Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Midwifery And The Context Of Care: Is It Possible To Be 'Woman Centred'?, Moira Williamson, Lindsey Harrison

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Title: Midwifery and the context of care: Is it impossible to be ‘woman centred’? Dr Moira Williamson, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health, University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong NSW 2522, Australia, ph. +61 2 4221 3381, email: moiraw@uow.edu.au Dr Lindsey Harrison, School of Health Sciences, University of Wollongong Background: Findings from a qualitative study show that the context of care can inhibit midwives’ provision of woman centred care; especially impacted is their ability to provide culturally appropriate care. Aim of the Study: The aims of the study were to gain an understanding of midwives’ concepts of culture and …

Choice And Context In Studying Change, Creativity And Innovation At Work: Call Off The Search For Excellence, Question Combinational Perspectives, And Loosen The Straightjacket Of Polarised Views, Patrick M. Dawson

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This article draws attention to debates on studying change, creativity and innovation at work. Attention is given to 'stable' and 'process' views of organizations and how these positions influence research objectives, methodological approach and findings. The paper is critical of those who seek to hold to a superior position - a one best approach for all; as well as those who seek the best from all worlds - a combinational approach that services both quantitative and qualitative research. In drawing on over 25 years of field research on change management, the paper also seeks to explore the broken links between …

Toward The Science-Informed Practice Of Clinical Supervision: The Australian Context, Craig J. Gonsalvez, Hamish Mcleod

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Although supervision of clinical practice is mandatory for trainee psychologists, surprisingly little is known about the key ingredients of effective supervision and the relationship between supervision and patient outcomes. The purpose of this paper was to review current regulations that shape supervision in Australia and explore the links between these regulations and the components of effective supervision. Although recent developments including supervisor training and other quality control programs are an indication of progress, there are several empirical and conceptual issues in the supervision literature that require resolution. The second part of this paper identifies the gaps in the supervision literature …

Developing Academic Literacy In Context, Emily Rose Purser, Jan Skillen, Mary Deane, James Donohue, Kelly Peake

Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) - Papers

Where, when and how (indeed whether) academic writing should be taught to university students, who are not necessarily aiming to study ‹language› per se, has long been a concern in higher education. While students need to develop high level communication skills, in genres often quite specific to higher education, in order that their learning can be assessed, teaching them academic writing during the course of their disciplinary studies raises a number of pedagogical, organisational and research issues. This paper reports on a collaboration between a group of academics in different geographic and institutional locations, who share a dream of improving …

Post-Fire Recovery Of Eastern Bristlebirds (Dasyornis Brachypterus) Is Context-Dependent, D W. Bain, J R. Baker, K O. French, R J. Whelan

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

In late December 2003, a wildfire in the Jervis Bay region of New South Wales burned through an area that previously supported a large population of the endangered eastern bristlebird (Dasyornis brachypterus). The eastern bristlebird has been described as fire-sensitive, and fire is implicated in the decline of the species. The frequency of occurrence of bristlebirds was investigated in the second week after the fire in a range of sites varying in fire intensity. Bristlebirds were found in burned habitats but were less common in the sites that were more intensely burnt. Bristlebirds had been surveyed along transects in this …

Contentious Issues In Human-Wildlife Encounters: Seeking Solutions Ina Changing Social Context, Daniel Lunney, Adam J. Munn, Will Meikle

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Reporting Armistice: Grammatical Evidence And Semantic Implications Of Diachronic Context Shifts, Claire Scott

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

Journalists reporting war have increasingly been embedded with military units, especially in the recent Iraq War (e.g. Cottle, 2006: 76; Tumber, 2004). Being ‘on the ground’ amongst the action might suggest that the news produced is more strongly ‘grounded in reality’ than reports constructed in the newsroom from news ‘off the wire’. However, this investigation of seven armistice reports from the Sydney Morning Herald spanning a century (1902-2003) suggests that there has been a gradual shift away from strongly grounded, accountable reporting towards engaging, crafted prose. Across the archive of these texts, the patterning of circumstantial elements reflects shifts in …

The Cultural Context Of Youth Suicide In Australia: Unemployment, Identity And Gender, Heidi E. Gilchrist, Glennys Howarth, Gerard Sullivan

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This article considers the impact, in terms of life and death choices, of the economicexclusion of young people in Australia, where suicide is the leading cause of deathby injury. In the two decades from 1980 there was a dramatic increase in suiciderates for young males. Research demonstrates a correlation between youth suicideand unemployment but the complex relationship between the two has not been fullyinvestigated. This article explores the perceptions of young people, parents and serviceproviders of the cultural context of suicide and how it comes to be constructed as anoption for young people experiencing economic marginalisation.I n

Marital Quality, Context, And Interaction: A Comparison Of Individuals Across Various Income Levels, Victor W. Harris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research compared measures of marital quality between married respondents who were classified as adults currently receiving government assistance (GA) or adults not currently receiving government assistance (NGA). Additional demographic/contextual variables such as gender, age, age at first marriage, religiosity, income, education, cohabitation, mental health, and substance abuse along with four interactional variables - escalating negativity, criticism, negative interpretation, and withdrawal - were measured as potential correlates with marital quality.

Results indicated statistically significant differences between GA and NGA individuals on all of the marital quality measures and on 8 of the 11 demographic/contextual variables. Additionally, the four interactional variables …

Conceptual And Practical Issues In Qualitative Research: Reflections On A Life History Study, Alison Wicks, G. Whiteford

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Although qualitative research is becoming increasingly popular as a means of understanding not only occupation but also a range of other human health related phenomena, the complex conceptual underpinnings of the paradigm remain relatively unexplored in the literature. This article addresses such a perceived gap. Context specificity, emic perspectives, its iterative nature and power relations are four distinct conceptual dimensions of qualitative research which are discussed. The article also includes reflections on conceptual dimensions and practical issues in relation to a qualitative study which adopted a life history approach. These reflections highlight how the conceptual dimensions underpinning qualitative research guide …

Prosocial Behaviors In Context: A Study Of The Gikuyu Children Of Ngecha, Kenya, Maria Rosario De Guzman, Carolyn P. Edwards, Gustavo Carlo

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

This study examines children’s prosocial behaviors in everyday contexts that represent varying degrees of strength of situational demands. Behavioral observations of children (N = 89) ages 2 to 10 years (M = 5.25, SD = 2.23)., collected in Ngecha, Kenya were coded for 3 types of prosocial behaviors (nurturant, responsible and prosocial dominant) and the contexts in which these behaviors emerged (childcare, self care, labor/chores, play, idle/ social). Mixed factorial ANOVAs showed age differences in prosocial behaviors favoring older children as well as context effects. Prosocial behaviors occurred more frequently than in labor/chores than in play, idle/social or self-care contexts; …

Amish Teacher Dialogues With Teacher Educators: Research, Culture, And Voices Of Critique, Henry Zehr, Glenda Moss, Joe Nichols

The Qualitative Report

This dialogical project is framed with in critical inquiry methods to bring an Amish teacher’s voice to the fore front. Henry, an Amish middle school teacher, and two university teacher educators in northeastern Indiana collaboratively critiqued educational literature written about the Amish culture from the past 15 years. Building on critical ethnography and narrative methods, the authors used dialogue as a medium for inquiry. The intersubjective, collaborative project democratized the university researchers’ research role and allowed an Amish voice to gain a place in the academic field of research.

Empirical Investigation Of Internet Banking In The Uae: Bank Adoption Levels In The Context Of Customer Satisfaction And Influencers Of Adoption Among Potential Users (Wp), C. Fernandes, Raed Awamleh

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This study evaluates websites of foreign and local banks in the United Arab Emirates and through a survey of users ascertains factors that influence customer satisfaction of the internet banking service. In addition, determinants of potential users intentions are examined. It is shown that although the banking sector in the UAE is a regional leader, internet banking in the UAE is yet to be properly utilized as a real added value tool to improve customer relationship and to attain cost advantages. To identify factors influencing satisfaction of internet banking customers, data was collected from internet banking users and potential users …

An Exploratory Study Of Turnaround In Chinese And Malay Firms In The Malaysian Context, Ah Ba Sim

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

While research on turnaround in the Asian context is a recent phenomenon, there is little research on firms of different cultural and ethnic background within Asian countries. This paper reports the findings of an exploratory study on the impact of different ethnic background, ownership types and role of government on corporate recovery and turnaround using case studies of a Chinese and a Malay firm in Malaysia. The findings reveal turnaround characteristics similar to those reported in recent literature on Asian turnaround as well as differences between the Chinese and Malay firm. These findings are discussed and implications for future research …

The Geological Context Of Middle Pleistocene Crater Lake Deposits And Fossil Birds At Ulupau Head, Oahu, Hawaiian Islands, Paul Hearty, H. F. James, S. L. Olson

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Pleistocene lake deposits in Ulupau Crater on Oahu contain the oldest fossil bird remains known from the Hawaiian Islands. These fossils are important for documenting evolutionary rates in a variety of lineages of land and water birds from the islands. Detailed stratigraphic analysis reveals distinct cycles of deposition involving interbedded lacustrine deposits, colluvium, and paleosols. The volcanic basin was breached by marine erosion prior to the peak of the last interglaciation (marine isotope stage or ‘MIS’ 5e) over 125 ky ago, constraining the age of the lake sediments to the middle Pleistocene. The three cycles of deposition (Units III, IV, …

An Analysis Of Bilingual Programs In The Context Of A Schoolwide Reading Program, Jonathan A. Stewart

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There has been much controversy over the effectiveness of bilingual education in helping English language learning (ELL) students to become successful students. One variable overlooked in this literature has been the use of effective instruction in these programs. This investigation compared students in a schoolwide reading program that utilizes research-based practices, Success for All (SFA) and its Spanish counterpart Éxito Para Todos (EPT). Three groups of third-grade students were compared at 8-week intervals throughout the school year: English-speaking students in SFA, ELL (English language learning) students in SFA with ESL (English as a Second Language), and ELL students in EPT. …

Developing A Learning Object Metadata Application Profile Based On Lom Suitable For Australian Higher Education Context, Shirley Agostinho, Sue Bennett, Lori Lockyer, Barry Harper

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper reports recent work in developing of structures and processes that support university teachers and instructional designers incorporating learning objects into higher education focused learning designs. The aim of the project is to develop a framework to guide the design and implementation of high quality learning experiences. This framework is premised on the proposition that learning objects are resources that can be incorporated within a learning design. The learning design serves as the pedagogical model that drives the development. The first phase of the project required an analysis of metadata schemas by which learning objects could be described, to …

Intra-Individual Information Behaviour In Daily Life, David H. Michels, Heidi Julien

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

This study addresses the lack of attention in the literature paid to detailed analysis of individuals information behavior in daily life contexts. In particular, the study characterizes one individuals information behavior across different daily life situations, to seek behavioral patterns that might be associated with various aspects of each information seeking situation. Data was collected through participant diaries, and subsequent oral interviews. This study reports on source selection, and influence of various aspects of the situations described. These aspects were identified from analysis of the interview transcripts, and include time constraints and pressures, motivation for the information need, context of …

Kula And The Trobriand Islands: The Meaning And Power Of Objects, Becky Tomlinson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Just as a word in a foreign language must be interpreted for one who does not speak the language, a cultural artifact alone holds no significance or meaning for an outsider. Thus, for an object to be understood it cannot stand alone, but must be placed in context though time and space, and various layers of cultural meaning must be expounded. The word lagim, from the Kiriwina language, may be roughly translated as meaning "the splashboard of a Kula canoe". This translation may give the proper words from English that denote the object, but it still leaves much to …

The Role Of Interpersonal Communication In The Development Of Client Trust And Closeness In A Sme Professional Services Context, Les Kirchmajer, Paul Patterson

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This study develops and tests a model of effective interpersonal communication as an antecedent to client trust and closeness amongst small to medium enterprise (SJ\1E) professional services providerspersonal fmancial planners. A new multidimensional scale for interpersonal communications is developed and tested, resulting in the identification of three dimensions : Communications clarity (5 items),Social communications (4 items), and Information provision (7 items). Client trust is investigated also as a multidimensional construct with credibility trust and benevolence trust being the two dimensions used. Closeness is investigated as a unidimensional construct. The results suggest that there is a positive relationship between communications clarity …

Website Usability In Context: An Activity Theory Based Usability Testing Method, Lejla Vrazalic

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Traditional laboratory based usability testing methodologies are plagued with shortcomings which affect the results of the testing process and their validity. The results of a preliminary study of this type of usability testing with 34 users indicate two categories of key shortcomings. A new summative website usability testing methodology based on the notion of distributed usability and Activity Theory is presented as a means of overcoming these problems. This paper describes the theoretical foundations and development of the methodology which is currently being evaluated and refined.

Internationalisation Process: Revisiting The Uppsala Model In The Asian Context, J Rajendren Pandian, Ah Ba Sim

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The Uppsala model of the intemationalisation process in terms of gradual incremental steps had been widely adopted in empirical research, particularly in the context of western multinational firms. We revisited this model in the context of Asian multinational firms. Examining case studies of Asian MNEs from Taiwan and Singapore in the textile and electronics industries, we found variations in the process postulated by the Uppsala model, and seek to explain them in terms of proactive actions and absorptive capacity perspective. Future research and limitations are also indicated.

Effective Teaching And Learning In Accounting Education: Examining The Linkages Between Students' Perceptions Of The Teaching Context, Students' Approaches To Learning And Students' Outcomes, Anne Abraham

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Research in accounting education has almost neglected both student perceptions of the learning context and their approaches to learning. Instead, studies have focused on either the teaching context or the outcomes of learning. This omission has meant that accounting educators often experience difficulty in understanding students conceive learning to be, how they perceive the learning task, or how they approach learning. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the perceptions, the approaches and the outcomes of students in a business subject in order to discover how these students learn and thus to provide some strategies which …

Part 4: Seeing Things Through Different Lenses: The Opinions Of Blacks And Whites, Regional Studies Institute, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

This year’s Report surveyed more than 1,100 Hampton Roads residents, about half of whom were African American. African Americans see several issues differently than other citizens do. Notably, they have a different perspective on the role and effectiveness of the policy of affirmative action. African Americans also are much more likely to vote Democratic and attend church than the region’s other citizens. This is the first significant public-opinion poll ever taken of African Americans in Hampton Roads.

Reflexive Autopoietic Dissipative Special Systems Theory, Kent D. Palmer

Kent D. Palmer

A newly discovered approach to extending General Systems Theory as defined by George Klir through a set of Special Systems is described. General Systems Theory is distinguished from the theory of Meta-systems. Then, a hinge of three special systems is identified between systems and meta-systems. These special systems are defined by algebraic analogies. Anomalous physical phenomena are specified that exemplify the structures defined by the algebraic analogies. The extraordinary efficacious properties of these special systems are explained. These include ultra-efficiency and ultra-effectiveness. These three special systems are called dissipative, autopoietic, and reflexive. They are anomalous within general systems theory and …

Learning To Assess School Mathematics: Context, Multimedia And Transfer, Janice Herrington, Anthony Herrington, Len Sparrow

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The study set out to explore the use of a multimedia program on assessment strategies within a preservice teacher mathematics method unit, and to investigate the extent of transfer to classroom practice. A multimedia program was designed to incorporate characteristics of 'situated' learning environments. Preservice teachers used the program in their mathematics method classes, and they and their supervising teachers were interviewed regarding their use of assessment strategies while on professional practice. Results show that all students used a variety of assessment strategies, and according to the beliefs of the students themselves, were influenced in their use of strategies by …

Options For The Assessment And Reporting Of Primary Students In The Key Learning Area Of Science To Be Used For The Reporting Of Nationally Comparable Outcomes Of Schooling Within The Context Of The National Goals For Schooling In The Twenty-First Century, Samuel Ball, Ian D. Rae, Jim S. Tognolini

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The National Education Performance Monitoring Taskforce (NEPMT) was established in April 1999 by the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA). The taskforce was called upon inter alia to develop performance measures as the basis for national reporting. One such area was science.

Context And Interpretation: An Archaeology Of Cultural Production, Christopher Matthews

Department of Anthropology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This paper examines the construction of modern-world contexts in historical archaeology. To help draw out and understand the social and cultural contexts of capitalism, colonialism, and modernity, and how they may be materially understood, an explanation of the German history of everyday life school (Alltagsgeschichte) is presented. In this approach, the objects of historical study become the everyday cultural interpretations of past people and how these interpretations actively produced and reproduced cultures. This approach is illustrated by a landscape archaeology of the Bordley-Randall site in Annapolis, Maryland.

Migrant-Nonmigrant Differentials, Housing Type, Community Satisfaction And Migration: A Study Of Nonmetropolitan Communities In Utah Within The Context Of Population Turnaround, Stephen Hua-Wah Kan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Three major socio-demographic aspects of community life were examined in nonmetropolitan Utah within the context of the post 1970's population turnaround. They are: differentials by migrant status and housing type, patterns of community satisfaction, and migration expectations and migration.

Findings indicate that groups of residents with different migrant status and/or housing type have unique patterns in socio-economic status, social integration and community attachment, and potential contributions to the community. It was argued that these phenomena can be largely explained by the exchange theory.

With respect to the pattern of community satisfaction, it was found that the mobile home dwellers' level …

Three Ordered Sets Of Factors And Their Relationship To Act Scores, Thomas J. Russo

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There has been in recent years a marked decline in college entrance examination test scores. Declines have been documented both on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Testing Program (ACT). In turn there has been an increasing interest concerning the test score declines as well as possible sources of influence on test scores. These sources or factors seem to be functions of three main "contexts." These contexts are: (a) school-related factors, (b) student-related factors and (c) family-structure related factors. It was of interest to attempt to explain the relative association of each variable to composite ACT scores …