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Background: This paper explores the mental health and wellbeing outcomes of a massed community choir program in Australia. Methods: This study employed a mixed methods approach. Data were collected via a survey of choir participants (N = 305), four qualitative interviews and focus groups with facilitators and participants (N = 22), and two workshops with organising staff (N = 5). Questions were derived from a co-designed program logic, and data were triangulated and analysed thematically. Results: Participants reported feeling a sense of connectedness (psychological), but also experiencing connection (social) with their fellow singers. Psychological outcomes included the sensations of affect, arousal, and affirmation. Social outcomes included experiencing belonging, inclusion, and sharing. These positive psycho- social experiences promoted positive mental health and wellbeing outcomes in the large group of participating singers. Conclusions: This paper addresses gaps in our understanding about the mental health and wellbeing outcomes fostered by community choirs at scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy analysis can be useful for learning about 'what works' in policy. Contemporary policy studies literature highlight that such learning is influenced by power relations in government that shape our ways of knowing the world. This paper offers a critically reflexive narrative account of power relations present during Indigenous higher education policy analysis research conducted in the Northern Territory (NT), Australia to shed light on how to effectively negotiate policy analysis. We reflect on tensions that arose by applying Nakata's concept of the 'cultural interface', which accounts for the complexity of meaning making across diverse knowledge spaces. Narratives from an Indigenous Project Reference Group member are included to provide a perspective on these tensions from an Indigenous standpoint. The paper concludes by describing enabling conditions and strategies that were necessary for effective policy analysis, and considers implications for Indigenous higher education policy analysis in the NT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Australian and British universities, creative discourse is often devalued as a research activity in favour of hard scientific paradigms, and even though the artefact is the primary research activity for the Ph.D. in Creative Writing, it is relegated to a secondary way of knowing, which needs to be translated into more 'respectable' academic discourse in order to be recognised as legitimate or 'real' research. This paper re–affirms the creative artefact as primary research activity, an end in itself, not a means to another, and asserts itself in the academic arena as its own discourse which is not accountable to any other discourse for its legitimacy. It needs no exegetical justification, sets its own parameters, and needs to be evaluated as a literary work using literary tools to measure its research value. This paper also examines the distinction made between Creative Writing and Creative Writing Studies in defining how an artefact creates knowledge and offers a series of philosophical experiments to examine if and how a creative artefact can be considered research, and suggests that the exegesis, rather than being the main conduit of research, is a shorthand device to demonstrate the competencies of the artefact as research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic low back pain is a leading cause of disability worldwide. A clinical model for its cause is lacking. Defining a cause based clinical model and a framework of understanding back pain in terms of peripheral structural and central functional pain is essential for optimal management. We describe the results of the largest published audit of 41 chronic low back pain patients, receiving outpatient sublingual ketamine therapy for defined central functional pain along with conventional peripheral structural pain management. Our clinical model assigns Movement Dysfunction as the primary cause for low back pain symptoms and restores it with Movement Therapy focused rehabilitation which is also defined. Patients were derived from a tertiary single neurosurgical specialist practice in Brisbane Australia over a three year period. Severe pain and disability measurements more than halved and only 13% of patients ceased ketamine prematurely due to predominantly non-sinister side effects common to all pharmaceutical therapies. All other surveyed metrics of utility were highly favourable in this challenging cohort of chronic back pain patients biased to poor outcomes. Outpatient ketamine maintains high efficacy and safety used in conjunction with a unique clinical model that describes chronic low back pain. This paper builds on our previous publications that describe the disease of movement dysfunction as an integral factor to the development of a cause based clinical model for the condition of chronic low back pain symptoms. Our clinical application of this model, applying the necessary dual approach of controlling symptoms arising from peripheral structural pain and central functional pain in conjunction with elimination of root causation has shown favourable outcomes in patients with high levels of pain and disability based on their tertiary referral origin and high Oswestry Disability Scores. Removing chronic low back pain from its position as one of the world's leading causes of pain and disability is more likely if the rehabilitation industry can replicate and test treatment algorithms based around established clinical models of disease which is the important subject of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There currently exists little evidence on the effectiveness of case-managed programs targeting radicalised individuals. This paper provides results from an evaluation of two case-managed interventions implemented by police in Australia, referred to as Intervention 1 and Intervention 2. Drawing on client case note data and interviews, the paper provides quantitative and qualitative results. It examines client change using a five-point metric and details two individual case studies. Results provide data on radicalised behaviours, intervention goals and services offered to clients. Individual client progress is explored, and the overall effectiveness of both programs examined. The results show a positive relationship between client change and different measures of engagement. Limitations of the evaluation methodology and data sources are acknowledged and addressed. Lessons are highlighted relating to the assessment of client change, program evaluation and the role of interventions in supporting disengagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we consider parents as unofficial evaluators of success in primary bilingual programmes that are not subject to any standardised bilingual outcomes. Small-scale, opt-in programmes that are reliant on parental buy-in are increasing in Australia. Given the importance of parental choice on the sustainability of these programmes, we seek to understand parents' evaluation of success in their implementation. We apply Mehisto's ([2015]. "Forces Mechanisms and Counterweights." In Building Bilingual Education Systems: Forces Mechanisms and Counterweights, edited by X. Mehisto, and X. Genesee, Xv–xxvii. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.) framework of forces, mechanisms and counterweights to two Australian studies, and explore the parents' discourse around the success of four primary bilingual programmes as a counterweight to the degree of commitment at the school (force) and the perceived affordances (mechanisms). The implications of the parental evaluations of success on the implementation of the programmes are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of sociological knowledge in Australian universities is explored through an empirical study of research papers published in a selection of academic outlets between 1960 and 2011. Drawing on theories concerning scholarly practices, institutional formation and the sociology of knowledge, questions are posed about the factors that shape and structure the production of sociological knowledge about health and medicine. The concept of intellectual schools is examined, with evidence sought for the presence of these 'knowledge networks' in the Australian context. The study suggests the formation and maintenance of schools are subject to structural factors within the university sector, specifically the relative wealth and prestige of the university and the dictates of the higher education market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the findings of a quantitative study of 1,698 public library websites in Australia, Canada, and the United States over a period of three years using a spreadsheet protocol. The purpose of the research was to evaluate public library websites, available online sources, and whether library staff were available to respond to users' questions and concerns regarding the website. Descriptive statistics are used to report the results. The study provides public library website information regarding which protocol criteria each country's libraries attained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities need to participate in the development of health education material to gain connection with and ownership of concepts. This review extracted and synthesized evidence to answer the question: what processes are used to develop health education resources for adult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and what makes them effective? Design: A review was conducted using the PRISMA guidelines. Five databases were searched (OvidSP Medline, CINAHL, Informit, OvidSP Embase and ProQuest) and 438 non duplicate records were screened. Findings: Twenty-two articles were identified; 18 reporting qualitative studies, two reporting mixed-method studies and two discussion papers. No quantitative studies met the inclusion criteria. Synthesis of the evidence revealed five themes: collaborative relationships, community ownership, lack of evaluation, cultural sensitivity, and health literacy. Discussions/Conclusions: Limitations identified include barriers due to distance, time, and funding, and a need for cultural competency in mainstream health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the literature on best practices to engage parents in order to equip them to support their children's higher education aspirations. Parents from low socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds, in common with other parents, report that they want "the best" for their children's future. Getting a good education is a part of the aspiration of most parents, regardless of SES. However, unlike parents from mid and high SES backgrounds who usually have "educational cultural capital" to support their children's educational aspiration, parents from low SES backgrounds often are unable to confidently access information they need about possible education pathways within and beyond school. Additionally, they need to know where to find out about financial and other support resources available to facilitate access to higher education. Higher education participation by students from non-traditional backgrounds could be improved by outreach that promotes parents' social capital and "educational cultural" capital. This project has built upon University of Tasmania and University of Wollongong's combined experience, international literature and workshops with parent engagement practitioners to identify features of parent engagement programmes and resources that are efficient and effective in engaging parents from low SES backgrounds to support their children's higher education aspirations. From this, the higher education Design and Evaluation Matrix for Outreach was modified to develop a tool to plan, design, modify and evaluate parent engagement programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article details the outcomes of the 'National Learning and Teaching Resource Audit and Classification' project, commissioned by the Australian Government's Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT). The project used a range of methodologies to reorganise the OLT's Resource Library (http://www.olt.gov.au/resource-library), constructing and selecting an optimal set of metadata elements, along with certain vocabularies for these elements, and then reindexing the content of the Resource Library utilising the new schema and vocabularies. This paper reports on a before-and-after evaluation of the Resource Library's search performance through an information retrieval experiment based on searches logged by the repository's content management system. It was found that the reindexing produced a significant increase in average recall from 25.1 to 37.1% and a significant increase in average precision from 37.6 to 50.4%. The paper also describes the construction of a new controlled vocabulary for the 'resource type' element and confirms the importance of clarity, conciseness, structure and scope in research report summaries for accurate document selection. Further, the paper outlines the audit of the OLT collection based on the frequency of particular Australian Thesaurus of Education Descriptors and Australian Standard Classifications of Education used in the reindexing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there have been increasing calls for an overall transformation of the nature of engineering Ph.D. programs and the way theses are assessed. There exists a need to understand the examination process to ensure the best quality outcome for candidates in engineering. The work we present in this paper uses data collected between 2003 and 2010 for a total of 1220 Australian Ph.D. theses by analysing examiner reports. Our analysis indicates that Ph.D. theses in engineering,N = 106, differ considerably from those in other fields in areas such as gender of candidates and examiners and the examiners’ geographical location. We also found that assessment areas such assignificance and contribution of the thesis,publications arising from the thesis,breadth, depth and recency of the literature reviewandcommunication and editorial correctnessare areas in which the proportion of text of engineering examiners' comments differs significantly from other fields. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

What do young people believe sexuality education ought to be about? It is within the absence of a sustained and critical consideration of the possibilities and politics of engaging in research with rather than for young people in the reimagining of sexuality education that this paper is positioned. Data were generated as part of an 18-month Youth Participatory Action Research study in one co-educational secondary school with 43 student co-researchers (15-17 years). The findings presented are not intended to provide conclusive statements about future directions for sexuality education, but rather provide a platform on which to discuss how young people's ideas align with or diverge from current practice and debates surrounding what sexuality education should, could or ought to be about. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This paper describes and evaluates a high-fidelity Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) programme for youth (15–25 years). The project was undertaken as a partnership between public mental health services and a non-government organisation in regional Australia. DBT is an evidence-based treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) but is rarely accessible within public mental health services. Method: Participants completed an Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) questionnaire, repeated measures of the Borderline Symptom List (BSL-23), supplementary behaviour questionnaire (BSL-Supp) and general well-being questionnaires. Hospital and emergency service use was examined for the year prior to referral to the programme and for the year following completion. The characteristics of those people who did not complete the programme were also described. Results: Borderline personality symptoms were correlated with the number of reported adverse childhood experiences. Participants who remained in the programme for at least twelve weeks had significant reductions in BSL-23 scores with several reporting no symptoms after completing the programme. Participants had high rates of hospital and emergency department use in the year before participation and significantly less use in the year following completion. Discussion: It is feasible to deliver a high fidelity DBT programme to youth in a regional centre in Australia and achieve reductions in symptoms and use of hospital and emergency services in a regional public mental health service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a need to improve the Australian conformance practice for construction products. This paper presents an overview of the current operating environment of Australia and discusses the different ways in which a product may not be fit for its intended use. Issues discussed in this paper include methods for identifying problematic products, multi-level conformity assessment system and how to make the Australian system perform better. Various institutions have made independent proposals to improve different aspects of the system. These efforts will be much more effective if coordinated into a national system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the potential of community development interventions to contribute to improvements in Aboriginal health, the theory underpinning community development interventions, and the methods used to evaluate such interventions. This paper is based on a review of health literature to identify Australian and international examples of interventions utilising a community development approach with a view to directly addressing a health issue and contributing to the empowerment of Aboriginal people. Seventeen articles published over a ten year period from 1994 were identified which met the criteria for community development with a specific empowerment objective. Aboriginal communities are undoubtedly engaged in community development with the aim of improving health outcomes for their own communities. We argue that interventions promoting empowerment and control should be included as part of an overall strategy to reduce health inequalities in Aboriginal settings. There is an urgent need for further research in this area, particularly research which can engage with unpublished examples of community development in Aboriginal health contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper identifies quantifiable indicators that might enhance the national evaluation of learning and teaching in Australian higher education. It begins by setting out a framework suitable for guiding the identification and selection of indicators. After a brief critical review of current indicator possibilities, it defines a number of possible indicators that might be developed. The paper works from the premise that as greater significance is placed on the outcomes of measurement, we need to place greater significance on measurement itself. It is imperative that appropriate and contemporary measures are used, and that evaluations are developed in ways that ensure that the basic availability of data does not dictate the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects on the ongoing debate surrounding the usefulness (or otherwise) of multiple‐choice questions (MCQ) as an assessment instrument. The context is a graduate school of business in Australia where an experiment was conducted to investigate the use of assertion‐reason questions (ARQ), a sophisticated form of MCQ that aims to encourage higher‐order thinking on the part of the student. It builds on the work of Connelly (2004) which produced a quantitative analysis of the use of ARQ testing in two economics course units in a flexibly‐delivered Master of Business Administration (MBA) program. Connelly's main findings were that ARQ tests were good substitutes for the more conventional type of multiple‐choice/short‐answer type questions and, perhaps more significantly, ARQ test performance was a good predictor of student performance in essays—the assessment instrument most widely favoured as an indicator of deeper learning. The main focus of this paper is the validity of the second of these findings, analysis of questionnaire data casting some doubt over whether student performance in ARQ tests can, indeed, be looked upon as a sound indicator of deeper learning—student reactions and opinions suggesting instead that performance might have more to do with one's proficiency in the English language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unprecedented policy attention to early childhood education internationally has highlighted the crucial need for a skilled early years workforce. Consequently, professional development of early years educators has become a global policy imperative. At the same time, many maintain that professional development research has reached an impasse. In this paper, we offer a new approach to addressing this impasse. In contrast to calls for a redesign of comparative studies of professional development programmes, or for the refinement of researcher-constructed professional development evaluation frameworks, we argue the need to cultivate what we refer to as an ‘evaluative stance’ amongst all involved in making decisions about professional development in the early years – from senior bureaucrats with responsibilities for funding professional development programmes to individual educators with choices about which professional development opportunities to take up. Drawing on three bodies of literature – evaluation capacity-building, personal epistemology and co-production – that, for the most part, have been overlooked with respect to early years professional learning, this paper proposes a conceptual framework to explain why cultivating an evaluative stance in professional development decision-making has rich possibilities for systemic, sustainable and transformative change in early years education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents the findings of an evaluation of the mandatory Construction Induction Training initiative (CIT). The paper details a pilot study conducted in 2010 with the commercial construction sector and a subsequent study in 2011 of the housing and civil sectors conducting business in the metropolitan area of Perth and in regional Western Australia. The international literature on safety training evaluations and the impact on safety performance is reviewed. We argue that formal evaluation of safety training and evidence of a link with safety culture improvement is limited. The analysis of the study includes discussion of the transfer of safety knowledge through training participation into the construction safety culture. The findings include evidence of a decreasing trend in work-related injuries and significant support for the CIT. Participants were supportive of the mandatory nature of the CIT and believed that the training had not only increased their personal safety awareness but had also contributed to a positive improvement in the safety culture in construction worksites and in the industry. Although the training has been designed for construction workers there is evidence of extended uptake of the CIT as a generic safety course for preparation for those wishing to work in the other industry sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policies of tenure mix, by removing concentrations of social housing or through the application of inclusionary zoning-type powers to new developments, are being pursued throughout Australia and in the USA, the UK and New Zealand. Implementing this tenure mix policy agenda requires significant intervention into urban areas that currently have concentrations of social housing, through programmes of regeneration or renewal. Despite this policy agenda, research on the benefits of tenure mix has produced inconclusive evidence, both in Australia and internationally. The paper reports on research undertaken in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, which tests a method of evaluating tenure mix policy. The exploratory method uses dwelling price data as a proxy for measuring amenity or ‘neighbourhood quality’ changes from tenure mix interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Festival managers in regional locations often have limited access to didactic experiences in their field. As such, developing strategies that enhance the skills of festival management in regional locations can be challenging. This paper, set within the context of the Australian regional arts festival sector, evaluates a pilot mentoring scheme developed by Regional Arts Victoria and Arts Victoria to assist volunteer festival managers to enhance the management, and focus the artistic direction, of their festivals. The results of the evaluation, based on six case studies, indicate that mentoring is highly suited to this scenario. Recommendations are made with regard to the future application of mentoring within this context, particularly in relation to communication and formalisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term ‘workforce development’ is increasingly popular in the health-care field. It appears to encompass a range of human and organizational development activity. However, there has been limited explication of the concept of workforce development in Australian health care at area health service levels. It is timely to develop a framework for workforce development and processes to guide any evaluation of the implementation of workforce development strategies. This paper presents a framework that has been developed through consultative processes in an area health service and an associated review of literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Enrolled nurses (ENs) across Australia precept nursing students in the clinical field. Yet learning about the preceptoring role is not widely available to ENs. Educational innovation: EN's in this study participated in a professional development project that utilised the material of an online learning resource, originally designed to inspire clinical registered nurses (RNs), and RN teachers, to develop teaching innovations in their role. Aim: The aim of this paper is to report the results of a pre-post-test questionnaire designed to evaluate the impact of the professional development intervention. Results: The analysis showed high scoring means with many items in the questionnaire statistically significant (p < .05, CI 95%). Conclusion: Results indicated positive differences in a number of teaching capabilities between pre- and post-test scores. This suggests ENs appreciate education that extends beyond clinical skills and that professional development should include the nursing education role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine outcomes from a four-part webinar series on affirming approaches to working with trans and non-binary young people in terms of Australian psychologists' confidence in working with this population. Method: The author designed and ran a webinar series for the Australian Psychological Society (APS) in early 2018. Of the 76 webinar registrants, 55 completed a survey both before the first webinar, and after completing all of the webinar series. The first survey collected information about demographics, past clinical and training experiences, awareness of the DSM-5 diagnosis of "gender dysphoria", and confidence in working with trans and non-binary young people. The first survey also included open-ended questions asking participants to define "cisgenderism", "transgender", and "non-binary". The second survey included the same questions and additionally asked about understandings of gender diversity, pathways to care, and awareness of the APS information sheet on affirming approaches. Results: Participants who had previously undertaken training, and previously worked with trans and non-binary people reported greater confidence prior to the webinar series. Statistically significant associations with confidence were found following the webinar series. Greater understanding of gender diversity and the APS information sheet were associated with confidence. Content analysis of the open-ended responses identified improved understandings of the three definitions for most participants after the webinar series. Conclusions: Training for psychologists providing affirming care to trans and non-binary young people is important not only for those who specifically work with this population, but also for generalists, given that many young people may require mental health care beyond that specific to gender transition. What is already known about this topic: Previous training and experience in working with trans and non-binary adults are related to increased confidence in providing clinical care, Training for healthcare professionals related to trans and non-binary adults results in increased confidence and knowledge, and The evidence base for affirming approaches to clinical care for trans and non-binary young people is in its infancy. What this topic adds: Training for healthcare professionals related to trans and non-binary young people is specifically associated with confidence, Theoretically informed training opportunities are associated with knowledge about terminology pertaining to trans and non-binary young people, and The training of informed knowledgeable generalists working with trans and non-binary young people can usefully supplement existing specialist paediatric gender services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unhealthy food environments are known to be major drivers of diet-related non-communicable diseases globally, and there is an imperative for major food companies to be publicly accountable for their actions to improve the healthiness of food environments. This paper examines the prevalence of publicly available policies and commitments of major packaged food and soft drink manufacturers, and fast-food restaurants in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji with respect to reducing food marketing to children and product (re)formulation. In each country, the most prominent companies in each sector were selected. Company policies, commitments and relevant industry initiatives were gleaned from company and industry association websites. In Australia and New Zealand, there are a higher proportion of companies with publicly available marketing and formulation policies than in Fiji. However, even in Australia, a large proportion of the most prominent food companies do not have publicly available policies. Where they exist, policies on food marketing to children generally focus on those aged less than 12, do not apply to all types of media, marketing channels and techniques, and do not provide transparency with respect to the products to which the policies apply. Product formulation policies, where they exist, focus mostly on salt reduction and changes to the make-up of overall product portfolios, and do not generally address saturated fat, added sugar and energy reduction. In the absence of strong policies and corresponding actions by the private sector, it is likely that government action (e.g. through co-regulation or legislation) will be needed to drive improved company performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the first attempt to provide a national snapshot of patient satisfaction with the Access to Allied Psychological Services (ATAPS) programme in Australia. ATAPS is funded by the Department of Health and Ageing and provides focussed psychological strategies to patients with common mental health disorders. At the time this work was done, ATAPS was managed locally by Divisions of General Practice; it is now managed by Medicare Locals. We emailed the 105 Divisions operating ATAPS inviting them to provide any survey instruments they had used to gauge patient satisfaction data, as well as any available data. Nine Divisions provided surveys and data. The content of the surveys varied considerably. Eight of the nine surveys included a question regarding overall satisfaction with the service and/or the service provider. However, there were few other commonalities between the surveys. In total, 1,142 of the 1,211 respondents who answered the question about overall satisfaction (94.3%) rated it as positive or very positive. Since this study took place, measurement of patient satisfaction has become a national requirement for all Medicare Locals providing ATAPS services. Assessment of patient satisfaction is especially relevant as ATAPS continues to strive to reach vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations. Recommendations are made to assist Medicare Locals, and other systems of primary mental health care provision, in the further collection of patient satisfaction data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education is state-run in Australia, and within each of the eight states and territories there are both government and independent schooling systems. This paper details the position of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (GLBTIQ) students within Australian education policy documents nationally, focusing on the three largest states and educational sectors in Australia. Survey data are used to report on the schooling experiences of over 3000 Australian GLBTIQ young people aged 14–21 years. Data from interviews with key policy informants identify both the obstacles to implementing policies, and how such obstacles have been overcome. Much official policy sees sexuality education as promoting inclusive, protective and affirming messages around GLBTIQ students. There exist significant correlations between policy and a variety of well-being and psycho-social outcomes for GLBTIQ students, including lowered incidence of homophobic abuse and suicide, and the creation of supportive school environments. Ideal policy visions are outlined, along with practical recommendations of relevance to a variety of stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background Physical activity (PA) programs for adults with intellectual disability (ID) have positive impacts, at least in the short term. No research has been reported on the effect of long-term engagement in PA programs for adults with ID. This paper explores the physical and psychosocial benefits gained by two individuals with mild ID who participated in a long-term PA program. Method Accelerometery was used to collect PA data during the program and for 7-day periods outside of the program. To explore the psychosocial outcomes gained from participating in the program, participants and their caregivers were interviewed about their participation experiences. Results Across time, a decrease in the amount of light activity engaged in during sessions was found, with participants gradually increasing their moderate to vigorous activity. Psychosocial benefits, including meeting new people and gaining social acknowledgement were reported by participants and caregivers. Conclusions Long-term, sustainable, low cost PA programs (such as the one under investigation) can minimise barriers to physical activity for people with ID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Project-based learning (PBL) is a well-known methodology for engineering design education due to a number of benefits it is claimed to offer. This paper presents the initial offering of a first-year engineering PBL unit at Griffith University in Australia. An evaluation of student perceptions of the unit revealed that students generally enjoyed the experience, with the oral presentation aspect receiving the lowest satisfaction rating. There was no significant difference in the ratings between any demographic grouping, suggesting that all students were able to participate in, and experience, the unit in essentially the same way. The best aspects of the unit and those aspects needing improvement were similar to the findings of other investigations documented in the literature. It is proposed that future offerings of the unit will reduce the number of design projects from three to two per semester and will attempt more sophisticated individualisation of marks for group work activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports possible operational or policy implications for Mental Health Tribunals ('MHTs') of findings from a multi-year Australian collaborative study of mental health review tribunals in three jurisdictions (Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory) undertaken in conjunction with the New South Wales Law and Justice Foundation. Recognising the tension between human rights and clinical benchmarks for the care and treatment of mental health consumers and resource constraints in the service system and resources for review bodies alike, the paper reflects on stakeholder and consumer concerns about access to quality treatment and associated support services, review of treatment adequacy and drug regimes, and their 'participation' or dignity of engagement in review processes. Building on earlier arguments in favour of equipping MHTs to adequately engage the clinical and social domains in addition to the domain of legal rectitude, and for 'flexibility' of process more characteristic of case-conferencing modes, this article also reviews some alternative or supplementary policy pathways for supporting the work of MHTs, including advocacy and dispute resolution machinery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During an Australian qualitative and empirical study looking at lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender client's experiences of counseling, and counselor's experiences of working with minority clients, a large body of unsolicited data emerged related to experiences of religious-based homophobia. Analysis of the data suggests that a lifelong process of posttraumatic recovery for many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people follows prior experiences of religious-based homophobia. This paper discusses the sociological debate related to how counselors find themselves at the crossroad between a healthy lifestyle model of homosexuality based in well established contemporary professional ethics versus long standing religious-based attitudes and constraints toward homosexuality. This intersection of conflicting beliefs generates a controversial social and political environment in which counselors must make a basic decision to either support minority clients according to ethical guidelines or to side with socially conservative constructs that, rightly or wrongly, rely largely on Western religious traditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University rankings often include surveys that involve self-assessments, but little is known about the effects of these self-assessments on results. This paper tests for the existence of leniency effects and differential leniency effects, terms borrowed from the performance assessment literature, with a data set of ratings and rankings of Australian university disciplines by Australian academics. It finds support for the leniency effect - these academics rate and rank their own universities higher than others do. It finds less support, however, for the differential leniency effect - academics at the lower-rated universities do not seem to overrate their universities more than do academics from the higher-rated universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing student perceptions and opinions of their university education is now standard in quality assurance processes for learning and teaching. In Australia, the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) has been institutionalised as a national survey of graduand opinion and is used as the key indicator of tertiary teaching quality. A little-used variant called the Work Experience Questionnaire (WEQ) provides an adaptation to the specific case of work-based learning. Work-based learning is a vital component of many professional degrees. It is a staple of urban planning education and yet there are few reported evaluations of specific student learning experiences. This paper illustrates the utility of the WEQ methodology when applied to codify the views of undergraduate urban planning students following a 'sandwich year' of industry training. The specific results are discussed and the wider implications of the model are assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews the implementation of programs for voluntary travel behavior change (VTBC) in Australia as an important initiative in the search for more sustainable urban transport systems. It provides a focus on the current research aimed at developing and applying suitable tools for the evaluation of VTBC projects through the identification of the benefits and impacts of VTBC and the development of survey methodologies for measuring small-scale changes in travel behavior. The methodologies require the use of advanced survey techniques and new data collection technology, with the use of GPS by survey respondents being an important innovation. A substantial national program for VTBC is now under way in Australia, with a basic objective of seeking substantial reductions in individuals' use of private vehicles and thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paramedic role carries inherent risk to practitioner health, due to a combination of work characteristics and the employment practices of different organizations. Emerging evidence suggests that paramedics worldwide may face a range of negative health outcomes. The purpose of this article was to systematically review the literature of paramedic health outcomes in the Australian and New Zealand context. A systematic search of key databases and gray literature was conducted to identify all available studies reporting on quantitative health outcomes for paramedics working in Australia or New Zealand. The review was conducted using the JBI methodology for prevalence studies and uses a narrative synthesis approach to reporting. There were k = 20 studies that met inclusion criteria, and most used Australian samples. Results indicated between 57.3–66.5% of paramedics studied were classified as overweight or obese, while up to 80% reported poor sleep, and 55.6% reported fatigue. Incidence rates per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) included 26.62 for completed suicide, 5.46 for drug-caused death, and 9.3 for workplace fatalities. The most recent incidence per 1,000 FTE for injury compensation claims was 141.4. Australian and New Zealand paramedics demonstrate poor health according to several metrics. Our sample demonstrated considerably worse health than the general population or similar occupations. There is a minimal amount of trend data available; therefore, it was difficult to ascertain if rates are changing. The range of health outcomes studied was limited, and correlations between different health outcomes were rarely considered by authors. Data relating to specific rates for gender and sexuality, location of work, and First Nations status or ethnicity was often not available. CRD42021232196 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the sustainability of Robot-assisted upper limb therapy (RT-UL) as part of routine occupational therapy and physiotherapy clinical practice. Two separate audits, 12 months apart, of RT-UL computer data records were undertaken to determine sustainability in a subacute rehabilitation unit. Records of the two audits were compared in terms of the number of early subacute stroke survivors using RT-UL, the number of RT-UL sessions, duration of RT-UL sessions, and disciplines prescribing RT-UL. During Audit 1 58% (n = 18) of stroke survivors received RT-UL compared to 50% (n = 7) in Audit 2. The total number of RT-UL sessions reduced between audits (148 vs. 36 sessions) reflecting the overall reduction in admission rates for stroke survivors. There was no significant difference between audits in the average number of RT-UL sessions per patient (p = 0.203) nor the length of sessions (p = 0.762). Patients engaged in active therapy more than three-quarters of the time when on the robotic device. Physiotherapists were the primary prescribers of RT-UL when compared to occupational therapists. RT-UL was in continued and regular use with stroke survivors 2 years after initial implementation within an inpatient rehabilitation setting. RT-UL practice was intensive and used routinely with patients. RT-UL is a sustainable and intensive intervention for stroke survivors within an inpatient rehabilitative setting. The cost-benefits of RT-UL should be evaluated from the perspective of the whole rehabilitation service not just at an individual patient level. RT-UL may be considered a "bridging" form of UL practice for those with more limited active UL movement until there is sufficient UL movement and power for more complex real-world task-specific practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residential aged care facilities (RACFs) face severe challenges in the provision of high-quality end of life care. A pilot of a nurse-led end-of-life palliative care consultative service (CiMaS) supporting RACFs was conducted in three RACFs in the West Moreton Region of Queensland, Australia, from May 2018. We conducted a mixed method evaluation comprising: a chart audit of deaths in the 12 months before and after the intervention; focus groups with RACF staff; and interviews with facility directors, primary family members and GPs. Quantitative and Qualitative data were assessed separately with statistical and thematic analyses respectively. The RACFs cared for 277 residents. There were 24 pre-intervention deaths and 44 in the intervention period (28 (64%) referred to CiMaS). There was widespread support for the service. Families felt supported and knowledgeable about what was happening. Care plans were almost always recorded in health records. Patients' symptoms appeared to be better recognised and managed. Staff and Facility managers felt more support than previously, with more responsive and reliable out of hours support. There were significant care improvements in patients not referred to CiMaS, suggesting a learning effect. GPs observed improvements in nursing staff confidence and support to families. Transfers to hospitals fell by two-thirds for both referred and non-referred patients compared with the year before implementation. The program was both efficient and effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In search of Kipling's six honest serving men in upper limb rehabilitation after stroke, we sought to investigate clinicians' perspective of when and where to begin therapy, how much and what therapy to provide, and who and why (or not) to provide therapy. Materials & methods: Within-participant case cross-over experiments were nested within an anonymous web-based questionnaire (21 questions, three cases). Graph theory-based voting to produce ranked ordered lists and mixed-effect logistic regression were performed. In total, 225 Australian stroke clinicians responded: 53% occupational therapists, 61% working in acute/inpatient stroke setting. Most respondents indicated they did not have a protocol/expectation regarding when (62%), how much (84%) or what (60%) therapy to provide in their setting. Respondents ranked 24-h to 7-days post-stroke as the optimal time to commence therapy, and 30- to 60-min per day as the optimal dose to provide. Within-participant experiments demonstrated that greater motor recovery as time progressed increased the odds of offering therapy, while lack of motor recovery, shoulder pain, neurological decline and sole therapist reduced the odds. We need to develop an evidence base concerning Kipling's six honest serving men and equip clinicians with clinical decision-making skills aligned with this focus. Most clinicians did not have access to a protocol / clinical pathway which defines when, how much and what upper limb therapy to provide after stroke, which may be improved by providing individual clinicians with organisational support to make therapy decisions. To improve the personalisation of upper limb rehabilitation in clinical practice, we need to understand when and where after stroke to begin therapy, how much and what therapy to provide, as well as who and why (clinical decision-making) to provide therapy. Clinicians perceive clinical trials as successful if the therapy can demonstrate recovery that is greater than a minimal clinical important difference (MCID). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence approach to speech acquisition theorises the influence of intrinsic capabilities (e.g., maturation), interactional capabilities, and extrinsic contexts (e.g., ambient phonology). Intrinsic and extrinsic influences were examined via a case study of a 3-generation Vietnamese-English family with two brothers (C1 aged 5;6 and C2 aged 3;10), their mother (M), grandfather (GF) and grandmother (GM). Their speech was assessed using the Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology (DEAP) and the Vietnamese Speech Assessment (VSA). Standard Australian English/Standard Vietnamese productions were defined as 'correct', even though the adults spoke different Vietnamese dialects. Their percentage of standard consonants correct (PSCC) was: C1 (English:92.27%, Vietnamese:89.05%), C2 (E:86.47%, VN:86.13%), M (E:90.34%, VN:96.35%), GF (E:82.61%, VN:97.81%), GM (VN:99.27%). Percentages were higher when dialectal variants were included. C1 and C2 had more pronunciation matches with English (86.96%) than Vietnamese (79.56%). C1's pronunciation matched: M (E:85.02%, VN:83.94%), GF (E:79.23%, VN:77.37%), GM (VN:73.72%) and C2's pronunciation matched: M (E:79.23%, VN:73.72%), GF (E:73.91%, VN:75.18%), GM (VN:72.26%). There was evidence of ambient phonology influences and cross-linguistic transfer. For example, in Vietnamese 'r' is produced as /ʐ/ or /r/ , but was produced by C1 as [ɹ] (English approximant) and by C2 [w] (age-appropriate/ɹ/substitution). The children demonstrated maturation influences for late-occurring English consonants (e.g., English /θ/ →[f]). This study found evidence for the emergence approach and recommends knowledge of the ambient phonology augments traditional child-focused understandings of children's speech acquisition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local governments are at the forefront of climate change adaptation planning. Although there is significant research on adaptation planning processes, there is scant empirical evidence of how local governments are completing the adaptation planning cycle by monitoring or evaluating their efforts. This leads to a fundamental lack of understanding about what actions work, in which contexts, and why? This article explores the practice of monitoring and evaluation of adaptation by local government, drawing on data from a national survey of Australian local governments, enhanced by interviews with selected respondents. It finds that monitoring and evaluation of climate change adaptation is challenging for local governments. Monitoring efforts focus on tracking implementation of actions, and evaluation of adaptation plans and projects is rare. It argues that for effective adaptation planning and learning, greater attention needs to be paid to building evaluative capacity of local governments to complete the adaptation planning cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known in Australia about current practice relating to medical end-of-life decisions preceding patient deaths. This study aimed to translate and culturally adapt a European questionnaire on medical end-of-life decisions and end-of-life care to the Australian context, producing a questionnaire to assess current medical practice in Australia and enable comparison with international studies. Following initial research team review, an English translation of the questionnaire was culturally adapted using four waves of cognitive pre-testing interviews with members of the target community: Australian doctors (n=27) from different specialties, clinical settings and geographical locations. Cognitive interviewing was used to identify potential problems with the translated questionnaire by examining the cognitive processes participants used to answer questions. Two experts in end-of-life research provided feedback on the questionnaire after the third wave of cognitive interviews. Research team review occurred again after the third and fourth waves of cognitive interviews. Interview notes were reviewed, coded and analysed using content analysis. A consensus approach was used to identify necessary adaptations, with all members of the research team endorsing the adaptations. Following cognitive pre-testing, an online version of the questionnaire was piloted with doctors, nurses and health law researchers (n=13). Improvements to questionnaire wording, flow/routeing and design were identified during the cognitive interviewing and piloting process and implemented. Saturation in terms of face and content validity and acceptability of the questionnaire was achieved after four rounds of cognitive interviews. Participants generally agreed that the adapted questionnaire instructions were easy to follow, the questions were easy to understand, they felt comfortable answering all the questions, and the online questionnaire format was user friendly. The time taken to complete the questionnaire (average 9.2 min) was also acceptable to participants. Cognitive interviewing was a suitable method for identifying and solving challenges with comprehension and applicability of the questionnaire within the Australian context. The final questionnaire was well accepted by doctors and is now being used in a study exploring the incidence and nature of medical end-of-life decisions involving adult patients in one Australian state (Victoria). This questionnaire may be suitable for use or further adaptation in research in other English speaking jurisdictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extending the 'what works' tradition in correctional research, realist evaluation approaches champion the need to understand the nuances of program implementation and effectiveness, asking "what works, for whom, in what circumstances, in what respects, and how?". This highlights the importance of understanding how programs work in 'real world' settings, and not simply whether or not they produce a positive outcome overall. Informed by this approach, the current study employed focus groups and interviews with corrective services programs staff in Australia, to explore factors that impact program success and key program implementation considerations. Findings reveal system-, program-, and individual- level factors that appear to impact program success, largely by constraining program delivery. Identified implementation considerations included program design and delivery, and staffing and resources. By examining the nuances of program delivery, this study provides a better understanding of the 'real-world' operation of custodial sex offender treatment programs, and adds important context to reported outcome studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (iCBT-I) provides scalable access to psychological interventions; however, the effectiveness of these courses during COVID-19 has not been examined. This study investigated the uptake and potential effectiveness of iCBT-I during the first 10 months of the pandemic in Australia (March- December 2020) and compared outcomes in the year prior. Two thousand six hundred and ninety-four adults commenced a four-lesson iCBT-I course (1,883 during the pandemic; 811 in the year before). Measures of insomnia and psychological distress were administered pre-, mid- and post-treatment. In the COVID-19 period, we observed a 140% increase in monthly course registrations compared to the year prior (with a peak increase of 257% from April-June 2020). Insomnia symptom severity was marginally lower for the during-COVID group compared to the pre-COVID group, although levels of psychological distress were similar. Before and during COVID-19, iCBT-I was associated with large effect size reductions in insomnia symptom severity (gs =.86–1.09) and small effect size improvements in psychological distress and wellbeing (gs = 0.34–0.41). iCBT-I uptake substantially increased during the pandemic; treatment outcomes were similar. The findings demonstrate the scalability and potential effectiveness of iCBT-I. Key Points What is already known about this topic: Insomnia is a significant public health issue. Internet delivered cognitive behaviour therapy (iCBT) is effective in reducing insomnia symptom severity. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a large impact on mental health with higher estimated rates of insomnia during the pandemic. What this topic adds: Uptake of an online insomnia course increased by >180% during COVID-19. The course was associated with large effect size reductions in insomnia symptoms. Results highlight the utility and scalability of digital mental health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study evaluates the experience of Australia's aid agency (AusAID) in supporting bilateral judicial reform in Papua New Guinea through its Law and Justice Sector Program between 2003 and 2007. It marshals and evaluates a substantial body of new evidence from the Asia-Pacific region, which has been relatively under-studied in the academic discourse to date. The question to be addressed in this article is: what does the actual evidence of practice tell us about the nature and effectiveness of judicial and related legal reforms in Papua New Guinea? This case study adopts a documents-based, inductive, qualitative methodology to gather findings from the available evidence of reform endeavours. The structure of this article comprises three sections: an introduction to this empirical case study; the body of evidence provided, including background, findings and analysis; and conclusions that highlight their significance to two key issues relating to the purpose and evaluation of judicial reform endeavour. The evidence of practice provided by this case study is significant in supporting a number of key propositions. First, it reveals the still evolving nature of the judicial reform enterprise. Second, it demonstrates that AusAID has created some 'results'. Third, it remains much more difficult to find any evidence of 'success' owing to the continuing conceptual fuzziness in the purpose and goals of endeavour, and the continuing lack of systematic monitoring and evaluation. Fourth, there are some tentative indications of an emerging capacity to demonstrate developmental effectiveness. In sum, while the Papua New Guinea experience conforms in many ways to the global literature, it highlights the incubation of a potentially paradigmatic shift in developing performance monitoring and evaluation capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on the evidence and evaluation basis of interventions for children and families with a parent who has mental illness in Australia. It gathers a wide range of expertise from several researchers, clinicians, and consumers in Australia and other countries. It highlights occurring issues in policy, research, and practice as well as the importance in determining the extent of the problem to justify the existence of interventions for families in the country.

Consistent with global developments, market-based instruments are increasingly being used for environmental management across Australia. While the use of economic analysis tools by policy makers broadens the inputs to policy formulation, it is important to be realistic about their strengths and limitations. A dearth of thorough evaluations has meant that, to date, there is limited evidence supporting the cost advantages of market-based instruments identified by economic theory. Nevertheless, there has been some verification of these advantages, most notably from evaluations of the US sulphur dioxide tradeable permit scheme. A review of market-based instruments within Australia and overseas reveals that while different environmental problems require tailored solutions, there are many design elements such as monitoring and enforcement that are critical to the performance of all instruments. To reconcile economic and non-economic objectives of market-based instruments, substantial compromises are often made. Thorough and open evaluation is therefore essential for better instrument selection and design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strengthening advance care planning in residential aged care is now a priority. This hybrid implementation-effectiveness study aimed to implement and evaluate the effectiveness of multidisciplinary educational case conferences (MuDECC) in end-of-life planning in two Australian rural residential aged care facilities. MuDECCs are hour long meetings with the resident (where appropriate), their family/guardian and a multidisciplinary team of healthcare providers (including community pharmacists) to discuss and plan for the resident's future end-of-life care needs. Between November 2018 and July 2019 ten MuDECCs were convened. The implementation was evaluated using a utilisation-focused approach. Intervention outcomes were documented advance care plans, availability of anticipatory end-of-life medications, and participant satisfaction. Of 23 persons who died during the study period, 65% had a documented end-of-life care plan; 57% had anticipatory medications charted. MuDECCs were reported to be acceptable, effective, and a valuable learning experience. By providing a framework for informed decision making and joint problem sharing, MuDECCs were effective in facilitating advance care planning and prescribing of anticipatory medications. However, MuDECCs were time consuming to organise with disproportionate responsibilities or time commitments borne by several key individuals. The necessary personal and professional capital to implement MuDECCs may be limited or unavailable in some rural locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Children's play and leisure participation is often assessed by occupational therapists. As such, it is essential that therapists utilize play and leisure scales that are valid, reliable and responsive. Aim: To examine the convergent validity between the Children's Leisure Assessment Scale (CLASS) and Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment and Preferences for Activities of Children (CAPE/PAC). Methods: Forty healthy Australian children (60% female; mean age 9.2 ± 2.01 years) completed the CLASS and CAPE/PAC. Spearman's rho correlations with bootstrapping were completed. Results: A number of the CLASS and CAPE/PAC subscales were significantly correlated. The CAPE's overall scale scores and CLASS's instrumental indoor activities, outdoor activities and games and sport activities subscales were significantly correlated (p > 0.05). The CAPE's Social domain showed several significant correlations with the CLASS's instrumental indoor activities, outdoor activities and self-enrichment activities domains (p < 0.05). Statistically significant relationships were found between the CLASS's outdoor activity preference and the PAC's recreational, physical, formal, informal and overall performance scores (r = 0.466–0.773, p < 0.05). Conclusions and Significance: Preliminary evidence in support of the convergent validity between the CAPE/PAC and CLASS was obtained. Limitations include a small sample size and convenience sampling. Further investigation of the psychometric properties of the CAPE/PAC and CLASS are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growing prominence and importance of the field of teacher dispositions for addressing selection criteria and assessment in educational research, there is an absence of psychometrically evaluated instruments to facilitate investigations. Furthermore, research thus far has not explored the relationship between teacher dispositions and better student outcomes. To address this paucity, key dispositional factors conducive to successful teaching and learning were identified through interviewing high performing teachers. Based on the interview, data a 24-item Teacher Disposition Scale (TDS) was constructed consisting of five dimensions: Motivation to teach; Teacher efficacy; Willingness to learn; Conscientiousness; and Interpersonal and communication skill. The scale was psychometrically tested on 179 pre-service undergraduate students at an Australian university. Both factor analysis and Rasch measurement modelling indicated evidence of a reliable and valid multi-dimensional scale. The article concludes with a discussion on the implications of the scale for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]