89 results on '"Foster, P."'
Search Results
2. The Psychosocial Impact of Rare Diseases among Children and Adolescents Attending Mainstream Schools in Western Australia
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Adama, E. A., Arabiat, D., Foster, M. J., Afrifa-Yamoah, E., Runions, K., Vithiatharan, R., and Lin, A.
- Abstract
Living with a long-term medical condition is associated with heightened risk for mental health and psychosocial difficulties, but further research is required on this risk for children and adolescents with a rare disease in the educational setting. The aim of this study is to describe parents' perceptions of the psychosocial impact of rare diseases on their school-aged children in Western Australia. A cross-sectional survey of 41 parents of school-aged children and adolescents diagnosed with a rare disease completed an online questionnaire. Questions related to their perceptions of health-related stigma, bullying, social competencies and mental health difficulties faced by their child. Results showed that stigmatisation was experienced by 75.6% of participants, and almost half (46.4%) reported their child was bullied. In this sample, parents reported high sensory (vision and hearing) abilities, but low to moderate self-care competence in relation to social activities and peer relations. Almost half of the respondents (43.9%) reported mental health difficulties among their children. Children and adolescents with a rare disease have unique psychological and social issues. These findings highlight the need for greater efforts to meet the diverse psychosocial, physical and emotional needs of children diagnosed with a rare disease who attend mainstream schools in Western Australia.
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- 2023
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3. Brief Report: Sentencing Outcomes for Offenders on the Autism Spectrum
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Foster, Tammie R. and Young, Robyn L.
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Although people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are not more likely to commit crimes, they are overrepresented in the criminal justice system as reported by Howlin (Autism and Asperger syndrome: Preparing for adulthood, Routledge, 2004). This may, in part, be due to unfavourable interactions with the criminal judiciary. Evidence suggests the autistic population are perceived unfavourably in adjudicative proceedings resulting in harsher penalties. The present study explores whether ASD offenders (ASD-O) receive longer sentences compared to national sentencing data. Sentencing data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) were used to compare ASD-O with similar offences. ASD-O attracted longer sentences across all offence classifications. Inferential analyses indicated sexual assault sentences were significantly higher in the ASD-O sample. No significant differences were found for murder, manslaughter, and assault.
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- 2022
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4. Good Goals Matter: Functional Child Goals, Family Goals, and Parent Perceptions of Difference in Performance
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García-Grau, Pau, McWilliam, R. A., Bull, Kerry, and Foster, John
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Functional plans in early childhood intervention need to include contextualized, meaningful, and measurable goals and include timelines and criteria for generalization. In addition, they must address children's and families' needs and priorities. The Routines-Based Interview has had a positive impact on the functionality of goals identified in the child's individualized plan. In Australia, where Noah's Ark Inc. is implementing the Routines-Based Interview and developing functional and participation-based goals, families' perceptions of child performance on functional issues and their satisfaction with the performance were measured. We analyzed (a) the functionality of goals, (b) changes in parents' perceptions of child performance and satisfaction after 6 months of intervention, and (c) the moderating effect of family goals. We found acceptable overall goal functionality, although measurement criteria are still a component that needs attention. Noteworthy changes in performance and satisfaction scores were found after the intervention, and the percentage of family goals moderated the influence of the context and meaningfulness of intervention goals on parents' perceptions of child's difference in performance. This effect was greater with more family goals on a plan.
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- 2022
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5. Allocation of R&D Equipment Expenditure Based on Organisation Discipline Profiles
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Wells, Xanthe E., Foster, Nigel, Finch, Adam, and Elsum, Ian
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Sufficient and state-of-the-art research equipment is one component required to maintain the research competitiveness of a R&D organisation. This paper describes an approach to inform more optimal allocation of equipment expenditure levels in a large and diverse R&D organisation, such as CSIRO. CSIRO is Australia's national science agency, is comprised of individual research units and conducts R&D across many disciplines. CSIRO's research equipment expenditure allocations have been to some extent based on both previous years' expenditures and current operating performance. In an effort to refine this process, a method was developed to consider the difference in expenditure profiles across research areas and calculate a benchmark (or expected level) for research units within CSIRO. The approach also allowed CSIRO to compare its actual equipment expenditure levels to benchmark (or expected) levels derived from expenditure data from US academic institutions. This comparison found that CSIRO's overall level of expenditure was below the benchmark levels and assisted in guiding the allocation of available funds more fairly across research units with different equipment needs. Several datasets were used for this analysis. R&D equipment expenditure patterns across disciplines are available for USA academic institutions and the differences in levels between disciplines was calculated. For example, in the Biological Sciences equipment expenditure is 3% of total R&D expenditure, whereas in Physics it is 3-fold greater. Using research publication subject classifications, discipline profiles were constructed for the entire CSIRO and each of its units. Publication subject categories were also mapped to the research fields used by the USA source. These datasets were combined to determine an overall benchmark value for CSIRO and each unit. The value varied by a factor of 2.2 fold across individual CSIRO units. Actual equipment expenditure for CSIRO was determined using internal finance records. This was compared to the benchmark levels and some units were below the calculated benchmark values and a few were close to or above. The results of this study were considered by CSIRO managers when deciding equipment expenditure allocations and the implications of the findings for the organisation are discussed. Furthermore, it was found that there are very few studies on research equipment expenditure readily available and it is hoped that this study will encourage further discussion and research on this topic.
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- 2017
6. School Leaders' Perceptions of Participating in the North Coast Initiative for School Improvement
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Durheim, Tracy, Chaseling, Marilyn Joan, Boyd, Wendy, and Foster, Alan
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This investigation concerns school leaders' perceptions regarding the efficacy of a leadership development initiative implemented across schools in the North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Based on an Alberta school improvement process, the North Coast Initiative for School Improvement sought to achieve leadership development and improved learning outcomes through use of the processes of collaborative inquiry and generative dialogue. Five schools were selected for an exploration of experiences within the Initiative. Accounts provided by the interviewees pointed strongly to the achievement of positive outcomes. The participants referred particularly to benefits in the form of increased leadership confidence and capability. Success factors underpinning the Initiative include: the twinning of collaborative inquiry as a process for improving professional practice with the process of generative dialogue to achieve more effective conversations, and; the nature of the Initiative, itself, where, facilitated by a visiting leadership team, professional colleagues meet monthly for deep discussion about professional issues they share.
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- 2021
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7. COVID-19 and Indigenous Resilience
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Akuhata-Huntington, Zaine, Foster, Shannon, Gillon, Ashlea, Merito, Mamaeroa, Oliver, Lisa, Parata, Nohorua, Ualesi, Yvonne, and Naepi, Sereana
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As a collective, we reflect on how COVID-19 has impacted Indigenous students at a personal, institutional and national level in Aotearoa/New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific.
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- 2020
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8. Academic Staff Perceptions of Factors Underlying Program Completion by Australian Indigenous Nursing Students
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West, Roianne, Usher, Kim, Foster, Kim, and Stewart, Lee
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An increase in the number of Indigenous health professionals is one way to help reduce the poor health outcomes of Australia's Indigenous people. However, while Indigenous students are enrolling in Australian tertiary undergraduate nursing courses in increasing numbers, their completion rates remain lower than non-Indigenous students and many barriers hinder course completion. This critical interpretive qualitative study explores academic staff perceptions of factors enabling successful course completions by Indigenous nursing students from universities in Queensland, Australia. Content analysis of data revealed five themes: (a) Individual student characteristics; (b) Institutional structures, systems, and processes; (c) Relationships, connections, and partnerships; (d) Family and community knowledge, awareness, and understanding; and (e) Academics' knowledge, awareness, and understanding. To increase the number of Indigenous nurses, strategies such as appointing Indigenous nursing academics; partnerships between nursing schools and Indigenous Education Support Units, and the implementation of tailored cross-cultural awareness programs for nurse academics are proposed.
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- 2014
9. Working without a Safety Net
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Foster, Colin
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A science teacher has the advantage of hooking learners with all their senses: flashes, bangs and smells. The science labs are something that many learners at the start of secondary school (high school) are eager to explore, and when there is an open day at school it feels unfair that the mathematics department has to try to compete for excitement with the liquid nitrogen and explosions on display in the science area. The author argues that there is nothing wrong with being a science teacher, but school science teaching is full of restrictions. On the contrary, mathematics teachers are lucky because they do not have to be a control freak in the classroom. What the author loves about teaching mathematics is that learners can explore without permission--no teacher needs to impede their thinking by fencing off areas and telling them they are too young or too inexperienced or too clumsy to go there. The author loves the way that learners of mathematics can take control and come to conclusions that they "know" are right, not because someone tells them so but because they have reasoned it out for themselves. (Contains 4 figures.)
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- 2012
10. Study Examines Teachers' Self-Efficacy and Beliefs in Inclusion
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Elizabeth Foster
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This article discusses a recent Australian study that examines the relationship between teachers' beliefs in inclusive education and their levels of teaching self-efficacy, which previous research finds is correlated with more effective teaching practices. Whereas inclusion in the United States usually refers to placing students with disabilities in general education classrooms, in Australia, inclusion is a more holistic approach that recognizes a broader diversity of student strengths and needs and applies to all. This broad definition can result in variations in implementation at the school and classroom levels, resulting in a lack of clarity for teachers and concerns about their ability and efficacy to implement inclusive practices. Given this variation, the researchers sought to understand the extent to which teachers' beliefs about the effectiveness of teaching all students in an inclusive classroom and their beliefs about their own ability to teach all students contribute to their teaching practices. These beliefs impact teachers' planning, lesson design, formative assessments, and responses to challenges in the classroom.
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- 2023
11. Higher-Level Vocational Education and Training Qualifications: Their Importance in Today's Training Market. Support Document
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National Centre for Vocational Education Research, Leabrook (Australia)., Foster, S., Bateman, A., Delaney, B., and Dyson, C.
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This document was produced by the authors based on their research for the report "Higher-Level Vocational Education and Training Qualifications: Their Importance in Today's Training Market" [ED499709], and is an added resource for further information. This document contains information regarding: (1) The Australian Qualifications Framework; (2) Methodology; (3) Enterprise sample; (4) Student sample; (5) Summary of industry perspectives; and (6) Summary of focus group responses. (Contains 10 tables.) [This work has been produced with funding provided through the Australian Department of Education, Science and Training.]
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- 2007
12. Higher-Level Vocational Education and Training Qualifications: Their Importance in Today's Training Market. A National Vocational Education and Training Research and Evaluation Program Report
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National Centre for Vocational Education Research, Leabrook (Australia)., Foster, Sue, Delaney, Bernadette, Bateman, Andrea, and Dyson, Chloe
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The relevance of higher-level vocational education and training qualifications to students and employers in six industry sectors; namely, disability services; nursing; engineering; electronics/electro-technology; multi-media; and design, is explored in this report. The report suggests possible improvements, including a greater emphasis on opportunities within training programs for extended and practical workplace experience and in cross-discipline knowledge and industry skills. One of the important findings of this research is that many of those who have completed higher-level vocational education and training (VET) qualifications are employed in jobs not commensurate with their qualification level. Entry-level job applicants with a higher-level VET qualification are in an extremely competitive job market, competing with existing workers with a high level of technical competence and workplace experience, as well as, in some cases, people with university degrees. The challenge for the VET sector is to make its graduates more competitive. This report is likely to be of interest to VET policymakers, industry bodies, industry skills councils and course developers from both public and private providers. The following are appended: (1) Enterprise interview questions; (2) Telephone survey questions: Training package developers; and (3) Student focus group questions. (Contains 4 tables.) [This work has been produced with funding provided through the Australian Department of Education, Science and Training. The author/project team was funded to undertake this research via a grant under the National Vocational Education and Training Research and Evaluation (NVETRE) program. For the related Support Document, see ED499710.]
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- 2007
13. Adult Literacy and Numeracy. At a Glance
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National Centre for Vocational Education Research, Leabrook (Australia)., Foster, Sue, and Beddie, Francesca
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This publication explores adult literacy and numeracy. In particular, it draws on major insights from research conducted during 2003 and 2004 for the Adult Literacy National Project funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Education, Science and Training. Key messages include: (1) Literacy and numeracy skills are shaped by social, cultural and technological developments--Therefore the definition of literacy will change with the times, as will approaches to fostering literacy and numeracy skills; (2) The challenge is not confined to those with poor basic skills but extends to all people trying to understand new forms of communication and information as they take on different roles in life and work; and (3) People with limited literacy can lead very successful lives--They can achieve stable employment, economic self-management and academic success. In doing so, they often have to be particularly determined and able to make clever use of networks and technologies. [This document was funded under the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) Adult Literacy National Project by the Commonwealth through the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST).]
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- 2005
14. Associations between Psychosocial Environment in Religious Education Classes and Student Outcomes.
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Dorman, Jeffrey P., McRobbie, Campbell J., and Foster, William J.
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Over the past 20 years independent lines of research in the fields of classroom environment and student attitudes to Christianity have been conducted. A study brought these two fields together by investigating the relationship between student perceptions of religious classroom environment and their attitudes toward Christianity. A personal form of the Catholic School Classroom Environment Questionnaire (which assesses seven classroom environment dimensions) along with four Attitude to Christianity scales were administered to 1317 students in Australian Catholic secondary schools. Simple, multiple, and canonical correlation analyses revealed statistically significant relationships between dimensions of the classroom environment and the four attitude to Christianity measures. Findings provide evidence that positive classroom environments enhance students' attitudes to Christianity. Contains 8 tables of data and 49 references. (Author/BT)
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- 1999
15. Education: A Site of Desire and Threat for Australian Girls.
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Foster, Victoria
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In recent years there has been an international backlash against the status of girls as learners, with many people asserting that boys are suffering from new forms of educational disadvantage as girls achieve academically. This paper develops the notion of the space-between, a heuristic device to analyze and explain girls' experiences of contemporary events in education. It explores the lack of change in post-school outcomes for girls, the insignificant degree of change in the participation of girls in male-dominated curriculum areas, the endemic nature of sexual harassment, and the inequitable use of school resources by girls. Women's experiences in the space-between revolve around the conflicting discourses of equality with men and of male supremacy in which women are constructed as transgressors on male territory. Desire for achievement and threat to masculinity are dialectical experiences of girls' schooling in the Australian context. (Contains 24 references.) (SLD)
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- 1999
16. Stroke Communication Partner Training: A National Survey of 122 Clinicians on Current Practice Patterns and Perceived Implementation Barriers and Facilitators
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Chang, Huey Fang, Power, Emma, O'Halloran, Robyn, and Foster, Abby
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Background: Communication partners (CPs) find it challenging to communicate with people with communication disorders post-stroke. Stroke communication partner training (CPT) can enhance CPs' ability to support the communication and participation of people post-stroke. While evidence for the efficacy of aphasia-based CPT is strong, implementation in healthcare settings is unclear. Aims: To investigate Australian speech pathologists' current stroke CPT practices, factors influencing the implementation of CPT and how reported practice compares with the research evidence. Methods & Procedures: Speech pathologists in Australia who had worked with people post-stroke were invited to complete a 99-item online survey. The survey was informed by a comprehensive review of the literature review, the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) intervention taxonomy, and the theoretical domains framework. data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. Outcomes & Results: A total of 122 clinicians were surveyed. Most participants reported providing CPT to treat a range of post-stroke communication disorders. While 98.3% reported training familiar CPs, only 66.1% reported training unfamiliar CPs. Current stroke CPT practice is characterized by one to two < 1 h sessions of informal face-to-face education and skills training. Only 13.3% and 10.0% of participants used evidence-based published programmes with unfamiliar and familiar CPs respectively. The main barriers included the perceived lack of behavioural regulation, skills, reinforcement, beliefs about consequences, positive social influences and resources. The main facilitators included clinicians' intentions to provide CPT, perception of CPT as part of their role and perceived compatibility of CPT with clinical practice. Conclusion & Implications: A significant evidence-practice gap exists. Research exploring the implementation of stroke CPT in healthcare settings, expanding evidence to support CPT for the range of post-stroke communication disorders, developing freely accessible step-by-step CPT programmes that consider restrictions in current practice and providing explicit instructions of CPT best practice are warranted. A supportive workplace culture and freely accessible formal training opportunities are also needed.
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- 2018
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17. The Developmental Trajectory of Parent-Report and Objective Sleep Profiles in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Associations with Anxiety and Bedtime Routines
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Fletcher, Fay E., Foster-Owens, Mistral D., Conduit, Russell, Rinehart, Nicole J., Riby, Deborah M., and Cornish, Kim M.
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The present study compared the course of parent-report and actigraphy-derived sleep profiles over a 1-year period, in school-age children with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing children. The Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire and 14 nights of actigraphy were used to assess sleep profiles. Parents also completed the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale, the Social Worries Questionnaire and the Bedtime Routines Questionnaire. Between-group differences in parent-reported sleep problems were less pronounced at follow-up compared to baseline. The course of objective sleep was comparable between groups, with a significant reduction in sleep duration over time in both groups. Children with autism spectrum disorder were further characterised by significantly more night-to-night variability in sleep quality, across both time points. Reductions over time in parent-reported sleep problems were significantly associated with reduced anxiety. Reductions in actigraphy-derived sleep efficiency were associated with an increased frequency of maladaptive activities in the hour before bedtime, in both children with and without autism spectrum disorder.
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- 2017
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18. Gender Equity, Citizenship Education and Inclusive Curriculum: Another Case of 'Add Women and Stir?'
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Foster, Victoria
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This paper argues that an inclusive notion of citizenship is impossible in the modern state, predicated as it is on an opposition between the public and private spheres of social life. Until that opposition is addressed in the lives of men and women, women's ambiguous relationship with citizenship and the state will continue. This paper explores some of the ways in which education perpetrates women's and girls' lack of citizenship status, in the context of the current revival of interest, in Australia and other countries, in citizenship education. The document highlights some of the real issues of of the ways in which education perpetuates women's and girls' lack of citizenship status, in the context of current revival interest in citizenship education in Australia and other countries. The document highlights some of the real issues of continuing sexual difference and inequality in curriculum participation and its outcomes, which bear directly on men's and women's participation as citizens. Contains 58 references. (EH)
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- 1996
19. Children of an Earth to Come: Speculative Fiction, Geophilosophy and Climate Change Education Research
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Rousell, David, Cutter-Mackenzie, Amy, and Foster, Jasmyne
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Over the last 3 years, the "Climate Change and Me" project has mapped children and young people's affective, creative, and ontological relationships with climate change through an emergent and child-framed research methodology. The project has involved working with 135 children and young people from across Northern NSW, Australia, as coresearchers responding to the rapidly changing material conditions of the Anthropocene epoch. In this article, we position speculative fiction as a mode of creative research that enabled the young researchers to inhabit possible climate change futures. This node of the "Climate Change and Me" research was initiated by coauthor Jasmyne, who at the time was a year 7 student at a local high school. Through an ongoing series of visual and textual posts on the project web site, Jasmyne created an alternate world in which children develop mutant forces and bodily augmentations that enable them to resist social and environmental injustices. Drawing on these visual and textual entries in dialogue with Deleuze and Guattari's geophilosophy, we consider ways that speculative fiction might offer new conceptual tools for a viral strain of climate change education that proliferates through aesthetic modes of expression.
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- 2017
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20. Uplifting Leadership for Real School Improvement--The North Coast Initiative for School Improvement: An Australian Telling of a Canadian Story
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Chaseling, Marilyn, Boyd, William Edgar, Smith, Robert, Boyd, Wendy, Shipway, Bradley, Foster, Alan, and Lembke, Cathy
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This paper reports on a preliminary Australian adoption and adaptation, in the North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, of the Townsend and Adams' model of leadership growth for school improvement in Alberta. The Australian adaptation of this Alberta model has been named the North Coast Initiative for School Improvement (NCISI). The participants comprise nine university academics and almost one hundred regional school leaders. Leadership is developed through continuing and regular collaborative-inquiry and generative-dialogue meetings between the academics and school leaders. The aim is to improve school leadership with the primary purpose of improving student outcomes. Provisional evaluation records significant positive changes in school leadership across the region. Convergence and divergence of the Australian and Canadian models are explored. The Australian adaptation requires some modification to suit local education processes and context. In particular, there has been the development of some divergence in approaches, especially in working in individual schools or clusters of schools. While the program has only been running for a comparatively short time, and therefore formal program evaluation is only commencing, preliminary evidence suggests significant traction and success in the Australian context. The paper concludes with some tentative implications for the future development of this model in the Australian context: how can the model be conceptualised and delivered to a wider audience in the years ahead.
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- 2017
21. 'That Doesn't Translate': The Role of Evidence-Based Practice in Disempowering Speech Pathologists in Acute Aphasia Management
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Foster, Abby, Worrall, Linda, Rose, Miranda, and O'Halloran, Robyn
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Background: An evidence-practice gap has been identified in current acute aphasia management practice, with the provision of services to people with aphasia in the acute hospital widely considered in the literature to be inconsistent with best-practice recommendations. The reasons for this evidence-practice gap are unclear; however, speech pathologists practising in this setting have articulated a sense of dissonance regarding their limited service provision to this population. A clearer understanding of why this evidence-practice gap exists is essential in order to support and promote evidence-based approaches to the care of people with aphasia in acute care settings. Aims: To provide an understanding of speech pathologists' conceptualization of evidence-based practice for acute post-stroke aphasia, and its implementation. Methods & Procedures: This study adopted a phenomenological approach, underpinned by a social constructivist paradigm. In-depth interviews were conducted with 14 Australian speech pathologists, recruited using a purposive sampling technique. An inductive thematic analysis of the data was undertaken. Outcomes & Results: A single, overarching theme emerged from the data. Speech pathologists demonstrated a sense of disempowerment as a result of their relationship with evidence-based practice for acute aphasia management. Three subthemes contributed to this theme. The first described a restricted conceptualization of evidence-based practice. The second revealed speech pathologists' strained relationships with the research literature. The third elucidated a sense of professional unease over their perceived inability to enact evidence-based clinical recommendations, despite their desire to do so. Conclusions & Implications: Speech pathologists identified a current knowledge-practice gap in their management of aphasia in acute hospital settings. Speech pathologists place significant emphasis on the research evidence; however, their engagement with the research is limited, in part because it is perceived to lack clinical utility. A sense of professional dissonance arises from the conflict between a desire to provide best practice and the perceived barriers to implementing evidence-based recommendations clinically, resulting in evidence-based practice becoming a disempowering concept for some.
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- 2015
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22. Prospective Associations between Dietary Patterns and Cognitive Performance during Adolescence
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Nyaradi, Anett, Foster, Jonathan K., Hickling, Siobhan, Li, Jianghong, Ambrosini, Gina L., Jacques, Angela, and Oddy, Wendy H.
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Background: The aim of the study was to investigate prospective associations between dietary patterns and cognitive performance during adolescence. Methods: Participants were sourced from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study that includes 2868 children born between 1989 and 1992 in Perth, Western Australia. When the children were 17 years old (2006-2009), cognitive performance was assessed using a computerized cognitive battery of tests (CogState) that included six tasks. Using a food frequency questionnaire administered when the children were 14 years old (2003-2006), "Healthy" and "Western" dietary patterns were identified by factor analysis. Associations between dietary patterns at 14 years of age and cognitive performance at 17 years of age were assessed prospectively using multivariate regression models. Results: Dietary and cognitive performance data were available for 602 participants. Following adjustment for the "Healthy" dietary pattern, total energy intake, maternal education, family income, father's presence in the family, family functioning and gender, we found that a longer reaction time in the detection task (ß = 0.016; 95% CI: 0.004; 0.028; p = 0.009) and a higher number of total errors in the Groton Maze LeRecall Test--delayed recall task (ß = 0.060; 95% CI: 0.006; 0.114; p = 0.029) were significantly associated with higher scores on the "Western" dietary pattern. The "Western" dietary pattern was characterized by high intakes of take-away food, red and processed meat, soft drink, fried and refined food. We also found that within the dietary patterns, high intake of fried potato, crisps and red meat had negative associations, while increased fruit and leafy green vegetable intake had positive associations with some aspects of cognitive performance. Conclusion: Higher dietary intake of the "Western" dietary pattern at age 14 is associated with diminished cognitive performance 3 years later, at 17 years.
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- 2014
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23. Engaging Young People with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Research Interviews
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Harrington, Caitlin, Foster, Michele, Rodger, Sylvia, and Ashburner, Jill
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This study draws on the first author's doctoral research on the mainstream schooling experiences of young people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their parents in Queensland, Australia. The aims are to share some of the practical strategies that were adapted and developed to engage the young people in the research and to critically reflect on what this means for future inclusive methodological approaches in this area. The key message is that diagnostic-related assumptions about impairments can lead researchers to develop strategies which exclude or restrict rather than maximise participation of disabled people in research. To enable young people with ASD to provide rich and meaningful insights researchers need to acknowledge and plan creatively and flexibly for the interactive dynamic that is unique to each individual as well as for needs which might be shared.
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- 2014
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24. Improving stroke clinical guideline adherence in an Australian hospital using a clinician-led implementation process.
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Brusco, Natasha, Morris, Meg E., Foster, Sarah, Woods, Jeffrey, McCaskie, Doug, Goodman, Suzy, Barnes, Cameron, Keren, Coral, and Frawley, Helena
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HEALTH facility employees ,MEDICAL rehabilitation ,AUDITING ,EVALUATION of human services programs ,SCIENTIFIC observation ,REHABILITATION centers ,DEGLUTITION ,ATTITUDES of medical personnel ,ISCHEMIC stroke ,HEALTH facility administration ,AGE distribution ,FUNCTIONAL status ,HOSPITAL health promotion programs ,PATIENTS ,ACQUISITION of data ,MEDICAL protocols ,HUMAN services programs ,STROKE units ,SEX distribution ,PRE-tests & post-tests ,COMPARATIVE studies ,T-test (Statistics) ,STROKE rehabilitation ,PSYCHOSOCIAL factors ,QUALITY assurance ,CRITICAL care medicine ,STROKE patients ,MEDICAL records ,NEGLIGENCE ,INTERPROFESSIONAL relations ,RESEARCH funding ,AUTOMOBILE driving ,CHI-squared test ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,DATA analysis software ,PROPRIETARY hospitals ,PATIENT education ,EMPLOYMENT reentry ,THEMATIC analysis ,DISCHARGE planning - Abstract
Private hospitals in Australia manage 11% of acute and 48% of rehabilitation stroke admissions, yet little is known about implementation of stroke clinical guidelines in this setting. Clinical guidelines recommend that acute stroke patients be co-located in a stroke unit in a geographically defined area, rather than dispersed across the hospital. To investigate post-intervention adherence to clinical guidelines for stroke management, and to explore staff barriers and facilitators to guideline implementation. Observational study before-and-after local implementation of Australian stroke clinical guidelines. The primary outcome was a change in the proportion of patients who were physically co-located in an acute stroke unit. Secondary outcomes included changes in adherence to additional acute and rehabilitation guideline criteria, and staff identification of barriers and facilitators to guide implementation. Data were collected from medical record audits, health service information and staff surveys. Co-location in an acute stroke unit did not change significantly after guideline implementation (49% adherence pre-intervention and 54% post-intervention). Across acute and rehabilitation wards, 15% (11/72) of guideline criteria improved (p <.05). These related to assessments of swallowing and neglect, presence of a stroke care co-ordinator and occupational therapist, post-discharge care plan, provision of patient education and return to driving. Facilitators to guideline implementation included staff education, collaboration, and dissemination of user-friendly stroke policies. Stroke clinical guideline implementation led to a favorable uptake of some criteria, yet not all. Implementation was assisted by staff education, user-friendly stroke policies and multidisciplinary team collaboration. ANZCTR: registration number ACTRN12616000646448 (). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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25. The Benefits of Multidisciplinary Learning in Clinical Practice for Law, Finance, and Social Work Students: An Australian Experience
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Hyams, Ross, Brown, Grace, and Foster, Richard
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In July 2010, the faculties of Law, Business and Economics, and Medicine at Monash University, Australia commenced placing law, finance, and social work students in a multidisciplinary clinic at a community legal service operated by the University. Students from the three disciplines began seeing legal service clients at the same time as a team. Clients who agreed to participate were interviewed by the team of students made up of the three disciplines in order to address client issues holistically. This article canvasses some of the perceived learning benefits of this project for students and their supervisors. It investigates how and why supervision within this clinic is a unique experience for students and supervisors alike. It raises the issues of dealing with the different ethical and professional guidelines of the three disciplines. Ultimately, we conclude that multidisciplinary training may have a wide range of advantages for all parties. (Contains 2 footnotes.)
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- 2013
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26. A Conceptual Model and Set of Instruments for Measuring Student Engagement in Learning
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Goldspink, Christopher and Foster, Margot
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This work has its origins with research into the effects of pedagogy on student engagement and learning outcomes. It summarises the development of self-report and observation instruments for measuring student engagement suitable for early years to senior secondary. The measures are sensitive to the context and experience of learning rather than, as is more common, a general disposition towards learning or school. The measures are distinctive in three ways: (1) they avoid the use of proxies such as attendance which link only weakly to learning outcomes; (2) they are designed to be sensitive to the effect of learning environments and quality of pedagogy on engagement; and (3) they do not assume that the learning environment involves conventional schooling. However, the use of the instruments has also revealed a deep structure to engagement which is a distinctive contribution and links prior research into learner dispositions and interest to the engagement construct.
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- 2013
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27. Dealing with Distinctiveness. Development of Chinese in the 'Australian Curriculum: Languages'
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Scrimgeour, Andrew, Foster, Marnie, and Mao, Weifeng
- Abstract
This article explores some of the distinctive challenges in Chinese language education in schools and discusses how the development of the "Australian Curriculum: Chinese" has responded to these challenges. It details how the curriculum framework outlined in the "Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Languages" (ACARA, 2011) (hereafter the Shape paper), was applied firstly in addressing the characteristics of the Chinese language itself, secondly in meeting the needs of learners of diverse language background and experience, and finally in developing a curriculum for Chinese in the primary years that responds to the needs of learners in these early years of language learning.
- Published
- 2013
28. The Impact of International Students on Measured Learning and Standards in Australian Higher Education
- Author
-
Foster, Gigi
- Abstract
International students, who are also often from non-English language speaking backgrounds (NESB students), are an important source of revenue for Australian universities. Yet little large-scale evidence exists about their performance once they arrive. Do these students perform worse than other students in Australian undergraduate classrooms? What happens to other students' performance when these students are added to classrooms? I provide new empirical evidence on these questions using recent administrative panel data from the business schools of two Australian Technology Network universities. Results show strong and highly statistically significant main effects and spillover effects, raising concerns about the integration of international NESB students into the Australian tertiary environment. (Contains 8 tables and 6 figures.)
- Published
- 2012
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
29. Teacher Effects on Student Attrition and Performance in Mass-Market Tertiary Education
- Author
-
Foster, Gigi
- Abstract
Tertiary education is now accessible even to those who appear unlikely "ex ante" to succeed in jobs requiring post-high school education. Institutions that have broadened access to their programs must rely on two things to protect the quality of the degrees they award: selection mechanisms operating during students' tenure, and effective teaching. This paper explores the relative strength of these two forces in a broad-spectrum, first-year undergraduate course. Using detailed data from the University of South Australia on student background, tutors, performance, and enrollment across 15 weeks in a first-year core course, I explore the extent to which teachers impact upon the success of their students directly (through effective teaching) and indirectly (through facilitating the dropping out of more poorly-prepared students). Results indicate that teachers vary widely in their influence on attrition and performance, and that none is robustly effective in facilitating "both" the disproportionate out-selection of students with poor initial preparation, "and" the disproportionate achievement of this group. Performance at neither of these tasks is predictable based on teachers' formal university affiliation.
- Published
- 2010
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
30. Learning from Experience: An Evaluation of an External Nursing Course in Regional Australia
- Author
-
Foster, Kim, Usher, Kim, Luck, Lauretta, Harvey, Nikki, and Lindsay, David
- Abstract
The delivery of pre-registration Bachelor of Nursing courses in Australia has primarily been through the traditional on-campus mode. The development and implementation of an external course mode necessitates pedagogical reflection on a number of delivery, design, implementation, and consequently evaluation, processes. This paper discusses one aspect of the course evaluation process of a pre-registration nursing course offered by the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Nutrition at James Cook University in regional Australia. Course feedback was obtained from 26 respondents through an exit survey which used both quantitative and qualitative questions. While the majority of students were satisfied with the content of subjects, written course material, the use of email and Web-based delivery of subjects, a number of respondents were less satisfied with access to staff and experienced difficulties with the financial costs of the course. Generally, however, respondents indicated they had gained a number of personal, academic and professional benefits through completing the course. (Contains 6 figures.)
- Published
- 2008
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
31. Associations between Psychosocial Environments in Religious Education Classes and Students' Attitude toward Christianity
- Author
-
Dorman, Jeffrey P., Mcrobbie, Campbell J., and Foster, William J.
- Abstract
Over the past thirty years, independent lines of research in the fields of classroom environment and student attitudes toward Christianity have been conducted. This research brought these two fields together by investigating the relationship between student perceptions of religion classroom environment and their attitudes toward Christianity. A Personal Form of the Catholic School Classroom Environment Questionnaire, which assesses seven classroom environment dimensions and four Attitude to Christianity scales, were administered to a sample of 1,317 students in Australian Catholic secondary school. Simple, multiple, and canonical correlation analyses revealed statistically significant relationships between dimensions of the classroom environment and the four attitude to Christianity measures. This study provided evidence that positive classroom environments enhance student's attitudes toward Christianity. (Contains 8 tables.)
- Published
- 2002
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
32. Pragmatic, Problem-Solving Approaches to Curriculum and Assessment Policy.
- Author
-
Foster, Sue
- Abstract
Examines curriculum and assessment policy in Australian vocational education and training, enacted through demand-side market-oriented policies since the 1990s. In contrast to this rational, positivist, and managerial approach, advocates an alternative coherentist view that favors pragmatic, problem-solving approaches to curriculum and assessment policy. (Contains 63 references.) (MLH)
- Published
- 2001
33. Identifying priorities for reform to integrate coastal wetland ecosystem services into law and policy.
- Author
-
Bell-James, Justine, Foster, Rose, and Lovelock, Catherine E.
- Subjects
COASTAL wetlands ,ECOSYSTEM services ,WETLAND restoration ,LAW reform ,LAND tenure ,REFORMS - Abstract
The ecosystem services concept has been slow to integrate into written law and policy in Australia. We sought to examine whether the concept has permeated deeper into practice, focusing on the coastal wetland protection, management and restoration context. We conducted a Delphi study involving 16 key informants. Over two rounds of interviews we found confirmation that the ecosystem services concept is not a central part of practice, and a strong consensus support for integrating and mainstreaming ecosystem services into law and policy through law reform. Our informants also provided additional new insights on how reform should proceed: (1) integration may occur through consolidated or interconnected law and policy instruments, (2) decision-maker discretion should be retained but subject to constraints, especially regarding (3) trade-offs between different ecosystem services and ecosystem services and other land uses. Our informants also called for (4) more effective and targeted policy to facilitate restoration projects, (5) incentivised protection and restoration across land tenure types, especially on privately-owned land and (6) caution in dealing with trade-offs and financial valuations of ecosystem services. The insights provided through this Delphi study will be instructive for law and policy reform in Australia and other jurisdictions grappling with fragmented management, protection and restoration of coastal wetlands. • Practice shows that the ecosystem services concept is not central to law, policy or decision-making about coastal wetlands. • There is strong consensus support for incorporating the ecosystem services concept into law and policy. • However care should be taken when dealing with trade-offs and financial valuations of ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
34. Native Tongue, Captive Voice: The Representation of the Aboriginal 'Voice' in Colonial South Australia.
- Author
-
Foster, Robert and Muhlhausler, Peter
- Abstract
Examines the way in which the Aboriginal "voice" was represented in colonial South Australia, particularly in the form of pidgin English. The first part of the article focuses on the first decade of settlement; the second part examines the period between 1860 and the turn of the century. Findings indicate that the Aboriginal voice in South Australia was ignored and distracted. (44 references) (CK)
- Published
- 1996
35. Schooling for Citizenship: A Site of Desire and Threat for Girls.
- Author
-
Foster, Victoria
- Abstract
This paper offers a theoretical framework for understanding girls' experiences of schooling in contemporary Australia, and explores some of the ways in which education perpetuates women's lack of citizenship status. Equality-directed curriculum reforms require of girls that they attempt to transpose themselves from private realm status to a position as the equals of males in the public realm of the school. In this process, girls' status is defined as the "other" in relation to males in various ways which frequently define girls physically or sexually in terms of their bodies. The experiential space that is thus created has been named "Transpositional mediating space." Within this mediating space, girls are reminded with varying degrees of force, of the sexual contract, of their status as sexual property. This paper explores the barriers faced by young Australian women as they attempt to educate themselves and become upwardly mobile. The relationships of women's attempts to gain equal entry to male terrain and the prohibition exercised against these attempts are described. The paper focuses on the detrimental effects that a gender biased curriculum has on the physical and emotional well-being of Australian women as they attempt to better themselves through education. These effects are manifested through the women's reluctance in reporting cases of sexual violence, sexual harassment, family violence and sexual exploitation. (SR)
- Published
- 1995
36. Strategies for Expanding Learning Opportunities for NESB Adult Literacy Learners.
- Author
-
Rado, Marta and Foster, Lois
- Abstract
Explores two strategies for expanding learning opportunities for adult literacy learners that are not tied to formal instruction and unlimited finance. These strategies are the creative use of technology and reading circles which draw on the adult's capacity for independent learning and the bilingualism of the learners. (18 references) (Author/CK)
- Published
- 1995
37. Implementing Languages Policy at the University Level: Innovations in Victoria.
- Author
-
Rado, Marta and Foster, Lois
- Abstract
Paper is a sequel to the project reported in article "Through the Glass Darkly? The National Policy on Languages As Seen by Tertiary Language Staff" (Rado and Foster 1990). This article looks at further developments in selected tertiary Languages Other Than English (LOTE) contexts up to July 1994. These developments have been highlighted as of interest for future planning courses. (three references) (Author/CK)
- Published
- 1995
38. Multiple Perspectives on Adult Biliteracy.
- Author
-
Rado, Marta and Foster, Lois
- Abstract
In the context of multicultural Australia, bilingual education has generally become a viable educational option for all school age students, but there is less interest in developing bilingual skills in adults with a non-English speaking background (NESB). This paper arises out of a 1991 research study on "The Literacy Needs of NESB Women." One focus of the paper is to identify the position on adult biliteracy taken by key parties in the adult literacy and basic education field, including the industry training board, private employers, non-government organizations, and the government. A second focus is to explore the arguments in favor of developing the biliteracy of NESB adults and of promoting positive attitudes towards biliteracy among those directly concerned, such as students, teachers, administrators, and politicians. Strategies for implementing literacy programs for adults are discussed. It is concluded that biliteracy has not attained a high profile and that first- and second-language literacy are interrelated dimensions of literacy for Australia's NESB population. Contains 44 references. (LB)
- Published
- 1992
39. Different but Equal? Dilemmas in the Reform of Girls' Education.
- Author
-
Foster, Victoria
- Abstract
Attempts to achieve educational equality for girls are examined critically, and reform issues are discussed, including the public/private dichotomy within education and efforts to increase female access to and participation in male-dominated subject areas. These issues are then related to the Australian gender-inclusive curriculum design and to current educational proposals. (Author/MSE)
- Published
- 1992
40. Lessons from Team Work: Towards a Systematic Scheme for Course Development.
- Author
-
Foster, Geoff
- Abstract
Differences in educational practice and culture of a British distance university and Australian traditional university are the basis for analysis of curriculum development methods. It is proposed that, although generally individual faculty design new courses, there are good reasons (efficiency, cohesiveness, professional development, academic enrichment) for using a team approach. (Author/MSE)
- Published
- 1992
41. The Drive for Literacy: Are NESB Women Winners or Losers?
- Author
-
Rado, Marta and Foster, Lois
- Abstract
This paper is based on a 1991 research study that examined non-English speaking background (NESB) women in Victoria, Australia. The women had past or current experience of paid work or were intending to participate in paid work, and they were taking or intending to take literacy and basic education courses. Some of the relationships between the two groups of factors are explored. It is noted that if Australia's workers are to take advantage of the education and training opportunities offered by government-endorsed restructuring in support of a national multicultural policy, then factors such as literacy level, competence in English, and gender are important considerations. The general conclusion of this study is that NESB women tend to be "losers" in the drive for literacy, but that there is ample potential for transforming them into "winners." Serious issues raised by the study include the following: (1) the philosophy underlying "multicultural" Australia, and particularly the national languages policy, may be only a political slogan if NESB women's literacy and general education needs are not given priority; (2) literacy and skills training problems cannot be solved without taking into account the complexity of language and literacy, the clientele to be accommodated, and the position and status of women in Australian society; and (3) assumptions about NESB women as primarily "victims" are severely limited and may transform NESB women from winners to losers while paradoxically enabling others to move from being losers to winners. (LB) Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education
- Published
- 1991
42. Realising Adult Bilingual Literacy: What Is Required?
- Author
-
Rado, Marta and Foster, Lois
- Abstract
Given the fact that adult citizens of non-English speaking background (NESB) in Australia are actual or potential bilinguals, this paper argues that developing or enhancing those bilingual literacy skills is beneficial to both individuals and Australian society as a whole. The viewpoint is based on a research project with NESB women. Barriers to achieving bilingual literacy are numerous, including teacher attitudes towards using literacy resources in the community at large and in the family. Examples of important factors are the adult ability to learn in independent groups and the inclination of adults to teach their children and others. Additional potential resources are professionals and paraprofessionals such as librarians, bilingual community workers, and other literate volunteer workers, including unemployed or retired citizens. It is suggested that if appropriate mechanisms were in place to use these human resources, they could help extend and strengthen the impact of bilingual literacy programs. Contains 24 references. (Author/LB) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education)
- Published
- 1991
43. Literacy Needs of Non-English Speaking Background Women. Report of a Research Project. Occasional Paper 7.
- Author
-
Victoria Ministry of Education, Melbourne (Australia). Div. of Further Education., Foster, Lois, and Rado, Marta
- Abstract
In view of recent Australian government policy favoring multiculturalism, a research study was undertaken to investigate the effect of literacy, bilingualism, and adult education and training on non-English speaking background (NESB) women in Australian society. NESB women have been identified as a migrant group with both special needs and problems as well as skills. This report reviews issues in literacy and bilingualism, new orientations in the 1990s for adult education and training, and workforce reform. The aim of the study was to enhance the opportunities for and access to further education and/or paid employment for NESB women. The methodology included a review of published and unpublished materials, interviews with a wide range of service providers and students, surveys of training opportunities, attendance at conferences and workshops, observations of a range of classes, collaboration on a literacy and basic education workshop, and development of a network of skilled informants. It is concluded that: (1) location, functioning, needs, and problems of NESB women as a specific group in Australia must continue to be the focus of research; and (2) matters of restructuring have profound implications for literacy, language, basic education and other forms of education and skills training for those in and out of the workforce. Eleven tables and figures on labor force participation rates, unemployment rates, and migration category supplement the narrative. Appended is information on the project outline, questionnaire, interview schedule, letters and survey sheets for government and community organizations, meeting agenda, and recommendations for a model for action. (LB) Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education.
- Published
- 1991
44. Promoting Bilingual Literacy for Adults: Why and How.
- Author
-
Rado, Marta and Foster, Lois
- Abstract
A study aimed to enhance the opportunities and access to literacy training for women with a non-English-speaking background. Options are proposed for the development of literacy skills from which learners and teachers can choose to suit their own needs. (Contains 20 references.) (LB)
- Published
- 1991
45. Contextualising measures of everyday discrimination experienced by Aboriginal peoples: A place-based analysis from central Australia.
- Author
-
Wright, Alyson, Davis, Vanessa Napaltjarri, Bourke, Sarah, Lovett, Raymond, Foster, Denise, Klerck, Michael, Yap, Mandy, Richardson, Alice, Sanders, William, and Banks, Emily
- Subjects
SUBURBS ,INDIGENOUS peoples ,INDIGENOUS Australians ,INDIGENOUS children ,COMMUNITIES ,EQUALITY ,CITIES & towns - Abstract
Everyday discrimination is a deeply personal experience, which is influenced by the wider community, as well as complex social and historical contexts. In Australia, the most recent national data for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples reports the highest prevalence of everyday discrimination among those living in remote regions compared with urban and regional areas. Given the diversity in settlement types in remote Australia, a place-based analysis can inform the extent of discrimination experienced and the impact on communities. This study used a mixed method approach to identify Indigenous community member understandings of discrimination and quantify everyday discrimination in Central Australia by settlement. Drawing on workshop data from community members, we defined two research questions: Do experiences of everyday discrimination vary according to where people live? What role does community cohesion have on experiences of discrimination? We used data from the Mayi Kuwayu Study to explore these questions. The studyfound a high prevalence of everyday discrimination, with 70.6% (n/N = 369/523) of Mayi Kuwayu participants in Central Australia experiencing any discrimination which triangulated with people's experience of overt racism. Discrimination varied by settlement type, with higher prevalence of experiencing any discrimination among participants in Town Camps (unadjusted PR 1.33, 95%CI 1.18–1.50) and suburbs (1.19, 1.05–1.35) compared to participants from remote communities. High community cohesion attenuates the prevalence of the discrimination (0.87, 0.77–0.97). If health and social outcomes are to improve among Aboriginal people in remote areas, societal responses must acknowledge the high prevalence of discrimination in places where race and social inequalities are stark, act to confront interpersonal and systemic prejudices, and build cohesive communities. • Indigenous make up 3.3% of Australian population, but are 45% of the remote population. • Experiences of everyday discrimination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are highest in remote areas in Australia. • A place-based analysis of Central Australia shows everyday discrimination is most prevalent among people living in town rather than remote communities. • Strong community cohesion attenuates experiences of everyday discrimination and is an important strategy for Town Camps and remote communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
46. Purposeful Nation-Building: Photography, Modernisation and Post-War Reconstruction in Australia.
- Author
-
Foster, Kevin
- Subjects
POSTWAR reconstruction ,PHOTOGRAPHY ,NATION building ,PRIVATE sector ,PUBLIC sector ,LABOR supply - Abstract
This article considers how Australian photography from the late 1930s to the early 1950s encouraged public engagement with the aims and policies of post-war reconstruction. It examines how the nation's first photo-magazine, Pix, covered the build up to and early months of the war and emphasised its reach into the domestic sphere. It examines photography's role in making housing a core social and political issue, considers Australia's efforts to house its returning service personnel, and the innovative responses of the public and private sectors to shortages of materials and manpower. It analyses how photography established the modern home as the emblem of a new beginning and how it shifted the consumer's perspective from exterior views of the house to a focus on interiors and the imagined experience of habitation. Appraising Wolfgang Sievers' popularisation of modern home design, the article will conclude by examining photography's role in capturing the epic scale of post-war reconstruction's greatest engineering triumph – the Snowy Mountain Hydro Electric Scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
47. A Cross-sectional Survey of Enteral Feeding Tube Placement and Gastric Residual Aspiration Practices: Need for an Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline.
- Author
-
Perumbil Pathrose, Sheeja, Spence, Kaye, Taylor, Christine, Psalia, Kim, Schmied, Virginia, Dahlen, Hannah, Badawi, Nadia, Gregory, Katherine, Peters, Karen, and Foster, Jann
- Subjects
PROFESSIONAL practice ,GASTRIC intubation ,CROSS-sectional method ,EVIDENCE-based medicine ,ENTERAL feeding - Abstract
Background: Preterm infants routinely require enteral feeding via nasogastric or orogastric tubes as an alternative to oral feeding to meet their nutritional needs. Anecdotal evidence suggests variations in practice related to correct tube placement and assessment of feed intolerance.Purpose: To determine the current practices of enteral feeding tube placement confirmation and gastric residual (GR) aspiration of neonatal clinicians in Australia.Methods: A cross-sectional online survey comprising 24 questions was distributed to nursing and medical health professionals working in Australian neonatal care units through 2 e-mail listservs made available by professional organizations.Findings: The survey was completed by 129 clinicians. A single method was practiced by 50% of the clinicians in confirming tube placement, and most common practice was assessing the pH of GR aspirate. The majority of respondents (96%) reported that they relied on GR aspiration and clinical signs to determine feeding tolerance and subsequent decisions such as ceasing or decreasing feeds. However, the frequency of aspiration, the amount and color of aspirate considered to be normal/abnormal, and decisions on whether to replace gastric aspirate or whether aspiration should be performed during continuous tube feeding varied.Implication For Practice: This study demonstrated considerable variability in clinical practice for enteral feeding tube placement confirmation and GR aspiration despite most respondents reporting using a unit-based clinical practice guideline. Our study findings highlight the need for not only developing evidence-based practice guidelines for safe and consistent clinical practice but also ensuring that these guidelines are followed by all clinicians.Implication For Research: Further research is needed to establish evidence-based methods both for enteral feeding tube placement confirmation and for the assessment of feeding intolerance during tube feeding. In addition, the reasons why evidence-based methods are not followed must be investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
48. Research note: View from the top: Apartment residents' views of nature and mental wellbeing during lockdown.
- Author
-
Foster, Sarah, Kleeman, Alexandra, and Maitland, Clover
- Subjects
WELL-being ,COVID-19 pandemic ,URBAN density ,CAPITAL cities ,APARTMENTS ,APARTMENT buildings - Abstract
• Natural views could be vital for apartment residents during COVID-19 restrictions. • Apartment residents (n = 192) completed surveys before and after the national lockdown. • Self-report view components were examined against the change in mental wellbeing. • Views comprising ≥ 25 % natural features were associated with higher wellbeing scores. • A minimum level of visible nature appears to protect against declines in wellbeing. Australia's capital cities have experienced a rapid increase in apartment development over the past decade. The mental wellbeing of apartment residents could be more vulnerable to COVID-19 restrictions due to the unique constraints of apartment buildings and limited access to nature. We examined the relationship between residents' self-reported view components and wellbeing after Australia's national six-week lockdown. Residents' (n = 192) wellbeing, measured using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale, deteriorated between baseline and follow-up (p < 0.001); however, views of nature appeared to be protective. Residents with views comprising ≥ 25 % of natural features had significantly higher wellbeing scores than those with views below 25 % (p = 0.016). Results support the notion that a minimum level of visible nature is necessary to promote mental wellbeing in apartment residents. However, relatively few participants lived in apartments where ≥ 25 % of the view comprised natural elements, highlighting the need for interventions that better balance density with nature in urban environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
49. The Role of Problem Specification Workshops in Extension: An IPM Example.
- Author
-
Foster, John
- Abstract
Of three extension models--top-down technology transfer, farmers-first approach, and participatory research--the latter extends elements of the other two into a more comprehensive analysis of a problem and specification of solution strategies. An Australian integrated pest management (IPM) example illustrates how structured workshops are a useful way to implement the participatory approach. (SK)
- Published
- 1995
50. Education of Ethnic Minority Children: An Issue in Australian Multiculturalism.
- Author
-
Foster, Lois
- Abstract
Examines the issues and controversies related to immigration in Australia, the acceptance of the "multicultural Australia" concept, and the educational system's structure. Argues that while there has been a manifest transition from migrant to multicultural education, forces favoring the status quo have created a latent, de facto ethnic education stream. (AYC)
- Published
- 1985
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