Digital Commons Network^™

Attitudes Toward Asylum Seekers: The Role Of Beliefs In Procedural Fairness, Lisa Palamountain

Theses : Honours

This study investigated the relationship between beliefs in procedural fairness, humanitarian values, and attitudes toward asylum seekers amongst a sample of first year university students in Western Australia (N = 148). Beliefs in procedural fairness were measured in terms of beliefs in the fairness of decision making and beliefs in the fairness of treatment. Findings supported the hypotheses, in that beliefs in procedural fairness were significantly related to attitudes and humanitarian values. Regression analyses revealed that beliefs in the fairness of treatment and humanitarian values made unique contributions in predicting attitudes. However beliefs in the fairness of decision making did …

Mothers' And Fathers' Experiences Of Parenting In The Fly-In Fly-Out Mode Of Employment, Patricia Joan Rhodes

Theses : Honours

A qualitative study of mothers' and fathers' experiences of parenting in a fly-in fly-out employment arrangement was undertaken. Eight mothers were interviewed individually to investigate their experiences of parenting. Five fathers also participated in individual interviews to examine their experiences of parenting and to substantiate those of mothers. The findings indicated that mothers were subjected to a range of conditions that would not, in the normal course of events, be experienced by mothers with partners in home-based occupations. These circumstances imposed additional stresses on families, but more particularly on mothers. In family systems theory parental stress inevitably resonates throughout the …

Mourning Eros: Hieroglyphic Love And Loss In H.D.'S Helen In Egypt, Shauna Karine Dorotich

Theses : Honours

H.D. and Lacan both articulate a philosophy of love that exists beyond the sexual relationship. This thesis highlights the concordance between their later writings on love, with a specific focus on Lacan's Book xx; On Feminine Sexuality, the Limits of Love and Knowledge, 1972 - 1973 (Encore), and H.D.'s Helen in Egypt. Initially, I address the paradox of erotic love to explicate the way fantasy results in the death of the woman within the sexual relationship. I then argue that a subject must experience a phase of mourning the fantasy of erotic love in order to progress to …

Anglo-Australians' Attitudes Towards Asylum Seekers And Egalitarianism, Antonietta Matrone Faulkner

Theses : Honours

Research has found that generally Australians hold negative attitudes towards asylum seekers. These negative attitudes appear to be influenced by perceptions of threat and false beliefs. The current study explored the attitudes of Anglo-Australians towards asylum seekers and how attitudes are related to the concept of Australian egalitarianism and fair go. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted for this study. Three main themes were identified through thematic content analysis: characterising asylum seekers, responses to asylum seekers in Australia, and constructing fairness.' Characterising asylum seekers represented the informants' constructs of asylum seekers as being genuine asylum seekers, or boat people …

E-Help: Community Perspectives On Help-Seeking Using Electronic Forms Of Communication, Jacqueline D. Myles-Pallister

Theses : Honours

The provision of mental health services using telephones, the Internet, and mobile phones (e-help), has been widely recommended as part of a solution to closing the gap between high prevalence of mental illness and low rates of service uptake. However, little is known about how potential users of these services view them. To address this gap, three focus groups (N = 17, age 17 - 69 years) were conducted to explore general community perspectives on using e-help. Interpretative phenomenological analysis identified three themes with related subthemes: (1) awareness; (2) trust and feeling safe when seeking and using e-help; (3) it …

Gross Motor Abilities And Interventions In Girls And Women With Rett Syndrome: A Literature Review ; Longitudinal Video Analysis Of Gross Motor Abilities Of Girls And Women With Rett Syndrome, Kitty-Rose R. Foley

Theses : Honours

Objective: To explore research relevant to an understanding of gross motor abilities and highlight possible directions for gross motor intervention in girls and women with Rett syndrome. A secondary objective was to describe mouse model research which has the potential to add to an understanding of gross motor abilities in this population. Methods: Electronic searches of five databases, manual searches of an external resource library and manual searches of reference lists were undertaken. The key words imputed during these searches included; mobility, Rett syndrome, functioning, mouse model, therapy and intervention. Search terms were truncated, exploded and adjusted to achieve optimum …

Trauma Practitioners' Lived Experience Of The Impact Of Therapy On Trauma Recovery Outcomes, Francess M. Day

Theses : Honours

Much has been written about evidence-based treatments for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A number of treatment guides have been written (e.g. AMCPH, 2007; Briere 2006; Foa Keane, & Friedman, 2000;). Medicare criteria based on empirical research and outcome measures stipulate which treatments and practitioner qualifications will be funded. However, little is known about the relationship between these guidelines and what clinicians actually utilize in trauma treatment and use as indicators of good outcomes. The research studies compromise external validity by excluding the majority of typical PTSD clientele, necessitating exploration of treatment effectiveness in diverse real-life populations (Spinazzola, Blaustein, & van …

Evaluating Mental Health Services To Promote Recovery-Oriented Practice: A Literature Review ; And, Resident Perceptions On Recovery-Orientation At A Supported Residential Unit For People With Severe Mental Illness, Lydia Forbes

Theses : Honours

Topic: A literature review was conducted to describe and critically examine the research evidence for evaluating the recovery-orientation of mental health services. Purpose: Evaluating recovery-orientation within mental health services is a critical part of quality improvement, and the eventual widespread adoption of recovery-oriented practice. This review aimed to recommend future directions for research, highlight positive changes resulting from recovery-focussed evaluation, and facilitate more effective, consumer-driven evaluation in the future. Sources Used: Electronic databases CINAHL, Psycinfo, Medline and Meditext were searched. Articles were restricted to the English language, and included if they discussed the evaluation or exploration of recovery-oriented practices within …

'Youth Ventures Into The Unknown' Developing An Individual Style Of Dance Making, Kate Herron

Theses : Honours

As a new emerging dancer and artist who is highly interested in the form of choreography, the search for knowledge and understanding of where choreography has come from as well as how to generate works have been at the forefront of my personal journey in dance. My thesis looks at and asks how the formal choreographic elements and approaches can assist new choreographers in developing an individual style of dance making? This question leads to the various approaches and elements taken from famous choreographers over time, and assesses how new emerging artists can draw from these examples as a way …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Women Firefighters' Experience In The Western Australian Volunteer Bushfire Service, Cindy Branch-Smith

Theses : Honours

Recent events have shown how invaluable Australia's volunteer firefighters are to communities, for example, Black Saturday. Volunteer numbers appear to be declining nation-wide and a majority of volunteer fire services report under-representation of women in operational roles. To ascertain an understanding of experiences and issues faced by women in volunteer fire services, the aim of the current study was to explore female volunteer firefighters' experience, and how their experiences impact on their perceptions of themselves as firefighters. A qualitative research methodology was employed, which enabled investigation of issues and challenges related to the firefighting experience. A total of 12 women …

The Success And Sustainability Of Improvisation In A Live Performance Context, Ashleigh Rose Berry

Theses : Honours

I am interested in investigating the value improvisation holds when placed in a live dance performance context. I am discussing improvisation in terms of it being an individual exploration of one's movement potential to create a personal movement language. Within this, I place focus on the body as a source of knowledge and the embodied movement possibilities that inevitably make up each individual dancer's personal movement language. I am also interested in the audience's perceptions of what defines successful dance and the dancer and audience relationship that forms during the duration of a performance. Can the practice of improvising be …

The Perception Of Peer Support By Young Stroke Survivors, Katherine E. Mcgurk

Theses : Honours

Social support buffers against the negative effects of significant life events, and peer support is particularly beneficial for individuals experiencing serious health concerns. Stroke is one such event, and often results in a variety of physical and psychological impairments that negatively affect quality of life. Although considered primarily as a condition of the elderly, approximately 20% of strokes occur in people younger than 55. Despite facing significant psychological challenges including negative body image, pressure to return to work, anxiety, isolation, and depression, few younger stroke survivors access peer support services. This study explored young stroke survivors' perceptions of peer support …

The Well-Being And Identities Of 14- To 26-Year-Old Intercountry Adoptees And Their Non-Adopted Migrant Peers In Western Australia, Geertruda Rosenwald

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Intercountry adoption is a globally politicised institution that triggers strong discourses about whether transplantation to a markedly different country and culture, often into families with racially different parents, negatively affects the children ' s well-being and identity. Although empirical intercountry adoption research has increased elsewhere, Australian-based research has lagged behind. This thesis presents a body of evidence about the well-being and identity of over half the population of 14- to 26-year-old intercountry adoptees in Western Australia, how their well-being changed from 1994 to 2004, how they compare with non-adopted migrant peers and the influence of risk and threat factors. In …

Vision And Desire: Jim Morrison's Mythography Beyond The Death Of God, Ellen J. Greenham

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The poetry of Jim Morrison, as opposed to his lyric verse, has been the subject of little critical examination. The aim of this paper is to open up an understanding and interpretation of a mythographic landscape developed by Morrison in his response to existence in a demythologised western culture. Through the use of the Greek myth of Oedipus in its entirety, as opposed to the two most universally known events of the adult Oedipus' life, discussion here will attempt to demonstrate that Morrison developed a cohesive, holistic vision of the human condition of existence in the world, and presented a …

A Model Of Employment Literacy: Young People In Western Australia, Katherine F. Britton

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This exploratory study aimed to examine the meanings of employment literacy among young people undertaking vocational education or training (VET), trainers, funding representatives and employers in Western Australia. A further objective was to develop a model of employment literacy that would inform training or educational organisations. Employment literacy incorporates the personal and social dimensions that young disadvantaged people require to secure and maintain employment. It also includes the understandings and capacity to access infonnation from a variety of sources and negotiate with a range of people in employment related settings. In-depth interviewing was the main method used so that different …

Self-Determination Theory In Motivation To Adopt Physical Activity In Older Adults: A Community Based Approach, Alastair Stewart

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Australia has an increasingly aging population with increasing levels of physical inactivity. The potential detrimental effects of these two factors on the health of the community highlight the need to investigate methods to increase physical activity in older Australian adults. The study reported in this thesis formed part of the PATH (Physical Activity Time for Health) Project, a community-based research trial that compared two strategies to increase physical activity in underactive, 60-80 year old men (n = 66) and women (n = 188). Twelve recreation centres were randomised to either a supervised group based walking intervention with behavioural change components, …

Health And The Nature Of Urban Green Spaces, May Elizabeth Carter

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Recognition that city-dwelling people can benefit from contact with nature is not new. The urban open air movement of the 19th century advised retention of greenways and development of urban parks and gardens to stop disease spread through lack of fresh air, poor sanitation and overcrowding. Now, in the early 21st century, urban green spaces are under threat from inner city infill projects and clearing of remnant vegetation to accommodate suburban sprawl.

While much literature discusses positive health benefits of contact with nature, few studies explore explicit pathways between urban green space and health, despite mounting concern that disassociation between …

The Impact On Organizational Performance Of Contextual Factors, Strategy And Management Control Systems, Nazmi Saeb Jarrar

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This dissertation examined antecedents of the use of contemporary management control systems (MCS) by testing the alignment of strategic and contextual variables with variables of contemporary systems of control in the organization. The study further explored the performance consequences of the implementation of these control systems, and the manner in which strategy can influence the organization’s control culture and management accounting practices. The impact of contextual factors, notably size and structural arrangements, such as decentralization and diversification, on management's choice of control systems were also examined. Hence, the study addressed the need for a better understanding of the association between …

The Role Of Information And Communication Technologies In Managing Transition And Sustaining Women's Health During Their Midlife Years, Julie Dare

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research has been motivated primarily by a desire to extend and enrich existing research on women’s uses of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to manage relationships, and access and construct social support during their transitional midlife years. In doing so, this research addresses a gap in the literature on women’s consumption of such technologies. Since the late 1980s, when several landmark studies investigated women’s use of the telephone, there has been little systematic evaluation of the degree to which newer communication technologies have become integrated into women’s communication practices.

Another key feature of this research is an examination of …

Visualisation Of Critical Infrastructure Failure, W D. Wilde, M J. Warren

Australian Information Warfare and Security Conference

The paper explores the complexity of critical infrastructure and critical infrastructure failure (CIF), real life examples are used to discuss the complexity involved. The paper then discusses what Visualisation is and how Visualisation can be applied to a security situation, in particular critical infrastructure. The paper concludes by discussing the future direction of the research.

Information Sharing: Hackers Vs Law Enforcement, David P. Biros, Mark Weiser, Jim Burkman, Jason Nichols

Australian Information Warfare and Security Conference

The fields of information assurance and digital forensics continue to grow in both importance and complexity, spurred on by rapid advancement in digital crime. Contemporary law enforcement professionals facing such issues quickly discover that they cannot be successful while operating in a vacuum and turn to colleagues for assistance. However, there is a clear need for greater IT-based knowledge sharing capabilities amongst law enforcement organizations; an environment historically typified by a silo mentality. A number of efforts have attempted to provide such capabilities, only to be met with limited enthusiasm and difficulties in sustaining continued use. Conversely, the hacker community …

Genetic Counselling And Testing For Inherited Gene Mutations In Newly Diagnosed Patients With Breast Cancer: A Review Of The Existing Literature And A Proposed Research Agenda, Bettina Meiser, Kathy Tucker, Michael Friedlander, Kristine Barlow-Stewart, Elizabeth Lobb, Christobel Saunders, Gillian Mitchell

Research outputs pre 2011

Many women newly diagnosed with breast cancer and with a strong family history of breast cancer are referred to a family cancer service for genetic counselling and for consideration of genetic testing for germline mutations in cancer predisposition genes following completion of their cancer treatment. However, there is growing evidence that mutation status may influence treatment recommendations, and that there may be benefits in having 'treatment-focused genetic counselling and testing' available shortly after cancer diagnosis. This article reviews the literature that could inform the development of treatment-focused genetic counselling and testing, including: the rationale for genetic testing to aid with …

Turkish Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers’ Beliefs About Mathematics Teaching., Nihat Boz

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the beliefs of mathematics teacher trainees about their chosen profession before they began their service. Specific topics included instructional approaches, the role of the teacher, interaction among students, and interaction between teacher and students during class. Data were collected by use of an open-ended questionnaire administered to 46 pre-service mathematics teachers. Most of the participants in the study held non-traditional beliefs about mathematics teaching. This finding has several implications for teacher education.

Mentors’ Views About Developing Effective English Teaching Practices, Peter Hudson, Jan Millwater

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Effective mentoring in English is considered paramount to a preservice teacher’s development. What are mentors’ views about developing effective English teaching practices in their mentees? This study used quantitative data (survey) and qualitative data (questionnaire) on 24 mentors’ perceptions of mentoring second-year preservice teachers for teaching English and, in particular, the teaching of writing. Quantitative data measured mentors’ perceptions of their attributes and practices across five factors for mentoring (i.e., Personal Attributes, System Requirements, Pedagogical Knowledge, Modelling, and Feedback) with 67% or more of these mentors (n=24) agreeing or strongly agreeing they provided all of the advocated attributes and practices …

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.

Strategies In Values Education: Horse Or Cart?, Laurie Brady

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article describes briefly the growing emphasis in Australia on values education as evidenced by the Australian Government’s National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools (2005), and the responses of the respective States and Territories. Arguing that the major approaches to the teaching of values (the trait approach often taught through moral biography; values clarification; the cognitive developmental approach taught typically by discussion of moral dilemmas; and role playing) are markedly different in theory and practice, and that the National Framework is not prescriptive about the nature of teaching, the author suggests that the strategies embedded in the approaches, …

Making The Implicit Explicit: Values And Morals In Queensland Teacher Education, Amanda Mergler

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Since the mid-1990s, the role of the teacher has expanded to include overseeing and intervening in the moral development of students. In Australia, this expectation of teachers was generated largely by the national coalition government, and has been continued by the Labor government. As a result, it is essential that pre-service teacher education courses skill pre-service teachers in appropriate ways to educate students about values and morals. Additionally, education degrees must provide opportunities for pre-service teachers to analyse and reflect on their own values and morals. Professional Standards for Queensland Teachers (Queensland College of Teachers, 2006) takes the view that …

Excellent Teachers’ Thinking Model : Implications For Effective Teaching, Sahandri G. Hamzah, Hapidah Mohamad, Mohammad R. Ghorbani

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study aimed to suggest an Excellent Teacher Thinking Model that has the potential to be utilized in the development of excellent teachers. Interaction survey method using survey questions, observation, document review and interview was conducted in this study. One hundred and five excellent teachers were selected randomly as research respondents. Two sets of instrument constructed and used in this study were Teachers’ Thinking questionnaire and Teachers’ Teaching Performance observation form. Cronbach Alpha reliability value was between 0.73-0.92 for every component in each division. Multiple regression analysis (stepwise) was used to answer the research questions. R square value (R2 = …

Best Practice Or Most Practiced? Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs About Effective Behaviour Management Strategies And Reported Self-Efficacy, Susan Main, Lorraine Hammond

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Managing student behaviour remains one of the most daunting aspects of teaching for educators and this is particularly so when children with disabilities are included in the regular classroom. Self-efficacy has been identified as having a significant impact on a teacher’s behaviour, and pre-service training can play an important role in preparing teachers to be effective classroom managers. The purpose of this study was to identify if pre-service teachers in an Australian university held high or low self-efficacy beliefs and whether the type of strategies they identified as most effective correlated with those highlighted in the research as best practice. …

A Comparison Of Perceptions Of Knowledge And Skills Held By Primary And Secondary Teachers: From The Entry To Exit Of Their Preservice Programme, Angela F. Wong, Sylvia Chong, Doris Choy, Isabella Y. Wong, Kim C. Goh

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate if there were differences in the levels of pedagogical knowledge and skills as perceived by the student teachers who were enrolled in the Primary and the Secondary Post Graduate Diploma in Education programme at the National Institute of Education in Singapore. 170 Primary and 426 Secondary student teachers participated in the study. The results showed that there were no significant differences at the beginning of the programme between the two cohorts. However, there were significant differences between the two groups at the end of programme, with the Primary student teachers tending to …