Digital Commons Network^™

Establishing A Seven-Stage Iterative Framework And Card-Based Toolkit For The Facilitation And Sustainment Of Communities Of Practice, Michelle O'Keeffe

Theses

This thesis explores the establishment of a framework and card-based toolkit to support the facilitation and sustainment of Communities of Practice (COPs), with a particular focus on COPs in the education domain. COPs have been present in various sectors, such as healthcare, business, finance, and education, for over three decades. These communities bring together individuals who share common problems, concerns, or areas of expertise, aiming to improve their practices collectively. However, there is a lack of understanding regarding the best approaches to facilitating, developing, and sustaining COPs over time. To address this gap, four empirical studies were conducted. These studies …

What Are Munster Technological University Students’ Experiences Of Menstruation And Reusable Period Products?, Kate Dolan Crowley

Theses

This study examines the attitudes of students in Munster Technological University (MTU) towards menstruation and period products. It is estimated that in Ireland, between 53,000 and 85,000 Irish menstruators may be at risk of period poverty (Government of Ireland, 2021). There is also evidence to suggest that some students have experienced period poverty (Ministry of Education, 2023; Brinkley and Niebuhr, 2022; Munro et. al., 2021). Period poverty has an impact on the physical, mental, and social well-being of menstruators, ultimately affecting their quality of life.

A mixed-method study was undertaken, consisting of questionnaires (n=319) and one-toone semi-structured interviews (n=10) to …

Forced Family Separation At The U.S.-Mexico Border Examined Through Narrative Theory, Emily Ulhman

Theses

An essential argument in grasping the negative impacts of forced family separation, a border policy upheld during the Trump Administration, follows this idea: to better understand the damage of the approaches taken during the Trump Administration's zero-tolerance policy, scholars must look at the narratives of those who experienced it.In my thesis, I use narratology to examine 18 nonfictional personal narratives of family separation enforced throughout the Trump Administration.

Madwomen In Attics, Madwomen In Tombs Feminist Counterparts In Jane Eyre And Dracula, Bethany Howard

Theses

Charlotte Brontë’s early Victorian novel Jane Eyre (1847) enjoys a steady history of feminist interpretations. Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar’s The Madwoman in the Attic (1979) is perhaps the best-known. Andrew Weiler sees Jane Eyre as a feminist Christian bildungsroman, and Micael Clarke finds the “feminist ethic” in the Grimms’ “Cinderella” tale in Jane Eyre (708).

However, Bram Stoker’s late Victorian novel Dracula (1897) has generated more varied responses, ranging from ambivalence, as noted by Carol Senf, to highly feminist, to highly anti-feminist. Feminist readings include that of Stephanie Demetrakopoulos, who remarks, “Stoker’s attempt at feminism in this novel is …

Beginnings: Nsw Teachers' Views On The Early Stages Of Implementing A New National Curriculum, Julie-Anne Seach

Theses

This PhD study researched NSW teachers’ conceptions of curriculum change after the introduction of a new Australian national curriculum. One key rationale for the development of a national curriculum in Australia was to raise the standard of education by providing excellent curriculum to students in all Australian states and territories. However, educational standards improve through a combination of many factors, including quality teaching.

A curriculum’s success is dependent on the teachers who implement it. While the curriculum itself garnered considerable attention, how classroom teachers responded to it was likely to be a contributing factor to its overall success. Yet, there …

Relational Apophaticism And A Contemporary, Ecumenical Practice Of Christian Spiriutal Direction In The Western Church, Ian Raymond Wilson

Theses

Defining and nurturing Christian spiritual growth and maturity is challenging. This is especially so in a contemporary environment that might be considered individualistic and self-preoccupied and where the meaning of the term ‘spiritual’ has become increasingly vague. This thesis explores the concept of ‘relational apophaticism’ proposing it as a pathway of spiritual growth and the essence of spiritual maturity. A contemporary, ecumenical ministry of Christian spiritual direction in the Western Church, and perspectives on spiritual growth and maturity evident in St. Gregory of Nyssa’s mystical writings The Life of Moses and Homilies on the Song of Songs are drawn on …

The Efficacy Of A Junior Doctor Led Near-Peer Surgical Teaching Program For Medical Students: A Prospective Study, Wendy Liu

Theses

Background Near-peer teaching (NPT) involves teaching by peers who are at a close, but not the same, level of training. This study investigated whether a novel surgical NPT workshop, designed and delivered by junior doctors using simulation models for acute otorhinolaryngology conditions, improved the knowledge and confidence level of senior medical students.

Methods A one-day NPT workshop was held for medical students in their third year of a four-year postgraduate medical degree at the University of Notre Dame, Sydney, Australia. Four acute otorhinolaryngology/head and neck surgery problems that might be encountered by junior doctors and require prompt management were chosen. …

Living Charity: Beata Caterina, The Pizzicaiuoli Altarpiece And Lived Religion In Fifteenth-Century Siena, Susan A. Nolan

Theses

This thesis examines charity as a key element of early modern experience in the context of the Pizzicaiuoli altarpiece (1447). Painted by well-known artist Giovanni di Paolo, the altarpiece was commissioned by the Sienese guild of grocers, the Pizzicaiuoli, and was situated in the church of the Santissima Annunziata, located in the hospital of Santa Maria della Scala in Siena. The central focus of the altarpiece is the main panel depicting the Presentation of Christ in the Temple (Presentation), which is surrounded by iconic images of saints. Below the Presentation scene, in a predella (the lowermost horizontal component of …

A Paradox Theory Approach To Investigating Individual Level Responses To Corporate Social Responsibility In Small To Medium Enterprises, Muhammad Abdulsater

Theses

In Australia, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) occupy important positions within their communities, contributing to employment and national economic growth. Despite their significance, it remains unclear how SME owners, as individuals, navigate and respond to the tensions arising from their unique business characteristics and the adoption of social and environmental activities. This research aims to bridge this knowledge gap by investigating how SME owners manage and respond to paradoxical tensions in implementing social and environmental responsibility practices within the SME context. The conventional definition of corporate social responsibility (CSR) does not integrate with the lexicon or landscape of SMEs. This …

Pandemic Paradox: A Mixed Methods Study Unmasking The Impact Of Covid-19 On Australia's Nursing And Midwifery Workforce Job Satisfaction And Retention, Laura Lillian Hynes

Theses

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has seen an outpouring of attention focusing on the global nursing and midwifery shortage and its damaging impact on healthcare systems worldwide. However, there is limited research, both globally and in Australia, on its impact on nurses’ and midwives’ job satisfaction and their associated intentions to stay or leave their job and/or profession, as a result. The lack of extensive research in this area highlights the importance of this Doctoral thesis. My research aimed to fill this gap by conducting a detailed study of the personal experiences of nurses and midwives who worked during the pandemic …

Cancer Induced Bone Pain: Pain Classification And Management, Merlina Sulistio

Theses

Pain is a multidimensional personal experience influenced by biological, psychological, social and cultural factors. In the context of cancer pain, particularly cancer-induced bone pain (CIBP), it is essential that clinicians assess the multidimensional nature of pain to fully understand the patient’s pain experience, which often involves an evoked sense of both vulnerability and mortality.

Bone metastases are highly prevalent in advanced cancer, resulting in CIBP being one of the most common cancer pain syndromes. CIBP affects a patient’s physical and social functioning, reduces quality of life, increases psychological distress and often results in hospice or hospital admission. Yet, there is …

Prevalence Of Peristomal Skin Complications In The First 12 Weeks Post-Discharge Following Urinary/Faecal Stoma Formation Surgery, Tania Norman

Theses

Background

An ostomy is a surgically created opening and can be performed to divert faecal effluent by exteriorisation of a segment of the small bowel otherwise known as the ilium, or from the large bowel otherwise known as the colon. A urinary diversion of effluent generally involves exteriorisation of a segment of ileum into which the ureters have been anastomosed. The exteriorised segment of bowel is referred to as a stoma and individuals who have had a stoma created often refer to themselves as an ‘ostomate’. The skin surrounding a stoma is referred to as peristomal skin.

Peristomal skin complications …

The Light Of Hope: Representations Of Salvation In The Great North Window Of St Mary’S Cathedral, Sydney, Carolyn Amy Lewis Flynn

Theses

St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney is considered to be the Mother Church of Australia. Yet, the rich architectural and artistic heritage contained therein has been little studied. This is an interdisciplinary study of John Hardman Powell’s Great North Window in that cathedral. It draws on theological and art historical research methods to interrogate the window’s underlying meanings, and the aims of its patrons. An examination of the doctrinal, devotional, and theological writings of the nineteenth century shows that this stained-glass window reflects the period’s understanding of salvation history. The window, firstly, tells the story of salvation through the stories about …

Deconstruction Of Body Representation Of The Back In Healthy Back Pain-Free Individuals And People With Chronic Low Back Pain, Simon Pratt

Theses

Changes in various body representations have been increasingly investigated and subsequently posited to be potentially important factors in the development and maintenance of chronic low back pain. Three main domains of body representation are considered here: body model, body schema (comprising superficial and postural schema), and body image. Most studies informing our contemporary understanding of these body representations have been undertaken in areas such as the hand and forearm, with a comparative dearth of studies performed on the low back. Consequently, this thesis consists of a comprehensive investigation of body representation initially in healthy back pain-free individuals and then in …

Analysing The Prevalence Of Servant Leadership Characteristics And Cultural Values In A Uae-Based Multinational And Multicultural Workforce, Richard John Atkinson

Theses

In an increasingly virtual, pandemic-affected working environment, cross-cultural and people-centric leadership approaches are needed. Scholars have explored leadership effectiveness under different conditions and influences. However, in the body of leadership literature, there is scant attention to the variance across cultures for servant leadership to manage workers effectively.

This mixed-methods study explores whether servant leadership relates to cultural characteristics across three different nationalities in a UAE-based multinational organisation, providing a more comprehensive understanding of these relationships and differences and employees' perceptions. The quantitative method is examined using context-specific knowledge and the qualitative method explores the nuances of participant responses making the …

Ngala Kaditjiny ’Our Culture’, Barbara Bynder

Theses

In this study I explored some of the key components of Noongar cultural practice that remain embedded within Noongar society today yet have adapted, changed, and evolved over time and demonstrate that there remains a sense of duty and commitment among Noongar women to follow cultural values and value systems that determine rights, responsibility, and obligation during the practice of disputes.

The target group for this inquiry is Noongar women, The target group is made up of nine Noongar women who shared their personal story, a group of senior Noongar women called the Kookaburra Club who guided me through the …

Deterring The Digital Dragon, Bryn Lacey

Theses

Australia’s 21st century has been heavily influenced by a growing number of cyber incidents ranging from individuals causing extraordinary damage to state-based attacks from adversary states such as China. Focusing on state actors in the cyber domain, this thesis investigates Martin Libicki’s cyber-deterrence framework, with a specific emphasis on the employment of deterrence by punishment, and applies this concept to the case study of the relationship between Australia and China.

In recent years, Australia has been consistently targeted by sophisticated state-based cyber actors and the Australian Government has appeared increasingly prepared to publicly criticise Beijing as a key security challenge. …

Lived Experiences Of Former Secondary School Students With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Phenomenological Study, Dinoshi Sajivini Keiper

Theses

This study was an exploration of the lived experiences of students with ADHD in the Australian secondary school classroom in identifying factors influencing their learning outcomes. Students with ADHD face short-term issues, such as strained relationships with teachers, peers, and parents, a lack of relatedness and engagement with school, late arrival and absenteeism, and high drop-out rates, leading to poor academic outcomes (Dembo et al., 2016; Fried et al., 2016). In the long-term, their poor academic achievements have led to many other negative outcomes including psychological conditions, under-employment, substance abuse, criminality, and an overall poorer quality of life, causing significant …

First Nations Children: Investigating Elements For A Successful Education Model, Frances Mccarthy

Theses

This study was undertaken at the request of and in collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, community members and families, and educators. These First Nations participants allowed the study to explore what might contribute to the creation of a successful model of education for First Nations children to lead them to be successful contributing members of the community.

The cultural interface theory is the theoretical framework used in the design of this research project. Through the implementation of the phenomenographic methodology, knowledge was gathered through semi-structured interviews with participants. By listening and questioning, a picture of the educational …

Teachers’ Perspectives And Practices For Ameliorating Dysregulation In School-Aged Children Through Trauma-Informed Education Practice, Linda Lane

Theses

The research investigates Western Australian (WA) teachers’ understanding of the impact of trauma-informed education practice. The main research question, which forms the basis of the study, is How do the trauma-informed education practices, currently being used in Western Australian public schools, impact the capacity of children to self-regulate their behaviour? The literature examines the impact of unresolved trauma on the developing child and reviews the trauma-informed education practices that are designed to ameliorate the negative effects of trauma. The research also investigates the trauma-informed practices that are currently being used in WA public school classrooms, as described by teachers, and …

The Impact Of Service-Learning On The Development Of Servant Leadership In An Ignatian Context, Antony Sindone

Theses

This thesis investigates the impact of domestic and international service-learning on servant leadership development. Utilising mixed methods, the case study extends the current literature, which has relied largely on quantitative or qualitative data. The research comprises three Sydney Jesuit institutions and seven service-learning experiences of differing lengths and locations. The quantitative phase surveyed 60 participants using the Servant Leadership Behaviour Scale (Sendjaya et al., 2008) to capture statistically significant growth in servant leader attributes, including: voluntary subordination, covenantal relationships, authentic self, responsible morality, transforming influence and transcendental spirituality. The second phase involved 62 individual interviews with leaders and volunteers to …

An Investigation Into The Nature Of The Knee Pain Experience In People With Knee Osteoarthritis, Gemma Mary Orange

Theses

Knee osteoarthritis poses a substantial and escalating socioeconomic burden globally, exacerbated by demographic trends towards an aging population, sedentary lifestyles and increasing obesity rates. Defined by knee pain and functional limitations (Wood et al., 2023; Zhang, Doherty, et al., 2010), traditional approaches have viewed knee OA related pain and disability primarily through a biomedical lens, linking symptoms directly to structural damage and advocating surgical interventions such as total knee arthroplasty to address presumed causative pathology (Bunzli et al., 2019; Darlow et al., 2018). Despite the capacity of surgery to ameliorate structural pathology, patient centred outcomes vary considerably. Up to 30% …

The Effect Of Emotional Demeanor Of Adult Sexual Assault Victim Testimonies On Mock Jurors' Verdicts, Callie Ahearn

Theses

Experiencing a sexual assault and testifying in trial are both highly emotional events that can influence a witness to display strong negative emotions. The display of emotion is referred to as the emotional demeanor and the present study examined the impact of a victim’s emotional demeanor on jury decision-making. Results revealed a main effect of crying during the direct examination with more guilty verdicts and higher pro-victim ratings (believability, credibility, and trustworthiness). Female participants provided higher pro-victim judgments on believability than male participants. Verdict reasoning demonstrated that participants had an idea of what they expected a rape victim to look …

Analyzing Qualitative Data Collection Methods In Systems Engineering, Rosemary Cortelli

Theses

The goal of this thesis is to expand the research on human decision-making in engineering systems by exploring qualitative data collection methods utilized in systems engineering. Analyses are performed to identify differences in qualitative data collection method use across the life cycle and throughout technical processes. 495 sources were evaluated for qualitative data collection method use identified from systems engineering literature and analyzed using statistical analyses. Of these, 93 sources utilized data collection methods of documentary analysis, narratives, focus groups, observations, and interviews which traced across every life cycle phase and most technical processes. The findings show there are significant …

Early Identification Of Pcos In Adolescents And Alternatives In Management, Melissa Nortz

Theses

Objectives:

This paper reviews the evidence relating to the clinical screening of PCOS in adolescents and alternative management.

Methods:

Using Web of Science, phrases such as “PCOS Screening”, “Adolescents”, “Alternative Therapy”, and “PCOS Overview” were searched. Only articles published between 2000 - 2023 were allowed in this literature review resulting in 25 articles being utilized.

Results:

Studies using 2D ultrasonography revealed adolescents with PCOS had a mean ovarian volume of 9.29 +/- 4.62 milliliters, while the control group had a volume of 4.77+/- 2.30 milliliters (p < 0.001)

A prospective correlation study found that PCOS adolescents had an elevated mean LH level …

New Treatments And The Impact Of Psychological Disorders On Migraine Headache, Rachel Urbank

Theses

Objective: The objective of this paper is to thoroughly research the new treatment options for migraine, including both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic therapies, and investigate the risk of psychological disorders to migraine. This paper proposes to analyze outcomes of current work on the clinical manifestations, risk factors, and treatment of migraines. Methods (Evidence Acquisition): Keywords such as “migraine headache” and “new treatment” were searched on PubMed which yielded 2,623 results between the years 2003-2023, in which 16 articles were used. After narrowing the search on PubMed to “migraine headache” and “psychological comorbidities”, 261 results appeared, and 2 articles used. Other scholarly …

Analyzing Trust In Automation Using Large Language Models, Derek Koehl

Theses

This thesis explores the measurement of trust in the context of human interactions with automated systems. Trust is influenced by factors like perceived ability, benevolence, and integrity which presents a measurement challenge. Given the lack of a universally accepted model for trust, there is an abundance of trust measurement methods in the literature. This research aimed to ascertain the reliability of NLP-based measurements to determine whether such methods can shed light on the dimensionality of trust as a construct and to isolate a Linguistic Fingerprint™ of trust. The results lent support to trust as a unidimensional construct. There was little …

The Impact Of The 2018 Camp Fire On Land-Atmosphere Interactions, Andrew C. Blackford

Theses

Research on the effects of wildfire-induced changes in land use and land cover (LULC) on atmospheric processes is limited. This thesis presents a thorough analysis using satellite remote sensing and numerical modeling to examine how land-atmosphere interactions have been altered by the burn scar from the 2018 Camp Fire event in California. Satellite data reveals significant changes in surface characteristics affecting land-atmosphere interactions, such as land cover type, vegetation fraction (-0.12), albedo (+0.01), daytime temperature (+2.5 K), and roughness length (>-90%). Numerical modeling, based on satellite-derived LULC change scenarios, indicates notable shifts in net radiation (-0.2 MJ m-2), sensible …

Deep Learning Approach For Robust Structural Health Monitoring Using Guided Lamb Wave Responses, Sameer Gopali

Theses

Guided Lamb waves offer a promising solution for the early detection of internal damages in structures due to their high sensitivity to small damages. However, noise can adversely impact the development of data-driven models for damage detection, leading to inaccurate monitoring systems. This thesis explores deep learning techniques to robustly predict the location and severity of damage in cantilevered beams using noisy guided wave responses. Initially, Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) is trained with frequency domain features to achieve robust performance against noisy data. Further performance improvement is achieved using end-to-end learning models, which include autoencoder and one-dimensional Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). …

The Effectiveness Of Online Video-Based Training Methods, Chloe L. Wood

Theses

Employee training is considered critical for organization success legitimacy. The present study investigated the effects of four different online training methods on post- test recall. Student participants from UAH viewed one of four types of videos covering diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts--generative scenarios in which participants generated a label for what the scenarios covered, descriptive scenarios that included a label, a control with scenarios, and a control with no scenarios. Scenarios involved school-based and work-based examples to assess how the relevance of context for student non-workers versus student-workers impacted recall. A repeated measures ANOVA revealed that across all four conditions …