Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Why Screen Time Before Bed Is Bad For Children, Sarah P. Loughran

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Sleep is an essential part of our development and wellbeing. It is important for learning and memory, emotions and behaviours, and our health more generally. Yet the total amount of sleep that children and adolescents are getting is continuing to decrease. Why? Although there are potentially many reasons behind this trend, it is emerging that screen time - by way of watching television or using computers, mobile phones and other electronic mobile devices - may be having a large and negative impact on children's sleep.

Dementia Attitudes And Help-Seeking Intentions: An Investigation Of Responses To Two Scenarios Of An Experience Of The Early Signs Of Dementia, Lyn Phillipson, Christopher A. Magee, Sandra C. Jones, Samantha L. Reis, Ellen Skladzien

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objectives: To investigate associations between dementia-attitudes and help-seeking intentions. Method: An online survey of 611 Australian adults (45-60 years) assessed dementia-related attitudes and help-seeking intentions in response to two scenarios of an experience of early dementia: for themselves (Scenario 1); and for a significant other (proxy help-seeking) (Scenario 2). Logistic regression models examined the relationship between four dementia-related attitudes (labelled Personal Avoidance, Fear of Labelling, Fear of Discrimination and Person Centredness) and help-seeking intentions. Results: Most participants indicated they would seek help from a general practitioner (GP) for themselves (82.2%) or for a proxy (78.7%) in response to the scenarios. …

Catching Fish And Avoiding Sharks: Investigating Factors That Influence Developmentally Appropriate Measurement Of Preschoolers' Inhibitory Control, Steven J. Howard, Anthony D. Okely

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Although researchers agree that the first 5 years of life are critical for children's developing executive functions (EFs), further advances are hindered by a lack of consensus on the design and selection of developmentally appropriate EF tasks for young children. Given this debate, well-established adult measures of EF routinely have been adapted for young children. Given young children's comparatively limited cognitive capacities, however, such adaptations do not guarantee that the task's critical EF demands are retained. To investigate this possibility, the current study examined the characteristics that optimize measurement of young children's EFs-specifically, their inhibitory control-using the go/no-go (GNG) task …

Measuring The Quality Of Movement-Play In Early Childhood Education Settings: Linking Movement-Play And Neuroscience, Carol Archer, Iram Siraj-Blatchford

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This article explores the links between neuroscience research, movement, and neurological dysfunction in relation to young children's learning and development. While policymakers have recognised the importance of early development the role of movement has been overlooked. A small scale study was undertaken in four early years settings in a London Borough in order to investigate whether an intervention resulted in improved movement experiences for children. This is the first study to assess the quality of movement-play using a newly developed measuring scale. Results showed that an intervention does result in improved movement experiences for young children. Consistently enhanced results were …

Making Things: Beyond The Binary Of Manufacturing And Creativity, Christopher R. Gibson, Chontel A. Carr, Andrew T. Warren

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In December 2013 US auto giant General Motors announced it would wind up production in Australia. It signalled the end of domestic production of the iconic “Australian” Holden motor car, and subjected thousands of workers and their families in Adelaide and Melbourne, where their plants and components suppliers were located, to the spectre of unemployment. Along with similar announcements from Mitsubishi, Toyota and Ford, as well as major retrenchments in the steel, clothing and textiles industries since the global financial crisis (GFC) in 2008, the announcement fuelled a growing sense of crisis about the future viability of manufacturing industries in …

Same But Different: Sources Of Natural Resource Management Advice For Lifestyle Oriented Rural Landholders, Victoria Ikutegbe, Nicholas J. Gill, Peter Klepeis

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Amenity migration to attractive and accessible non-metropolitan areas changes social and environmental relations with consequences for natural resource management and landscape composition and trajectories. Lifestyler oriented rural landholders are often cast as a problem for land management and extension. Managers and some researchers see them as a cause of landscape and social fragmentation and report difficulties in engaging such landowners on natural resource management issues and responsibilities. In contrast, limited existing research indicates that lifestylers do join and form networks of personal and other contacts for advice and support in land management. We contribute to this research with a survey …

Camel Country: Assemblage, Belonging And Scale In Invasive Species Geographies, Leah Maree Gibbs, Jennifer M. Atchison, Ingereth Macfarlane

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Invasive species and their impacts have become a focus of global environmental management. Invasive, alien and feral species are understood to represent destructive categories of organisms. However, in the context of contemporary environmental change and uncertainty, the native/alien dichotomy is no longer tenable as the basis for decision-making, and the focus on impacts presents an impasse in environmental management. The differential status of camels (Camelus dromedarius) over time and space illustrates the complexity of species management. In this paper we seek to move beyond the native/alien dichotomy, and disrupt the discourse of impacts, through an analysis of camel assemblages in …

Using Facebook As A Space For Storytelling In Geographical Research, Anna De Jong

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Geographers have long been alert to the ways space matters to knowledge production and the stories participants choose to share. Despite such understandings, however, geographers remain surprisingly absent from discussions regarding the ways these concerns play out across online spaces. This article reflects on the employment of one online space, Facebook, as a site for storytelling in research exploring return journeys to two Australian festivals - the Big Day Out and Mardi Gras Parade. This article argues that insight over longer temporalities and shifting spatialities afforded through Facebook facilitates heightened understandings of the nuances, repetitions, differences and paradoxes of identities, …

The Learning Experience: Training Teachers Using Online Synchronous Environments, Stuart Woodcock, Ashley Sisco, Michelle J. Eady

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study examined the effectiveness of an online synchronous platform used for training preservice teachers. A blended learning approach was implemented. Fifty-three students participated in the course. Qualitative interview data and quantitative survey data were collected about students' experiences using the platform, and analyzed via thematic content analysis and statistical analysis, respectively. The findings show that e-learning synchronous technology is an effective learning tool in enhancing preservice teachers' e-learning competency in subject matter and information communication technology skills. However, preservice teachers' competency to learn and implement e-learning for students is dependent on four hierarchal conditions (a) ease of use, (b) …

What Should Be Taught By Teachers, And What By Parents?, Pauline Lysaght

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Who taught you to tell the time, to tie your shoelaces or to write your name? I have memories of my parents and teachers taking a hand in helping me to learn these skills as a small child. But what about more challenging tasks - who taught you to analyse a poem or to solve equations? Mr Williamson, my favourite teacher, taught the principles of algebra to our class and patiently went over the information until it started to make some sense to me. I also remember my parents encouraging me to practise what I was learning in class and …

The First Day Of School Sets The Tone For Academic Achievement, Cathrine Marguerite Neilsen-Hewett

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

There are many transitions in life (starting school, moving house, changing jobs) and how well we cope depends largely on our perceptions of the event as well as the level of support we receive. The transition to school is a particularly significant time, heralding a new stage in a child's life. Whether your child is feeling slightly anxious about starting school or bursting with excitement, all children (and parents!) benefit from a bit of planning and preparation in order to ensure the transition to school goes as smoothly as possible. There is consistent evidence to show early positive school experiences …

Why First-In-Family Uni Students Should Receive More Support, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Many university students fall into one of the six “equity groups” that receive targeted funding. However, there is one group that has for too long been ignored as a group that needs extra assistance in making it through university.

The six targeted equity groups include those:

• from lower socioeconomic backgrounds: currently measured by permanent home postcode

• from rural and isolated areas: measured by permanent postcode, population density data and proximity to cities

• with a disability (self-identified on enrolment)

• from a non-English-speaking background (those born overseas and who speak a language other than English)

• women in non-traditional areas of study; and …

  ---

  Go to article

Spectacular Shark Encounters: Fanning's Close Shave Reminds Us We Share The Ocean, Leah Maree Gibbs

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In the wake of the spectacular footage of champion surfer Mick Fanning's recent shark encounter in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, and his good fortune in emerging without physical injury, sharks are back on the radar. Many people are probably scratching their heads wondering how we can avoid such dangerous incidents. Some have suggested that "shark attack" is on the rise, and therefore that risk is increasing. But the risk of dangerous interaction with a shark is incredibly low. In fact, a recent study found that in California shark-related fatalities have decreased significantly since 1950. Collecting statistics on shark incidents is …

Can You Be Allergic To Your Wi-Fi?, Sarah P. Loughran

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Electromagnetic fields are all around us. They are a part of our natural environment, produced by the Earth and the sun. But they are also becoming increasingly prominent with advancements in technology, such that we are surrounded daily by many different sources of electromagnetic energy. Mobile phones, Wi-Fi, personal computers, smart meters, radio, television and even the TV remote control - they all emit this kind of energy. Mobile phone base stations are continually being installed, and Wi-Fi hotspots are increasing all of the time. Cafés and restaurants, libraries, hotels and even some city centres and parks now offer free …

Cuts To Future Fellowships Will Cost More Than Just Jobs, Christopher R. Gibson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Christopher Pyne's proposed cuts to the Future Fellowships program will have devastating ripple effects well beyond those researchers who will miss out on research funding. The Australian Research Council's Future Fellowship scheme has succeeded precisely because it has been Australia's most significant systematic investment of funds in people. People are the human resource backbone for the Australian research innovation system, and Future Fellowships underwrite highly performing researchers to pursue research with intensity. Less obviously, but no less significant, the scheme has sparked diverse flow-on benefits. Cutting the scheme will deny researchers funding, immediately threatening jobs and constraining Australia's development of …

Perceived Value Of Using Energy Efficiently Among Low-Income Older Residents, Katherine A. Butler, Ross Gordon, Katherine Roggeveen, Gordon R. Waitt, Paul Cooper

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the World Social Marketing Conference, 19-21 April 2015, Sydney, Australia

Banning Under Twos From Screens Has Little Basis In Evidence, Sarah P. Loughran

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Screen time - watching television, DVDs, or using other electronic media devices such as mobile phones and iPads - is now a major part of our daily lives. It is virtually impossible to avoid exposure to these technologies. Yet that is exactly what the Department of Health and Ageing in Australia recommends for children younger than two years of age. This recommendation is based on guidelines set by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1999, which it now says could be obsolete in the digital age. The academy did an update in 2011 but the recommendations remained largely unchanged. There …

When It's Good To Be A Quitter: The Development Of Youth Orientated Counter-Marketing Anti-Tobacco Resources, Lance R. Barrie, Michael D. Chapman, Emily Messiah, Joshua T. Beard, Ross Gordon

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Counter marketing involves the use of commercial marketing techniques to engage young people about harmful health behaviours, and to highlight how the industries producing the products involved in these behaviours have manipulated and targeted them. This study used a counter marketing approach to target youth smokers and nonsmokers from lower SES groups in regional NSW to help change attitudes towards smoking, and contribute towards a reduction in smoking prevalence. Formative research was conducted with young smokers in a local community centre setting, which informed the development of tobacco counter marketing materials and youth engagement activities. Initial process evaluation was also …

Using Value Theory For Segmentation In Social Marketing, Ross Gordon, Katherine A. Butler, Christopher A. Magee, Gordon R. Waitt, Paul Cooper

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper presents a survey study with 1,444 low-income older residents in regional NSW, Australia exploring their value perceptions towards using energy efficiently, as an approach to segmentation in social marketing. The study theorises that insight regarding the perceived functional, economic, emotional, social, and ecological value of using energy efficiency by participants can be used to segment, target and position social marketing programme activities to facilitate energy efficient behaviour(s). Latent class analysis was conducted on the participant sample, and identified seven distinct latent classes: frugal eco warriors, value opportunists, greenies, indecisive, apathetic independent spendthrifts, independents, and ambivalent ecologists. Each of …

Curriculum, Collateral And Collaboration: Addressing Alcohol And Social Norms In An Australian High School Setting, Kelly Andrews, Stephen Hudson, Hayley Dean, Danika Hall, Ashleigh Kunze, Sandra C. Jones

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

There is a commonly held perception that the majority of Australian teenagers drink alcohol, and a perceived 'social norm' among teenagers that their peers are drinkers and expect them to be drinkers. However, results of the Australian Secondary Schools Alcohol and Drug (ASSAD) Survey, conducted every three years since 1984, show a decline in the proportion of teenagers who are regular drinkers; from 30% of 12-15 year olds in 1984 to 11% in 2011, and 50% of 16-17 years olds in 1984 down to 33% in 2011 (White & Bariola, 2012). The 'Alcohol and Social Norms Project' conducted in a …

'University Wasn't Spoken About At Home, It Was Just Assumed That We Would Start Working…': First-In-Family Students, Family Capital And Higher Education Participation, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The increases in the number of students attending higher education, particularly those who are the first in their immediate family to attend university provided the impetus for the study outlined in this article. Whilst previous research has explored the qualitative experience of being a first in family student, very few studies have explicitly focussed on how attending university interacts and impacts upon the immediate family of the learner. Drawing upon in-depth semi-structured interviews, this article will detail the findings from a small-scale study conducted in an Australian university that explored the interaction of the family home place and students' enactment …

A Global Charter For The Public's Health - The Public's Health: The Role, Functions, Competencies, Education, B Borisch, C Jenkins, I Hernandez, R Krech, U Laaser, M Lomazzi, E Miron, M Moore, J Nurse, P Robinson, Heather Yeatman

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Political leaders increasingly perceive health as being crucial to achieving growth, development, equity and stability throughout the world. Health is now understood as a product of complex and dynamic relations generated by numerous determinants at different levels of governance. Governments need to take into account the impact of social, environmental and behavioural health determinants, including economic constraints, living conditions, demographic changes and unhealthy lifestyles in many of the World Health Organization (WHO) Member States. This understanding and increasing globalization means it is very timely to review the role of (global) public health in this changing societal and political environment.

Why Are Young Australian Unis Punching Above Their Weight?, Christopher R. Gibson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The latest Times Higher Education rankings of universities under 50 years old paints a positive picture for the Australian higher education sector. Of the Top 100 Under 50, Australia has more high-ranking universities (16) than any other country. What is it about the Australian higher education system that allows new universities to flourish more so than in the US or UK? What does the THE Top 100 Under 50 result say about our "need" for reform in the higher education sector? To put this result into perspective, the UK, with nearly triple our population (64 million) and well over triple …

Computer-Based Learning Of Geometry From Integrated And Split Attention Worked Examples: The Power Of Self-Management, Sharon K. Tindall-Ford, Shirley Agostinho, Sahar Bokosmaty, Fred Paas, Paul A. Chandler

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This research investigated the viability of learning by self-managing split-attention worked examples as an alternative to learning by studying instructor-managed integrated worked examples. Secondary school students learning properties of angles on parallel lines were taught to integrate spatially separated text and diagrammatic information by using online tools to physically move text to associated parts of a diagram. The moving of text aimed to reduce learners' need to search between text and diagram, freeing cognitive resources for learning and affording learners' control of their learning materials. The main hypotheses that learners who self-manage split-attention worked examples would perform better on test …

Evaluation Of A Differentiation Model Of Preschoolers' Executive Functions, Steven J. Howard, Anthony D. Okely, Yvonne Ellis

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Despite the prominent role of executive functions in children's emerging competencies, there remains debate regarding the structure and development of executive functions. In an attempt to reconcile these discrepancies, a differentiation model of executive function development was evaluated in the early years using 6-month age groupings. Specifically, 281 preschoolers completed measures of working memory, inhibition, and shifting. Results contradicted suggestions that executive functions follow a single trajectory of progressive separation in childhood, instead suggesting that these functions may undergo a period of integration in the preschool years. These results highlight potential problems with current practices and theorizing in executive function …

Pre-Service Perspectives On E-Teaching: Assessing E-Teaching Using The Epec Hierarchy Of Conditions For E-Learning/Teaching Competence, Ashley Sisco, Stuart Woodcock, Michelle J. Eady

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This article examines pre-service teacher perspectives of teaching with an online synchronous (live-time) platform as a part of their training. Fifty-three students who participated in a blended learning (including both face-to-face and online lectures) course were assessed in a teaching simulation through an online presentation, and participated in questionnaires and interviews about their experiences as e-learners using the platform. The EPEC hierarchy of conditions (Ease of use, Psychologically safe environment, e-learning/e-teaching Efficacy, and e-learning Competence) for e-learning competency, developed based on an analysis of pre-service teachers' experience as e-learners in this same study, was used as a framework to assess …

Considering The History Of Digital Technologies In Education, Sarah Katherine Howard, Adrian Mozejko

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Over the past century, numerous key technologies (including digital technologies) have been introduced into education. For the most part, each of them has been expected to revolutionise teaching and learning. However, it is generally accepted that neither dramatic reorientations nor changes in education have happened. Yet, while use of technology over the last 100 years has not resulted in a revolution, several key improvements and advancements in educational access and equity have resulted. The critical focus of this chapter is to look beyond the hype of technology and media over the last century and, instead, critically consider the significance of …

Designing A Digital Teaching Resource To Explain Phases Of The Moon: A Case Study Of Preservice Elementary Teachers Making A Slowmation, Wendy S. Nielsen, Garry F. Hoban

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This research studied a group of three preservice elementary teachers creating a narrated stop-motion animation (Slowmation) from start to finish in 3 hours to explain the challenging concept of "phases of the moon" to elementary school children. The research questions investigated the preservice teachers' learning before and after the construction as well as how the preservice teachers designed the slowmation as a teaching resource. Data collection involved individual interviews immediately before and after the construction in conjunction with analysis of video and audio data collected during the construction process. Before the animation construction, the participants had little understanding of the …

Teachers: Technology, Change And Resistance, Sarah Katherine Howard, Adrian Mozejko

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This chapter explores the way in which a culture of educational technology-related policy and curriculum change has arguably resulted in minimal improvement in teaching and learning. Moreover, it is argued that such a culture of change has instead simply increased teacher disengagement and thereby resulted in teachers being erroneously labelled by polichy actors, administrators and technology enthusiasts as 'resistant' to change, 'luddites' and 'risk averse'. Accordingly, this chapter challenges these simplistic labels, and offers a more critical perspective of how and why teachers (dis)engage with technology.

Ethnically Diverse Transport Behaviours: An Australian Perspective, Natascha Klocker, Stephanie Toole, Alexander Tindale, Sophie-May Kerr

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Rates of car ownership in Australia are among the highest in the world. Private cars have shaped the urban form of Australian cities and the daily routines of their residents, making it possible to fulfil geographically stretched responsibilities for work, family, and social lives. But the dominance of the private car in Australian lives and landscapes should not be confused with universality. Aggregate, population-wide statistics of car ownership and use mask the fact that not all Australians are equally car dependent. In this paper, we report on the results of a household sustainability survey conducted in metropolitan Sydney and Wollongong. …