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Free to read at publisher's site. This paper presents findings from a study of Australian and New Zealand academics (n = 276) that teach tertiary education students. The study aimed to explore participants’ early experiences of learning analytics in a higher education milieu in which data analytics is gaining increasing prominence. Broadly speaking participants were asked about: (1) Their teaching context, (2) Their current student retention activities, (3) Their involvement in, and aspirations for, learning analytics use, (4) Their relationship with their institution around learning analytics. The sampled teaching staff broadly indicated a high level of interest but limited level of substantive involvement in learning analytics projects and capacity building activities. Overall, the intention is to present a critical set of voices that assist in identifying and understanding key issues and draw connections to the broader work being done in the field.

This paper presents findings from a study of Australian and New Zealand academics (n = 276) that teach tertiary education students. The study aimed to explore participants’ early experiences of learning analytics in a higher education milieu in which data analytics is gaining increasing prominence. Broadly speaking participants were asked about: (1) Their teaching context, (2) Their current student retention activities, (3) Their involvement in, and aspirations for, learning analytics use, (4) Their relationship with their institution around learning analytics. The sampled teaching staff broadly indicated a high level of interest but limited level of substantive involvement in learning analytics projects and capacity building activities. Overall, the intention is to present a critical set of voices that assist in identifying and understanding key issues and draw connections to the broader work being done in the field.

Full Text, Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), School of Applied Psychology, Griffith Health, This research aims to develop the ability of Malaysian Chinese funeral directors to offer grief and loss support to their clients. Providing support is now deemed essential due to the continual transformation of the funeral industry in response to the increased social awareness of life and death processes and a shift towards increasing input and demands from the bereaved regarding elements of the funeral ritual. Advances in the Malaysian Chinese funeral industry in recent years are evident and encouraging, yet comparatively less than those seen in the industry in the United Kingdom, United States, China and Taiwan. This is attributed to professional training carried out at the discretion of individual companies rather than coordinated bodies, and to lesser regulation of the industry in general. A greater understanding of the profession in Malaysia will help clarify current practices and the challenges necessary to underpin future interventions to foster increased professionalism and attend specifically to the needs of the Chinese funeral worker with regards to providing grief and loss support.

Full Text, Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy in Organisational Psychology (PhD OrgPsych), School of Applied Psychology, Griffith Health, Understanding the psychological relationship between the individual and the organisation, and its effects on behaviour, continues to have strong theoretical and practical relevance for identification researchers (van Knippenberg & Sleebos, 2006). Indeed, it has been argued that an organisation can not be fully understood without understanding the identity dynamics that arise from the interactions between the organisation, its social environment, and the individual psychology of its members (Ashforth & Mael, 1989; Haslam, 2014; Hodgkinson, 2013; Tajfel, 1981). The goal of this thesis project was to undertake an indepth exploration of employee identifications in one organisation undergoing large-scale change. The first major aim was to illuminate the particular identities that were most salient for participants as they reflected on their experience of the changes. The second aim was to conduct an indepth exploration of those identities, to shed light on their origins and core features, and to understand why they were evoked during change. A third aim was to explore the relationship between the identities, and participants' perceptions and responses to change. Finally, a key aim was to illuminate any features of the organisational and social context that were related to the presence, development and effects of salient identities. The guiding methodology was interpretive qualitative research, chosen for its acute sensitivity to identity processes and associated contextual features (Yin, 2009). The advantage of this approach is that it allowed for indepth exploration of the nature, sources and effects of employee identifications, including contextual aspects involved in shaping and sustaining important identities.

Full Text, Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy in Organisational Psychology (PhD OrgPsych), School of Applied Psychology, Griffith Health, Opinion leaders (OPLs) are defined as key individuals who are able to influence the attitudes and actions of members of their social network (Rogers, 2003). This research takes an innovative approach to studying the transition to university, drawing from a social contagion model to create an empowerment based intervention where ‘opinion leaders’ influence their peers to build the academic, social, and psychological capital of their cohort. Opinion leaders were prospectively identified in a new cohort of first year students, received training in how to utilise their social influence, and their behaviours and outcomes documented. A series of studies were used to evaluate the intervention. The thesis begins by reviewing the context and central constructs (Chapter 2) and then develops the design of the intervention (Chapter 3). Existing opinion leader literature speculates as to what are the best ways to train opinion leaders, and a unique contribution is offered here by summarising and integrating the most effective training approaches to partnering with opinion leaders. This development work also offers an application of empowerment theory to effective adult learning facilitation. The concept of ‘supportive leadership’, (i.e., the vehicle for opinion leaders to enact their role, is developed into a teachable framework and the design of a short 3-hour group workshop using an experiential learning approach) is presented. The workshop’s goals were to teach opinion leaders mechanisms for utilizing their social influence to mobilise the psychological, academic and social resources of their peers, and encourage proactive engagement with university. In addition, the workshop aimed to increase leaders’ senses of success (Lizzio, 2006) and increase their subjective sense of psychological capital.

Full Text, Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), School of Applied Psychology, Griffith Health, Gender Identity Disorder (GID) is a mental health diagnosis that is currently treated through a triadic medical model which involves hormone therapy, the real life experience, and various forms of surgery, including genital surgery. The aim of treatment is to ameliorate the dysphoria and anxiety symptoms associated with being gender incongruent. Surgical options have grown and improved over the last four decades and most of the research conducted in the area is associated with transsexuals who seek this treatment option. The findings of previous research have generally shown high satisfaction with surgical outcomes. However, limitations of the current treatment model are identifiable. Notably, due to the invasive and irreversible nature of surgery, the guidelines for inclusion in surgical procedures are stringent and exclude many transsexuals. Many studies have focussed on identifying risk and protective factors that predict good surgical outcomes. However, this process has not reflected the mental health outcomes of many transsexuals who do not seek the triadic medical model of treatment. Additionally, there has been a lack of theoretical application from a psychological perspective to guide treatment protocols. The present project used a theoretical framework based on the two core components of this disorder, gender and identity, by utilising identity theory and self-discrepancy theory to help explain the interplay between being gender incongruent and achieving gender congruence post transition. The project was the first study of its genre conducted with an Australian and New Zealand sample. The project utilised a subjective definition of transition which is different to the objective definition of transition defined by the medical model as engaging in hormone therapy, living as the preferred gender and the completion of sex reassignment surgery (SRS).

Full Text, Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), School of Applied Psychology, Griffith Health, Although numerous studies have examined the relationship between person-organisation fit (P-O fit) and organisational outcome variables, there is still little consensus and much confusion over a number of important issues regarding conceptualisation, operationalisation, and criteria used to measure P-O fit. Moreover, some inconsistent relationships have been found between P-O fit and outcome variables. This program of studies aimed to overcome limitations of previous P-O fit studies, to clarify the predictors of P-O fit, and to examine the relationships between P-O fit and important organisational outcome variables. The main objectives of the program were: (a) to investigate the role of goal congruence in the assessment of P-O fit, (b) to examine the role of organisational support and self-regulation (feedback seeking, proactive behaviour, emotional control, and social competence) in predicting P-O fit, (c) to assess the mediating role of P-O fit on the relationship between organisational support and self-regulation and the outcome variables of job satisfaction, organisational commitment, and job performance, (d) to test the mediating role of job satisfaction, organisational commitment, and job performance on the relationship between P-O fit and intention to quit, and (e) to investigate the development of P-O fit and the contribution of organisational support and self-regulation to the outcome variables after a period of 6 months. The data were collected from a large-scale electronic manufacturing company in Indonesia. This research has made several important contributions to the P-O fit literature that could improve understanding about P-O fit, and has implications for both the organisation as employer and the person as employee, in terms of improving the positive interaction between them and enhancing their productivity. This research program consisted of three studies. The first part of this program of studies related to the development of a goal congruence measu

Full Text, Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology (PhD ClinPsych), School of Applied Psychology, Griffith Health, This exploratory study was based on a new model of residential care that was designed specifically to provide a home-like environment to young people with severe disabilities and complex chronic healthcare needs (i.e., Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)) to allow them a more appropriate and dignified lifestyle. In 2006, there was an estimated 6,500 people with disabilities under 65 years of age living in residential aged care in Australia (Australian Bureau of Statistics; ABS, 2008). These living environments have been found to be inappropriate and inadequate for young people with disabilities (Cameron et al., 2001; Winkler et al., 2006), particularly given that they may not require 24-hour nursing care. It is important to consider the nature of home in more detail when thinking about living environments for marginalised groups of people (e.g. people with disabilities), especially as it has been found that the nature of home can impact on the quality of life (Annison, 2000). In order to understand the meaning of “home” for a group of people who live within a particular environment, it is essential that we seek to understand the perceptions of those individuals. In order to provide optimal services, the subjective experience needs to be heard and understood. The current research was conducted in accordance with Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). This method allowed the research to retain the voice of the service users at the forefront and ensured that their views remained paramount. Multiple domains of home, as they were experienced over time, were examined through a series of semi-structured personal interviews conducted with seven residents with either MS or ABI at their residential care setting. The study aimed to understand the residents’ ‘lived experience’ within the residential apartments, and specifically to answer the following questions: 1) How do residents experience home within a residential care setting? and; 2) What infl

Full Text, Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy in Organisational Psychology (PhD OrgPsych), School of Psychology, Griffith Health, Evidence is mounting that school-based support programs for student mental health are associated with improved wellbeing and academic outcomes. These programs necessitate teacher participation, yet teachers’ views are varied about the extent to which supporting student mental health is integral to the teaching role. Furthermore, teacher involvement in these activities can vary in quantity and quality. Teacher self-efficacy has received attention as a variable of interest for understanding teacher attitudes, participation, and performance in their work supporting student wellbeing. There has been some consideration of the antecedents of teacher self-efficacy for supporting student wellbeing, such as teacher training, but so far there has been no research using the framework of the sources of efficacy information proposed in Bandura’s self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1977a, 1977b, 1997) and the model of teacher efficacy (Tschannen Moran, Woolfolk Hoy, & Hoy, 1998). Some studies investigating teacher self-efficacy in the area of teachers’ work supporting student wellbeing have conceptualised the construct broadly and used measures with inadequate domain specificity. Other studies have employed domain specific conceptualisations and measures, but validity-related concerns limit the use of these measures in other studies.

Full Text, Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy in Organisational Psychology (PhD), School of Psychology, Griffith Health, Over the past decade, there have been numerous claims in the popular media relating to having fun at work, touting a plethora of benefits for both individuals and organisations that have to date not been empirically investigated. Thus far, any research related to fun in the workplace has often been indiscriminate with its use of terms, interspersing fun with humour and play, thus adding confusion to an already inadequately defined construct. The aim of this research is two fold: to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the construct to differentiate and define fun in a work context, and to measure the perceived impact of having fun in the workplace. In order to locate fun as a unique construct, literature related to fun, humour and play/playfulness was reviewed and positioned in a nomological net utilising a three phase framework consisting of presage, process and product (3P). Four studies in this research program investigated the domain of fun activities in the workplace, the underlying structure of the construct, the process of having fun and the perceived impact of fun specifically in relation to job satisfaction, stress reduction, effectiveness and workplace relationships. Results identified a domain of 15 distinct fun activities. Using multidimensional scaling, an underlying structure of four neighbourhood clusters (humour and play, informal socialising, formal socialising and organisational activities) and two dimensions (contextual connections with others and activity structure and intensity) were identified. The investigation of the process of fun was conducted by examining case vignettes using the 3P framework. Results suggest the experience of fun at work is activity based, with an emotionally qualitative dimension that is highly socially interactive and engaging. The organisational context for fun appears to be embodied in supportive iv management and colleagues, positive team dynamics and a non stressed environment. The participant experiencing

Full Text, Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy in Organisational Psychology (PhD OrgPsych), School of Psychology, Griffith Health, The current research examined an apparent conceptual and methodological incongruence within workplace bullying research. The assumption that equates exposure to negative workplace events with the experience of bullying was surfaced and critically examined. The value of the transactional stress framework (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) and in particular the role of individual appraisal in understanding, measuring and responding to workplace bullying was explored. The key question addressed was whether bullying “inheres in the event” or, as predicted by transactional stress theory individual appraisal significantly contributes to perceived victimisation and reported outcomes associated with bullying. A survey-formatted design including both subjective and objective measurement was utilised to reflect the dominant approach to workplace bullying research. However an important innovation to the bullying measurement was included. The objective measurement approach was extended by the inclusion of items to assess rather than assume the extent to which respondents considered each of the negative workplace behaviours as harassing. This direct assessment of respondents’ primary and secondary appraisal of negative workplace behaviour allowed the relative influence of individual appraisal in the bullying process to be examined. A single sample of cross-sectional data collected from a large Australian government department comprised the basis of the reported findings. Four studies were derived from the data and analysed according to specific research questions pertaining to key empirical workplace bullying issues.

Full Text, Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), School of Psychology, Cross-functional teams are becoming increasingly common in organisations. However, a large proportion of these teams fail to meet their full potential as social and productive units. The present research was conducted under the assumption that a cross-functional team involves simultaneous intragroup and intergroup contact. The failure of cross-functional teams often involves the neglect of normal social psychological processes that occur in intergroup contexts that may potentially be employed to increase the likelihood of success with cross-functional teams. The social identity theory approach to intergroup relations was used to formulate two identity management strategies intended to improve the functioning of a cross-functional team. One strategy involved social interaction within an intragroup social frame. The intragroup aspect was apparent in that there was no outgroup present, with participants operating at the intergroup level of psychological processing after exposure to (successful) pre-task manipulations intended to facilitate acceptance of the task group social identity. The intragroup identity management process required increasing pre-task salience of the task group social identity, absence of any outgroup, wearing a team uniform, and performance of an intellectually challenging problem solving as a group. A second identity management process was based in an intergroup social frame. The intergroup procedure involved pre-task manipulation of social identity, wearing of a team uniform, and performance of a physically and intellectually involving problem solving task in a competitive intergroup social frame. Two separate studies were performed. In Study one, 110 university students were randomly assigned to 'mono-functional' teams (teams with no obvious basis for internal intergroup differentiation). The relative efficacy of either of the two identity management processes was assessed with regards to changes in social identity, subjective uncertainty, conc

Full Text, Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), School of Psychology, 'Strategic Conversation' is a term that has been mentioned with increasing frequency in literature over the last decade. Having the ability to engage in 'conversation that is strategic' has been promoted as a new core skill that is needed within organisations to help improve overall performance. The value of strategic conversation has been demonstrated by research that compared organisational performance before and after a program that used conversation to improve goal alignment. However, researchers have had to make broad assumptions about the nature of strategic conversation, and about how to manipulate it for research purposes. There has been no definition, construct, or instrument to help researchers use, or assess, strategic conversation. This research used three studies to define strategic conversation, develop a construct and measurement instrument, and test the impact of strategic conversation on organisation performance. Study 1 set out to define strategic conversation, generate a construct, and assemble and test an instrument. Independent panels of strategy experts helped create potential constructs that were subsequently converged by the researcher with a construct created from literature. The resultant construct comprised two components that were labelled 'Purpose' and 'Topic'. The construct suggests that for a conversation to be strategic, its purpose must be to create or support organisational goals, and the topic must belong within one or more of the components of a strategic life-cycle (viz. scanning, planning, implementing, measuring, assessing). An instrument was assembled to test for evidence of strategic conversation in organisations. The instrument was checked by panel members for face and content validity, underwent a pilot study for ambiguity, and was tested using a cross-sectional study of 380 members from a wide variety of manufacturing, service, and government organisations. The two-factor instrument demonstrated validity and reliability. S

Full Text, Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), School of Psychology, This thesis examined the usefulness of a paradox-based approach to the study and practice of organisational change. Lewis (2000) defines paradox as contradictory yet interrelated elements that seem logical in isolation but absurd and irrational when appearing simultaneously. Given that organisational change is inherently complex and contradictory (e.g., Cameron & Quinn, 1988), paradox is proposed as a means of providing researchers, practitioners, and organisational members with a new way of thinking about, and working with, the complex nature of change. Three studies were undertaken to investigate the contribution of paradox to the study and practice of organisational change. The first study was concerned with identifying a comprehensive set of the paradoxes relevant to organisational change. This study utilised an interview-based methodology to identify change-related paradoxes for three organisational stakeholder groups, namely managers, change agents, and change participants. Ten managers, ten change agents, and ten change participants working in professional and administrative roles within a large Australian University participated in the study. Results identified 16 different change-related paradoxes, 15 of which were similar to organisational paradoxes that had been previously identified in the literature. There were both similarities and differences in paradox identification between the three stakeholder groups. Three of the 16 paradoxes were identified by all three stakeholder groups, while others were identified by two out of the three groups, or by just one group independent of the other two. Change agents demonstrated a unique ability to identify paradoxes that had also been identified by either managers, or change participants. The paradoxes uniquely identified by the different stakeholder groups seemed to be consistent with the role expectations and role identities for the groups. This study builds on existing literature by using empirical methods to s

Full Text, Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), School of Applied Psychology (Health), In contemporary Australian workplaces there now exists many employed parents who are endeavouring to balance participation between the two central life domains of work and family. For parents living in dual-earner families, simultaneously occupying work and family roles can be difficult and has been associated with outcomes such as physical and psychological health problems and organisational behaviour deficits. In contrast, parents satisfied with their combination of work and family roles have shown positive organisational attitudes and increased psychological health. The purpose of this research was to investigate the work and family role accumulation experiences of parents living in dual-earner couple relationships, and to explore the strategies and processes used by these parents to combine their work and family roles. This research was conducted using a two-phase cross-sectional methodology, incorporating qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods. In the first instance, 32 mothers and fathers from intact dual-earner couples employed in lower-level or blue-collar jobs were interviewed at length regarding their work and family role accumulation experiences. The perceptions offered by these parents illustrated the difficulties and tensions they encountered in combining their roles as well as the rewards and benefits they associated with their lifestyle choice. In finding that dual-earner parents perceived both conflict and enhancement to be associated with work and family role accumulation, these results appeared to be paradoxically explained by the two competing theories of role occupancy, the role scarcity (Goode, 1960) and role expansion hypotheses (Sieber, 1974). However, further scrutiny of the data revealed that the role scarcity and role expansion hypotheses alone were not sufficient for explaining the choices that parents made about how they distributed their time and commitment between their dual-domain responsibilities. The parent

Full Text, Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), School of Applied Psychology, This program of research had two related aims: (1) to explore the problem of student attrition in the context of an Australian higher education institution, and (2) to investigate the efficacy of peer-mentoring as a retention strategy. Participants in this program of research were students commencing first-year studies in the School of Applied Psychology across two cohort years: 1996 and 1997. In 1996, a classic pre-test/post-test experimental design was adopted, with students (N = 118) randomly assigned to either a peer-mentoring treatment group or a control group. In 1997, while a classic pre-test/post-test design was also adopted, all students from this year (N = 162) participated in the peer-mentoring program. Thus, it was intended that the 1996 control group would be utilised for comparison with both the 1996 and 1997 treatment groups. Students were surveyed pre- and post-intervention across a number of personal, demographic, and academic achievement (e.g., tertiary entrance rank, and grade point average) variables. Students’ academic integration, social integration, institutional commitment, and goal commitment were measured using the Institutional Integration Scales (adapted from Pascarella and Terenzini, 1980). Students participating in the peer-mentoring program also completed a range of measures in order to evaluate its efficacy. The first part of the research program focused on the measurement and prediction of student retention and academic performance. The results of confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a six first-order factor solution provided the most parsimonious explanation of students’ responses to the Institutional Integration Scales. The six Institutional Integration Scales demonstrated moderate to good levels of reliability, with results being comparable to those achieved in previous studies. The results of structural equations modelling analyses suggested that students’ peer group interactions influenced their interactions with faculty