Specialist Sports School in the Perth metropolitan area. The study specifically explored:

• the ways in which the development of an Australian Rules Football academy at the school have enhanced opportunities for Aboriginal students, many of whom may be deemed in educational terms 'at risk', to engage in school life;

• the organisational I institutional, social, cultural and economic factors (i) enabling and (ii) inhibiting enhancement of educational and sporting opportunities and take-up of these opportunities by the Aboriginal students;

• the extent to which progress …