Digital Commons Network^™

Current Research And Statistical Practices In Sport Science And A Need For Change, Jake R. Bernards, Kimitake Sato, G. Gregory Haff, Caleb D. Bazyler

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Current research ideologies in sport science allow for the possibility of investigators producing statistically significant results to help fit the outcome into a predetermined theory. Additionally, under the current Neyman-Pearson statistical structure, some argue that null hypothesis significant testing (NHST) under the frequentist approach is flawed, regardless. For example, a p-value is unable to measure the probability that the studied hypothesis is true, unable to measure the size of an effect or the importance of a result, and unable to provide a good measure of evidence regarding a model or hypothesis. Many of these downfalls are key questions researchers strive …

Voicing A New Life Narrative: Communicating The Dynamics Of Change In A Welfare-Dependent Family, Kylie Stevenson, Lelia Green

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The Hand Up Linkage project focuses on the family as a communication context through which to explore the dynamics of intergenerational welfare dependency. It is concerned with how persistent barriers to escaping welfare dependency are perceived and how attitudes to change are constructed through communication within the family. Interviews are conducted with families reliant on welfare support with the view of identifying ‘emotionally compelling experiences and realizations’ (King et al., 2003, p.184) through which families construct meaning about their place in the world. These interviews give voice to people experiencing the challenges and consolations of reliance on welfare, encouraging them …

Does Gamification Increase Engagement With Online Programs? A Systematic Review, Jemma Looyestyn, Jocelyn Kernot, Kobie Boshoff, Jillian Ryan, Sarah Edney, Carol Maher

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background Engagement in online programs is difficult to maintain. Gamification is the recent trend that offers to increase engagement through the inclusion of game-like features like points and badges, in non-game contexts. This review will answer the following question, ‘Are gamification strategies effective in increasing engagement in online programs?’ Method Eight databases (Web of Science, PsycINFO, Medline, INSPEC, ERIC, Cochrane Library, Business Source Complete and ACM Digital Library) were searched from 2010 to the 28th of October 2015 using a comprehensive search strategy. Eligibility criteria was based on the PICOS format, where “population” included adults, “intervention” involved an online program …

Supporting Positive School Culture Through Interpersonal Engagement: Phase Two Report: Hampton Senior High School December 2017, Geoffrey Lummis, Julia Morris, Graeme Lock

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The Industry Collaboration Project, ‘Supporting Positive School Culture Through Interpersonal Engagement’ is a joint project between Edith Cowan University, Hampton Senior High School, Kinross College and Mindarie Senior College. The project aims to empower school leaders to co-create, implement and evaluate professional learning programs that promote enhanced staff relationships. Supporting school leaders to improve staff relationships is important because staff (both teaching and school support) are key stakeholders in children’s educational outcomes (Stringer, 2013). Ensuring school staff feel valued in their school community is also of ongoing importance, particularly as staff accountability and burnout rises in the teaching profession both …

Transfer Of Automatic Skills: The Role Of Automaticity In Skill Acquisition And Transfer, Katrina Louise Muller-Townsend

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Skill acquisition theories suggest that automaticity of lower-level processes is required before the acquisition of higher-level skills can be attempted. However, there is a disparity between the theoretical expectations of skill acquisition and the empirical findings in the transfer of training research. Research has found that when a change is made to the contextual conditions in which a skill is acquired, the learned response becomes less skilled. When skill transfer occurs performance is disrupted so that reaction times are slower than observed prior to the context change. This observation has been made with several different tasks, however no research has …

Secondary Employment By Western Australia Police Officers: Factors Influencing Multiple Jobholding And The Relationship To Organisational Commitment, Hamish Mckenzie

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a significant relationship between secondary employment by Western Australia police officers and organisational commitment. The study also examined whether there was a relationship between secondary employment of Western Australia police officers and, gender, work location, employment hours, rank and tenure. Finally, the study sought to understand why Western Australia police officers undertook secondary employment. A mixed methods approach to research was undertaken with 5756 Western Australia police officers sent a survey adapted from Meyer and Allen’s Three-Component Model (TCM) Employee Commitment Survey (2004). This survey tool is based on …

Development Of The Meal Framework: A Multiliteracies Approach To Engaging Adolescents In Nutrition Education, Samantha Lee Baker

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Establishing and maintaining a healthy diet is integral in promoting optimal health, growth and development. Moreover, the food choices we make and dietary behaviours we adopt are a reflection of the multiple personal, interpersonal and environmental factors to which we are exposed. Consequently, changing food habits and dietary behaviour is complex and requires the implementation of multifaceted public health strategies. Comprehensive nutrition education provided to adolescents during their school years is one such approach.

Adolescence is a period of rapid psychological and physiological changes. At a socioemotional level, there is a decreased level of dependence on parents and a greater …

Belonging: A Place For, And In, Children’S Poetry A Hybrid Thesis Including Creative Works, Articles And Exegetical Discussion, Sally Murphy

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This hybrid thesis is comprised of three creative works – two collections of poetry for children and a verse novel – as well as three journal articles examining aspects of children’s poetry, and exegetical discussion of the creative works and of key concepts influencing both the creative and discursive elements of the thesis.

The first creative work, All About Me, is a collection of poetry for early childhood readers and their carers. It consists of 20 poems, and as a finished manuscript mirrors the length of a picture book format collection. The poems explore and highlight aspects of the …

Evaluation Of Acceptance And Efficiency Of Exercise For Indigenous Australians To Benefit Physiological, Anthropometric And Metabolic Syndrome Outcomes, Tuguy Esgin

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The proposed study will provide an increased understanding in a much-understudied area of how the Australian Indigenous community perceives physical activity and the beneficial effects for improving health outcomes.

The PhD will be made up of three studies:

1) To design an exercise prescription that is culturally appropriate and specifically addresses the major Indigenous health issues around metabolic syndrome.

The first will be a cross sectional study that surveys the motivators and barriers to physical activity within the Perth Noongar community. The results of this study will be used to enhance the intervention section of the PhD. It will provide …

Dry Land Strength And Power Training To Enhance Swimming In-Water Turn Performance, Julian Jones

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Undertaking dry-land strength and power training to increase leg extensor power output is believed to increase a swimmer’s ability to start and turn during a swim race. Swimmers generally undertake dry-land strength and power training as part of their overall training regime to increase lower body force output and impulse, in order to improve both swim start and turning performance. Elite swimmers demonstrate faster swimming turn times that are potentially a result of having better strength-power characteristics than sub-elite swimmers. The aim of this research was to quantify differences in dry-land and swimming turn leg extensor force-time characteristics between elite …

Workplace Bullying: An Exploratory Study In Australian Academia, Manish Sharma

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Workplace bullying is a behaviour which adversely affects individuals, organisations and the community at large. While substantial research has been conducted on workplace bullying in different work settings, limited research exists on this behaviour at universities; no comprehensive studies have to date been conducted in the context of Australian academia. This study therefore contributes through breaking new ground by exploring bullying within the increasingly corporatised and competitive Australian higher education sector. New Public Management (NPM) practices, diminished government funding, and limited resources risk transforming this sector into a full-fledged industry focused on corporate objectives to achieve operational profitability. Universities’ primary …

International Postgraduate Students And Their Reasons For Choosing To Study At Public Universities In Perth, Western Australia, Steven Cohen

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The global higher education sector has become increasingly competitive. A large segment of that market now consists of attracting international students. Understanding why these students are motivated to study overseas is crucial for universities seeking to attract the transnational students as well as for the host country. Trading education is now Australia’s third largest export. As the international market for students becomes more crowded, it is imperative that thorough and concise research occurs to assist local universities within Australia to maintain their competitive advantage.

Perth, Western Australia (WA) comprises a small segment of the international Australian tertiary education market. An …

Feasibility Of Presurgical Exercise In Men With Prostate Cancer Undergoing Prostatectomy, Favil Singh, Robert Newton, Michael Baker, Nigel Spry, Dennis Taaffe, Jeffery Thavaseelan, Daniel A. Galvao

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background:

Prostatectomy is associated with short- and long-term morbidity, which includes attenuation of muscle function and deterioration of lean body mass. Physical function is a known predictor of morbidity and mortality, with initial evidence indicating that presurgical exercise is associated with fewer postsurgical complications and shorter hospitalization. The aim was to determine the feasibility of a supervised presurgical exercise program for prostate cancer (PCa) patients scheduled for prostatectomy.

Methods:

Ten men (68+6.4 years old) with localized PCa undertook a 6-week resistance and aerobic exercise program prior surgery. Training was undertaken twice weekly and patients were assessed at baseline, presurgery, and …

“Mental Health Day” Sickness Absence Amongst Nurses And Midwives: Workplace, Workforce, Psychosocial And Health Characteristics, Scott Lamont, Scott Brunero, Lin Perry, Christine M. Duffield, David Sibbritt, Robyn Gallagher, Rachel Nicolls

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Aim

To examine the workforce, workplace, psychosocial and health characteristics of nurses and midwives in relation to their reported use of sickness absence described as ‘mental health days’.

Background

The occupational stress associated with the nursing profession is increasingly recognized and nurse/midwifery absenteeism is a significant global problem. Taking a ‘mental health day’ as sickness absence is a common phenomenon in Australian health care. No previous studies have empirically explored the characteristics of nurses and midwives using such sickness absence.

Design

Online cross-sectional survey.

Methods

Survey comprising validated tools and questions on workplace and health characteristics was distributed to nurses …

Psychosocial Correlates Of Diabetes Self-Management Practices, Muhammad W. Darawad, Sawsan Hammad, Sultan Mosleh, Osama A. Samarkandi, Ayman Hamdan-Mansour, Amani A. Khalil, Diana Arabiat

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background

Self-Management is a crucial regimen for patients with diabetes mellitus. Many factors have affected patients' self-management practice including psychosocial factors. Literature revealed contradictory results concerning the psychosocial correlates of patients' self-management practices. Therefore, this study assessed the psychosocial correlates of diabetes self-management practices among Jordanian diabetic patients.

Methods

A descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational design was utilized to collect data (conducted in the middle region of Jordan in 2015) from 341 Jordanian outpatients with diabetes using self-reported questionnaires (Social Support Scale, CES-D, and Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities) and chart review.

Results

Participants reported practice rate of 2.85/ 7 (SD …

Applying Surrogate Species Presences To Correct Sample Bias In Species Distribution Models: A Case Study Using The Pilbara Population Of The Northern Quoll, Shaun W. Molloy, Robert A. Davis, Judy A. Dunlop, Eddie Van Etten

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The management of populations of threatened species requires the capacity to identify areas of high habitat value. We developed a high resolution species distribution model (SDM) for the endangered Pilbara northern quoll Dasyurus hallucatus, population using MaxEnt software and a combined suite of bioclimatic and landscape variables. Once common throughout much of northern Australia, this marsupial carnivore has recently declined throughout much of its former range and is listed as endangered by the IUCN. Other than the potential threats presented by climate change, and the invasive cane toad Rhinella marina (which has not yet arrived in the Pilbara). The …

Changes In The Relative Balance Of Approach And Avoidance Inclinations To Use Alcohol Following Cue Exposure Vary In Low And High Risk Drinkers, Ross Hollett, Werner G.K. Stritzke, Phoebe Edgeworth, Michael Weinborn

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

According to the ambivalence model of craving, alcohol craving involves the dynamic interplay of separate approach and avoidance inclinations. Cue-elicited increases in approach inclinations are posited to be more likely to result in alcohol consumption and risky drinking behaviors only if unimpeded by restraint inclinations. Current study aims were (1) to test if changes in the net balance between approach and avoidance inclinations following alcohol cue exposure differentiate between low and high risk drinkers, and (2) if this balance is associated with alcohol consumption on a subsequent taste test. In two experiments (N = 60; N = 79), low …

Development Of The Aboriginal Communication Assessment After Brain Injury (Acaabi): A Screening Tool For Identifying Acquired Communication Disorders In Aboriginal Australians, Elizabeth Armstrong, Natalie Ciccone, Deborah J. Hersh, Judith Katzenellebogen, Juli Coffin, Sandra Thompson, Leon Flicker, Colleen Hayward, Deborah Woods, Meaghan Mcallister

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose:

Acquired communication disorders (ACD), following stroke and traumatic brain injury, may not be correctly identified in Aboriginal Australians due to a lack of linguistically and culturally appropriate assessment tools. Within this paper we explore key issues that were considered in the development of the Aboriginal Communication Assessment After Brain Injury (ACAABI) – a screening tool designed to assess the presence of ACD in Aboriginal populations.

Method:

A literature review and consultation with key stakeholders were undertaken to explore directions needed to develop a new tool, based on existing tools and recommendations for future developments.

Result:

The literature searches revealed …

Older Australians Can Achieve High Adherence To The Mediterranean Diet During A 6 Month Randomised Intervention; Results From The Medley Study, Courtney Davis, Jonathan M. Hodgson, Janet Bryan, Manohar Garg, Richard Woodman, Karen Murphy

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Adherence to a Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is thought to be achievable in non-Mediterranean regions, but this has yet to be investigated. We aimed to determine if an older Australian population could adhere to a MedDiet for six months. We conducted a randomised, parallel dietary intervention trial with two dietary arms: the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) group and the habitual diet (HabDiet) control group. A 15-point Mediterranean diet adherence score and food and nutrient intakes were estimated from three-day weighed food records collected at baseline, two and four months. Erythrocyte fatty acids, serum carotenoids and urinary metabolites were assessed at baseline, three …

What Is English Now? The Construction Of Subject English In Contemporary Textbooks For Australian Secondary Schools, Shannon L. Wells

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Australian educators are currently engaged in widening debates about the performance of the nation’s schools, teachers and students. Perceived literacy deficits among secondary students have fuelled the debate, and this has precipitated reforms to English curricula at both National and State levels. The newly revised curricula attempt to improve student achievement through more systematic teaching about the English language and language skills. In response to the changes, major education publishers in Australia have released revised textbooks for English that purport to engage with the new curriculum.

This research study considered whether such new resources offer genuinely fresh and effective approaches …

The Connection Between Drug Use And Crime In Western Australia, Kathryn Riordan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Despite decades of research, there is no consensus as to the factors that explain the association between drug use and criminal behaviour. While the evolving sophistication in research methodology has identified factors that are associated with involvement in both drug use and crime, exploration of the idiosyncratic factors that contribute to initiation, maintenance and desistence in drug use and criminal behaviour over time, across culture and social context remains unknown. In this research a grounded theory approach was used to develop an explanatory model based on the reported experiences of 22 non-Aboriginal and 11 Aboriginal adult male offenders, incarcerated in …

School Social Work: Supporting Children’S Primary Education In The South West Of Western Australia, Karen Mcdavitt

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In many countries, social workers play a role in the education of children. In Australia, this is evident in the state of Victoria which has a long history of school social work. However, it is not the case in Western Australia where there are very few government-funded social work roles in public schools. With the barriers to education rising for increasing numbers of students, the social work profession could be one component in a multi-disciplinary whole that supports students and the broader community so that each child has the best chance of reaching their full potential.

This thesis poses the …

Exploring The Experience Of Separation In Australia: Perspectives From Formerly Married And Cohabiting Parents, Sarah M. Barbas

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The increase in separation and divorce rates during the 20th century brought with it many far-reaching social implications for all involved, sparking a high level of interest among researchers. Most research in this area has been approached from stress frameworks that have conceptualised separation and divorce as a stressful life transition that individuals must adjust to. Yet, attempts to understand separation and divorce to date have been dominated by quantitative methods that have resulted in a relatively static and objective understanding of this experience; particularly in Australia. Furthermore, although international rates of divorce are declining, rates of separation following cohabiting …

Effect Of A Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Muscle Strength Training Intervention On Muscle Force And Mass, Physical Health And Quality Of Life In People With Spinal Cord Injury, Vanesa Bochkezanian

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to significant deficits in muscle strength and mass, impacting negatively on physical health and quality of life (QoL). Physical rehabilitation techniques for people with SCI rely on constant updates and the accumulation of evidence regarding the efficacy of available and/or new physical interventions. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is already commonly used to activate skeletal muscles and subsequently reverse muscle atrophy, however NMES as a high-intensity “strength training” intervention appears to be a particularly promising technique for increasing muscle strength and mass and to subsequently improve physical health and quality of life (QoL) in people with …

Investigating The Practice And Capacity Of Paediatric Occupational Therapists To Promote The Physical Activity Levels Of Children In Western Australia, Sally Coombs

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Reorientation of the Australian health care system to meet the increasing burden of disease requires health workers to develop a focus on disease prevention and health promotion. In Western Australia (WA) a priority area for the promotion of health involves increasing the physical activity levels (PAL) of children in accordance with Australia’s Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines. There is substantial support in the literature for paediatric occupational therapists, who assist children to participate in a range of meaningful occupations, to incorporate the promotion of children’s PAL into their service. However, there is a dearth of research world-wide regarding occupational …

The Prevalence Of Twice Exceptional Students In The Gat Academic Programs: The Near Miss Phenomena, Lynne Ivicevic

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Twice exceptional (TE) students often experience barriers to their participation in gifted academic programs that contribute to their marginalised status amongst the school gifted population. The estimated prevalence of TE students in gifted programs worldwide varies according to the location, identification means and definition, with little agreement reached between researchers in the field. This research was made up of three interrelated studies. Firstly, six years of longitudinal quantitative cohort data from the Western Australian Department of Education (DoE) database on selected students for the GAT programs including GAT Academic programs and TE students to determine TE prevalence. Secondly, disability prevalence …

A Cosmopolitan Landscape: Development Of A Body Of Paintings That Explore And Expand Upon The Shared Tropes Of Figuration In The Work Of Giovanni Bellini And Shen Zhou, Harrison See

Theses : Honours

This creative honours project is a practice-led investigation into the painted figural landscape, particularly with the aim of identifying and exploring mutuality within the enduring artistic traditions of Chinese and Western painting. Informing this cross-cultural analysis is a deep engagement with the ‘figure in the landscape’ artworks of Giovanni Bellini and Shen Zhou; both painters chosen to represent their respective artistic traditions’. To support this search for mutuality this project was equipped with a Stoic Cosmopolitan perspective designed to facilitate cross-cultural understanding. Using this theoretical perspective and an informed understanding of these two artists practices’, a series of painted studies …

Edges Of Resting And Going: The Possibilities And Limitations Of Recovering From Chronic Fatigue Syndrome In A Dance-Training Environment, Daisy Sanders

Theses : Honours

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a common but poorly understood condition that includes limited exercise tolerance. Exercise undertaken via a balanced, holistic approach in which exertion is balanced with rest is recommended in recovery from CFS. This research project investigated how a contemporary dance-­‐training environment can/cannot support recovery from CFS. This investigation is significant given that fatigue, burnout and overtraining are prevalent in dance-­‐training environments. The project drew on the fields of exercise physiology and somatic inquiry to design a purpose-­‐built program of Graded Exercise Therapy and implement it within a tertiary dance-­‐training environment. The project was undertaken as practice-­‐led …

Older Indigent Women’S Economic Crimes: Subsuming Feminism In Favour Of A Human Rights Explanation, Patricia Joan Rhodes

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Many people today believe the concept of gender inequality is outmoded, irrelevant and unnecessary in Western societies that are deemed egalitarian. As a consequence, feminism as a movement with gender equality at its core has often been proclaimed ‘dead’,a relic of the past. Feminist perspectives, nevertheless, have produced differing points of view about the sources of gender inequality affecting crime rates and criminal behaviour.

For the last 50 years or so, women and girls have been the subject of criminological research that has largely evolved from sociological perspectives and specifically from feminism. Although gender intersects with other social realities and …

Dialogue Not Diatribe: Methods For A Practice Of Socio-Humanitarian Playwriting, Siobhan Dow-Hall

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This dissertation is the result of a practice-led research exploration of how creative writing practice may be expanded and developed with particular application to the writing of what I refer to as socio-humanitarian drama. I have developed this notion to promote discussion and consideration of specific issues of social justice and human rights within playwriting. While this practice-led research enlisted reflective practice in the task of developing and extending my own writing practice, this dissertation does also outline specific, practical modes of creative process, or exercises, that could be applied more broadly for others who may seek to develop their …