Digital Commons Network^™

Perceived Destination Image Cohesion: A Comparison Study Of Attractions On The Grand Canal, China, Shan Jiang, Noel Scott, Li Tao, Shiqi Xiong, Yuan Qin

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The Grand Canal is located in the north-eastern and central-eastern plains of China, running from Beijing in the north to Zhejiang province in the south, and is the longest canal in the world (1800 km) and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From a tourism perspective, the Grand Canal can be considered as a linear heritage attraction linking many individual heritage sites. This research was conducted with a mixed qualitative–quantitative method in the 2021–2022 period. First, in-depth interviews with an unstructured methodology of image measurements were conducted to determine attributes of the perceived destination image (PDI) of the Grand Canal as …

Local Community Capacity Building: Exploring Non-Governmental Organizations Approaches In Tamil Nadu, Sten Langmann, Pieter-Jan Bezemer, David Pick

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Locally based non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play an important role in community capacity building (CCB). Because these NGOs are generally located close to the affected communities, they have the local knowledge to identify problems and assist the affected communities to address them. However, the methods these local NGOs use to build capacity in the local communities and the reasons they choose certain CCB approaches are not well known. To enhance the knowledge in these areas, this study conducted semistructured interviews with local NGOs and local NGO experts in Tamil Nadu, India. It was found that local NGOs build capacity in communities …

On The Path To Decolonizing Health Care Services: The Role Of Marketing, Reece George, Steven D'Alessandro, Mehmet I. Mehmet, Mona Nikidehaghani, Michelle M. Evans, Guarangi Laud, Deirdre Tedmanson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Despite considerable investment, health outcomes for First Nations people are well below those of the rest of the population in several countries, including Canada, the United States, and Australia. In this article, the authors draw on actor-network theory and the case of Birthing on Country, a successful policy initiative led by First Nations Australians, to explore the decolonization of health services. Using publicly available archival data and the theoretical guidance of actor-network theory, the analysis offers insight into how marketing techniques and technologies can be deployed to achieve improved health outcomes and implement decolonized approaches. The insights provided have theoretical …

‘Keep The Music Going’: How The Isolation Tour 2020 Maintained Community And Cultural Connectedness During The 2020 Covid-19 Lockdown In Western Australia, Brigitta Scarfe, Amy Budrikis, Clint Bracknell

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent social isolation measures had a profound impact on communities worldwide. In regional and remote Western Australia, the use of online platforms has become increasingly important for maintaining social and emotional well-being. This article examines the role of ‘The Isolation Tour 2020’ Facebook page in providing a lifeline for its mostly Aboriginal audience to stay connected with culture, Country, and one another during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in Western Australia. The authors conducted an in-depth interview with one of the administrators of the page and supplemented this with a thematic analysis of publicly available Facebook data. …

Explaining Organisational Business Process Adoption Mechanisms - A Critical Realist Perspective On Social Reflexivity And Process Affordances, Andreas Brönnimann

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The implementation of new business processes can be problematic for organisations. Employees tend towards reluctant behaviour when confronted with organisational change that requires adoption of new workflows and work tasks. The crucial importance of people affected by change has been highlighted in past research. While the adoption of new processes is beneficial to the organisation, deviations from or rejections of new processes can lead to increased risks, missed process goals, increased waste leading to lost revenue, and other unforeseeable outcomes.

However, the adoption of proposed processes by individuals only is less desirable, because the collective nature of processes requires choreographed …

Psycho-Spiritual Counselling To Enhance Resiliency As Transformative Education: An Auto/Ethnographic Inquiry Of The Interface Between Spirituality And Positive Psychology, Dominic Savio

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis attempts to capture my lived experiences of psychospiritual counselling and to describe how my research journey has shaped me personally and professionally. As a priest engaged in psychospiritual counselling internationally for nearly three decades in diverse settings, I attempt to seek further clarity and make sense of my rich experiences in this research. Therefore, I endeavoured to investigate if and how building resiliency through psychospiritual counselling can be comprehended as transformative education.

Experientially speaking, as a priest and psychospiritual counsellor, I recognised that people leaned on their moral vulnerabilities and were blinded to spirituality as a source of …

Comparing Western Australia And South Australia Public High School’S Cyberbullying Policies – Is There A Need For A Legislative Change, Vanessa Tay

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The internet provides some of the most effective means of communication. Cyberbullying occurs when the internet is used to bully another person. Along with the positive aspects of the internet, cyberbullying is certainly one of the most negative aspects, especially with regard to school students. Victims of cyberbullying may be able to obtain legal sanctions, however, this usually occurs after the harm is done. In Australia, some states such as South Australia have recognised the need for preventive strategies by requiring schools to have an anti-bullying plan in place. Other countries, like Ontario, Canada have implemented similar preventative strategies in …

The Benefits To Bone Health In Children And Pre-School Children With Additional Exercise Interventions: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Callum Mccaskie, Aris Siafarikas, Jodie Cochrane Wilkie, Vanessa Sutton, Paola Chivers, Nicolas H. Hart, Myles C. Murphy

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objective: Determine if exercise interventions, beyond what is already provided to children and preschool children, improve bone health and reduce fracture incidence. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis reported using the PRISMA guidelines. Certainty of evidence was assessed using GRADE recommendations. Data sources: Five electronic databases were searched for records: PUBMED; CINAHL; CENTRAL; SPORTDiscus; Web of Science. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies: Randomised, quasi-randomised and non-randomised controlled trials (including cluster-randomised) assessing the impact of additional exercise interventions (e.g., increased physical education classes or specific jumping programs) on bone health in children (6 – 12 years) and pre-school children (2 – 5 …

Authentic Leadership And Psychological Well-Being Of Nurses: A Mediated Moderation Model, Stephen Teo, Andrei Lux, David Pick

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Aims. This study investigates how authentic leadership influences the psychological well-being of Australian nurses. We examined whether authentic leadership could reduce the prevalence of workplace incivility and tested whether shared values and person-organization (P-O) fit could moderate the relationship between workplace incivility and psychological well-being (PWB). A mediated moderation model underpinned by social learning theory was developed to test the influence of authentic leadership on PWB.

Design. We adopted a descriptive correlational research design to test the hypothesized model with a cross-sectional sample of Australian nurses using an online survey. Data were collected across two-waves separated by a …

Summary Of Alcohol And Drug Treatment For Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Peoples, Australian Indigenous Healthinfonet

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This summary is based on the Review of alcohol and drug treatment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It provides an overview of the available evidence for treatment approaches to help a person reduce or stop substance use. These are treatments for when a person has evidence of either hazardous use or problem alcohol and other drug (AOD) use (see Box 1 for terms used). Some approaches to address substance use are not included in this summary (e.g. for tobacco cessation or volatile substance use). This summary presents information on:

• the available research and other evidence that underpins …

Responsive, Adaptive, And Future-Centred Leadership In Response To Crisis: Findings From Australia, Fiji, And New Zealand, Michelle Striepe, Pauline Thompson, Sylvia Robertson, Mohini Devi, David Gurr, Fiona Longmuir, Adam Taylor, Christine Cunningham

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruption to education and highlighted the importance of effective leadership during times of crisis. This paper considers the impact of the pandemic on school leaders in Australia, Fiji, and New Zealand. A secondary analysis of data from five interpretivist, qualitative studies was conducted. The aim of the study was to investigate the similarities and differences between the leaders’ experiences across school settings, states/provinces, and countries. Our findings place renewed importance on understanding the role of schools within the community and the vital role school leaders play in helping schools respond to volatile and dynamic …

A New Augmented Reality System For Calculating Social Distancing Between Children At School, Omar Alshaweesh, Mohammad Wedyan, Moutaz Alazab, Bilal Abu-Salih, Adel Al-Jumaily

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Social distancing is one of the most important ways to prevent many diseases, especially the respiratory system, where the latest internationally spread is coronavirus disease, and it will not be the last. The spreading of this pandemic has become a major threat to human life, especially to the elderly and people suffering from chronic diseases. During the Corona pandemic, medical authorities were keen to control the spread through social distancing and monitoring it in markets, universities, and schools. This monitoring was mostly used to estimate the distance with the naked eye and interfere with estimating the distance on the observer …

Exploring The Use Of Photovoice In Understanding The Lived Experience Of Neurological Conditions: A Scoping Review And Reflexive Thematic Analysis, James Smith, Andre Nels, Laura Emery, Mandy Stanley

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

People living with neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and dementia may experience physical impairment, social disengagement, cognitive issues, and emotional disturbances. While qualitative research utilising in-depth interviews can access lived experience perspectives, the use of photovoice has the potential to obtain rich insights that include images and raise community awareness. The purpose of this scoping review was to document salient themes relating to the lived experience of neurological conditions as reported in photovoice studies. Following established scoping review methods of the Joanna Briggs Institute, a comprehensive search of five electronic databases, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, PSYCHINFO, CINAHL, and …

A Review Of Cyber Vigilance Tasks For Network Defense, Oliver A. Guidetti, Craig Speelman, Peter Bouhlas

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The capacity to sustain attention to virtual threat landscapes has led cyber security to emerge as a new and novel domain for vigilance research. However, unlike classic domains, such as driving and air traffic control and baggage security, very few vigilance tasks exist for the cyber security domain. Four essential challenges that must be overcome in the development of a modern, validated cyber vigilance task are extracted from this review of existent platforms that can be found in the literature. Firstly, it can be difficult for researchers to access confidential cyber security systems and personnel. Secondly, network defense is vastly …

Volume 50, Issue 1 (2023)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

Teaching Beyond Trans-Competency: Exploring Trans-Affirming Pedagogy Through Applied Case Studies, Sam Harrell, Sarah Mountz, Hazel (Bobbi) Ali Zaman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In this paper, we share two applied case studies social work instructors can use to teach trans-affirming, anti-oppressive practice. These cases span two practice arenas, child welfare and low-barrier shelter services, and are derived from practice in the authors’ personal and professional experiences in the Northeastern and Midwestern regions of the United States. For each case, we describe the accompanying class context, share our pedagogical approach, name the underlying assumptions and structures that facilitate harm, explore relevant practice skills, and identify theoretical, philosophical, and ethical commitments essential for trans-affirming practice. Our approach to social work education on transgender and gender …

Between The Noise And Silence: An Autoethnography Challenging Schools Of Social Work To Evolve For Trans Students, Isaac M. Akapnitis, G. Trey Jenkins, Natasha S. Mendoza

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social work programs have been largely silent in the face of legislative at- tacks on transgender/nonbinary (TGNB or “trans”) communities across the U.S., which signals to TGNB students that they may not be supported in their respective programs. Consequently, TGNB students, staff, and faculty shoulder the burden to advocate for change within social work academic institutions and to speak out about violence perpetrated against TGNB communities. Using our voices as two trans doctoral students and a queer cisgender associate professor, we employed collaborative and critical autoethnography to share insights about the impact of this burden on TGNB social work students …

Committed To The Cause? Examining Social Work Education's Role In Supporting Ally Behavior For Transgender And Nonbinary People And Communities, Brittanie Atteberry-Ash, N. Eugene Walls, Brendon T. Holloway, Jayme Dooley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Transgender and nonbinary (TNB) youth and adults are under attack in the United States, with at least 300 state-level anti-transgender bills introduced thus far in 2022 (HRC, 2022). Social workers, guided by professional values and ethics, play a critical role in supporting and advocating for TNB youth and adults, clinically and through mezzo and macro approaches. Given the current political context and the goals of the social work profession, understanding correlates of ally behavior on behalf of TNB people among social work students can help guide improvements in social work education. Specifically, in this study, we examine how demographic differences, …

Applications Of Transformative Justice Principles For Centering Transgender And Gender Expansive Experiences In Social Work Education And Practice, E. Bickford, Angela Matijczak, Aaron Kemmerer, Florence Martinez, M. Alex Wagaman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social work education has traditionally used frameworks, such as cultural competency, to guide implicit and explicit curricula that shape how we think about communities that live and thrive outside of white supremacist and cis/heteronormative norms and values. While the cultural competency framework intends to promote a level of consciousness and attention that is required to practice with diverse individuals, families, and communities whose identities differ from that of the social worker, it instead inadvertently creates a knowledge base that reinforces harmful power dynamics between social worker and client/community. The cultural competency framework is absent of historical and structural context and …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Volume 50, Issue 2 (2023)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

Racial Microaggressions And Asian Americans' Well-Being: A Scoping Review And Exploratory Meta-Analysis, Shinwoo Choi, Amy Alberton, Hyejoon Park, Eun-Jee Song, Heather Gough, Inyoung Stella Lee

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

BACKGROUND: Racial microaggressions continue to be a serious problem in the United States. While racialized microaggressions have been a long standing, though under explored, issue for all Asian Americans, Covid significantly amplified both overt and microaggression-based discrimination against Asian Americans because of the links between the origins of the viral spread and China (Lee & Waters, 2021). Despite this history of discrimination against Asian Americans, research in the area of microaggressions has lagged compared to other groups. However, research in this area has recently grown significantly, warranting a synthetic study of existing literature in order to better frame understandings of …

The Impact Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Mental And Physical Health For Low-Income Women Receiving Tanf, Elizabeth Hendrix, Mary Beth Vogel-Ferguson, Christina Gringeri

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked to poorer mental and physical health in adulthood. We examine the experiences of low-income women (N = 884) receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance through a state workforce service agency. Participants averaged 4.66 out of 10 ACEs. Higher ACE scores were significantly associated with increased odds of: any physical health issue, fair/poor physical health, any mental health issue, fair/poor mental health, depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder, and drug misuse. We discuss implications for state TANF agencies and others administering employment programs, and recommend flexibility in eligible participation activities, including activities …

When Contraceptive Means No Pregnancy: Narrative Account Of Contraceptive Use Among Reproductive Women At The Tamale Teaching Hospital, Ghana, Akosua Bonsu Karikari, Nana Afia Karikari, Akua Afriyie Karikari, Amos Apraku

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Contraception is a major intervention in improving maternal health. There are about 214 million women of reproductive age in developing countries who are not using modern contraception to prevent pregnancy. For proper locale-specific analysis of female reproductive health issues in Ghana, it is vital to explore the knowledge base and hindrances to contraception use in local communities. We used a phenomenological design to study reproductive- aged women in the Tamale Metropolis of the Northern Region of Ghana in order to comprehend the life world of study participants. This research demonstrates that the majority of the women in the study area …

Lived Experiences Of Voluntary Retirees Within Ghana’S Semi-Urban Space, Michael Tuffour

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In this study, we examined the lived experiences of voluntary retirees on formal pension schemes within a semi-urban space in Ghana. This was necessitated by the paucity of knowledge in voluntary retirement within a semi-urban space in Ghana and Africa. Besides, the concept of voluntary retirement within Ghana has not really come to the limelight of research. Based on this we situated our study within a qualitative method approach of phenomenology and used a thematic analysis to assess the lived experiences of seven voluntary retirees with respect to their knowledge of the pension scheme, the challenges they faced as early …

The Myth Of Programmatic Intervention To Tackle Intergenerational Poverty In Post-Industrial Societies: A Longitudinal Study In Hong Kong As A Vantage Point, Wing Chung Ho

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Through tracking the educational and career trajectories of the young adult members (aged 24–26) of 154 families over 13–15 years, this study suggests that the problem of intergenerational poverty is serious in Hong Kong. Quantitative data indicates that adolescents with poor parents have a 104 percent higher chance of being poor in young adulthood, and nearly 60 percent (58.4%) of the samples follow “the-poor-begets-the-poor; therich- begets-the-rich” pattern across generations. However, the explanatory power of the logistic regression models consisting of confounding factors are weak (R2=0.15). Subsequent focus group discussions with 30 mothers from the samples point to myriad forms of …

Development Of A Tool To Identify Barriers And Enablers To Practice Innovation In Midwifery: A Participatory Action Research Study, Sara D. Davis, Sara Bayes, Sadie Geraghty

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: Transferring research evidence into midwifery practice is fraught with challenges and obstacles. Implementation tools can streamline the process and are most effective when they are discipline-specific; however, there are currently no midwifery specific implementation tools. The aim of this study was to develop a midwifery specific tool to identify barriers and enablers to evidence-informed practice change within the clinical setting. Methods: Participatory action research methodology was employed to ensure potential end-users contributed to content and format of the tool. Purposeful sampling ensured participants were selected from a range of midwifery practice settings in Western Australia and the United Kingdom. …

Transition Of Transnational Social Workers: A Critical Realist Perspective On The Need For A Response From The Profession, Shajimon Peter, Allen Bartley, Liz Beddoe, Lynne Soon-Chean Park, Liyun Wendy Choo

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This article examines the absence of a profession-wide response for facilitating the transition of transnational social workers (TSWs) into the host country. TSWs work with various racial, ethnic, and cultural groups and often in unfamiliar socio-political, policy and practice contexts. A qualitative study was undertaken in New Zealand, which involved six focus groups, three with managers of TSWs and three with TSWs themselves and a face-to-face semi-structured interview with a manager who was also a TSW. Coding and analysis of data were informed by critical realism (CR). We found that TSWs’ transitions are framed within an employer-employee relationship in the …

Perceived Nexus Between Non-Invigilated Summative Assessment And Mental Health Difficulties: A Cross Sectional Studies, Amanda Graf, Esther Adama, Ebenezer Afrifa-Yamoah, Kwadwo Adusei-Asante

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The COVID-19 pandemic rapidly led to changes in the mode of teaching, learning and assessments in most tertiary institutions worldwide. Notably, non-invigilated summative assessments became predominant. These changes heightened anxiety and depression, especially among individuals with less resilient coping mechanism. We explored the perceptions and experiences of mental health difficulties of students in tertiary education regarding non-invigilated alternative assessments in comparison to invigilated assessments. A pragmatic, mixed method cross sectional design was conducted online via Qualtrics. Thematic analysis of text was carried out using NVivo 12. In the quantitative analysis, univariable and multivariable ordinal logistic models were used to examine …

Social Media And English Language Writing Performances Of A Ghanaian Esl Class: The Nexus, Ramos Asafo-Adjei, Ronald Osei Mensah, Ernest Kwesi Klu, Enock Swanzy-Impraim

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The nexus among social media usage and the English language writing performances of a Ghanaian English as Second Language (ESL) class was investigated in this enquiry. The simple qualitative case study design was used, and the data was collected from a co-educational government secondary school Form 2 General Arts One class in Ghana. A focus group discussion (FGD) guide was employed to elicit the data, and the data were synthesised and analysed using the Data Analysis Spiral. It was evidenced that social media has adversely impacted the students’ English Language learning, as oblivious and non-standard contents have been smuggled into …

Identifying The Key Value Of Urban Architectural Heritages Vis-A-Vis Human Awareness : Case Study In Hanoi, Nhu Dao Thi

Journal of Urban Culture Research

Conservation of urban architectural heritage works (UAH) is an important test for cities to increase their cultural and economic competitiveness. However, UAH preservation mostly focuses on physical value, which results in a contradiction between conservation and development. Moreover, new contexts of 4.0 technology and urbanization are deepening the impermanence, transformation of all things, in which of people and their awareness - the beneficiaries of UAHs. Therefore, heritage conservation is facing a big problem related to the truly worthy values of UAH that need to be preserved to meet the development needs, society's change and the growing maturity of people's awareness. …