Digital Commons Network^™

Enhancing Quality And Equity? Performance Assessment Validation In Examination Physical Education In Western Australia, Dawn Penney, Eibhlish O'Hara, Rob Lund

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The positioning and format of performance assessment in examination physical education varies between courses across Australia and internationally. This paper centres on developments in performance assessment in the Physical Education Studies (PES) course in Western Australia (WA). In 2021 The School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) undertook an assessment validation trial of school-based assessment of students participating in modified format competitive game play in the 10 PES sports. This contrasted to existing centralised examination arrangements. The paper reports on findings from observation of the trial in nine of the 10 sport contexts, and semi-structured interviews with teachers, validators and SCSA …

Nexus Between Constructs Of Social Cognitive Theory Model And Diabetes Self-Management Among Ghanaian Diabetic Patients: A Mediation Modelling Approach, Yaa Obirikorang, Emmanuel Acheampong, Enoch Odame Anto, Ebenezer Afrifa-Yamoah, Eric Adua, John Taylor, Linda Ahenkorah Fondjo, Sylvester Yao Lokpo, Evans Asamoah Adu, Bernard Adutwum, Enoch Ofori Antwi, Emmanuella Nsenbah Acheampong, Michael Adu Gyamfi, Freeman Aidoo, Eddie-Williams Owiredu, Christian Obirikorang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The promotion of Diabetes Self-Management (DSM) practices, education, and support is vital to improving the care and wellbeing of diabetic patients. Identifying factors that affect DSM behaviours may be useful to promote healthy living among these patients. The study assessed the determinants of DSM practices among Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients using a model-based social cognitive theory (SCT). This cross-sectional study comprised 420 (T2DM) patients who visited the Diabetic Clinic of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi-Ghana. Data was collected using self-structured questionnaires to obtain socio-demographic characteristics, T2DM-related knowledge, DSM practices, SCT constructs; beliefs in treatment effectiveness, level …

Do Liquid Assets Lure Managers? Evidence From Corporate Misconduct, Rashid Zaman, Nader Atawnah, Muhammad Nadeem, Stephen Bahadar, Irfan H. Shakri

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

We examine the effect of asset redeployability on corporate misconduct and find a significant positive relationship. Utilizing a large sample of public US firms for the period of 2001 to 2015, we find that a one standard deviation (SD) increase in the proportion of redeployable assets leads to a 7.2% increase in corporate fines. We also find that the positive association between asset redeployability and corporate misconduct varies across types of misconduct and industrial heterogeneity. In our channel analysis, we find that managerial risk-taking is a potential mechanism through which asset redeployability is associated with misconduct. Additional tests reveal that …

Understanding Employee Travel Behaviours In Response To Workplace Relocation: A Case Study Comparing Commuting Patterns Between Subiaco And Perth, Western Australia, Emil E. Jonescu, Chamil E. Ramanayaka, Stephen Moorcroft, Dean Symington

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Our built environments offer distinct variables that impact behaviour–throughout the world, and equally within Western Australia. However, an in-depth analysis of extant literature indicates that influencing human behaviour is difficult in the absence of a ‘disruption’ event. Accordingly, this organization-level study examined the disruptive effects of relocating from a Subiaco office to a new office in Perth’s Central Business District on the commute habits of its built-environment professional employees. The relocation occurred during a ‘non-lockdown’ period between July and August 2021 (southern hemisphere winter). The study sought to determine if an office relocation constituted a sufficient ‘disruption’ to affect employees’ …

Lgbtiq + Identities In Tourism And Leisure Research: A Systematic Qualitative Literature Review, Faith Ong, Oscar Vorobjovas-Pinta, Clifford Lewis

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Tourism research on the LGBTIQ + communities has grown over the years, entering mainstream discussions as a segment of interest. This growing focus reflects greater societal acceptance and acknowledgement of the systemic inequalities that challenge their rights. The landscape of current scholarship, though important to academic literature, policy and practice, has not been explored. On this premise, and under the umbrella of social sustainability, a systematic qualitative review of scholarship on the LGBTIQ + community and tourism was conducted with Q1- and Q2-ranked travel and tourism journals (Scimago Journal & Country Rank) as a basis. Articles were analysed to identify …

Myth-Busting In An Aboriginal Pre-University Bridging Program: Embedding Transformative Learning Pedagogy, Rebecca Bennett, Karin Strehlow, Braden Hill

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Pre-university bridging programs can address the significant under-representation of Indigenous students in Australian universities by providing culturally supported alternative pathways into undergraduate study. However, successful completion of bridging programs does not always correlate with university enrolment for Indigenous students. This paper offers a pedagogical rationale for an Indigenous bridging program that aims to address this discrepancy. The program curriculum challenges deficit myths about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and education, while developing foundational academic skills for university study. Leveraging Transformative Learning and Cultural Interface theories, the program aims to empower students with the opportunity to develop their own narratives …

Faces Of Pain In Dementia: Learnings From A Real-World Study Using A Technology-Enabled Pain Assessment Tool, Mustafa Atee, Kreshnik Hoti, Paola Chivers, Jeffery D. Hughes

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Pain is common in people living with dementia (PLWD), including those with limited verbal skills. Facial expressions are key behavioral indicators of the pain experience in this group. However, there is a lack of real-world studies to report the prevalence and associations of pain-relevant facial micro-expressions in PLWD. In this observational retrospective study, pain-related facial features were studied in a sample of 3,144 PLWD [mean age 83.3 years (SD = 9.0); 59.0% female] using the Face domain of PainChek®, a point-of-care medical device application. Pain assessments were completed by 389 users from two national dementia-specific care programs and 34 Australian …

Summary Of Diabetes Among Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander People, Australian Indigenous Healthinfonet, Kathy Ride

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This publication, in plain language, is based on information presented in the Review of diabetes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (2022). This short, visual report summarises the key findings and concepts from the review to provide a holistic picture of diabetes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is a quick source of information covering:

• the social and cultural context of diabetes, and the behavioural and biomedical factors that contribute to diabetes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• the extent of diabetes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including incidence and prevalence data; hospitalisations; mortality …

“Give Me A Path To Follow”: A Deweyan Inquiry Into Training Volunteer Eal Tutors Of Adult Refugees, Maria Enriquez Watt

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Volunteer English as an additional language (EAL) tutors working through adult community education (ACE) organisations play a key role in the development of adult refugee literacy and language skills in Australia. There are few requirements to work as an EAL volunteer tutor (VT), other than fluency in English. Yet refugee learners are known to have complex learning problems potentially resulting from their pre-migratory experiences. However, as the ACE sector is unregulated, provision for training VTs is uncoordinated, with many VTs receiving little or no training. Available training has largely been found to be ineffective and to support ideologies that potentially …

The Influence Of Social Interactions On Tourist Experience And Tourist Satisfaction: A Study Of Group Package Tours In Vietnam, Tran Truc Vien Pham

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Owing to the nature of tourism services, in most cases tourists experience a tourism service in the presence of service personnel and fellow tourists. Scholars and practitioners have been interrogating the role of co-creation in providing tourists with a superior experience and increased tourist satisfaction. Within a group package tour (GPT), tourists appear to be active co-creators of their experience through tourist-to-tour guide interactions (TGIs) and tourist-to-tourist interactions (TTIs). TGIs and TTIs also seemingly play an important role in determining tourist satisfaction through tourist experience. However, very little research has examined the influence of TGIs and TTIs on tourist experience …

A Study Of The Emergence, Impacts, And Responses To Trolling In The Australian News Media, Delysha Pick

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study analyses the impact of trolling on journalists in the Australian news media between 2015 and 2021, mapping its emergence and the responses of a variety of stakeholders. By 2015, trolling had cemented itself as a complex social issue prevalent in media discourse and has been the subject of a growing body of media and communications research over two decades.

A grounded theory approach,informed by feminist critical theory, functionalism and Ackoff’s (1974) Systems Theory,was used to investigate the impact of trolling on victims,and responses to trolling by anti-trolling campaigners, Twitter, Facebook, newsrooms, and the legal profession. Ackoff’s theory suggests …

Who We Are Getting It Right For: The Practitioners’ Experience Of Program Evaluation, Andrea S. Highman

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Program delivery staff are important stakeholders in program evaluation and social service organisations that intend to undertake quality evaluations must effectively engage these staff in the process (Zarinpoush, 2006). A starting point for this is recognising that staff perceptions of evaluation are influenced by professional and personal factors including their understanding of evaluation, how they think it may benefit them or their clients and the character of their prior experiences of evaluation (Taut & Alkin, 2003; Dunkley & Franklin, 2017; van Koperen et.al, 2016; Herbert, 2015).

This study interprets the experiences of staff delivering social programs in not-for-profit services in …

Impact Of Covid-19 Lockdown On Physical Activity Behaviours Of Older Adults Who Participated In A Community-Based Exercise Program Prior To The Lockdown, Kaoru Nosaka, Caitlin Fox-Harding, Kazunori Nosaka

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study investigated the impact of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown on community-dwelling older adults attending a community-based exercise program to seek strategies to keep them active during self-isolated situations. A two-phase mixed methods approach included a survey followed by in-person focus groups. Forty-eight participants, with 32 starting a community-based exercise program before the lockdown and 16 joining the program after the lockdown, completed a questionnaire survey about physical activities before and during the lockdown. This was followed by three focus groups (26 participants in total) to identify factors influencing physical activity behaviours found in the survey. The survey found that …

Understanding The Needs Of Migrants From Bhutan In Perth, Sonam Pelden, Sangay Wangchuk, Tshewang Rinzin, Pelden Chejor, Dago Tshering

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Bhutanese migrants in Perth have increased manifold in the last decade with numbers estimated at around 12000 in 2022. Almost ninety-nine per cent of these Bhutanese migrants come on student visas. Research has indicated that migration move is typically driven by hope and a search for better futures. Consequently, there is an increase in the community activities and complexities experienced by the Bhutanese migrants in Perth as they seek to build a new home in a new country. There is little information about the needs of Bhutanese migrants in Australia other than the literature on Bhutanese refugees in Australia. Thus, …

The Career Resilience Of Senior Women Managers: A Cross-Cultural Perspective, Uma Jogulu, Esmé Franken

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This article examines how cultural contexts influence the demonstration of resilient behaviors of women senior managers in large organizations. We compare the experiences of Malaysian and Australian women overcoming key challenges and obstacles in their career journeys by engaging in the resilience strategies of network leveraging, learning, and adaptability. Our findings reveal the unique, complex, and contextual nature of career resilience, and show how resilience can be demonstrated, often differently, across culture and context. Our study adds to the existing body of literature in the areas of careers, gender in the workplace, and resilience, by highlighting how senior women sustain …

An Initial Investigation Into Parental Perceptions Surrounding The Impact Of Mobile Media Use On Child Behavior And Executive Functioning, Stephanie C. Milford, Lynette Vernon, Joseph J. Scott, Nicola F. Johnson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Children demonstrate increasing early engagement with mobile media facilitated by its portability and interactivity. Parents are known to employ a range of mediation strategies for mobile media use but continue to have limited awareness about the impact of mobile media on their child’s executive functioning. Mobile media use has previously been shown to be negatively correlated with the executive functioning development of a child; however, little is known of how parents approach their child’s mobile media use. This study employed a survey design (N = 281) to examine how parents access information related to mobile media and document their perspectives …

Summary Of Cannabis Use Among Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander People, Australian Indigenous Healthinfonet

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This Summary is based on the Review of cannabis use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The review summarises the evidence from journal publications, government reports, national data collections and national surveys accessed through the HealthInfoNet’s database of publications. Please note that statistics presented do not always include all states and territories, see sources for details. ...

Psychological Distress And Quality Of Life In Asymptomatic Adults Following Provision Of Imaging Results For Prevention Of Cardiovascular Disease Events: A Scoping Review, Reindolf Anokye, Ben Jackson, James Dimmock, Joanne M. Dickson, Lauren C. Blekkenhorst, Jonathan M. Hodgson, Joshua R. Lewis, Mandy Stanley

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Aims Psychological distress and changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) may occur after screening for disease. Reporting outcomes related to potential benefits and harms of screening is a key recommendation in the guidelines for reporting high-quality trials or interventions. However, no reviews have directly investigated outcomes related to psychological distress and/or changes in HRQoL following imaging assessment of cardiovascular risk and communication of cardiovascular findings to asymptomatic adults. A scoping review was conducted to map research on psychological distress and/or HRQoL following screening. Methods and results

Six electronic databases (MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Social Work Abstracts, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection, …

Suffering To Save Lives: Torture, Cruelty, And Moral Disengagement In Australia’S Offshore Detention Centres, Jamal Barnes

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Since Australia re-established offshore processing on Manus Island and Nauru in 2012, there have been ongoing reports that asylum seekers and refugees are being subjected to torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (CIDT). People in detention have endured indefinite detention, inadequate provision of health care, and sexual, physical, and mental harm as the government attempts to ‘stop the boats’ and prevent deaths at sea. How can Australia continue to violate the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, while at the same time, promote its offshore detention policies worldwide? This article …

‘It’S All About Context’: Building School Capacity To Implement A Whole-School Approach To Bullying, Natasha Pearce, Helen Monks, Narelle Alderman, Lydia Hearn, Sharyn Burns, Kevin Runions, Jacinta Francis, Donna Cross

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Student bullying behaviours are a significant social issue in schools worldwide. Whilst school staff have access to quality bullying prevention interventions, schools can face significant challenges implementing the whole-school approach required to address the complexity of these behaviours. This study aimed to understand how schools’ capacity to implement whole-school bullying prevention interventions could be strengthened to promote sustainability and improve student outcomes. Qualitative methods were used to observe schools over time to gain insight into their implementation capacity to improve student social and emotional wellbeing and prevent and ameliorate harm from bullying. A four-year longitudinal, multi-site case study intensively followed …

“It Only Hurts When I Laugh”: Tolerating Bullying Humour In Order To Belong At Work, Barbara Plester, Tim Bentley, Emily Brewer

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Our study examines the impacts on workers when organisational humour is repeated, sustained, dominating, and potentially harmful, and thus can be considered to be bullying. In an ethnographic study of an idiosyncratic New Zealand IT company, we observed humour that was sexualised, dominating, and perpetrated by the most powerful organizational members. We argue that the compelling need for belonging in this extreme organizational culture influenced workers to accept bullying humour as just a joke and therefore acceptable and harmless even when it contravened societal workplace norms. Our contribution is in identifying and extending the significant theoretical relationship between workplace humour …

Addressing Filicide In Ghana: Linking Cultural Understanding With The Law Against Filicide. Does The Law Work?, Alhassan Abdullah, Margarita Frederico, Felix Mensah, Hajara Bentum, Yihang Wang, Jennifer Litela Asare

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: Consistent with international promulgation on the criminalization of filicide, Ghana’s Children’s Act 1998 (560) and the Criminal Justice Act criminalizes any form of torture against children. Yet, perpetrators of filicide in Ghana may go unpunished due to the beliefs in cultural norms that justify filicide acts. The cultural narratives of filicide can impede on the application and effectiveness of the laws of filicide. Method: The study employed a vignette approach to explore the views of 19 adults, who were parents between 69 years of age and 30 years of age, in rural and urban Ghana on the laws of …

Bridging The Gap Between Clinical Service And Academic Education Of Hand-Splinting Practice: Perspectives And Experiences Of Thai Occupational Therapists, Anuchart Kaunnil, Veerawat Sansri, Surachart Thongchoomsin, Kannika Permpoonputtana, Mandy Stanley, Piyawat Trevittaya, Chirathip Thawisuk, Peeradech Thichanpiang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

A gap in knowledge about current splinting practice exists between the educational program and clinical service. To bridge this gap, we investigated the perspectives and experiences of Thai occupational therapists regarding contemporary hand splinting practices in clinical use. A mixed-method study was designed. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was used. In the first quantitative phase, a survey questionnaire was mailed to occupational therapists. The questions were regarding contemporary hand splinting practices in clinical use at seven hospitals in the capital city of Bangkok and outskirt areas. In the second phase, semi-structured interviews were completed to explore expert occupational therapists' …

Covid-19 Restrictions And Psychological Well-Being Of Fathers With Infants Admitted To Nicu—An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study, Esther Abena Adama, Flora Koliouli, Livio Provenzi, Nancy Feeley, Edwin Van Teijlingen, Jillian Ireland, Frances Thomson-Salo, Minesh Khashu, Finesse Group

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Aim

To describe the impact of the COVID-19 restrictions on the caregiving activities and psychological well-being of fathers with infants admitted to neonatal units.

Methods

Cross-sectional study using adapted COPE-IS and COPE-IU tools. Participants' recruitment occurred online via social media and parents' associations. Online survey in English, French and Italian were distributed and promoted via websites and social media platforms of parent's associations. The study was undertaken across 12 countries in Asia, Australia, Africa and Europe.

Results

A total of 108 fathers of NICU infants completed the survey. COVID-19 related restrictions were categorised into 3 types: no restrictions, partial and …

Explaining Adults’ Mental Health Help-Seeking Through The Lens Of The Theory Of Planned Behavior: A Scoping Review, Claire Adams, Eyal Gringart, Natalie Strobel

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Despite evidence-based efficacy, mental health services are underutilized due to low rates of help-seeking, leaving unmet mental health needs a global concern. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) has been applied to understand the help-seeking process and in the development of behavior change interventions. The aim of this scoping review was to map the literature on the TPB as applied to mental health help-seeking in adults aged > 18 years. Methods: This scoping review was conducted based on the methodology presented by Arksey and O’Malley (2005). Six databases (CINAHL, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, ProQuest Health and Medicine, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Web …

Exploring Moderators Of The Effect Of High Vs. Low-To-Moderate Intensity Exercise On Cardiorespiratory Fitness During Breast Cancer Treatment – Analyses Of A Subsample From The Phys-Can Rct, Ann Christin Helgesen Bjørke, Laurien M. Buffart, Truls Raastad, Ingrid Demmelmaier, Andreas Stenling, Karin Nordin, Sveinung Berntsen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction

The results from the physical training and cancer randomized controlled trial (Phys-Can RCT) indicate that high intensity (HI) strength and endurance training during (neo-)adjuvant cancer treatment is more beneficial for cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF, measured as peak oxygen uptake [VO₂peak]) than low-to-moderate intensity (LMI) exercise. Adherence to the exercise intervention and demographic or clinical characteristics of patients with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant treatment may moderate the exercise intervention effect on VO₂peak. In this study, the objective was to investigate whether baseline values of VO2peak, body mass index (BMI), time spent in moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity …

Indigenous Online Creative Responses To The Covid-19 Pandemic Lockdown In Western Australia, Amy Budrikis, Clint Bracknell

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In response to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, many communities of endangered Indigenous languages have utilised digital technologies and created online language resources with renewed motivation. In this article we explore the ways that Noongar community members have shifted, adapted and persisted in creating new language revitalisation resources for their endangered Aboriginal language, describing three case studies of video content created and shared online through social media as localised responses to the pressing need for easily produced, accessible and engaging online approaches to support Indigenous communities and their languages.

Polygenic Resilience Scores Capture Protective Genetic Effects For Alzheimer’S Disease, Jiahui Hou, Jonathan L. Hess, Nicola Armstrong, Joshua C. Bis, Benjamin Grenier-Boley, Ida K. Karlsson, Ganna Leonenko, Katya Numbers, Eleanor K. O’Brien, Alexey Shadrin, Anbupalam Thalamuthu, Qiong Yang, Ole A. Andreassen, Henry Brodaty, Margaret Gatz, Nicole A. Kochan, Jean Charles Lambert, Simon M. Laws, Colin L. Masters, Karen A. Mather, Nancy L. Pedersen, Danielle Posthuma, Perminder S. Sachdev, Julie Williams, Alzheimer’S Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, Chun Chieh Fan, Stephen V. Faraone, Christine Fennema-Notestine, Shu-Ju Lin, Valentina Escott-Price, Peter Holmans, Sudha Seshadri, Ming T. Tsuang, William S. Kremen, Stephen J. Glatt

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) can boost risk prediction in late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) beyond apolipoprotein E (APOE) but have not been leveraged to identify genetic resilience factors. Here, we sought to identify resilience-conferring common genetic variants in (1) unaffected individuals having high PRSs for LOAD, and (2) unaffected APOE-ε4 carriers also having high PRSs for LOAD. We used genome-wide association study (GWAS) to contrast “resilient” unaffected individuals at the highest genetic risk for LOAD with LOAD cases at comparable risk. From GWAS results, we constructed polygenic resilience scores to aggregate the addictive contributions of risk-orthogonal common variants that promote resilience …

The Relationship Between Psychedelic Use, Mystical Experiences, And Pro-Environmental Behaviors, Kelly Paterniti, Stephen Bright, Eyal Gringart

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Expanding on the work of Forstmann and Sagioglou, this study investigated the differences in personality and pro-environmental behavior (PEB) as a function of psychedelic-occasioned mystical experiences. A sample of 240 participants with prior psychedelic experience completed an online survey. Data were collected on participants’ psychedelic-occasioned mystical states, personality, and self-reported PEB. A measure of behavioral PEB was also included (Charity Task). The mean scores on self-reported PEB, openness and agreeableness of participants who met the criteria for a “complete” mystical state, were significantly higher than those who did not. Specifically, those who experienced a mystical state scored higher on the …

Willingness To Enhance Employability, Eszter Kiss, Jami Cotler, Eben Afrifa Yamoah

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This exploratory study was conducted across two different institutions in the United States and in Australia. The online surveys applied two instruments: The Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire and the Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale to investigate the correlations between the constructs of employability, emotional intelligence, and motivation. The results showed a positive significant relationship between campus program internship and perceived employability. Further, emotional intelligence was significantly positively correlated with motivation. These results may reinforce institutions in their effort to design or refresh teaching intervention programs improving students employability. Beyond focusing on skills acquisition, these programs could also aim for enhancing students …