Showing papers by "Australian Catholic University published in 2008"
TL;DR: In this article, the impacts of key human resource practices on permanent employees' organizational commitment and intention to stay were examined, including facilitating person-organization fit (P•O fit), designing effective remuneration and recognition, creating sufficiently challenging assignments, and implementing training and career development.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impacts of key human resource (HR) practices on permanent employees' organizational commitment and intention to stay. These practices include facilitating of person‐organization fit (P‐O fit), designing effective remuneration and recognition, creating sufficiently challenging assignments, and implementing training and career development.Design/methodology/approach – The study was carried out in three phases. First, 13 experts (e.g. academics, HR managers and organizational psychologists) were interviewed using the Delphi technique. Second, in‐depth interviews with 12 HR managers were conducted. Third, 457 employees from nine Australian organizations responded to a survey. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses.Findings – Organizational commitment was positively affected by P‐O fit, remuneration, recognition, and an opportunity to undertake challenging employment assignments. Intention to stay was significantly related to P‐O fit, ...
432 citations
TL;DR: A situation-specific theory of heart failure self-care is described in which self- care is defined as a naturalistic decision-making process involving the choice of behaviors that maintain physiologic stability and the response to symptoms when they occur (management).
Abstract: Heart failure, a common syndrome in developed countries worldwide, is associated with poor quality of life, frequent rehospitalizations, and early death. Self-care is essential to improving outcomes in this patient population. The purpose of this article is to describe a situation-specific theory of heart failure self-care in which self-care is defined as a naturalistic decision-making process involving the choice of behaviors that maintain physiologic stability (maintenance) and the response to symptoms when they occur (management). Self-care maintenance is further defined to encompass routine symptom monitoring and treatment adherence. Self-care management is characterized as a process initiated by symptom recognition and evaluation, which stimulates the use of self-care treatments and treatment evaluation. Confidence in self-care is thought to moderate and/or mediate the effect of self-care on various outcomes. Four propositions were derived from the self-care of heart failure conceptual model: (1) symptom recognition is the key to successful self-care management; (2) self-care is better in patients with more knowledge, skill, experience, and compatible values; (3) confidence moderates the relationship between self-care and outcomes; and (4) confidence mediates the relationship between self-care and outcomes. These propositions were tested and supported using data obtained in previous research. Support of these propositions provides early evidence for this situation-specific theory of heart failure self-care.
415 citations
TL;DR: The article describes how engaging in the podcasting exercise promoted collaborative knowledge building among the student-producers, as evidenced through focus-group interviewing and an analysis of the products of their shared dialogue and reflection.
Abstract: Podcasting allows audio content from one or more user-selected feeds or channels to be automatically downloaded to one's computer as it becomes available, then later transferred to a portable player for consumption at a convenient time and place. It is enjoying phenomenal growth in mainstream society, alongside other Web 2.0 technologies that enable Internet users to author and distribute rich media content quickly and easily. Instead of using the technology for the mere recording and dissemination of lectures and other instructor-centred information, the project reported on in this article focused on enabling students to create their own podcasts for distribution to their peers. The article describes how engaging in the podcasting exercise promoted collaborative knowledge building among the student-producers, as evidenced through focus-group interviewing and an analysis of the products of their shared dialogue and reflection. The findings suggest that the collaborative development of audio learning objects enabling student conceptualisations of disciplinary content to be shared with peers is a powerful way of stimulating both individual and collective learning, as well as supporting social processes of perspective-taking and negotiation of meaning that underpin knowledge creation.
271 citations
TL;DR: Nursing curricula should prepare new graduates for foreseeable stressors and oppressive practices so that graduates can become proactive in preventing and responding to factors such as silence and aggression, and nursing courses need to ensure that socialisation issues are addressed to assist in the eradication of oppressive practices.
Abstract: Aims. To explore the expectations of final year nursing students before they start employment and to describe the experiences of newly graduated nurses during their first six months of employment as registered nurses.
Background. Nursing shortages are at crisis point world wide with registered nurses leaving the profession at a high rate and changing occupations. Thus, there is a need to reflect on new graduate nurses experiences in relation to retention and support.
Design. Husserl’s phenomenological approach was used to gain insight and understanding into the lived experiences of new graduate nurses.
Methods. Students enrolled in a Bachelor of Nursing programme at an Australian University were interviewed in their final semester and during employment in the hospital setting. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data from 13 participants. Data were collected at three intervals: prior to commencing employment, one month and six months postemployment and the results were analysed thematically.
Results. As students, the participants held positive perceptions surrounding their impending role as a registered nurse and what it would encompass. However, after one month of employment, it became apparent that nursing comprised of a culture that embraced cliques which excluded them. The graduates were unprepared for ‘bitchiness’ and the limited amount of assistance with unfamiliar tasks they received from registered nurses. Participants also found rotating to different wards recreated the feelings they experienced on commencing employment.
Conclusions. Nursing curricula should prepare new graduates for foreseeable stressors and oppressive practices so that graduates can become proactive in preventing and responding to factors such as silence and aggression. Moreover, nursing courses need to ensure that socialisation issues are addressed to assist in the eradication of oppressive practices. Finally, organisations need to address socialisation issues such as hostility within the workplace to address the attrition of new graduates from the profession.
Relevance to clinical practice. Individuals in clinical practice settings need to be cognisant of the significant role that experienced registered nurses and nurse unit managers occupy in the socialisation of new graduate nurses. Additionally, there needs to be increased awareness that nursing culture can influence recruitment and retention of new graduates. Further, health care organisations need to evaluate the benefits of new graduates rotating through clinical areas in the first 12 months of employment.
218 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a teaching experiment was conducted with two classes of students with an average age of eight years and six months and the results showed that young students are capable not only of thinking about the relationship between two data sets, but also of expressing this relationship in a very abstract form.
Abstract: A common approach used for introducing algebra to young adolescents is an exploration of visual growth patterns and expressing these patterns as functions and algebraic expressions. Past research has indicated that many adolescents experience difficulties with this approach. This paper explores teaching actions and thinking that begins to bridge many of these difficulties at an early age. A teaching experiment was conducted with two classes of students with an average age of eight years and six months. From the results it appears that young students are capable not only of thinking about the relationship between two data sets, but also of expressing this relationship in a very abstract form.
141 citations
TL;DR: The results promote awareness in nurses and parents that play is a very important part of children's lives, and heighten the importance of integrating therapeutic play as an essential component of holistic and quality nursing care to prepare children for surgery.
Abstract: PURPOSE. This paper aims to examine the effectiveness and appropriateness of using therapeutic play in preparing children for surgery.
DESIGN/METHOD. A randomized controlled trial was employed. Children (7–12 years of age; n = 203) admitted for surgery during a 13-month period were recruited.
RESULTS. The results support the effectiveness and appropriateness of using therapeutic play in preparing children for surgery.
PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS. The study results promote awareness in nurses and parents that play is a very important part of children's lives, and heighten the importance of integrating therapeutic play as an essential component of holistic and quality nursing care to prepare children for surgery.
135 citations
Book•
15 Sep 2008TL;DR: Mason, Singleton and Webber as mentioned in this paper found that a significant proportion of Gen Y are not involved in any kind of community service in a typical month - whether fundraising, office work, signing a petition, collecting for a charity or coaching a sporting team.
Abstract: citizenship. The study is particularly innovative in that it divides young people into spirituality types, distinguishing those who are highly committed and those who are nominal or marginal adherents. Dr. Philip Freier, Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne, notes that the book throws the values and belief systems of those born between 1981 and 1995 into a new light and will provide better understanding of this talented and resourceful group of Australians. In their study of a national sample of 1216 young people of Generation Y, authors Mason, Singleton and Webber from Australian Catholic University and Monash University, found that 71% of Gen Y are not involved in any kind of community service in a typical month - whether fundraising, office work, signing a petition, collecting for a charity or coaching a sporting team. The study found that 77% of those whose spirituality type is Secular and 51% of Active Christians are not engaged in community activities in any way and do nothing for others apart from close family and friends. However, a significant proportion of Gen Y go against that trend. They demonstrate strong community values and are actively involved in their communities in ways that assist the marginalised and disadvantaged. Some do hard-edge volunteer work that requires both initiative and courage. This type of service takes them outside their comfort zone and provides them with new skills and confidence. Those who engage in voluntary work are likely to have a strong commitment to community values and be actively involved their faith. Active Christians and those New Agers who were brought up Christian demonstrate high levels of community involvement and altruism. Spirituality type is also correlated with generosity: although 25% of Seculars and 8% of Active Christians give nothing to charity in a year, those Active Christians who do donate are generous in their giving. Despite the proliferation of television series about witches and the paranormal, young people have not taken on New Age practices to a corresponding degree. The book argues that for the most part, young people are not active spiritual seekers, but instead have a highly individualistic and relativistic approach to life and spirituality, and are hardly familiar with religious traditions. Only a small percentage of Gen Y are actively religious. The religion of those young people who do belong to a denomination, is for the most part ‘low temperature’. Noting that strong engagement with a belief system is related to good citizenship, the authors pose the question: where will young people of the future learn civic values and a commitment to the common good? Who, apart from parents, is going to pass these values on to them and lead them to participate in community service?
129 citations
TL;DR: The results indicated that higher schizotypy was associated with reduced empathy, poorer social functioning and increased negative affect, and this relationship persisted even after controlling for negative affect.
Abstract: Whilst affective empathy is concerned with one's emotional response to the affective state of another, cognitive empathy refers to one's understanding of another's mental state, and deficits in both are believed to contribute to the social behavioral abnormalities associated with schizophrenia. The present study aimed to test whether individual differences in normally distributed schizotypal personality traits are related to cognitive and affective empathy, and whether any observed association between schizotypy and empathy mediates the relationship between schizotypy and (reduced) social functioning. Non-clinical volunteers (N=223) completed measures of schizotypal personality, cognitive and affective empathy, social functioning and negative affect. The results indicated that higher schizotypy was associated with reduced empathy, poorer social functioning and increased negative affect. Of the specific schizotypal dimensions (positive, negative and disorganized), only negative schizotypy was significantly associated with social functioning, and this relationship persisted even after controlling for negative affect. Further, affective empathy functioned as a partial mediator in this relationship. These data show that the relationship between negative schizotypy and social functioning is at least partially attributable to deficits in affective empathy.
125 citations
TL;DR: Strategies to optimize the management of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation should address psychological barriers to using anticoagulation, which remains underused among Australian family physicians.
Abstract: Background and Purpose— Anticoagulation reduces the risk of stroke in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation yet remains underused. We explored barriers to the use of anticoagulants among Australian family physicians. Methods— The authors conducted a representative, national survey. Results— Of the 596 (64.4%) eligible family physicians who participated, 15.8% reported having a patient with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation experience an intracranial hemorrhage with anticoagulation and 45.8% had a patient with known nonvalvular atrial fibrillation experience a stroke without anticoagulation. When presented with a patient at “very high risk” of stroke, only 45.6% of family physicians selected warfarin in the presence of a minor falls risk and 17.1% would anticoagulate if the patient had a treated peptic ulcer. Family physicians with less decisional conflict and longer-standing practices were more likely to endorse anticoagulation. Conclusion— Strategies to optimize the management of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation ...
121 citations
TL;DR: This paper reviewed the significant sociocultural literatures on science studies, cultural diversity, and sustainability science to develop theoretical perspectives for science education more suitable to the challenges of contemporaneity.
Abstract: This paper reviews the significant sociocultural literatures on science studies, cultural diversity, and sustainability science to develop theoretical perspectives for science education more suitable to the challenges of contemporaneity. While the influences of science studies and cultural diversity are not uncommon within the science education literature on innovation, the difference here is the inclusion of the newer field of sustainability science. These threads are drawn are together to help formulate a view of science education that contributes to the ongoing discussion of what it could be in the 21st century. Finally, a science unit in a preservice teacher education course is then described, which aims to engage, inform, and empower beginning teachers in ways that tackle the challenges of contemporaneity. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed92:165–181, 2008
108 citations
TL;DR: Significant AD deficits were observed in relation to all emotions assessed, with the exception of disgust, which was preserved even relative to the younger adult group, and it is suggested that this finding might reflect the relative sparing of the basal ganglia in AD.
TL;DR: Hands-on learning was emphasised as the most beneficial learning experience and students sought opportunities to work with midwives who imbued the philosophy they admired rather than becoming desensitised or socialised into midwifery culture that was at odds with the course's philosophy.
01 Jan 2008
TL;DR: The Positive Educational Practices (PEPs) Framework as discussed by the authors is an organizing tool for facilitating the work of educational psychologists in promoting pupil wellbeing and supporting pupils to achieve learning outcomes and engage in pro-social behaviour.
Abstract: This paper outlines the Positive Educational Practices (PEPs) Framework, an organising tool for facilitating the work of educational psychologists in promoting pupil wellbeing and supporting pupils to achieve learning outcomes and engage in pro-social behaviour. The PEPs Framework is an example of applied positive psychology, in itself a movement which has shifted the primary focus of psychologists from deficits, problems and treatment to a preventative focus on positive experiences, strengths and the intentional promotion of wellbeing and resilience. PEPs is a wide-ranging prevention framework based on five foundations of wellbeing drawn not only from research in positive psychology but also from research in other contemporary psychological and educational movements that are consistent with positive psychology. The five foundations: social and emotional competency, positive emotions, positive relationships, engagement through strengths and a sense of meaning and purpose are outlined along with examples of practical suggestions that can contribute to their achievement.
TL;DR: Role support was found to be the strongest driver of nurses' therapeutic attitude, and workplace illicit drug education was only useful in combination with high role support.
Abstract: Aim. To examine the determinants of generalist nurses’ therapeutic attitude to patients who use illicit drugs, and to model workforce development initiatives.
Background. Individuals who use illicit drugs rely heavily on healthcare in emergency departments and inpatient hospital wards. Little is known about the determinants of generalist nurses’ therapeutic attitude to provide care, therefore limiting our understanding of the important issues for workforce development.
Design. The study was a cross-sectional survey of registrants on the Australian Capital Territory Nurses Registration Roll 2002 (N = 3241, 50% response rate). The associations between variables and nurses’ therapeutic attitude were examined by multi-variable linear regression analysis.
Method. Nurses’ therapeutic attitude was assessed using a modified version of the Alcohol and Alcohol Problems Perception Questionnaire. Personal characteristics, attitudes to illicit drugs and professional practice variables such as drug and alcohol education, experience with the patient group and role support were examined using a mix of standardised and new questions.
Results. Professional practice variables explained 53% of the variation of nurses’ therapeutic attitude, the most important being role support. Although a negative attitude to illicit drugs had a statistically significant association with therapeutic attitude, it added less than 1% to the variation explained. Personal characteristics showed no association.
Conclusions. Generalist nurses struggle to provide care to this patient group. Role support was found to be the strongest driver of nurses’ therapeutic attitude, and workplace illicit drug education was only useful in combination with high role support.
Relevance to clinical practice. Nurses’ caring role with patients who use illicit drugs is complex and demanding. Nursing workforce development must focus on increasing nurses’ role support, in terms of appropriately skilled staff readily available for consultation and advice. Support for nurses, in the form of evidence-based practice standards and appropriate time allocation, is also important.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine evidence from classroom research to analyse the nature of multimodal literacy, the literacy that is needed in contemporary times for reading, viewing, responding to, and producing multimodeal and digital texts, and demonstrate how classroom literacy practices can incorporate the practices of talking, listening, reading and writing together with processing the modes of written text, image, sound and movement in print and digital text.
Abstract: Debates continue in public and in educational policy forums about the ‘basics’ of literacy while many have not recognised that these basics may never be the same again. Rapid changes in digital communication provide facilities for reading and writing to be combined with various and often quite complex aspects of music, photography and film. At the same time, educational policy and national testing requirements are still principally focused on the reading and writing of print-based texts. This paper examines evidence from classroom research to analyse the nature of multimodal literacy, the literacy that is needed in contemporary times for reading, viewing, responding to and producing multimodal and digital texts. Examples of students' engagement in multimodal literacy are presented to demonstrate how classroom literacy practices can incorporate the practices of talking, listening, reading and writing together with processing the modes of written text, image, sound and movement in print and digital texts.
TL;DR: It is proposed that sprouting of DA terminals and decreased dopamine uptake transporter function prevent the appearance of Parkinsonian symptoms until about 60% loss of nigral neurons, but also contribute to dysregulated striatal DA release that is responsible for the emergence of dyskinaesia and 'wearing off'.
Abstract: Failed storage capacity, leading to pulsatile delivery of dopamine (DA) in the striatum, is used to explain the emergence of ‘wearing off’ and dyskinaesia in Parkinson’s disease. In this study, we show that surviving DA neurons in 6 -OHDA lesioned rats sprout to re-innervate the striatum, and maintain terminal density until »60% of neurons are lost. We demonstrate that DA terminal density correlates with baseline striatal DA concentration ([DA]). Electrochemical and synaptosome studies in 6 -OHDA lesioned rats and primates suggest that impaired striatal DA re-uptake and increased DA release from medial forebrain bundle fibres contribute to maintaining striatal DA levels. In lesioned rats where terminal density fell by 60% or more, L-DOPA administration increased striatal DA levels markedly.The striatal [DA] produced by L-DOPA directly correlated with the extent of dyskinaesia, suggesting that dyskinaesia was related to high striatal [DA]. While sprouting and decreased dopamine uptake transporter function would be expected to contribute to the marked increase in L-DOPA induced [DA], the increased [DA] was most marked when DAergic fibres were `60% denervated, suggesting that other release sites, such as serotonergic fibres might be contributing. In conclusion, the extent of dyskinaesia was directly proportional to the extent of DA terminal denervation and levels of extra-synaptic striatal DA. We propose that sprouting of DA terminals and decreased dopamine uptake transporter function prevent the appearance of Parkinsonian symptoms until about 60% loss of nigral neurons, but also contribute to dysregulated striatal DA release that is responsible for the emergence of dyskinaesia and ‘wearing off’.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe barriers influencing dietary practices of elite-level athletes using a focus-group design involving discussions with elite level athletes, coaches and sports dietitians.
Abstract: The objective of this study was to describe barriers influencing dietary practices of elite-level athletes using a focus-group design involving discussions with elite-level athletes, coaches and sports dietitians. The participants were sixteen male and thirty female elite athletes from an Australian State Institute of Sport, representing diving, netball, basketball and lawn bowls; twelve elite coaches representing swimming, diving, soccer, sailing, cycling and golf; and sixteen sports dietitians who consulted to state institutes/academies of sport with various sports. Focus groups were audio-taped and transcribed with in-depth notes also recorded during the groups. Thematic coding of transcripts and notes were undertaken by the primary coder and these themes were subsequently evaluated by the research team. A number of barriers to healthy eating were described. Lack of time for food preparation was a significant barrier raised by all groups. Financial limitations, inadequate cooking skills and difficulty ...
TL;DR: The relationship between science, the nation, state, and private commercial interests has been investigated in more depth in the context of science education in the new global world as mentioned in this paper, where science education has a profound impact on science education.
Abstract: Science has seen considerable change in recent decades with the emergence of a new economic and sociopolitical contract between science, the nation, state, and private commercial interests. Generally regarded as having been precipitated by globalization, these changes in the sciences are beginning to be documented by a range of commentators. Clearly, science's changing forms hold profound implications for the development of science education. As there is little science education scholarship exploring the implications sciences' altering forms, this paper attempts to investigate the relationship at more depth. Detailing this relationship is important because it can help formulate new questions, and methods for their investigation, relevant to the work of science education in the newly global world. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 617–633, 2008
TL;DR: A potential role for occupational therapists with typically developing children in schools is revealed, revealing that children who were creative, rather than very physically capable, became leaders in activity when materials were on the playground.
Abstract: We examined the impact of an intervention on the playfulness of 5- to 7-year-old children who are developing typically. Materials that had no defined purpose were placed on a school playground for 11 weeks. The Test of Playfulness (ToP) was used to compare videotaped play segments pre- and postintervention. Teachers who did playground duty were interviewed regarding changes in play. ToP data were analyzed using a Wilcoxon signed-ranks test. Interview data were analyzed for themes. ToP scores were significantly higher after intervention (Z= -1.94; p = .025, one-tailed; Cohen's d = 0.55). Teachers reported that children were more social, creative, and resilient when the materials were on the playground. Children who were creative, rather than very physically capable, became leaders in activity. Our results revealed a potential role for occupational therapists with typically developing children in schools. This finding has clear implications for children with disability.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe the validation of scores on actual and preferred forms of the What Is Happening in this Class? (WIHIC) instrument, a 56-item instrument that assesses seven classroom environment dimensions: Student Cohesiveness, Teacher Support, Involvement, Investigation, Task Orientation, Cooperation and Equity.
Abstract: This article describes the validation of scores on actual and preferred forms of the What Is Happening In this Class? (WIHIC). The WIHIC is a 56-item instrument that assesses seven classroom environment dimensions: Student Cohesiveness, Teacher Support, Involvement, Investigation, Task Orientation, Cooperation and Equity. A sample of 978 secondary school students from Australia responded to actual and preferred forms of the WIHIC. Separate confirmatory factor analyses for the actual and preferred forms supported the seven-scale a priori structure of the instrument. Fit statistics indicated a good fit of the models to the data. The use of multitrait-multimethod modelling with the seven scales as traits and the two forms of the instrument as methods supported the WIHIC’s construct validity. This research has provided strong evidence of the sound psychometric properties of the WIHIC.
Book Chapter•
01 Jan 2008
TL;DR: Characteristics of the organization were the greatest barriers to research utilization; the highest ranked of these were inadequate facilities, lack of authority to change practice, Lack of time, and lack of cooperation from physicians.
Abstract: A survey of 1,487 nurses was conducted to examine barriers to and facilitators of research utilization. Characteristics of the organization were the greatest barriers to research utilization; the highest ranked of these were inadequate facilities, lack of authority to change practice, lack of time, and lack of cooperation from physicians. The three highest ranked organizational facilitators were managerial support, colleague support, and education to increase nursing knowledge. Age and years of working experience were not significantly correlated with any of the subscales. To integrate the use of research evidence into the culture of various clinical settings, and with the aim of extending evidence-based practice into the private and primary health care sectors in Hong Kong, local organizational barriers and facilitators need to be addressed.
TL;DR: It is suggested that further investigation is required into the accuracy of assessment undertaken prior to entry to more clearly understand whether residents with ID are inappropriately placed in residential aged as a result of a shortage of disability accommodation and inadequate resources to support aging in place for those in such accommodation.
Abstract: Background Australia’s national ageing policy rec-ognises that people ageing with intellectual disabil-ity (ID) require particular attention, yet there is nopolicy framework concerning this population.Thisstudy describes the distribution and characteristicsof people with ID in residential aged care inVictoria, provides insights into the pathways theytake into aged care, and gives some indicationsof how facilities adapt to their needs. Method A postal survey was sent to 826 residentialaged care facilities inVictoria, seeking informationfrom directors about their residents with ID. Facili-ties that responded were fairly representative of allfacilities inVictoria. Findings Residents with ID were younger, hadentered at an earlier age and remained longer thanother residents.Their reported dependency profilewas similar to the general aged care population,although the incidence of dementia was lower.Primary areas of concern identified by providerswere: inability to fit into the resident community,lack of participation in activities and lack of mean-ingful relationships.
30 Jun 2008
TL;DR: The authors argue that perceived affordances, which are a function of individual users’ or learners’ perceptions and views, are of central significance, and encourage educators to empower learners with freedom and autonomy to select and personalize the tools and technology available to them, as well as allowing them to determine how best to use the technology to support their learning.
Abstract: This paper highlights the importance of considering the educational affordances of information and communication technologies (ICTs), in particular the raft of new and emerging Web 2.0 and social software tools that offer rich opportunities for collaboration, interactivity, and socio-experiential learning. The authors argue that perceived affordances, which are a function of individual users’ or learners’ perceptions and views, are of central significance, and encourage educators to empower learners with freedom and autonomy to select and personalize the tools and technology available to them, as well as allowing them to determine how best to use the technology to support their learning. While “student-centered” learning has become somewhat of a mantra for educators in recent decades, the adoption of social software tools driven by appropriate pedagogies may offer an opportunity for this goal to be truly realized. Introduction: The affordances of ICTs for education The term “affordances” is generally attributed to the perceptual psychologist, J. J. Gibson (1977, 1979), who used it as a core component of his ecological theory of human perception. The term is now used in a range of fields, including but not limited to cognitive psychology, industrial design, human-computer interaction (HCI) and interface design, and artificial intelligence. Overall, an affordance is an action that an individual can potentially perform in their environment by using a particular tool (Affordance, 2007). In other words, an affordance is a “can do” statement that is not necessarily pre-defined by a particular functionality, and refers to any application that enables a user to undertake tasks in their environment. For example, telephones allow the placing and receiving of calls, which in isolation are not affordances, but which substantively enable the affordances of communication and information exchange. Salomon (1993) advocates analyzing information and communication technologies (ICTs) from the perspective of their educational affordances. According to Kirschner (2002), educational affordances can be defined as the relationships between the properties of an educational intervention and the characteristics of the learner that enable certain kinds of learning to take place. Conole and Dyke (2004) draw on social and educational theory to propose a taxomony of the educational affordances of ICTs, which include the identified themes of: accessibility, speed of change; diversity; communication and collaboration; reflection; multimodal and non-linear learning; risk, fragility, and uncertainty; immediacy, monopolization, and surveillance. They believe that the taxonomy will be useful as a “checklist” for practitioners, to assist them in making informed decisions about the use of different ICT technologies, and also to help increase their awareness of the properties of different tools and resources. This awareness will be beneficial as they design and develop learning activities and teaching plans. In this paper, the authors first discuss the affordances of the new wave of social software tools that are beginning to pervade our classrooms and institutions. They then argue for a broader view of affordances that recognizes the central role of the user or learner in determining the possibilities and uses of the technologies available, before using this as a starting point to discuss the potential—and need—for truly student-centered learning to come to fruition in a Web 2.0 era. Web 2.0 and social software tools and their affordances “Web 2.0” refers to an apparent second generation or improved form of the World Wide Web that emphasizes collaboration and sharing of knowledge and content among users. While Web 2.0 does not entail radical changes in the technical specifications of the Web, most proponents of the concept describe it in terms of new possibilities and applications. O’Reilly (O’Reilly 2005a, 2005b) believes that these new applications have emerged due to a changing socio-cultural context, giving rise to the perception of revolutionary new uses for the same technologies. Characteristic of Web 2.0 are the socially-based tools and systems referred to collectively as social software, which includes but is not limited to web logs (blogs), wikis, Really Simple Syndication (RSS) and podcasting feeds, peerto-peer (P2P) media sharing applications, and social bookmarking utilities. These new tools make possible a new wave of online behavior, distributed collaboration, and social interaction, and are already having a transformative effect on society, triggering changes in how we communicate and learn. A few examples will illustrate the new forms of communication and participation enabled by social software tools. Users are now engaged in creative authorship by being able to produce and manipulate digital images and video clips, tag them with chosen keywords, and make this content available to their friends and peers worldwide through Flickr, MySpace, and YouTube. Other individuals write blogs and create wiki spaces where like-minded individuals comment on, share, and augment these sources, thereby engaging in a new genre of dynamic “personal publishing” (Downes, 2004). Advocates of Web 2.0 assert that the terms “co-creation” and “users add value” encapsulate the practices of those who participate in and use social software, showing that that is not just an assembly of tools, but a set of concepts, practices, and attitudes that define its scope. This can be exemplified by contrasting two sites, Encyclopædia Britannica Online (2007) and Wikipedia (2007), the former maintained by a commercial organization and the latter by an open community. In Wikipedia, users can participate and create content, and in doing so become “prosumers” (both consumers and producers). This openness is the characteristic hallmark of Web 2.0, in which users mix, amend, and recombine content, collaboratively and open to a global audience, inviting revision and commentary. Moreover, the added dimension of scale means that the more people using the tools, the greater the network effect. The combined efforts and collective intelligence of hundreds of individuals can result in the co-production of resources such as Wikipedia entries, illustrating the power of the “wisdom of crowds” (Surowiecki, 2004). The “wisdom of crowds” concept acknowledges that when working cooperatively and sharing ideas, communities can be significantly more productive than individuals working in isolation. It is this “architecture of participation” (Barsky & Purdon, 2006, p. 65) that ensures that Web 2.0 is continually responsive to users. So, what does Web 2.0 mean for education? The advent of this new wave of tools and technologies provokes us to consider the implications for and potential applications to formal spaces of learning in colleges and universities (Berg, Berquam, & Christoph 2007). Social software applications can also be viewed as pedagogical tools that stem from their affordances of information discovery and sharing. Anderson (2004) observes that: “The greatest affordance of the Web for educational use is the profound and multifaceted increase in communication and interaction capability” (p. 42), which is even more evident in Web 2.0 when compared to the set of linked information sources that characterized “Web 1.0.” Drawing on extant Web 2.0 research and practice, some examples of the affordances of Web 2.0 and social software tools are as follows: • Connectivity and social rapport. Social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, Ning, and Friendster attract and support networks of people and facilitate connections between them. They are representative of what Gee (2004) calls affinity spaces, in which people acquire both social and communicative skills, and at the same time become engaged in the architecture of participation of Web 2.0. In these spaces, users engage in informal learning, and creative, expressive forms of behavior and identity seeking, while developing a range of digital literacies. • Collaborative information discovery and sharing. Data sharing is enabled through a range of software applications, and experts and novices alike can make their work available to the rest of the virtual world, for example through personal and collaborative blogs. Social bookmarking tools such as del.icio.us, Furl, and Digg allow people to build up collections of web resources or bookmarks, classify and organize them through the use of metadata tags, and share both the bookmarks and tags with others. In this way, users with similar interests can learn from one another through subscribing to the bookmarks and tags of others, and actively contribute to the ongoing growth and evolution of the “folksonomy” of web-based information and knowledge. • Content creation. Web 2.0 emphasizes the pre-eminence of content creation over content consumption. Anyone can create, assemble, organize, and share content to meet their own needs and those of others. Open source and open content (cf. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007; MERLOT, 2006; Beshears, 2005) initiatives, as well as copyright licensing models like Creative Commons (2007), are helping fuel the growth of user-generated content. Wikis enable teams and individuals to work together to generate new knowledge through an open editing and review structure. • Knowledge and information aggregation and content modification. The large uptake of RSS, as well as related technologies such as podcasting (Curry, 2004) and vodcasting (which involve the syndication and aggregation of audio and video content, respectively), is indicative of a move to collecting material from many sources and using it for personal needs. Hilton (2006) describes these technologies as part of a move from “producer push” to “demand pull,” whereby students are now accustomed to obtaining and consuming content “on demand.” There is also a trend towards the unbundling of cont
TL;DR: In this article, the authors share the observations of children involved in a project exploring family homelessness, particularly about what they think is important when conducting research with children and ways in which their views were implemented in the design and delivery of the project.
Abstract: Over the past three decades social researchers have increasingly engaged children in projects that explore their experiences, views, and understandings. In this paper the authors share the observations of children involved in a project exploring family homelessness, particularly about what they think is important when conducting research with children and ways in which their views were implemented in the design and delivery of the project.
TL;DR: The overall results of this study indicated that early acceleration sprint performance from starting blocks decreases with increasing load during resisted sled towing, and suggests that the kinematic changes produced by the 10% BM load may be more beneficial than those of the 20%BM load.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the changes to block start and early acceleration sprint kinematics with resisted sled towing. Ten male sprinters performed 12 sprints (four each of unresisted and approximately 10 and 20% body mass [BM]) for 10 m from a block start. Two-dimensional high-speed video footage (250 Hz) of the starting action and the first three steps of each sprint were recorded to enable the sagittal sprinting kinematic parameters to be obtained using APAS motion analysis software. The overall results of this study indicated that early acceleration sprint performance from starting blocks decreases with increasing load during resisted sled towing. A load of approximately 10% BM had no "negative" effect on sprint start technique or step kinematic variables measured in this study (with the exception of one variable) and was also within the "no greater than 10% decrease in speed" limits suggested by Jakalski. Towing a load of approximately 20% BM increased the time spent in the starting blocks and induced a more horizontal position during the push-off (drive) phase. The approximately 20% BM load also caused the sprinters to shorten their initial strides (length), which may have resulted from the decreased flight distances. Such results suggest that the kinematic changes produced by the 10% BM load may be more beneficial than those of the 20% BM load. Future training studies will, however, need to investigate how these acute changes in sprinting technique impact on long-term adaptations in sprinting performance from resisted sprinting.
TL;DR: This paper explored the interrelation between verbal and visual comprehension of context and generalisation, and showed the negative effect of closure on generalization in symbolic representations, the predominance of single variance generalisation over covariant generalisation in tabular representations, and reduced ability to readily identify commonalities and relationships in enactive and iconic representations.
Abstract: Over the past 3 years, in our Early Algebra Thinking project, we have been studying Years 3 to 5 students’ ability to generalise in a variety of situations, namely, compensation principles in computation, the balance principle in equivalence and equations, change and inverse change rules with function machines, and pattern rules with growing patterns. In these studies, we have attempted to involve a variety of representations and to build students’ abilities to switch between them (in line with the theories of Dreyfus in Advanced mathematical thinking. Kluwer, Dordtrecht, pp. 25–41, 1991, and Duval in Proceedings of the 21st conference of the North American chapter of the international group for the psychology of mathematics education, vol. 1, pp. 3–26, 1999). The studies have shown the negative effect of closure on generalisation in symbolic representations, the predominance of single variance generalisation over covariant generalisation in tabular representations, and the reduced ability to readily identify commonalities and relationships in enactive and iconic representations. This presentation will use a variety of studies to explore the interrelation between verbal and visual comprehension of context and generalisation. The studies showed in a variety of contexts the importance of understanding and communicating aspects of representational forms which allowed commonalities to be seen across or between representations.
TL;DR: In this article, a literature review addressing changes in research education in Australia and their implications for research supervision is presented, where two categories of literature are examined: literature on new ways of conceptualising research degrees and literature on effective supervision.
Abstract: This paper consists of a literature review addressing changes in research education in Australia and their implications for research supervision. The organising principle for the review is expressed in the question: What scholarly literature can support and educate universities and supervisors to effectively carry out the work of research supervision in the current climate of Australian tertiary education? Two categories of literature are examined: literature on new ways of conceptualising research degrees and literature on effective supervision. The research agenda of the Australian government and the massification and diversity of the Australian research student population demand new ways of conceptualising the research curriculum, and in particular, call for flexibility and a holistic view. The paper challenges the traditional notion of ‘good’ supervision as a private contract between supervisor and student, and claims that in this new climate ‘good’ supervision can be defined in specific ways, as one ...
TL;DR: In this article, the chaos theory of careers emphasizes both stability and change in its account of career development, and counseling strategies derived from this emphasis in terms of convergent or probability thinking and emergent or possibility thinking are discussed.
Abstract: The chaos theory of careers emphasizes both stability and change in its account of career development. This article outlines counseling strategies derived from this emphasis in terms of convergent or probability thinking and emergent or possibility thinking. These 2 perspectives are characterized, and practical counseling strategy implications are provided. In addition, an illustrative technique example is described. The authors conclude that the challenges of modern career development demand the complementary and the interactive use of both probability and possibility thinking strategies.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors reported a study of language switching by sixteen Year 4/5 Iranian bilingual students as they solved mathematical problems in an interview situation and found that the reasons for switching between English and their L1 language (Persian or Farsi) were the difficulty of the problem, familiarity with particular numbers or words they used habitually in Persian, and being in the Persian school or interview environment.
Abstract: Teachers are often unaware that bilingual students often switch between their languages when doing mathematics. Little research has been undertaken into this phenomenon. Results are reported here from a study of language switching by sixteen Year 4/5 Iranian bilingual students as they solved mathematical problems in an interview situation. Reasons given for switching between English and their L1 language (Persian or Farsi) were the difficulty of the problem, familiarity with particular numbers or words they used habitually in Persian, and being in the Persian school or interview environment. It seems likely that these Iranian bilingual students will continue to use some form of language switching to help them understand and complete mathematical tasks in mainstream classrooms.