Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Pacific Islands Field Education - Promoting Pacific Social Work Education & Practice Across Oceania, Jioji Ravulo

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The Pacific Islands Field Education (PIFE) initiative started in 2012 and has developed into an innovative project combining various stakeholders. Over the last 4 years, it has seen 20 Western Sydney University (WSU) students successfully complete a 3-month field education placement in either Fiji, Samoa or Tonga; in an array of agencies working with women, children, families and adult offenders. Apart from mobilising students to undertake international learning opportunities, the initiative strives to support the development of social work education, teaching and learning outcomes with the University of the South Pacific (USP); who has an active MOU arrangement with Western …

Correlates Of Children's Objectively Measured Physical Activity And Sedentary Behavior In Early Childhood Education And Care Services: A Systematic Review, Karen Tonge, Rachel A. Jones, Anthony D. Okely

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: To systematically review the correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior among children in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services. Appropriate levels of physical activity and sedentary behavior are important to promote in ECEC services. Methods: A systematic search of 8 databases identified 27 studies published between 1992 and 2015 that met the inclusion criteria. The data were collected and analyzed in 2014 and 2015, and variables were categorized using a Social Ecological Framework. Results: Sixty-six variables were identified. The domains of child characteristics (18 studies) and physical environmental factors (17 studies) were most consistently studied, and, for …

An Integrated Model Of Staff Education And Service Support To Strengthen The Efficacy Of Technology-Based Crisis Services, Taneile Kitchingman, Peter Caputi, Ian G. Wilson, Alan Woodward

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Paper presented at the National Suicide Prevention Conference, 24-27 July 2016, Canberra, Australia.

Within Australia, non-clinical telephone and online crisis support services provide readily accessible support without the requirement of referral. Research shows that up to one third of callers to crisis lines and half of all visitors to crisis chat services may be suicidal at the time of contact. Research also shows that contact with these services reduces caller suicidality and facilitates engagement with necessary intervention. The number of contacts to crisis support services in Australia is increasing. An increase in contacts to technology-based crisis services highlights the need …

Opportunity Through Online Learning: Experiences Of First-In-Family Students In Online Open-Entry Higher Education, Cathy Stone, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea, Josephine May, Janine Delahunty, Zoe Partington

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Online learning has an important place in widening access and participation in higher education for diverse student cohorts. One cohort taking up online study in increasing numbers is that of mature-age, first-in-family students. First-in-family is defined as those who are the first in their immediate family, including parents, siblings, partners and children, to undertake university studies. This paper looks at the experience of 87 first-in-family students, for whom the opportunity to study open-entry, online undergraduate units through Open Universities Australia made it possible for them to embark on a university education. Using a qualitative methodology, in-depth interviews and surveys were …

Evaluation Of A Sexually Transmissible Infections Education Program: Lessons For General Practice Learning, Jenny Reath, Penny Abbott, Ann Dadich, Hassan Hosseinzadeh, Wendy Hu, Melissa Kang, Tim Usherwood, Carolyn Murray, Chris Bourne

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: The New South Wales (NSW) Sexually Transmissible Infections Program Unit (STIPU) produced nine resources to support the diagnosis and management of sexually transmissible infections (STIs) in general practice. Objective: In this study, we explored the processes of developing the resources and outcomes achieved. Methods: We analysed project documents and undertook a focus group interview with the STIPU Working Group to evaluate resource development and dissemination. Interviews with general practitioners (GPs) and practice nurses (PNs), combined with previously reported survey findings, provided an outcomes evaluation. Results: STIPU used a rigorous, multimodal approach to develop evidence-based clinical resources. GPs and PNs …

Incorporating Health Literacy In Education For Socially Disadvantaged Adults: An Australian Feasibility Study, Danielle M. Muscat, Sian Smith, Haryana M. Dhillon, Suzanne Morony, Esther Davis, Karen Luxford, Heather L. Shepherd, Andrew Hayen, John Comings, Don Nutbeam, Kirsten Mccaffery

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background Adult education institutions have been identified as potential settings to improve health literacy and address the health inequalities that stem from limited health literacy. However, few health literacy interventions have been tested in this setting. Methods Feasibility study for an RCT of the UK Skilled for Health Program adapted for implementation in Australian adult education settings. Implementation at two sites with mixed methods evaluation to examine feasibility, test for change in participants' health literacy and pilot test health literacy measures. Results Twenty-two socially disadvantaged adults with low literacy participated in the program and received 80-90 hours of health literacy …

An Internet-Supported Physical Activity Intervention Delivered In Secondary Schools Located In Low Socio-Economic Status Communities: Study Protocol For The Activity And Motivation In Physical Education (Amped) Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial, Chris Lonsdale, Aidan Lester, Katherine B. Owen, Rhiannon L. White, Ian Moyes, Louisa Peralta, Morwenna Kirwan, Anthony Maeder, Andrew Bennie, Freya Macmillan, Gregory Kolt, Nikos Ntoumanis, Jennifer M. Gore, Ester Cerin, Thierno M.O Diallo, Dylan P. Cliff, David R. Lubans

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: School-based physical education is an important public health initiative as it has the potential to provide students with regular opportunities to participate in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Unfortunately, in many physical education lessons students do not engage in sufficient MVPA to achieve health benefits. In this trial we will test the efficacy of a teacher professional development intervention, delivered partially via the Internet, on secondary school students' MVPA during physical education lessons. Teaching strategies covered in this training are designed to (i) maximize opportunities for students to be physically active during lessons and (ii) enhance students' autonomous motivation towards …

Preservice Teachers' Learning With Yuin Country: Becoming Respectful Teachers In Aboriginal Education, Anthony D. Mcknight

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The ownership of Aboriginal knowledge and the Aboriginal perspective presented in school curriculum is always with Country. A number of preservice teachers were taken to a sacred story, "Gulaga a Living Spiritual Mountain," to participate in an elective subject to engage in respectful reciprocal relationship with Country. The spirituality of Country is unknown to many preservice teachers, consequently the concept of Country as teacher in a respectful reciprocal relationship was unfamiliar. Engaging in Aboriginal ways of knowing, learning, and behaving provides an opportunity for preservice teachers to initiate a relationship with Country to respectfully implement Aboriginal perspectives in their own …

Policy Translation For Early Childhood Education And Care: The Growing Up In New Zealand Approach, Amy L. Bird, Polly E. Atatoa Carr, Elaine Reese, Susan Morton

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Longitudinal cohort studies have significant potential to inform policy across a range of child and family areas, including early childhood education and care. Here we describe the relationship between policy-makers and New Zealand’s contemporary pre-birth cohort study. We outline a model for policy interaction that highlights the relationship between Growing Up and policy across study design, implementation and analysis. We then describe key policy-relevant questions in the early childhood education and care area that Growing Up has addressed when children were age 2. We used parent-report data for 6242 children to consider: whether socio-economic factors and ethnicity are related to …

Fostering Effective Early Learning: A Review Of The Current International Evidence Considering Quality In Early Childhood Education And Care Programmes - In Delivery, Pedagogy And Child Outcomes, Iram Siraj, Denise Kingston, Cathrine Marguerite Neilsen-Hewett, Steven J. Howard, Edward Melhuish, Marc De Rosnay, Elisabeth Duursma, Betty Luu

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Executive Summary There is a large body of international academic research literature which examines the relationship between (i) early childhood education and care (ECEC) and (ii) children's developmental and learning outcomes. Decades of sustained international research by many different research groups demonstrate that children who attend ECEC are likely to experience better behavioural and learning outcomes than those who do not attend. The research findings are, of course, not always consistent, and are more robust over shorter measurement periods. Nevertheless, major national surveys (e.g. OECD, 2011) and ambitious longitudinal research projects (e.g. the EPPSE study, Sylva et al., 2014) document …

Transition Of Children With Disabilities Into Early Childhood Education And Care Centres, Jane D. Warren, Wilma Vialle, Roselyn M. Dixon

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper reports on findings from research which sought to understand, in the New South Wales (NSW) context, the factors impacting on the transition into early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres for children with disabilities from the perspective of both parents of children with disabilities and educators in ECEC centres. The study aimed to identify successes and barriers, and consider potential interventions and procedures that might increase the participation of children with disabilities in ECEC centres. This paper will discuss findings from the educator perspective only, including 37 completed questionnaires and semi-structured interviews from 10 teacher participants. Thematic analysis …

Avoiding The Manufacture Of 'Sameness': First-In-Family Students, Cultural Capital And The Higher Education Environment, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Drawing upon Bourdieu's theories of social and cultural capital, a number of studies of the higher education environment have indicated that students who are first-in-family to come to university may lack the necessary capitals to enact success. To address this issue, university transition strategies often have the primary objective of 'filling students up' with legitimate forms of cultural capital required by the institution. However, this article argues that such an approach is fundamentally flawed, as students can be either framed as deficit or replete in capitals depending on how their particular background and capabilities are perceived. Drawing on interviews conducted …

Australian Midwives And Provision Of Nutrition Education During Pregnancy: A Cross Sectional Survey Of Nutrition Knowledge, Attitudes, And Confidence, Jamila Arrish, Heather Yeatman, Moira J. Williamson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Maternal nutrition during pregnancy affects the health of the mother and the baby. Midwives are ideally placed to provide nutrition education to pregnant women. There is limited published research evidence of Australian midwives' nutrition knowledge, attitudes and confidence. Aim: To investigate Australian midwives' nutrition knowledge, attitudes and confidence in providing nutrition education during pregnancy. Methods: Members of the Australian College of Midwives (n = 4770) were sent an invitation email to participate in a web-based survey, followed by two reminders. Findings: The completion rate was 6.9% (329 of 4770). The majority (86.6% and 75.7%, respectively) highly rated the importance …

Nutrition Education In Australian Midwifery Programmes: A Mixed-Methods Study, Jamila Arrish, Heather Yeatman, Moira J. Williamson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Little research has explored how nutrition content in midwifery education prepares midwives to provide prenatal nutrition advice. This study examined the nature and extent of nutrition education provided in Australian midwifery programmes. A mixed-methods approach was used, incorporating an online survey and telephone interviews. The survey analysis included 23 course coordinators representing 24 of 50 accredited midwifery programmes in 2012. Overall, the coordinators considered nutrition in midwifery curricula and the midwife's role as important. All programmes included nutrition content; however, eleven had only 5 to nutrition, while two had a designated unit. Various topics were covered. Dietitians/other nutrition experts were …

Gifted Education In Modern Asia: Analyses From A Systemic Perspective, Wilma Vialle, Albert Ziegler

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

When we were invited to comment on chapters describing gifted educa· tion in Asian countries, we were reminded of Mikhail Gorbachev's famous dictum "Life punishes those who delay." Asian countries entered gifted education and research on excellence relatively late compared to many Western nations (e.g., Stern, 1914). Nevertheless, there are examples that suggest the opposite may be true, that is, latecomers might also have some advantage. A famous example for the latter claim is the case of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. Both are suspension bridges linking the U.S. city of San Francisco to Marin County …

Shifting The Blame In Higher Education - Social Inclusion And Deficit Discourses, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea, Pauline Lysaght, Jen Roberts, Valerie Harwood

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The principles of social inclusion have been embraced by institutions across the higher education sector but their translation into practice through pedagogy is not readily apparent. This paper examines perceptions of social inclusion and inclusive pedagogies held by academic staff at an Australian university. Of specific interest were the perceptions of teaching staff with regard to diverse student populations, particularly students from low socio-economic (LSES) backgrounds, given the institution's reasonably high proportion of LSES student enrolment (14%). A mixed-method approach was utilised: (i) in-depth interviews with a representative sample of academic staff and (ii) an online survey targeting all academic …

Education And Out-Of-Home Care Transitions, Michelle L. Townsend, Judy Cashmore, Anne Graham

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In Australia there are 43,400 children and young people inn out-of-home care, mostly due to parental incapacity, abuse and neglect. These children experience a number of significant changes in their lives in terms of who they live with, where they live, and for school-aged children, often changes in school. These changes are beyond the normative transitions that are common in the lives of children.