Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Negotiating Adversity With Humour: A Case Study Of Wildland Firefighter Women, Christine Eriksen

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper examines humour as an emergent theme within a long-term study of the gendered terrain of wildfire management. It analyses a set of semi-structured interviews that the study utilised to facilitate in-depth conversations with firefighter women about everyday gender relations, politics and practices within the New South Wales National Parks and Wildfire Service, Australia. The narrative analysis unpacks the dual function of humour as an explanatory tool during interviews, and as an everyday practice to negotiate adversity within the patriarchal stronghold of wildland firefighting. The study shows: a) how humour masks widespread occurrences of gender discrimination, and b) that …

Nature Conservation And Nature-Based Tourism: A Paradox?, Isabelle D. Wolf, David B. Croft, Ronda J. Green

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Throughout the world, areas have been reserved for their exceptional environmental values, such as high biodiversity. Financial, political and community support for these protected areas is often dependent on visitation by nature-based tourists. This visitation inevitably creates environmental impacts, such as the construction and maintenance of roads, tracks and trails; trampling of vegetation and erosion of soils; and propagation of disturbance of resilient species, such as weeds. This creates tension between the conservation of environmental values and visitation. This review examines some of the main features of environmental impacts by nature-based tourists through a discussion of observational and manipulative studies. …

Book Review: Culture Myths, Skye Playsted

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Book review of: DeCapua, A. (2018). Culture myths: Applying second language research to classroom teaching. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. 188pp.

Effects Of Pointing Gestures On Memory For (In)Congruent Stimuli In Children And Young Adults, Kim Ouwehand, Katinka Dijkstra, Tamara Van Gog, Fred Paas

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

We investigated whether finger pointing toward picture locations can be used as an external cognitive control tool to guide attention and compensate for the immature cognitive control functions in children compared with young adults. Item and source memory performance was compared for picture-location pairs that were either semantically congruent (e.g., a cloud presented at the upper half of the screen) or incongruent (e.g., a cloud presented at the lower part of the screen). Contrary to our expectations, pointing had an adverse effect on source memory compared to visual observation only, in both age groups. As expected, superior source memory performance …

Utilising The Social Return On Investment (Sroi) Framework To Gauge Social Value In The Fast Forward Program, Jioji Ravulo, Shannon Said, Jim Micsko, Gayl Purchase

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

A market paradigm shift towards a 'knowledge-based economy' means Australia is moving towards a major skills crisis whereby the workforce will lack skills attainable from higher education. Moreover, those from low socio-economic backgrounds, and who are confronted with disadvantage, still face challenges in gaining entry to university. The Fast Forward Program (FFP) aims to increase attainment of higher education for greater western Sydney high school students in years 9-12, with a focus on dismantling the social barriers preventing attainment. To achieve this aim, the program hosts a range of student and parent in-school workshops and on-campus visits. To capture the …

Viewpoints: Should Teaching Students Who Fail A Literacy And Numeracy Test Be Barred From Teaching?, Lynn D. Sheridan, Nan Bahr

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Starting this month, teaching students who fail or haven't yet taken the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE) will not be able to teach in Victorian schools. Previously, around one in 20 teachers who had failed the test or hadn't taken it yet received provisional registration. Prospective students who took the test late in 2018 received their results on January 11.

A Qualitative Exploration Of The Thai Alcohol Policy In Regulating Alcohol Industry's Marketing Strategies And Commercial Activities, Ratchakorn Kaewpramkusol, Kate Senior, Sutham Nanthamongkolchai, Richard D. Chenhall

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Introduction and Aims: The recognition of the association between the use of alcohol and negative health outcomes have led to the endorsement of the World Health Organization's global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol. Given the capacities, capabilities and sociocultural contexts of Thailand, this study aims to examine the Thai alcohol policy against the global strategy's recommended policy measures for marketing control and identify areas for further policy development.

Design and Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the stakeholders from three sectors: the government, academia and civil society. Their perceptions of the Thai alcohol policy in …

Does Dissatisfaction With, Or Accurate Perception Of Overweight Status Help People Reduce Weight? Longitudinal Study Of Australian Adults, Xiaoqi Feng, Andrew Wilson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: With studies around the world suggesting a large proportion of people do not recognise that they are overweight (or feel satisfied with being overweight), this fuels the view that such 'misperceptions' need to be 'corrected'. However, few longitudinal studies have examined the consequences of under-perceived weight status, nor over-perceived weight status (when a person feels overweight when they are not) and weight-related satisfaction on trajectories in body mass index (BMI).

Methods: Five-year BMI trajectories were examined among 8174 participants in an Australian nationally representative cohort. Each person was classified into groups according to their neighbourhood socioeconomic circumstances, baseline BMI …

Accounts From Developers Of Generic Health State Utility Instruments Explain Why They Produce Different Qalys: A Qualitative Study, Kristen Pickles, Emily Lancsar, Janelle Seymour, David Parkin, Cam Donaldson, Stacy M. Carter

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Purpose and setting: Despite the label "generic" health state utility instruments (HSUIs), empirical evidence shows that different HSUIs generate different estimates of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in the same person. Once a HSUI is used to generate a QALY, the difference between HSUIs is often ignored, and decision-makers act as if 'a QALY is a QALY is a QALY'. Complementing evidence that different generic HSUIs produce different empirical values, this study addresses an important gap by exploring how HSUIs differ, and processes that produced this difference. 15 developers of six generic HSUIs used for estimating the QOL component of …

Reflective Practice To Guide Teacher Learning: A Practitioner's Journey With Beginner Adult English Language Learners, Skye Playsted

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Reflective practice in TESOL is widely used in pre-service and in-service teacher education contexts and is regarded as beneficial for ongoing professional learning. While models of reflective language teaching vary, they all aim to improve classroom outcomes for teachers and students. A holistic approach to reflective practice includes teachers' beliefs, philosophies and the interaction of their teaching practices with moral and social issues outside the classroom as part of the self-reflective teaching process (Farrell, 2015; Larrivee, 2000). Reflecting on the teaching journey in this way can help teachers make sense of how individual beliefs about teaching interact with professional experiences, …

Green And Blue Infrastructure In Darwin; Carbon Economies And The Social And Cultural Dimensions Of Valuing Urban Mangroves In Australia, Jennifer M. Atchison

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Darwin's mangrove ecosystems, some of the most extensive and biodiverse in the world, are part of the urban fabric in the tropical north of Australia but they are also clearly at risk from the current scale and pace of development. Climate motivated market-based responses, the so-called 'new-carbon economies', are one prominent approach to thinking differently about the value of living infrastructure and how it might provide for and improve liveability. In the Australian context, there are recent efforts to promote mangrove ecosystems as blue infrastructure, specifically as blue carbon, but also little recognition or valuation of them as green or …

Increased Beta Activity Links To Impaired Emotional Control In Adhd Adults With High Iq, Hui Li, Qihua Zhao, Fang Huang, Qingjiu Cao, Stuart J. Johnstone, Yufeng Wang, Changming Wang, Li Sun

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: The present study investigated the neuropathology of everyday-life executive function (EF) deficits in adults with ADHD with high IQ. Method: Forty adults with ADHD with an IQ ≥ 120 and 40 controls were recruited. Ecological EFs were measured, and eyes-closed Electroencephalograph (EEG) signals were recorded during a resting-state condition; EEG power and correlations with impaired EFs were analyzed. Results: Compared with controls, the ADHD group showed higher scores on all clusters of EF. The ADHD group showed globally increased theta, globally decreased alpha, and increased central beta activity. In the ADHD group, central beta power was significantly related to …

Alteration To Hippocampal Volume And Shape Confined To Cannabis Dependence: A Multi-Site Study, Yann Chye, Valentina Lorenzetti, Chao Suo, Albert Batalla, Janna Cousijn, Anna Goudriaan, M D. Jenkinson, Rocio Martin-Santos, Sarah Whittle, Murat Yucel, Nadia Solowij

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Cannabis use is highly prevalent and often considered to be relatively harmless. Nonetheless, a subset of regular cannabis users may develop dependence, experiencing poorer quality of life and greater mental health problems relative to non-dependent users. The neuroanatomy characterizing cannabis use versus dependence is poorly understood. We aimed to delineate the contributing role of cannabis use and dependence on morphology of the hippocampus, one of the most consistently altered brain regions in cannabis users, in a large multi-site dataset aggregated across four research sites. We compared hippocampal volume and vertex-level hippocampal shape differences (1) between 121 non-using controls and 140 …

Water, Skin And Touch: Migrant Bathing Assemblages, Gordon R. Waitt, Louisa Welland

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper offers a contribution to cultures of urban water research through household ethnographies conducted with 16 participants who migrated from Burma to Sydney, Australia. We draw on a strand of corporeal feminism and offer the concept of bathing assemblages to interpret how watery skin encounters provide clues to how participants washed themselves in their 'home' country may persist, transform or stop. Our analysis maps how dimensions of the self (ethical, gender, class, ethnic, national faith and others) are constituted by, and generative of, the felt intensities of watery encounters through different bathing assemblages. This paper illustrates how bathing practices …

Financing The Low-Carbon City: Can Local Government Leverage Public Finance To Facilitate Equitable Decarbonisation?, Paris Hadfield, Nicole T. Cook

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

As decarbonisation interventions proliferate within cities, local governments setting ambitious targets are increasingly engaged in complex financial relations. Recognising the necessary cost of renewable and energy efficient infrastructures, and the ever-present constraints on public funds, this paper argues that finance is a critical node through which local governments advance decarbonisation in urban localities. While local decarbonisation strategies have been viewed cautiously for their potential to overburden individuals at the expense of more systematic and organisational change, this paper reveals a more complex picture. Drawing on decarbonisation initiatives in two Melbourne municipalities-Moreland and Darebin-it identifies four ways in which local governments …

Quality Interactions In Early Childhood Education And Care Center Outdoor Environments, Karen L. Tonge, Rachel A. Jones, Anthony D. Okely

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Quality interactions are crucial for children's learning and development. Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) centers have the opportunity to support children's learning and development, yet the quality of interactions and influences on the quality of interactions in outdoor environments is not known. Research findings: this study assessed the quality of educator interactions in outdoor environments using the CLASS Pre-K assessment tool. 11 ECEC centres participated in the study, which included 110 educators and 490 children. 87 observations were collected to measure the CLASS Pre-K domains (1-lowest to 7-highest). Mean domain scores were 6.02 (emotional support), 5.23 (Classroom Organization) and …

Association Between Breaks In Sitting Time And Adiposity In Australian Toddlers: Results From The Get-Up! Study, Eduarda Manuela De Sousa Rodrigues De Sa, Joao Rafael Rodrigues Pereira, Zhiguang Zhang, Sanne L.C Veldman, Anthony D. Okely, Rute Santos

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: In youth, research on the health benefits of breaking up sitting time is inconsistent. Our aim was to explore the association between the number of breaks in sitting time and adiposity in Australian toddlers. Methods: This study comprised 266 toddlers (52% boys), aged 19.6 ± 4.2 months from the GET-UP! Study, Australia. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated and z-scores by age and sex were computed for waist circumference (WC). Participants were classified as overweight according to the WHO criteria for BMI. For WC, participants with a z-score≥1SD were considered overweight. Sitting time was assessed with activPALs during childcare …

Own A Bike You Never Ride? We Need To Learn How To Fail Better At Active Transport, Glen Fuller, Gordon R. Waitt, Ian M. Buchanan, Tess Lea, Theresa Harada

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Once upon a time when something was simple to do we said: "It's as easy as riding a bike." But switching from driving a car to riding a bike as one's main means of transport is anything but easy. The well-documented obstacles holding people back from cycling include a lack of proper bike lanes, secure parking arrangements, end-of-trip facilities and bike-friendly public transport, as well as lack of convenient storage space. Despite these obstacles, people continue to try to make cycling a central part of their lives, with varying degrees of success. While we know broadly what the impediments are, …

Happy Sad Man: A Small, Gentle, Important Film That Reveals The Vulnerability Of Men, Scott J. Mckinnon

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Review: Happy Sad Man, directed by Genevieve Bailey

Transformational Adaptation On The Farm: Processes Of Change And Persistence In Transitions To 'Climate-Smart' Regenerative Agriculture, Hannah Gosnell, Nicholas J. Gill, Michelle A. Voyer

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Regenerative agriculture, an alternative form of food and fiber production, concerns itself with enhancing and restoring resilient systems supported by functional ecosystem processes and healthy, organic soils capable of producing a full suite of ecosystem services, among them soil carbon sequestration and improved soil water retention. As such, climate change mitigation and adaptation are incidental to a larger enterprise that employs a systems approach to managing landscapes and communities. The transformative potential of regenerative agriculture has seen growing attention in the popular press, but few empirical studies have explored the processes by which farmers enter into, navigate, and, importantly, sustain …

Shark Nets Are Destructive And Don't Keep You Safe - Let's Invest In Lifeguards, Leah Maree Gibbs, Lachlan Fetterplace, Quentin A. Hanich

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

As Australians look forward to the summer beach season, the prospect of shark encounters may cross their minds. Shark control has been the subject of furious public debate in recent years and while some governments favour lethal methods, it is the wrong route. Our study, published today in People and Nature, presents further evidence that lethal shark hazard management damages marine life and does not keep people safe. We examined the world's longest-running lethal shark management program, the New South Wales Shark Meshing (Bather Protection) Program, introduced in 1937. We argue it is time to move on from shark nets …

Assessment Of Physical Activity Indicators For Children And Youth In Ethiopia: Evidence From The Global Matrix 3.0 Study (2017-2018), Chalchisa Abdeta, Zelalem Teklemariam, Alem Deksisa, Endashew Abera, Reginald Ocansey, Anthony D. Okely

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Regular physical activity is vital for children's health, well-being, and development. However, evidence is scant about physical activity indicators for children and youth in Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess physical activity indicators among children and youth in Ethiopia. Methods: This study was conducted as part of the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance's "Global Matrix 3.0" which included 49 countries. Data were collected from December 2017 to April 2018. The country research team included different disciplines related to physical activity. Data were retrieved from pre-reviewed literature, government policy documents, and an expert interview panel. Data were analyzed using the …

Maths Anxious Pre-Service Teachers' Perspectives Of "Doing" Mathematics In A Whiteboard Room, Sarah Sanders, Wendy S. Nielsen, Carolyn Mcphail, Patricia A. Forrester

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Mathematics anxiety is common among pre-service primary teachers and many experience higher levels of maths anxiety than other university students. This study asks: What are maths anxious pre-service teachers' perspectives of "doing" mathematics in a whiteboard room? The Abbreviated Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (A-MARS) was used to identify high, medium and low levels of maths anxiety in a cohort of first-year pre-service teachers (n=196). Semi-structured interviews (n=6) explored perspectives that were analysed through Vygotsky's sociocultural dimensions of the intrapersonal and the interpersonal, as well as the physical environment of the whiteboard room. Results show that doing maths in a whiteboard …

Physical Activity And Screen Time In Out Of School Hours Care: An Observational Study, Carol Maher, Rosa Virgara, Anthony D. Okely, Rebecca M. Stanley, Millie Watson, Lucy Lewis

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background

This study aimed to describe, and identify predictors of, physical activity and screen time in children attending out of school hours care (OSHC).

Method

Twenty-three randomly selected OSHC centres (n = 1068 children) participated in this observational, cross-sectional study. Service directors completed interviews regarding policy, training, scheduling and equipment related to physical activity and screen time. Children’s activity behaviours (moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light physical activity, sedentary time and screen time) were measured using standardised direct observation.

Results

Directors’ interviews revealed a lack of formal policy guiding physical activity and screen time. Time spent in activity …

My Children... Think It's Cool That Mum Is A Uni Student: Women With Caring Responsibilities Studying Online, Cathy Stone, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Much has been written about the growing influence and reach of online learning in higher education, including the opportunities that this can offer for improving student equity and widening participation. One area of student equity in which online learning has an influence is that of gender equity, particularly for mature-age students. This article explicitly explores how the dual identities of student and family carer are managed by women studying online. It highlights the largely invisible yet emotional and time-consuming additional load that many women are carrying and discusses the importance of this being recognised and accommodated at an institutional level. …

Jindaola, An Aboriginal Way For Curriculum Development, Jade E. Kennedy, Lisa K. Thomas, Alisa J. Percy, Julia I. Avena, Bonnie Amelia Dean, Kathryn Harden-Thew, Janine Delahunty, Maarten F. De Laat

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

"A Passion And Enthusiasm To Bring Out The Best In All": Regional Candidate Teacher Motivations, Lynn D. Sheridan

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In this study the career motivations and values of regional candidate teachers are investigated using a mixed methodology. Expectancy-value theory (Wigfield & Eccles, 2000) supports the understanding of motivations through the use of four key value categories: interest, utility, attainment and cost. A total of 135 pre-service teachers were surveyed using a modified survey instrument. This study addresses a gap in career motivational literature by exploring the motivations of regional teacher candidates. Current research indicates that quality staffing in Australian regional schools remains a significant concern. Findings indicated that candidates' motivations tended to be aspirational, yet there also exist strong …

Strategic Or Piecemeal? Smart City Initiatives In Sydney And Melbourne, Robyn Dowling, Pauline M. Mcguirk, Charles Gillon

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper focuses on the smart urbanism that is being crafted by local authorities in metropolitan Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. Offering an extensive analysis of the Australian context, we chart firstly how engagement with smart is primarily focused on improving quotidian local government functions. Second, our analysis of the diverse mechanisms and policies through which cities are being made smart shows that piecemeal initiatives rather than smart city strategies predominate in the two cities. There is a variegated geography of smart urbanism in these two cities, we conclude, that is incrementally rather than radically transforming cities and their governance.

Cruel Optimism? Socially Critical Perspectives On The Obesity Assemblage, Lisette Burrows, Deana Leahy, Jan Wright

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Socially critical scholars in Health and Physical Education (HPE) have been raising questions about the ethical, moral and social consequences of charging schools with the burden of ameliorating an ‘obesity’ problem for years, yet there is little sign of any substantial shift in the thinking that drives obesity strategies and policies in and around schools. Drawing on exemplars from our own and others’ practice, we interrogate the extent to which socially critical obesity work, and post-structural work, in particular, can contribute to new understandings of the ‘obesity assemblage’. Can our own repetitive aspirations to disrupt dominant discourses be regarded as …

Riots In West Papua: Why Indonesia Needs To Answer For Its Broken Promises, Camellia B. Webb-Gannon

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Last weekend, the Indonesian police took 43 West Papuan students into custody for allegedly disrespecting the Indonesian flag during an independence day celebration (an allegation the students deny). Police stormed the students' dorm and used teargas to force them out, while bystanders and officers called them "monkeys", a derogatory term for ethnically Melanesian Papuans. West Papuans have long been cast by Indonesians as primitive people from the Stone Age, and this racist treatment continues to this day. West Papuan author Filep Karma described the extent of racism against West Papuans in his 2014 book, As If We Are Half-Animal: Indonesia's …