Digital Commons Network^™

The Experiences Of Parents Diagnosed With Cancer Whilst Parenting Minor-Aged Children, George Prince

Theses

The incidence of cancer in Australia for people in the parenting age range is significant, and as the fertility rate of women aged 35 years and over continues to rise, many cancer patients may be parenting minor-aged children. The aim of this research was therefore to explore the lived experience of parents diagnosed with cancer whilst parenting minor-aged children, and to gain knowledge and understanding as to how parents and their families respond to a parent’s cancer illness. Utilising a qualitative research design, eight participants, receiving treatment for cancer in a private hospital cancer treatment service, and parenting at least …

Wellbeing In The Outdoors: Exploring The Impact Of An Outdoor Adventure Education Program For The Social And Emotional Wellbeing Of Western Australian Adolescents From Selected Independent Schools, Michael Down

Theses

Outdoor adventure education (OAE) programs encompass practical outdoor activities, such as hiking or canoeing, and activities promoting interpersonal and intrapersonal development. Participants are challenged in a manner that appeals to typical risk-taking behaviours common in adolescents, resulting in benefits such as resilience development, personal growth, individual empowerment, and self-efficacy. OAE is commonly used to support positive physical, emotional, and psychological changes among adolescents.

This research aimed to determine the most impactful OAE activities for adolescent wellbeing. A sequential mixed-methods research design using a pragmatic approach was undertaken to identify the most impactful OAE elements for participant wellbeing. This research involved …

Contralateral Acl Rupture Is More Common Than Acl Graft Rupture In Australian Netballers After Acl Reconstruction, Conor Honeywill

Theses

Background: Netball is a popular sport worldwide, particularly in females. The nature of the sport makes it high-risk for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

Purpose: The primary outcome was to determine the prevalence of ACL graft rupture and contralateral ACL (CACL) rupture in Australian female netballers following ACL Reconstruction (ACLR). Additionally, this study aimed to determine the rate of return to sport and psychological readiness.

Study Design: Cross-Sectional Study

Methods: From a prospective database, 332 consecutive ACLR with hamstring autograft conducted between the years 2007-2015 performed by 2 surgeons in female netball players were identified. Patients were retrospectively surveyed at …

Improving Care In End-Stage Dementia With The End Of Life Care Assessment Tool For Advanced Dementia: A Multi Method Study, Carolyn Heather Bourke

Theses

Introduction

Often people living with advanced dementia do not receive person-centred palliative care until they are terminal. Two common barriers preventing provision of person-centred palliative care is staff’s uncertainty of dementia severity/stage and insufficient staff training in dementia symptom assessment. Evidence suggests that residential aged care nurses would benefit from gaining access to a measure that can build essential knowledge and skills in identifying advanced dementia symptoms, to ensure that planned care and support is responsive to the needs of the individual. The aims of this project were to develop and validate an advanced dementia symptom measure for use in …

At The Heart Of Leviathan: A Hobbesian Reading Of Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness, Bethany Lilleyman

Theses

This thesis demonstrates how a historical-philosophical reading of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (1899) through the lens of Thomas Hobbes’ thought can provide new understandings of Conrad’s critique of empire, by extending existing literature on the novella’s historical and politico-philosophical ideas. As Conrad’s use of a literary-impressionistic style has often left readers debating the text’s meaning, the once-canonical novella has come under the intense scrutiny of both readers and scholars alike. This scrutiny intensified with the rise of postcolonialism in the late 1970s, which focused on the novella’s controversial representations of race and imperialism. Tensions surrounding the text have also …

Vegetarianism And Social Change: Alternate Diets As Activism?, Jasper Lloyd

Theses

Research into vegetarian and vegan (vegist) diets has previously found animal rights to be the primary/most significant motivator. Such studies, however, were largely conducted prior to the mass mobilisation of young people - instigated by the global School Strike for Climate in 2018 - in environmental activism. This project, which included 110 surveys and 9 interviews with vegist students (18-25) at an Australian University in 2019 and 2020, examines a) the motivations for vegism in a young cohort, and b) explores the experience, tactics, and goals of young vegists through a social movement theory lens. The project found that a …

Deciphering The Salivary Microbiome In Crohn’S Disease Patients With Different Factors Contributing To Dysbiosis, Hala Elzayat

Theses

Crohn’s Disease (CD) is a chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), common in the UAE. Microbiota is necessary to maintain a balanced gut environment which is essential for good health. Dysbiosis can predispose to many diseases including CD. The oral cavity has the second largest and most diverse microbiota after the gut harboring over 700 species of bacteria. This study aims to investigate the alterations in the salivary microbiome in patients with CD compared to Healthy controls (HC). It also aims to compare CD patients for salivary microbiome complexity and diversity according to different factors that can contribute to dysbiosis, including …

Biting The Hand That Feeds: A Status-Based Model Of When And Why Receiving Help Motivates Social Undermining, Kenneth Tai, Katrina Jia Lin, Catherice K. Lam, Wu Liu

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Social exchange theory suggests that after receiving help, people reciprocate by helping the original helpgiver. However, we propose that help recipients may respond negatively and harm the help giver when they perceive helping as a status threat and experience envy. Integrating the helping as status relations framework and the social functional perspective of envy, we examine when and why receiving help may prompt help recipients to undermine help givers. Across four studies, we find progressive support for our results, which show that when individuals receive task-related help from help givers who are perceived to be more, rather than less, competent …

Techno-Economic Evaluation And Environmental Benefit Of Pv-Based Electric Vehicle Charging Station On University Campus, Rania Rushdy Moussa

Architectural Engineering

Smart utilities comprise an important aspect of modern smart cities. The aim of this work is to present a case study for implementing a solar- energy-based electric vehicle charging station (for the first time on a campus in Egypt) at the British University in Egypt. The total amount of energy needed for charging each electric vehicle (EV) was estimated to be 13.3—16.2 kWh. The EV is operated by 12 batteries. The station was designed to provide energy sufficient for charging up to two vehicles daily during summer. Thus, the station sizing was based on the provision of 16.2 KW and …

Dementia Care For People From Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds: Qualitative Secondary Analysis Of The Aged Care Australian Royal Commission Data, Pelden Chejor, Patricia Cain, Bridget Laging, Davina Porock

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objective:

Understanding the concerns and experiences of people living with dementia from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds is critical to ensure culturally appropriate care is delivered. This study aimed to describe the current experiences and concerns of older people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds using the publicly available evidence from the Australian Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

Methods:

This was a qualitative secondary analysis of the Australian Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety data to explore new and nuanced insights about care for culturally and linguistically diverse people living with dementia. Using the keywords …

Going Beyond: Cyber Security Curriculum In Western Australian Primary And Secondary Schools. Final Report, Nicola F. Johnson, Ahmed Ibrahim, Leslie Sikos, Marnie Mckee

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

There is no doubt cyber security is of national interest given the rife nature of cyber crime and the alarming increase of victims who have endured identify theft, fraud and scams. Curriculum within K-12 schools tends to be fixed and any modifications are subject to extensive consultation within a prolonged review cycle. Therefore, this report has gone beyond curriculum to explore the potential of national awareness campaigns and dynamic digital cyber security licences as alternative possibilities for instigation. The role of leaders in various school sectors and systems is critical for a successful roll out. This final report culminates from …

Solidarity Tourism: A Pathway To Revitalising The Health Of Vulnerable War-Affected Populations?, Jun Wen, Fangli Hu, Danni Zheng, Ian Phau, Metin Kozak, Haifeng Hou, Wei Wang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The struggles of war are felt by all who occupy an affected region (and beyond), irrespective of whether they are in active combat. This experience has physical effects (e.g. injury, illness, malnutrition, disability, sexual violence, and/or death) and emotional impacts (e.g. posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety) [1-3]. The terror associated with war disrupts lives and relationships, leaving individuals, families, and communities distressed. Due to such immediate and long-term adverse outcomes, war represents a highly destructive and enduring public health emergency [4]. . . .

International Café: A Collaborative Approach To International Student Wellbeing And Support, Yohann Devezy, Braden Hill, Liz Beresford, Rose Williams, Shirley Farr, Em Readman, Clair Mermejo

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Prior to 2020, ongoing discourse in the higher education sector underscored the increasingly complex mental health and wellbeing challenges faced by students. The “post-COVID-19” period witnessed a resurgence of international students arriving in Western Australia. Emerging cost of living pressures, accommodation shortages, and changing visa work hours have amplified the distinct challenges international students encounter, prompting renewed discussions surrounding a need for effective support interventions. Drawing inspiration from successful initiatives at Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University introduced the Murdoch International Café—a program focused on providing distinct spaces of support for international students. This supportive environment enables social connection, effective information …

The Digital Environmental Humanities (Deh) In The Anthropocene: Challenges And Opportunities In An Era Of Ecological Precarity, John Ryan, Lydia Hearn, Paul Arthur

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Researchers in the complementary fields of the digital humanities and the environmental humanities have begun to collaborate under the auspices of the digital environmental humanities (DEH). The overarching aim of this emerging field is to leverage digital technologies in understanding and addressing the urgencies of the Anthropocene. Emphasizing DEH’s focus on natural and cultural vitality, this article begins with a historical overview of the field. Crafting an account of the field’s emergence, we argue that the present momentum toward DEH exhibits four broad thematic strains including perennial eco-archiving; Anthropocene narratives of loss; citizen ecohumanities; and human-plant-environment relations. Within each of …

The Effect Of Acute Exercise On Objectively Measured Sleep And Cognition In Older Adults, Kelsey R. Sewell, Nathan D. W. Smith, Stephanie R. Rainey-Smith, Jeremiah Peiffer, Hamid R. Sohrabi, Kirk I. Erickson, Belinda M. Brown

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Exercise can improve cognition in aging, however it is unclear how exercise influences cognition, and sleep may partially explain this association. The current study aimed to investigate whether objectively measured sleep mediates the effect of an acute exercise intervention on cognition in older adults. Methods: Participants were 30 cognitively unimpaired, physically active older adults (69.2 ± 4.3 years) with poor sleep (determined via self-report). After a triple baseline cognitive assessment to account for any natural fluctuation in cognitive performance, participants completed either a single bout of 20-minutes of high intensity exercise on a cycle ergometer, or a control condition, …

Do Children Have A Right To Do Nothing? Exploring The Place Of Passive Leisure In Australian School Age Care, Jennifer Cartmel, Bruce Hurst, Francis Bobongie-Harris, Fay Hadley, Lennie Barblett, Linda Harrison, Susan Irvine

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In 2021, the Australian Government commissioned a review and update of My Time Our Place, its curriculum framework for School-Age Care services for primary-age children. One update trialled was the introduction of passive leisure. Whilst children’s passive use of leisure time is recognised as a right, it is often problematised and associated with negative health outcomes. This article explores a trial of passive leisure provision. It provides hopeful evidence that passive leisure spaces can be interactive, conversational and restful.

Examining Single Session Peer-Teaching Instructional Approaches On Pre-Service Physical Education Teachers’ Throwing Techniques, Bradley Beseler, Mandy S. Plumb, Michael Spittle, Nicola F. Johnson, Jack T. Harvey, Christopher Mesagno

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

An important role of a Physical Education (PE) teacher is to assist students to develop the fundamental motor skills (FMS) that will allow them to participate in physical activities with competence and confidence. Thus, PE teachers require the knowledge and skills to carry out this crucial task. In the crowded curricula of Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) programs, there are limited opportunities for pre-service PE teachers to learn how to analyze and perform a large list of motor skills. Our purposes in this study were to determine whether a single session peer-teaching intervention could improve pre-service PE teachers’ short-term non-dominant …

Changes In Parental Anxiety And Intention To Demand Antibiotics: A Longitudinal Study Among Parents During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Aaron L. Alejandro, Mieghan Bruce, Wei W. C. Leo

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Aims: Assessing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on parental anxiety and preferences for antibiotic treatment can help inform antibiotic stewardship strategies. Therefore, this study aimed to examine COVID-19 pandemic-related changes in parental anxiety levels, their intentions to demand antibiotics and frequencies of practising preventative behaviours. Design: This longitudinal quantitative study compared two groups of parents, those from Victoria and Western Australia, who experienced high and low COVID-19 risk, respectively. Methods: Participants were recruited through an online panel to complete three waves of surveys between October 2020 and August 2021. Anxiety scores and frequency of preventative behaviours were analysed using …

Investigating Pre-Professional Dancer Health Status And Preventative Health Knowledge, Joanna Nicholas, Sara Grafenauer

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: Dance is a highly demanding physical pursuit coupled with pressure to conform to aesthetic ideals. Assessment of health status and preventative health knowledge of pre-professional dancers may help inform educational strategies promoting dancers’ health and career longevity. The aim of this research was to establish a baseline understanding of dance students at a single pre-professional institution based on metrics focused on current health, nutrition, lifestyle, and wellbeing while also gauging knowledge of longer-term health implications. Methods: Adopting a cross-sectional study design, the Dance-Specific Energy Availability Questionnaire was tailored for Australian participants and administered online. Results: The response rate was …

Midwives’ Experiences Of The Consequences Of Navigating Barriers To Maternity Care, Yakubu Ismaila, Sara Bayes, Sadie Geraghty

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Midwives in Low- and middle-income countries, experience myriad barriers that have consequences for them and for maternity care. This article provides insight into the consequences of the barriers that Ghanaian midwives face in their workplaces. Glaserian Grounded Theory methodology using semi-structured interviews and non-participant observations was applied in this study. The study participants comprised of 29 midwives and a pharmacist, a social worker, a health services manager, and a National Insurance Scheme manager in Ghana. Data collection and analysis occurred concurrently while building on already analyzed data. In this study it was identified that barriers to Ghanaian midwives’ ability to …

An Investigation Into Theories Of Odd Meter And Their Application To Jazz Composition And Improvisation, Kristian Borring

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research examines how perception and cognition theories regarding musical meter may assist in the process of developing ‘odd meter’ practice in jazz for ‘melodic’ instrumentalists. Introduced in jazz as early as the 1950s, the integration of irregular meters into jazz practice has occurred only incrementally, as has the knowledge towards their theoretical premises. With the author acting as the intertwined composer and improviser, this study aims to develop an approach towards proliferating a ‘fluent idiolect’ to aid in obtaining clarity surrounding odd-meter types and present rhythmic and melodic strategies based on the investigation of theoretical underpinnings of meter. The …

The Concept And Role Of Meaningful Work In The Context Of Pakistan – An Exploratory Study Of Junior Doctors, Abid Hussain

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Over the past decade, the concept of meaningful work has gained increased attention from human resource management, organisational science, and management scholars. This can be largely attributed to the growing global concern for the wellbeing and meaningful engagement of individuals in the workforce, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. The literature on meaningful work reveals that there are multiple perspectives and theoretical approaches to the conceptualisation of meaningful work which can be found primarily within Western societies and Western scholarship and are often based on Western worldviews. Most of the quantitative and qualitative empirical studies adopt a reductionist approach and tend …

The Cartographies Of Place: Approaches To Audio-Visual Composition Incorporating Aspects Of Place, Wing S. Tsang

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Incorporating aural and visual elements of a place in a composition serves as a powerful way of exploring the intersection of time, history and geography associated with a location. The combination of these elements acts as an invitation for deeper engagement by offering multiple perspectives of place. One way of exploring these intersections is through incorporating aspects of place—in the form of field recordings, field footage and cartographical information—into audio and audio-visual work, where spatial and physical information can be situated as a way of representing an individual’s surroundings and subjective realities of place. This practice-led exegesis aims to explore …

Transformation At The Cultural Interface: Exploring The Experiences Of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander University Students, Braden Hill, Caroline Nilson, Bep Uink, Catherine Fetherston

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Research on transformative learning (Mezirow, 1991), particularly within the context of higher education, has demonstrated the significant impact university learning can have on a wide range of cohorts across diverse learning contexts. However, the extensive body of literature pertaining to transformative learning remains largely silent on the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander university students and the extent to which their engagement with academia can be transformative. Nevertheless, Nakata’s (2007b) cultural interface theory has shaped policy, practice and thought in Indigenous higher education, elucidating the nuances, complexities and challenges that confront Indigenous students in their journey through university. In …

Pedagogy Of Belonging: Pausing To Be Human In Higher Education, Narelle Lemon

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Valuing care and self-care in higher education requires a conscious pause and rethinking of how we are together as educators and students. The pandemic caused various complexities, including changes in curriculum delivery, deadlines, and assessment modes, leading to feelings of overwhelm, anxiety, and change fatigue, which contributed to the emergence of panicgogy. This paper argues for the need to disrupt this way of being and experiencing the pandemic through valuing humanity and repositioning self-care and care by and for academics to inform their pedagogy. Presented is the narrative and the design story behind Pedagogy of Belonging (PoB), a systems informed …

Woman-Centred Ethics: A Feminist Participatory Action Research, Katherine A. Buchanan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Background: The maternity system has a complexity of everyday ethical issues. The bioethical principles: non maleficence, beneficence justice and autonomy, that govern health care practice have been criticised as abstract, patriarchal and even rhetorical in maternity care practice (MacLellan, 2014) and consequently may be insufficient in guiding care of childbearing women. Midwifery-led care is guided by the International Confederation of Midwives International Code of Ethics, which considers more than the bioethical principles, such as the importance of relationship. Care ethics is a relational based feminist ethics first described by Gilligan (1983) and has been theorised as an alternate paradigm for …

The Experience Of Meaningful Rehabilitation As Perceived By People With Chronic Pain: A Phenomenological Study, Katrina J. Liddiard, Annette J. Raynor, Helen Dejong, Cary A. Brown

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

BACKGROUND: People with chronic pain may seek rehabilitation to reduce pain and restore productivity and valued roles. Theoretically, a biopsychosocial approach makes rehabilitation more meaningful, however, the limited research on meaningful rehabilitation predominantly describes the perspective of therapists and researchers. The client's perspective of meaningfulness in rehabilitation is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the experience of meaningfulness in rehabilitation from the perspective of people with chronic pain. METHODS: Qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with Australian adults who had chronic pain and recent experience of occupational therapy or physiotherapy. Sampling continued until thematic saturation occurred. Transcripts were coded and analyzed using theory-driven …

The International Framework For School Health Promotion: Supporting Young People Through And After The Covid-19 Pandemic, Joseph J. Scott, Lynette Vernon, Alexandra P. Metse

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

BACKGROUND: The worldwide COVID-19 government restrictions imposed on young people to limit virus spread have precipitated a growing and long-term educational and health crisis. CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE THEORY: This novel study used Sen's Capabilities Approach as a theoretical framework to examine the current health and educational impacts of COVID-19 on youth, referencing emerging literature. The objective was to inform the design of an internationally relevant framework for school health promotion to support young people through and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Mapping of existing health resources, internal/external conversion factors and capabilities were used to identify classroom, school and system level strategies …

Philosophical Inquiry In A Culturally Diverse, Faith-Based Community, Kwadwo Adusei-Asante, Kaz Bland, Nin Kirkham, Douglas Nelson, Stella Tarrant

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper reports on collaborative research undertaken with the African Australian Christian Impact Centre (CIC) in Perth, Western Australia. It is part of a larger university philosophy outreach program in which the researchers seek to create opportunities for those on the educational and social margins, and young people, to engage in ‘doing philosophy’, and to learn from them about their experiences. We were interested to evaluate whether the collaborative philosophical inquiry methods we use in our university teaching could be beneficial outside of a formal educational setting, for members of the culturally diverse, faith-based community of CIC. In this multi-method …

The Servant Of God As A Proactive Manager: A Team Service Solution Model For Meeting Covid-19 Challenges In Indonesia, Muner Daliman, Jonathan James

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life have died in Indonesia from Covid−19; work practices have been disrupted and various changes have occurred, including the sphere of service in churches, foundations, schools, and universities. The study aims to understand the concept of the proactive manager as a servant of God: a representative and spokesman for God who is obliged to plan, implement, and evaluate what he/she is doing in carrying out what God wills during the challenges of the Covid−19 era in Indonesia. The research method used was content analysis from secular and biblical texts. The results …