Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding And Building Resilience With Art: A Socio-Ecological Approach, Meagan Shand

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Resilience is a widely researched phenomenon, it means different things to different people and is perceived and measured according to the theoretical lens being applied. The following thesis reviews the theoretical development of resilience that has led to contemporary understandings, to establish a platform for the research topic - understanding and building resilience with Art. Narrative research methods are combined with art processes to illuminate the stories of eight culturally diverse women participating in a community based mental health art program, in Western Australia. Fifteen resilience themes emerged from the collective experience, and are presented in a socio-ecological framework to …

Religion, Heritage, And Power： Everyday Life In Contemporary China, Asan Xue

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Based on an ethnographic study of the religious life of ordinary people in the town of Dongpu, this research explores the relationships between: religion and state power; Chinese ritual (li, 礼/禮) tradition and Christian culture; and religion and intangible cultural heritage in contemporary China.

This research found that both the practitioners of Chinese rituals and the Christian community deploy tactics to resist and negotiate with the hegemonic official culture through spatial and religious practices in their everyday life. Chinese ritual practices dedicated to deities and ancestors are defined as idol worship in the doctrine of Christianity and denigrated …

Comparison Of The Physical, Physiological And Perceptual Demands Of Small-Sided Games And Match Play In Professional Football Players, Stephen Hissey

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The physical and technical requirements of a range of small-sided football (soccer) games (SSGs) have previously been examined in order to compare their requirements to competitive match play. SSGs are used to combine the technical, tactical and physical components of normal match play in training in order to make the training sessions specific to football. However, most previous research has focused on youth players and it is known that the playing patterns, and thus session outcomes, are different for elite players. Consequently, research examining elite players is required in order to improve our understanding of the use of SSGs in …

An Investigation Of Technique And Equipment Factors Associated With Clubhead Speed In Golf, Christopher Joyce

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

If golfers achieve long hitting distances whilst maintaining their accuracy they will gain a competitive advantage. To increase hitting distance, faster clubhead speed is required and this can potentially be achieved through a number of factors. Firstly, anthropometric factors such as height and physical factors such as trunk rotational power have been previously considered to be of importance. However, biomechanical factors such as; the X-factor (separation of the trunk-pelvis alignment when viewed in the transverse plane), have been a major focus of recent research. Further, the interaction of the golfer with the implement they hit with i.e. the golf club …

Education And Training Of Specialist Sexual Offence Investigators In Victoria, Australia From 2009 To 2011, Jennifer Anne Turnley

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The topic of training specifically designed for investigators of sexual offences has received little attention from academic researchers to date. Previous studies have not described training provided to police investigators of sexual offences in Australia. This thesis developed Turnley’s Framework for the Examination of Police Training in Sexual Assault Investigation, to examine and describe a Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigative Teams (SOCIT) Course, provided to Victorian Police from 2009 to 2011. This entailed triangulation of findings from non-participant observations of one SOCIT Course, with quantitative and qualitative data sourced though an in-depth interview with course trainers; feedback sheets voluntarily …

Mechanisms Affecting Post-Activation Potentiation Following Voluntary Isokinetic Knee Extension, Laurent B. Seitz

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The present research was designed to: 1) determine whether the voluntary PAP effects commonly observed after conditioning activity (CA; i.e. muscular contraction prior to a ‘test’ contraction) are a consequence of acute neuromuscular alterations relating to the CA itself, or whether they simply reflect warm-up and/or familiarisation effects; 2) clarify the influence of the contraction velocity, duration and total work characteristics of the CA on voluntary PAP; 3) determine the factors allowing stronger individuals to express higher level of voluntary PAP; and 4) determine the peripheral and central mechanisms of voluntary PAP in human skeletal muscle. In Study 1, the …

A Stirring Of Cultures: The Contest For Place, Belonging And Identity In Australia, Garry Stewart Henderson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The creative work, The Wounded Sinner, and the accompanying exegesis, form a volume of writing that considers aspects of place and belonging in a contemporary Australian context through the agencies of Aboriginality, migration and homelessness. While these issues are present and, at times, contentious in the structure of modern Australian society they have roots in past eras of empire building, racism and the movement from agrarianism to industrialisation. The characters are drawn from my own experiences and, as such, validate both the creative work and give the exegesis substance.

Jeanie Bayona is an Aboriginal woman who was raised, from …

The Identity Of The Heart Patient In The Context Of The Gift Economy: Heartnet And Media Framing, Lynsey Uridge

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This health communication research examines the identity levels of the heart patient on a therapeutic website HeartNET through an empirical investigation of site interactions as manifestations of a gift economy. The thesis also explores the media’s representation of heart health in both television and print.

This research utilised a longitudinal qualitative ethnographic and netnographic approach involving twenty-six participants who completed two in-depth interviews. The first one-on-one interview occurred during the early stages of the participants’ heart journey, explored their heart story and use of interactive technology for heart health support. The second interview occurred six to twelve months later, and …

Evolutionary Approaches For Feature Selection In Biological Data, Vinh Q. Dang

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Data mining techniques have been used widely in many areas such as business, science, engineering and medicine. The techniques allow a vast amount of data to be explored in order to extract useful information from the data. One of the foci in the health area is finding interesting biomarkers from biomedical data. Mass throughput data generated from microarrays and mass spectrometry from biological samples are high dimensional and is small in sample size. Examples include DNA microarray datasets with up to 500,000 genes and mass spectrometry data with 300,000 m/z values. While the availability of such datasets can aid in …

Understanding And Improving Pacing Strategies During Standard Distance Triathlons In Age Group Athletes, Sam Shi Xuan Wu

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Pacing is an integral aspect of performance during all exercise, including multi-sport events such as triathlon. However, to date, the optimal pacing strategies to adopt over an entire triathlon, as well as during each specific discipline (i.e. swim, cycle and run), is not well understood. Therefore, the primary purpose of this thesis was to identify and understand current pacing strategies adopted by highly performing triathletes across different triathlon distances. This research aids in identifying pacing strategies that may improve overall performance during triathlon.

In the first study, the influence of sex and race distance on the age-related declines in the …

Role Of Physical Exercise In Reducing Depression And Improving Mental Health In Cancer Survivors, Gregory Levin

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Cancer survivors are more than twice as likely as the general population to suffer the debilitating effects of depression. This comorbid condition is associated with several negative consequences, such as reduction in compliance with cancer treatments, and hastened mortality. Recent research has examined the therapeutic effect of exercise on depression and reported excellent results of similar magnitude to those achieved with pharmacotherapy or psychological intervention. However, no research, to date, has examined the effectiveness of exercise on reducing depression in depressed cancer survivors. In order to address this important question this thesis reviewed previous literature in the area of cancer …

Speech And Swallowing Rehabilitation In The Home: A Comparison Of Two Service Delivery Models For Stroke Survivors, Katy J. E. Stewart

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Background and Aims

Speech and swallowing difficulties are common sequelae for people who have suffered a stroke. Recently, there has been an increase in early discharge, community rehabilitation and the use of therapy assistants to support health professionals in stroke rehabilitation. However, the impact of these factors on communication and swallowing outcomes remains under researched. This research explored Rehabilitation in the Home (RITH) Speech Pathology (SP) services for stroke survivors with dysarthria and dysphagia. More specifically, this research investigated whether traditional speech pathology interventions, supplemented with a home practice program are effective, as well as compare usual treatment to that …

(Re)Constructing Career Strategies After Experiencing Involuntary Job Loss, Sue Mulhall

Articles

This research article focuses on experiences of involuntary job loss following organisational change as occasions for career (re)construction. Using narrative inquiry, it explores the career stories of four former professionals on an Irish active labour market programme assisting the long-term unemployed to transition to employment. The article portrays how, and in what ways, the participants respond when confronted with transformation. Offering an empirically grounded understanding of the character and conduct of those encountering transition with greater nuance than that currently found in the literature, the article comprehends the approach that the former professionals use to (re)construct their career strategies. By …

Multi-Criteria Approach Using Simulation-Based Balanced Scorecard For Supporting Decisions In Health-Care Facilities: An Emergency Department Case Study, Waleed Abo-Hamad, Amr Arisha

Articles

Health research is a priority in every economy, and this research – set in the context of building a more sustainable and efficient health-care system – examines how operations management practices can be translated to clinical applications. Health-care systems in general (and emergency departments (EDs) in particular) around the world are facing enormous challenges in meeting the increasingly conflicting objectives of providing wide accessibility and delivering high-quality services efficiently and promptly. The framework proposed in this study integrates simulation modelling, the Balanced Scorecard, and multicriteria decision analysis with the aim of providing a decision support system for health-care managers. Using …

Mathematics: Creating Value For Engineering Students, Eileen Goold

Conference Papers

While students’ attainment in mathematics and their attitudes about mathematics are strongly inter-related, value is an important concept in mathematics education. It is arguable that lecturers, especially in engineering faculties, know little about the relationships students form with mathematics; for example what value do engineering students place on mathematics learning? Mathematics is often perceived as a difficult subject and it is associated with certainty and with being able to get the right answer. However the narrowness of the assessment process overshadows predictors of achievement behaviour: expectancy (am I able to do the task?) and value (why should I do the …

Putting Mathematics “Into A Form That A Non-Engineer Will Understand", Eileen Goold

Conference Papers

This paper discusses the finding that practicing engineers are challenged by putting mathematics “into a form that a non-engineer will understand”.

Investigating Engineering Practice Is Valuable For Mathematics Learning, Eileen Goold

Conference Papers

While engineering mathematics curricula often prescribe a fixed body of mathematical knowledge, this study takes a different approach; second-year engineering students are additionally required to investigate and document an aspect of mathematics used in engineering practice. A qualitative approach is used to evaluate the impact that students’ investigations have on their mathematics learning and whether this approach creates greater value for students compared to curriculum mathematics learning. This article contains an account of students’ engagement with and their emotional responses to their investigations of professional engineers’mathematics usage.The study illustrates the positive changes in students’ mathematics attitudes arising from their insights …

School Crises And Methods 0f Dealing With Them As Conceived By High School Principals In Kuwait, Sameera Abdulwahab, Mohammed R. Al Mursy

Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies

The current study aimed to identify the crises at high schools in Kuwait and the methods of managing them as perceived by principals (males, females) of high schools in Kuwait. The sample for the study consisted of randomly-chosen 85 principals, representing 70% 0f the total sample of study covering the six educational districts in Kuwait. The results showed significant differences at 0.001 for crises determining at female schools, at 0.05 for the crises between districts at Ahmady and Hawally educational districts, and at 0.02 for obstacles to school crises management at female schools; but no significant differences for these obstacles …

Spiritual Level Of Intelligence Of The Staff Of The Ongoing Governmental Departments In The Governorate Of Muscat In Light Of Some Variables, Amjad Hayajneh, Fatma S. Al-Ghadani

Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies

This study aimed to detect the levels of availability of the spiritual intelligence of the staff of the government departments in the governorate of Muscat in light of some relevant variables. The study sample consisted of 500 randomly and hierarchically chosen employees: 225 males and 275 females. To achieve the objectives of the study, a proper scale was designed to measure the spiritual intelligence. The results of statistical analysis of the data of the study revealed that the levels of the availability of spiritual intelligence for the members of the sample were high. The arithmetic average for the spiritual intelligence …

Stress And Professional – Counseling Self –Efficacy Among Female Teachers Of Pupils With Learning Disabilities In Muscat Governorate, Bakkar Bakkar, Sahar Al Shorbaji

Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies

The purpose of this study was to assess stress and professional counseling self–efficacy among female teachers of pupils with learning disabilities in Muscat governorate. The study attempted to answer the following questions: what is the extent to which female teachers of pupils with learning disabilities experience stress? What is the extent to which female teachers of pupils with learning disabilities have professional – counseling self–efficacy? Are there significant differences in stress due to female teachers' experience, qualification and marital status? Are there significant differences in professional counseling self–efficacy due to female teachers' experience, qualification and marital status? The sample consisted …

The Effectiveness Of A Program Based On The Strategy Of Positive Education In The Development Of Self-Esteem Of Kindergarten Children With Learning Difficulties, Khadega Badraldien

Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies

The results of several studies have shown that children with learning difficulties suffer from low selfesteem compared to normal children, which may affect their integration with their normal peers, social adaptation, and their academic superiority in subsequent years. Positive education is one of the modern strategies in education which is intended to focus on the positive and desirable behavior of the child rather than focusing on the negative or bad behavior. The present study aimed to find out the effectiveness of a program based on the strategy of positive educationin the development of self-esteem for children who suffer from learning …

The Value Of Rewards In A Referral-Based Loyalty Program, Lyndsie Shaliece Adams

Apparel Design and Hospitality Management

Loyalty and rewards programs provide incentives to customers in exchange for their membership. The presence of these programs is widespread in the marketplace and consumers are beginning to expect such programs to be available across many industries. However, the cost of operating these programs is significant. This study analyzed a rewards program in which members of a health club are rewarded for referring other new members. The purpose of this study was twofold; identify who participated in the rewards program, and determine if members value rewards. Secondary data on member participation within the program was gathered, and a survey was …

Design And Selling Recycled Fashion: Acceptance Of Upcycled Secondhand Clothes By Female Consumers, Age 25-65, Gail Jeanne Myers

Apparel Design and Hospitality Management

Fast fashion offers low prices and lots of choices with the opportunity to binge on fashion. Wardrobes are overflowing, and consumers are considering the options for disposal and recycling of their clothes. Upcyling is one way for designers and manufacturers to recycle textiles wherein secondhand fashion is deconstructed and reconstructed into current fashion. Twenty women, ages 25-65, were asked how they recycle their discarded clothing and whether they would be open to buying secondhand clothes if they were upcycled into garments that reflect current trends. Women reported that style and price were more important than environmental causes in their upcycled …

Visual Merchandising Strategies For Small Businesses, Karen Henry

Apparel Design and Hospitality Management

The sole purpose of this research was to focus specifically on visual merchandising strategies for small apparel stores since little research had been done on these types of stores. Visual merchandising literature to-date left small apparel retailers with little guidelines in deciding which visual merchandising strategies are more appropriate for their operations. This study addressed how participants responded favorably to six visual merchandising strategies (store layout/design, color, lighting, music, fixtures, and window displays) and how applying these strategies may benefit small apparel stores. The results suggest that these six visual merchandising strategies were instrumental with increased purchase intentions, traffic, loyalty, …

Mediators In The Field: Experiences Around The Globe, Sheila Purcell

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

A Survey Of Knowledge Sharing Among The Faculty Members Of Iranian Library And Information Science (Lis) Departments, Soraya Ziaei

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Training Initiatives Undertaken For Professional Development Of Library Professionals In Pakistan, Ahsan Ullah

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study has investigated the training initiatives undertaken for professional development of library professionals by different organizations in Pakistan to increase their competence to make them responsive to needs of library users and aggressively fulfill the needs of digital age. Pakistan Library and Automation Group (PakLAG) and Pakistan Library Cooperation Group (LIBCOOP) were used to collect data about the training initiatives uploaded for maximizing participation and sharing reports of initiatives for their knowledge. The messages were searched from these groups from year January, 2009 to 31 December 2013 on yearly basis and all the relevant messages were copied and pasted …

The Use Of Social Networking Sites Among The Undergraduate Students Of University Of Nigeria, Nsukka, Helen N. Eke Miss, Charles Obiora Omekwu Prof, Jennifer Nneka Odoh Miss

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study was carried out to investigate the use of social networking sites among the undergraduate students of university of Nigeria Nsukka. In the context of today’s electronic media, social networking sites have come to mean individuals, using the Internet and web application to communicate in previously impossible ways. This is largely the result of a culture-wide paradigm shift in the uses and possibilities of the internet itself. The objectives of the study are to ascertain the various categories of social networking sites used by UNN Undergraduates, to examine the extent of usage of social networking sites by UNN Undergraduates, …

To Count And Be Counted: A Response To Professor Levinson, Marcia L. Mccormick

All Faculty Scholarship

This Essay deepens the discussion Professor Levinson began in his lecture for the Richard J. Childress Memorial Lecture at SLU Law, Who Counts?. Professor Levinson explored the question of who counts as a member of the US community, and who gets to decide who counts. Inevitably, given our history of exclusion on the basis of race and sex, questions about belonging and race and sex form a central part of the current debate. Labeling a person with a race and sex presupposes the questions of what makes a person a certain race or sex? This essay explores what identity …

Beyond Instructions To Disregard: When Objections Backfire And Interruptions Distract, Molly J. Walker Wilson, Barbara A. Spellman, Rachel York

All Faculty Scholarship

Researchers have proposed many explanations for the replicated finding that jurors often fail to disregard evidence when instructed by a judge to do so. We propose a novel explanation: that the act of objecting may cause the effect because an objection (a) draws attention to the testimony and (b) heightens the perceived importance of the testimony (because of the implication that the objecting party wants to prevent jurors from using it). In previous studies, the act of objecting has always been confounded with the presence of the critical (objected-to) testimony. We devised two new experimental conditions that unconfound these factors. …