Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Uk Labour Party Wants To Abolish Private Schools - Could We Do That In Australia?, Paul Andrew Kidson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The UK's Labour Party recently voted in a policy to effectively abolish private schools and integrate them into the state system. This is a courageous move designed to redress social inequity - many of those working in the top levels of the UK government were educated in private schools. Two of Britain's three most recent prime ministers went to the prestigious Eton College, which charges annual fees of more than £40,000. The UK opposition party's plan will likely warm the hearts of similarly minded Australians. Many of the same arguments about educational inequality have been floated in Australia. Many individuals …

What Do Your Earliest Childhood Memories Say About You?, Penny Van Bergen, Amy L. Bird, Rebecca Andrews

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

How Do People Belong In The Pacific? Introduction To This Issue, Camellia B. Webb-Gannon, Jioji Ravulo

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In early 2016, the two editors of this issue met together to discuss our common research interests. At that time, one of us (Jioji Ravulo) was a Senior Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences and Psychology at Western Sydney University (WSU), and the other of us (Camellia Webb-Gannon) was a Research Fellow in the School of Humanities and Communication Arts at the same institution. Camellia, whose research focuses on decolonisation in Melanesia, had recently returned from the 2016 Australian Association for Pacific Studies (AAPS) conference in Cairns at which she had hoped she would meet other researchers of the …

With Apartment Living On The Rise, How Do Families And Their Noisy Children Fit In?, Sophie-May Kerr

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

A growing number of Australians live in apartments. The compact city model presents many benefits. However, living close to each other also presents challenges. Rapid growth in apartment developments in recent decades has led to a rise in noise-related complaints and disputes across urban Australia. Households with children are on the front line of such tensions. They are one of the fastest-growing demographics living in apartments. Analysis of the latest census data show, for instance, that families with children under the age of 15 comprise 25% of Sydney's apartment population. Apartment design and cultural acceptance of families in the vertical …

What Are 'Decodable Readers' And Do They Work?, Misty Adoniou, Brian L. Cambourne, Robyn Ewing

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The Victorian Coalition has promised $2.8 million for "decodable readers" for schools if they win the upcoming election. Money for books must surely be a good thing. But what exactly is a "decodable reader"? After all, surely all books are decodable. If they weren't decodable they would be unreadable.

Rediscovering Why I Do What I Do: The Benefits Of Explaining Ergonomics To Researchers From Different Disciplines - A Personal Reflection On A Phd Journey, Alison F. Bell

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the HFESA 52nd Annual Conference, 26-29 November 2017, Wollongong, Australia

Defining Problematic Pharmaceutical Opioid Use Among People Prescribed Opioids For Chronic Noncancer Pain: Do Different Measures Identify The Same Patients?, Gabrielle Campbell, Raimondo Bruno, Nicholas Lintzeris, Milton Cohen, Suzanne Nielsen, Wayne Hall, Briony K. Larance, Richard P. Mattick, Fiona Blyth, Michael P. Farrell, Louisa Degenhardt

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) are routinely used in diagnosing illicit substance use disorders, but for people taking prescribed opioids they remain controversial. In pain medicine, the concept of "Addiction" is preferred with reduced emphasis on tolerance and withdrawal. This article examines the prevalence and characteristics of pharmaceutical opioid dependence/disorder according to ICD, DSM, and the pain medicine concept of "Addiction," among chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) patients prescribed opioids. In the current study, we used data from a national sample of 1134 people prescribed opioids for CNCP. Past 12-month "Addiction" (based on …

In The Mind Of An Elite Athlete: What Do Sportspeople Think When They Excel?, Christian F. Swann

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Most of us are fascinated by the achievements and successes of elite athletes, who train for years to have the opportunity to reach their goals on the world stage.

These sportspeople show us what's possible for the human body - how fast we can move, how far and high we can jump, how strong or graceful we can be. But what goes on in the mind of an elite athlete performing at their peak?

Athletes' psychological states - the temporary, brief, subjective experiences that happen during exceptional performance - are often collectively described as "the zone". A recent example was …

Do Visual Art Experiences In Early Childhood Settings Foster Educative Growth Or Stagnation?, Gai M. Lindsay

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This article offers findings from research that examined the visual art beliefs and pedagogy of early childhood educators and supports reflection about the educational merit of different types of visual art experience offered to children. The range of visual art experiences typically delivered in early childhood education settings varies significantly in method and purpose, yet there is little guidance to support early childhood educators to evaluate the visual art experiences they include in the curriculum or to consider their role as art educators. At the same time, the research literature suggests that pre- school educators lack confidence to make and …

Do Wi-Fi And Mobile Phones Really Cause Cancer? Experts Respond, Simon Chapman, Darren Saunders, Rodney J. Croft, Sarah P. Loughran

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

On 16th February, Catalyst aired an episode on the ABC titled "Wi-Fried", hosted by Dr Maryanne Demasi, claiming that radiation from mobile phones and Wi-Fi may constitute a brain cancer risk. We invited experts who have conducted research into this area to respond to the claims made in the programme.

Why Do Models Overestimate Surface Ozone In The Southeast United States?, Katherine R. Travis, Daniel J. Jacob, Jenny A. Fisher, Patrick S. Kim, Eloise A. Marais, Lei Zhu, Karen Yu, Christopher C. Miller, Robert M. Yantosca, Melissa P. Sulprizio, Anne M. Thompson, Paul O. Wennberg, John D. Crounse, Jason M. St. Clair, Ronald C. Cohen, Joshua L. Laughner, Jack E. Dibb, Samuel R. Hall, Kirk Ullmann, Glenn M. Wolfe, Illana B. Pollack, Jeff Peischl, Jonathan A. Neuman, Xianliang Zhou

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Ozone pollution in the Southeast US involves complex chemistry driven by emissions of anthropogenic nitrogen oxide radicals (NO_x  ≡  NO + NO₂) and biogenic isoprene. Model estimates of surface ozone concentrations tend to be biased high in the region and this is of concern for designing effective emission control strategies to meet air quality standards. We use detailed chemical observations from the SEAC⁴RS aircraft campaign in August and September 2013, interpreted with the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model at 0.25°  x  0.3125° horizontal resolution, to better understand the factors controlling surface ozone in the Southeast US. …

Why Do Smokers Try To Quit Without Medication Or Counselling? A Qualitative Study With Ex-Smokers, Andrea L. Smith, Stacy M. Carter, Simon Chapman, Sally M. Dunlop, Becky Freeman

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective When tobacco smokers quit, between half and two-thirds quit unassisted: that is, they do not consult their general practitioner (GP), use pharmacotherapy (nicotine-replacement therapy, bupropion or varenicline), or phone a quitline. We sought to understand why smokers quit unassisted. Design Qualitative grounded theory study (in-depth interviews, theoretical sampling, concurrent data collection and data analysis). Participants 21 Australian adult ex-smokers (aged 28-68 years; 9 males and 12 females) who quit unassisted within the past 6 months to 2 years. 12 participants had previous experience of using assistance to quit; 9 had never previously used assistance. Setting Community, Australia. Results Along …

Why Experts Can Do What They Do: The Effects Of Exogenous Resources On The Domain Impact Level Of Activities (Dila), Tobias Debatin, Manuel Hopp, Wilma Vialle, Albert Ziegler

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In many domains, it is estimated that approximately 10,000 hours of planned learning activities are required to reach an expert level of performance. However, this poses a challenge for learners to balance such extensive learning times with the demands of everyday life. In our study we focused on activities in the domain of chess. We hypothesized that chess-related activities could be better integrated in an individual's life if exogenous resources - specified in the educational capital approach (Ziegler & Baker, 2013) - are sufficiently available. In order to test this hypothesis we introduced the concept of the Domain Impact Level …

Do Anaesthetists Believe Their Teaching Is Evidence-Based?, Damian J. Castanelli, Natalie A. Smith, Craig L. F Noonan

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Background: Knowledge translation (KT) and evidence-based practice are widely referenced in clinical medicine, with parallel calls for clinical teaching to better reflect best educational practice. How clinical teachers use medical education theory and evidence is largely unknown. Aims: To explore anaesthetists' attitudes to clinical teaching and medical education theory and evidence: whether they use it, what sources they access and attitudes to possible barriers to its use. Methods: Data were collected from anaesthetists via on-line questionnaire. Results: 364 anaesthetists (19% response rate) completed the questionnaire. Respondents preferentially approach colleagues and access short courses or workshops to improve their teaching. Twenty-eight …

Why Do People Access News With Mobile Devices? Exploring The Role Of Suitability Perception And Motives On Mobile News Use, Hongjin Shim, Kyung Han You, Jeong Kyu Lee, Eun Go

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Using self-reported survey data (N = 281), the present study explores the structural relationships among mobile users' perceptions of the suitability of two types of mobile news (political feature news and entertainment news), users' motivations for mobile news usage, and their behavioral patterns. Our findings show that two types of perceived suitability for mobile news, particularly for political feature news, are strongly associated with all dimensions of motivations for mobile news usage. Furthermore, as predicted, our findings show that the information-seeking motive is the very factor that determines mobile news usage. The results also reveal that the accessibility motive mediates …

Do Neighbourhood Socioeconomic Circumstances Not Matter For Weight Status Among Australian Men? Multilevel Evidence From A Household Survey Of 14 691 Adults, Xiaoqi Feng, Andrew Wilson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: A recent analysis of the Australian National Health Survey (2011-2012) reported that the patterning of overweight and obesity among men, unlike for women, was not associated with neighbourhood socioeconomic disadvantage. The purpose of this study was to examine whether this gender difference in potential neighbourhood 'effects' on adult weight status can be observed in analyses of a different source of data. Design, setting and participants: A cross-sectional sample of 14 693 people aged 18 years or older was selected from the 2012 wave of the 'Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia' (HILDA). Three person-level outcomes were considered: (1) …

Reforming The Legal Definition Of Rape In Victoria - What Do Stakeholders Think?, Wendy Larcombe, Bianca Fileborn, Anastasia Powell, Nicola Henry, Natalia K. Hanley

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Internationally and in Australia, rape law reforms in recent decades have had mixed outcomes. As a result, when the Victorian government began consulting on another round of major reforms in this area, the authors designed a qualitative research project to investigate whether a proposed change to the definition of rape is likely to clarify and simplify the law, as intended. This article draws on a series of semi-structured interviews with stakeholders who have extensive practice- or research-based expertise in criminal justice processing of rape cases. We analyse their perceptions and interpretations of a proposed definition of rape, which would require …

What Might Geohumanities Do? Possibilities, Practices, Publics, And Politics, Harriet Hawkins, Lou Cabeen, Felicity Callard, Noel Castree, Stephen Daniels, Dydia Delyser, Hugh Munro Neely, Peta Mitchell

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This article draws together seven practitioners and scholars from across the diffuse GeoHumanities community to reflect on the pasts and futures of the GeoHumanities. Far from trying to circle the intellectual wagons around orthodoxies of practice or intent, or to determine possibilities in advance, these contributions and the accompanying commentary seek to create connections across the diverse communities of knowledge and practice that constitute the GeoHumanities. Ahead of these six contributions a commentary situates these discussions within wider concerns with interdisciplinarity and identifies three common themes-possibilities practices, and publics-worthy of further discussion and reflection. The introduction concludes by identifying a …

Do We Need Specific Disaster Management Education For Social Work?, Lesley L. Cooper, Lynne Briggs

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Social workers play important roles in disaster rescue, recovery and preparation for future disasters. However, their professional education has few elements that prepare them for specific disaster management roles and activities. This paper provides a review of the activities of social workers in disasters in the Asia Pacific, identifies specific training needs, and notes gaps in education and training. Based on this, curriculum initiatives are proposed that go beyond formal education based on concepts and principles of disaster management to include simulations and practice scenarios reflecting the complexities associated with disaster management in the health, community and human services areas.

Practice Preferences Of Pre-Graduation Allied Health Professionals: Do Graduates Want To Work Where The Workforce Is Needed?, Anne Cusick, Elisha Crichton, Rosalind Bye

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Poster presented at Health Services Research: Evidence-based practice, 1-3 July 2014, London, United Kingdom

How To Attract Foreign Firms To Do Australian Infrastructure, Garry Bowditch

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Australia's two biggest construction companies, Leighton and Lend Lease, control a significant share of construction - up to 75% in cases such as major rail projects. The recent Productivity Commission draft report on public infrastructure found their combined "market shares would appear sufficient to allow them to exercise market power to inflate prices and/or profits". At the same time, the Commission noted that no evidence exists to support such a proposition. A more important unanswered question remains - what conditions are necessary to attract foreign firms to help Australia deliver cheaper, faster and better infrastructure? Looking abroad for solutions can …

Do Low-Income Neighbourhoods Have The Least Green Space? A Cross-Sectional Study Of Australia's Most Populous Cities, Thomas Astell-Burt, Xiaoqi Feng, Suzanne Mavoa, Hannah M. Badland, Billie Giles-Corti

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background

An inequitable distribution of parks and other ‘green spaces’ could exacerbate health inequalities if people on lower incomes, who are already at greater risk of preventable diseases, have poorer access.

Methods

The availability of green space within 1 kilometre of a Statistical Area 1 (SA1) was linked to data from the 2011 Australian census for Sydney (n = 4.6 M residents); Melbourne (n = 4.2 M); Brisbane (n = 2.2 M); Perth (n = 1.8 M); and Adelaide (n = 1.3 M). Socioeconomic circumstances were measured via the percentage population of each SA1 living on < $21,000 per annum. Negative binomial and logit regression models were used to investigate association between the availability of green space in relation to neighbourhood socioeconomic circumstances, adjusting for city and population density.

Results

Green space availability …

How Do Dentists And Their Teams Incorporate Evidence About Preventive Care? An Empirical Study, Alexandra Sbaraini, Stacy M. Carter, R Wendell Evans, Anthony Blinkhorn

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objectives To identify how dentists and their teams adopt evidence‐based preventive care. Methods A qualitative study using grounded theory methodology was conducted. We interviewed 23 participants working in eight dental practices about their experience and work processes, while adopting evidence‐based preventive care. During the study, Charmaz's grounded theory methodology was employed to examine the social process of adopting preventive dental care in dental practices. Charmaz's iteration of the constant comparative method was used during the data analysis. This involved coding of interview transcripts, detailed memo‐writing and drawing diagrams. The transcripts were analyzed as soon as possible after each round of …

Risky Business: Do Private Practice And Clinical Placement Make A Happy Partnership?, Angela Douglas

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Abstract of paper presented at the 2013 Exercise & Sports Science Australia Business Forum, 18-19 May, Wollongong, Australia.

Chaperones For Pap Smears: Do Australian Gps Offer Or Use Them?, Lucie Stanford, Andrew Bonney, Rowena Ivers

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

No abstract provided.

Socio Cultural Arena Of Alcoholism In Australia: What Do We Know?, Nagesh Brahmavar Pai

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

After caffeine, ethanol is probably the most commonly used recreational drug worldwide. However, there is significant variation in the consumption of alcohol between individuals. Alcohol is freely available throughout most of the world, although some communities prohibit its consumption on religious grounds. The World Health Organization (WHO, 2002) reported that in established market economies, 10.3% of the disease burden as quantified by disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) was attributable to alcohol in 2000. This is comparable to the disease burden caused by tobacco (11.7% of DALYs) but significantly more than that due to unprescribed drugs (2.3% of DALYs). However, these figures …

Parental Employment And Child Behaviors: Do Parenting Practices Underlie These Relationships?, Renata Hadzic, Christopher A. Magee, Laura Robinson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study examined whether hours of parental employment were associated with child behaviors via parenting practices. The sample included 2,271 Australian children aged 4-5 years at baseline. Two-wave panel mediation models tested whether parenting practices that were warm, hostile, or characterized by inductive reasoning linked parent's hours of paid employment with their child's behavior at age 6-7 years. There were significant indirect effects linking mother employment to child behavior. No paid employment and full-time work hours were associated with more behavioral problems in children through less-warm parenting practices; few hours or long hours were associated with improved behavioral outcomes through …

Where Do Older Australians Receive Their Health Information? Health Information Sources And Their Perceived Reliability, Pippa Burns, Sandra C. Jones, Donald C. Iverson, Peter Caputi

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Chronic disease prevalence is increasing, in part due to the ageing population, adding further pressure to Australia's over-stretched primary health care services. While patients are encouraged to self-manage their chronic disease(s) in order to minimise the impact on their day-to-day functioning, little is known about where older adults receive health information and their perceptions of the reliability of these sources. Such knowledge would facilitate the development of self-management support strategies using health information sources that are acceptable to older adults. Methods: A cross-sectional design was utilised to investigate where older adults receive their health information and their perceptions of …

Do We Have The Reliable Data? An Exploration Of Data Quality For Aids Information System In China, Hong Chen, Ping Yu, Ning Wang

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

A national AIDS program evaluation system has been applied to the ranking of the performance of involved public health organizations in China since 2007. The system provides quantitative performance comparison information based on automatic mining of the data stored in a unified web-based national information system, China AIDS Comprehensive Response Information Management System (the CRIMS). Hence, the quality of the AIDS program evaluation system is directly related to the data quality in the CRIMS. This study aims to evaluate the performance of the AIDS program evaluation system. The research method is qualitative interview of public health practitioners in Jiangxi Province. …

Do Social Interactions Explain Ethnic Differences In Psychological Distress And The Protective Effect Of Local Ethnic Density? A Cross-Sectional Study Of 226 487 Adults In Australia, Xiaoqi Feng, Thomas Astell-Burt, Gregory Kolt

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background A frequently proposed, but under-researched hypothesis is that ethnic density benefits mental health through increasing social interactions. We examined this hypothesis in 226 487 adults from 19 ethnic groups aged 45 years and older in Australia. Methods Multilevel logit regression was used to measure the association between ethnicity, social interactions, own-group ethnic density and scores of 22+ on the Kessler scale of psychological distress. Self-reported ancestry was used as a proxy for ethnicity. Measures of social interactions included a number of times in the past week were (i) spent with friends or family participants did not live with; (ii) …