Digital Commons Network^™

Queering Primary Initial Teacher Education, David Rhodes, Matt Byrne, Jason Boron

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This research was designed to raise awareness, access and understanding of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning, asexual/aromantic and others who sit outside of the heteronormative binary (LGBTIQA+), inclusion for pre-service educators studying in Bachelor of Education (Primary) and Master of Teaching (Primary) ITE courses in one Australian university. The project involved the production of three video resources intended for inclusion in existing teacher education units. Whilst originally conceptualized as ’bite-sized‘ resources intended for use by pre-service educators, initial survey data from academic staff indicated the need to first develop the collective understanding of primary education LGBTIQA+ inclusion for the …

Student Employability-Building Activities: Participation And Contribution To Graduate Outcomes, Denise Jackson, Claire Lambert, Ruth Sibson, Ruth Bridgstock, Matalena Tofa

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Employability development has become a central concern of higher education, with many students attending university to enhance their employability and career development. Universities offer a range of curricular, co-curricular and extracurricular employability-building activities, including work-integrated learning, mentoring and career counselling. However, participation in these activities, barriers to engagement and their impact on employability are unclear. This paper examines student engagement in diverse employability-building activities, barriers impeding participation and their perspectives on how activities develop aspects of employability. The methodological approach encompassed an online survey of recent bachelor graduates (n = 324) from two Australian universities and focus groups to further …

Youth And Community Work For Climate Justice: Towards An Ecocentric Ethics For Practice, J. Gorman, A. Baker, T. Corney, Trudi Cooper

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper traces an expanded ethical perspective for youth and community work (YCW) practice in response to the climate and biodiversity crises. Discussing ecological ethics, we problematise the liberal humanist emphasis on utilitarianism and reject it as inappropriate for YCW in these times. Instead, we argue for an ecocentric practice ethic which intrinsically values the non-human world. To advance an ecocentric ethical perspective for YCW we draw on decolonial and posthuman theory. Inspired by a Freirean dialogical approach, we apply these theoretical domains as lenses to problematise YCW practice, seeking a generative dialogue between perspectives. Through this, we identify three …

Contested Spaces: An Interdisciplinary Collaboration, Lyndall Adams, Nicola Kaye, Marcella Polain, Emma Jayakumar

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The world in 2020 presented Australia with a world on fire, in lock down, and in environmental ruin, with potentially unprecedented social dislocation, homelessness, unemployment and mental health issues. Four artists reaction was to collaborate in an attempt to make sense of the complex COVID-19 context that was unfolding in front of them. Their interdisciplinary collaboration resulted in the multimedia artwork: Contested Spaces. Two iterations of the artwork (2020 and 2021) were exhibited as the artists navigated the unfolding spaces inhabited as they learnt to live and cope under the strictures of COVID-19. The 2021 iteration, was part of a …

Ghanaian Values In Motion: A Content Analysis Of Slogans On Commercial Vehicles In Accra, Abraham Kenin, Vivian Dzokoto, Annabella Osei-Tutu, Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Slogans on commercial vehicles are a common sight in Ghana. These material artefacts can provide insight into beliefs and values about the sociocultural, spiritual, and political experiences of life in the contemporary Ghanaian context. In this study, we collected and analysed a total of 438 commercial vehicles’ slogans from 5 main transportation terminals in the Accra metropolitan area. Our thematic analysis of these slogans shows a major emphasis on religious and spiritual values to the extent that most of the recorded slogans serve as positive affirmations of religious values and sources of spiritual encouragement. The dominance of religious references in …

Learning Collective Care To Support Young Climate Justice Advocates, Kylie Wrigley, Georgia Beardman, Jaime Yallup Farrant, Naomi Joy Godden, Caleb Faulkner Hill, Emma Heyink, Eva Carot Collins, Hannah Davies, Shelby Robinson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Young people mitigate their climate distress, develop their efficacy, and contribute to the effectiveness of climate movements through activism. However, they are often excluded from adult-led climate movements and exposed to a number of risks when they do participate. In this context, this participatory action research study draws on multiple care theories to offer collective care praxis through which adults and young people might co-create more care-full and safe climate justice movements capable of supporting, sustaining, and sharing power with young people. The study examines how 13 young and three adult co-researchers learned about and applied collective care through a …

Self-Efficacy Changes And Gender Effects On Self-Efficacy In A Large-Scale Robotic Telescope Focused Curriculum, Rachel Freed, David Mckinnon, Saeed Salimpour, Michael Fitzgerald, Dan Reichart, Christina Norris

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In this paper, we present the results of an investigation into the effects of engaging with robotic telescopes during an Astronomy 101 (Astro101) course in the United States and Canada on the self-efficacy of students. Using an astronomy self-efficacy survey that measures both astronomy personal self-efficacy and instrumental self-efficacy, the authors probed their covariance with the respondents' experience of an Astro101 course that uses robotic telescopes to collect astronomical data. Strong effects on both self-efficacy scales were seen over the period of a semester utilizing a scalable educational design using robotic telescopes. After participation in the course, the results show …

The Value Of Work For Doctors In Pakistan: Towards A Framework For Ensuring Decent Work, Abid Hussain, Esme Franken, Tim Bentley, Uma Jogulu

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The critical frontline work of doctors in Pakistan was overlooked and undervalued by the government, hospitals, and the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. Media reports and studies highlight that public sector doctors in Pakistan facing new societal, professional, and organisational challenges, compunding to the inherent demands of workpotentially leading to its undervaluation. This study, explores how the work of doctors is (under)valued in Pakistan’s public sector hospitals, and how this aligns to the underpinnings of decent work. 27 semi structured in-depth interviews were conducted with doctors in Pakistan’s public sector hospitals. We found that serving others, recognition and appreciation, and …

Customer Experience Quality With Social Robots: Does Trust Matter?, Sanjit K. Roy, Gaganpreet Singh, Saalem Sadeque, Richard L. Gruner

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Although service providers increasingly adopt social robots, much remains to be learned about what influences customers' experiences with robots. To address this issue, this study investigates the relationships among customer equity drivers (i.e., value equity, brand equity and relationship equity), trust in social robots, and trust in service providers. Specifically, we hypothesize that customer equity drivers influence trust in social robots and trust in service providers. We also propose that customer equity drivers influence customer experience quality in the context of social robots and that trust in social robots and trust in service providers mediate these relationships. The study used …

You Fooled Me, So I'Ll Tell You About Myself! Personnel-Related Brand Betrayal Experiences And Disclosure Of Personal Information, Teck M. Tan, Jari Salo, Jaakko Aspara

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Past research has extensively studied the negative effects of brand betrayals on consumer attitudes, but largely ignored their potential positive consequences. Also, while previous research has focused on betrayals made by the brand itself, it has paid less attention to betrayals by the brand's personnel. This paper focuses on one potentially important positive consequence of brand personnel betrayal experiences (a consumer's feeling of being betrayed by the brand staff members): the increased willingness of consumers to share personal insights and information with the brand after experiencing a brand personnel betrayal. A field data set and two online experiments show that …

Collecting And Classifying Data On Audience Identity: The Cultural Background Of Festival Audiences, Katya Johanson, Hilary Glow, Mark Taylor

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This article investigates the issues and tensions involved in collecting data from audiences to describe their diversity. It uses data collected as part of a survey of festival audiences to examine (1) how people choose to describe their identity in an open-text question and (2) how classifying complex responses to questions about ethnic or cultural background has implications for analysis. First, data provided through an open-text question in the festival survey were used to establish two classification systems. The results show patterns in the relationship between how people choose to identify themselves and their arts knowledge and appetite. It also …

No Time To Read? How Precarity Is Shaping Learning And Teaching In The Humanities, Helena Kadmos, Jessica Taylor

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Humanities educators are frequently frustrated by students’ poor engagement in reading. The contemporary student experience is characterised by disruption and precarity. Similarly, is that of teachers who work in casual employment. This discussion is located within broader conversations around the neoliberal university, but aims to make more visible ways that teaching and learning are increasingly shaped by precarity, and consequences for the humanities. It describes what precarity in higher education looks like and considers the kinds of strategies that students and their teachers are positioned to develop by virtue of engaging in education under such conditions, amid chaos, making these …

Cultural Capital And Underdevelopment In Less Developed Countries: The Case Of Northern Ghana, Jonas Quashie Klutsey, Kwadwo Adusei-Asante, Victor Fannam Nunfam

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Development paradigms under the sustainable development goals (SDGs) identify cultural capital as an indispensable asset for development in less developed countries. However, the phenomenon of culture and underdevelopment nexus has attracted little research attention in Ghana. The study used modernization theory and ethnographic research methodology to explore the role of cultural capital deficits in northern Ghana's underdevelopment. Our findings suggest a close correlation between cultural capital and underdevelopment relative to unethical attitudinal standards, value deficits, and an anti-development mindset. We recommend the inclusion of cultural reorientation in the design of development intervention programs to uphold high integrity standards. We further …

Mental Health On The Go: Navigating Travel And Travel Eligibility, Fangli Hu, Jun Wen, Weng M. Lim, Haifeng Hou, Wei Wang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The 21st century has seen tourists from various source markets significantly impacted by non-communicable diseases, including mental disorders. Yet, research and practice frequently overlook tourists with mental disorders. Building on Buckley’s discussion in the Journal of Travel Research about tourism and mental health, this study examines the travel eligibility of tourists diagnosed with four prevalent mental disorders: major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), schizophrenia, and dementia. We present preliminary recommendations for accommodating these tourists and highlight the urgent need for collaborative efforts between stakeholders in tourism, hospitality, and medicine. © The Author(s) 2023.

Vulnerable, Recalcitrant And Resilient: A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis Of Risk And Older People Within The Context Of Covid-19 News Media, Marjorie Skoss, Rachel Batten, Patricia Cain, Mandy Stanley

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Risk is an innate and integral part of everyday life and is present in simple, everyday occupations and complex actions. Age-related stereotypes can mean older people have little opportunity to engage in activities that present some degree of risk. The present study explores the discourse around risk and older people in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated news media as a reflection of the dominant public discourse around older people's behaviour to identify how risk is represented in relation to occupational engagement. Texts relating to older people and COVID-19 were sourced from the West Australian newspaper for a …

Feminist Evaluation Using Feminist Participatory Action Research: Guiding Principles And Practices, Kaisha Crupi, Naomi Joy Godden

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

There is a lack of instructional literature on how to conduct a feminist evaluation to highlight and transform systemic issues in gendered and intersecting power relations. Feminist Participatory Action Research (FPAR) enables a process for conducting community-driven, -led and -owned feminist evaluations that drive social justice actions. By undertaking a critical review of existing literature, this article presents guiding principles and practices in how to conduct a feminist evaluation using FPAR. These principles and practices provide a framework for those who are seeking an evidence base for transformative social justice action in communities, particularly those who are working with complexity …

Children And Young People’S Participation In Decision-Making Within Healthcare Organisations In New Zealand: An Integrative Review, Mandie Foster, Julie Blamires, Chris Moir, Virginia Jones, Jagamaya Shrestha-Ranjit, Brie Fenton, Annette Dickinson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

There is a paucity of literature on children and young people’s participation in decision-making within healthcare organisations in New Zealand. This integrative review examined child self-reported peer-reviewed manuscripts and published guidelines, policy, reviews, expert opinion and legislation to explore how New Zealand children and young people participate in discussions and decision-making processes within healthcare settings and what are barriers and benefits to such participation. Four child self-reported peer-reviewed manuscripts and twelve expert opinion documents were retrieved from four electronic databases including academic, government and institutional websites. Inductive content thematic analysis generated one theme (a discourse in children and young people’s …

Managing Digital Assets On Death And Disability: An Examination Of The Determinants Of Digital Asset Planning Literacy, Adam Steen, Chris Graves, Steven D’Alessandro, Henry X. Shi

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Despite its increasing importance, digital financial literacy (DFL) is yet to be adequately understood. This article reports on one aspect of DFL, namely, digital asset planning literacy (DAPL) which is an individual’s awareness of what happens to their digital assets on their death or incapacity. Our results from Australia and Singapore suggest that single, less-educated women are less likely to possess DAPL, and that the number of digital assets is negatively associated with DAPL, while having a Will is positively related to DAPL. With this study, we put forward that financial education should include consumer rights regarding digital financial assets. …

Politics Speak Louder Than Skills: Political Similarity Effects In Hireability Judgments In Multiparty Contexts And The Role Of Political Interest, Franz W. Moenke, Filip Lievens, Ursula Hess, Philipp Schaepers

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Recruiters increasingly cybervet job applicants by checking their social media profiles. Theory (i.e., the political affiliation model, PAM) and research show that during cybervetting, recruiters are exposed to job-unrelated information such as political affiliation, which might trigger similarity-attraction effects and bias hireability judgments. However, as the PAM was developed in a more polarized two-party political system, it is pivotal to test and refine the PAM in a multiparty context. Therefore, we asked working professionals from the United States (two-party context, N = 266) and Germany (multiparty context, N = 747) to rate an applicant’s hireability after cybervetting a LinkedIn profile …

“A Real Man . . .”: Deconstructing Machismo Heteronormative Standards With K–12 Latino Male Educators Through Dialogic Spaces, Mario Echeverria

Dissertations

In a K–12 educational landscape where 75% of educators are white women, recruitment of Latino male educators is crucial for diversification, yet these educators represent just 2% of the teaching workforce in the United States (NCES, 2020). These educators grapple with a layered sense of identity as they navigate expectations of hegemonic masculinity and machismo norms that dictate their roles as disciplinarians and saviors, especially for young boys of color (Brockenbrough, 2018; Lara & Fránquiz, 2015; Martino & Kehler, 2006; Mills et al., 2004; Singh, 2021). Unfortunately, Latino male educators leave the profession at twice the rate of their Latina …

Examining Systemic And Dispositional Factors Impacting Historically Disenfranchised Schools Across North Carolina, Raketa Ouedraogo-Thomas

Dissertations

This mixed method sequential explanatory study provided analysis of North Carolina (NC) school leaders’ dispositions in eliminating opportunity gaps, outlined in NC’s strategic plan. The study’s quantitative phase used descriptive and correlation analysis of eight Likert subscales around four tenets of transformative leadership (Shields, 2011) and aspects of critical race theory (Bell, 1992; Ladson-Billings, 1998; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 2006) to understand systemic inequities and leadership attitudes.

The qualitative phase comprised three analyses of education leadership dispositions and systemic factors in NC schools. The first analysis of State Board of Education meeting minutes from 2018–2023 quantified and analyzed utterances of racism …

Undergraduate Course Catalog Of The University Of San Diego 2024-2025, University Of San Diego

Undergraduate Course Catalogs (1973- )

614 pages. Includes information about academics, expenses, campus and the college, the 2024-2025 academic calendar, and school policies.

The U.S. Southern Mothers Perspective On Affection, Destiny M. Rose

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative research study utilizes Murray Bowen’s Family Systems Theory and Kimberlé Crenshaw’s Intersectionality Theory to examine how ten mothers residing in what is identified as the U.S. Deep South (Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina) perceive affection shown to their children by adults outside of their nuclear family. Additionally, this study considers the influence social class plays in how parents in the Deep South navigate and negotiate social and cultural norms when it comes to affection displays shown to their children. Data was collected using thematic analysis to describe how parents in parts of the Deep South perceive affection shown …

Reflections On The Iheart Programme By Different Stakeholders: : Self-Confidence, Mental Wellbeing And Resilience, Gulsah Selin Tumkaya

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

To promote social justice and educational equity for all students, teachers are given a significant place in international policy and literature as essential agents of change. Training teachers for inclusive practices necessitates building their self-confidence to increase their understanding of how they may use their resources to support children and adolescents, as well as boost their self-confidence. Teachers’ resilience to overcome difficulties may also have a crucial role in increasing the effectiveness of inclusive practices. This is because, despite agreement about the benefits of inclusive education, the number of teachers leaving their jobs increases daily. The aim of the project, …

‘The More Empowered I Feel, The More Vulnerable I Become’: Exploring The Entanglements Of Human Rights Education (Hre), Legal Discourses And Notions Of Agency And Vulnerability Amongst Human Rights Educators In Colombia, Claudia Blandon

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

In the 21st century, notions of human rights are symbols of dignity, freedom, and equality (UNDHR, 1948) and equated with notions of empowerment. Simultaneously, in an epoch of recurrent waves of displacement, international instruments of protection are failing to safeguard displaced people and those who provide sanctuary. By the end of 2022, 104 million people had been forcibly displaced globally because of conflict and human rights violations (UNHCR, 2023). Against this global backdrop, empowering women through human rights education and legal discourses has become a priority, (Bajaj et al., 2017, Altinova et al., 2019). With a firm conviction that the …

Evidence-Based Teaching: Discourses Of Pedagogy And Positionality, Jacklyn Barry

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

This critical discourse analysis (CDA) addresses the gap in research about teachers’ identities in primary schools (Rushton et al., 2023: 15). It does so by drawing upon aspects of Bernstein’s theories of the pedagogic device to explore the impact of evidence-based training practices on teachers’ positionalities in primary schools in one MAT in the South West of England. Using the prompt of brain-based interventions, how the use of research evidence might affect the ongoing development of teachers’ pedagogies was explored. Through interviews with 15 stakeholders in four primary schools, and a document analysis of ten resources related to the themes …

How Does Living In A Rural Location Affect Experiences Of Acquired Vision Impairment?, Rebecca Woods

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

This research explores the lived experiences of adults with acquired sight loss who live in rural areas in Southwest England. There is a scarcity of published academic research with this group. Vision impaired people who live in rural locations are therefore unrecognised sources of vision impairment rehabilitation knowledge. The research is conducted in an interpretivist paradigm. The research is guided by phenomenological understanding, rooted in Merleau-Ponty’s concepts of perception, the centrality of tool-use, and human embodiment. Attention is centred on the process of adapting to sight loss in a domestic setting, placing this research in an experiential, community-based educational context. …

The Statutory Assessment Of Children And Young People With Special Educational Needs: A Bourdieusian Analysis, Blanche Gibson

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

Research since the Children and Families Act (2014) and the SEND Code of Practice 0-25 (DfE & DoH, 2015) has focused upon new processes for statutory assessment, the quality of Education, Health and Care plans and the success and/or failures of the bureaucratic systems put in place to administer these. This research uses the thinking tools of the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu (1930 - 2002), to consider how statutory assessment is perceived within the field of SEND. A conceptual framework, influenced by Bourdieu’s field theory (1984) and Crossley’s social movement fields (2003), is employed to examine participants responses to questions …

University Sustainability In Times Of Uncertainty: The Impact Of Brexit On Eu Staff And Students, Diane Stanley

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

The Brexit referendum in June 2016, which led to the UK’s decision to leave the European Union (EU), generated significant concern and anxiety within the United Kingdom's (UK) Higher Education (HE) sector. The potential impact on EU student and staff recruitment, EU research funding, and collaborations with Europe was uncertain, as many Brexit policies and procedures had not been considered by the government when the Leave outcome was announced. EU staff and students working and studying in UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) were left contemplating their future in the UK. This thesis examines the impact of Brexit through Charles Wright …

Drug-Resistant Epilepsy And Ketogenic Diet Therapy – A Qualitative Study Of Families’ Experiences, Jennifer H. Carroll, Tracey Parkin, J. Helen Cross, Mary Hickson, Emma Williams, Val Aldridge, Avril Collinson

School of Health Professions

Background: A diagnosis of drug-resistant epilepsy is life changing for a family. Ketogenic diet therapy (KDT) can offer hope when other treatments have failed. However, it often requires a significant change in daily routine and dietary habits. This qualitative descriptive study aimed to explore families’ experiences of epilepsy and KDT. Methods: Parents of a child aged ≤18 years with epilepsy, currently or recently treated with KDT, were recruited from the UK and internationally via UK Ketogenic Diet (KD) centres, charities, and social media. Semi-structured interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, anonymised, coded using Nvivo (V12), and inductive thematic analysis undertaken. …