Reframing primary curriculum through concepts of place
- Authors: Power, Kerith , Green, Monica
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education Vol. 42, no. 2 (2014), p. 105-118
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- Description: Australian curricula name "sustainability" as a key priority area with implications for preparing pre-service teachers. In the research that generated this paper, we asked: How can framing teaching through space and place inform pre-service teachers' pedagogical thinking and practice? In new third year Bachelor of Education (primary) subject Understanding Space and Place, Australian teacher education students shared online responses to focus questions and readings framing education through place, designed and taught a unit of study "beyond the classroom" to children in their professional placements and reflected on changes in their theoretical, philosophical, and curriculum goals. Data from these forum posts were analysed through Somerville's three "enabling place pedagogy" categories of embodiment, storylines, and cultural contact zones. Many students came to re-imagine their teaching roles and understand how a place pedagogy framework can operate to expand the possibilities of teaching and learning sustainability through creative and embodied place-making experiences in local places. © 2014 © 2014 Australian Teacher Education Association.
Student perceptions of personalised learning : development and validation of a questionnaire with regional secondary students
- Authors: Waldrip, Bruce , Cox, Peter , Deed, Craig , Dorman, Jeffrey , Edwards, Debra , Farrelly, Cathleen , Keeffe, Mary , Lovejoy, Valerie , Mow, Lucy , Prain, Vaughan , Sellings, Peter , Yager, Zali
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Learning Environments Research Vol. 17, no. 3 (2014), p. 355-370
- Full Text: false
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- Description: This project sought to evaluate regional students’ perceptions of their readiness to learn, assessment processes, engagement, extent to which their learning is personalised and to relate these to academic efficacy, academic achievement, and student well-being. It also examined teachers’ perceptions of students’ readiness to learn, the assessment process, engagement, and the extent to which students’ learning is personalised. The sample involved students in years 7–10 from six Victorian secondary schools. An instrument Personalised Learning Environment Questionnaire (PLQ) was developed to measure students’ perceptions of the factors effecting the implementation of Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs). It employed the latest scales to assess a range of PLP indicator variables, with all scales modified for use in an Australian context, and the total number of items kept to a minimum. Only scales more sensitive to PLPs were used to minimise the length of the instrument. There were three outcome variables: academic efficacy, academic achievement, and student well-being. The PLPs were assessed through scales that assess several contributing, distinct dimensions: selfdirected learning readiness, personal achievement, goal orientation, learning environment, personalised teaching and learning initiatives, curriculum entitlement and choice, and perceptions of assessment for learning. The trail PLQ was administered to 220 students, resulting in a 19 scale questionnaire with three or four items per scale. This paper reveals good data to model fit for the majority of items and each scale had good reliability. The paper describes the analytic techniques and results, how the instrument was refined and identifies common and uncommon student perceptions based on a post hoc analysis. The main study consisted of 2,407 students from four schools in the Bendigo Education Plan. They responded to this refined 19 scale version of the PLQ that was developed from the trial PLQ. All scales had satisfactory internal consistency reliability. © 2014, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.
The implementation of Mask-Ed: reflections of academic participants
- Authors: Reid-Searl, Kerry , Cooper, Simon J. , Levett-Jones, Tracy , Happell, Brenda
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Nurse Education in Practice Vol. 14, no. 5 (2014), p. 485-90
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- Description: This paper profiles the findings from a study that explored the perspectives and experiences of nurse educators who implemented a novel simulation approach termed Mask-Ed. The technique involves the educator wearing a silicone mask and or body parts and transforming into a character. The premise of this approach is that the masked educator has domain specific knowledge related to the simulation scenario and can transmit this to learners in a way that is engaging, realistic, spontaneous and humanistic. Nurse educators charged with the responsibility of implementing Mask-Ed in three universities were invited to participate in the study by attending an introductory workshop, implementing the technique and then journaling their experiences, insights and perspectives over a 12 month period. The journal entries were then thematically analysed. Key themes were categorised under the headings of Preparation, Implementation and Impact; Reflexivity and Responsiveness; Student Engagement and Ownership; and Teaching and Learning. Mask-Ed is a simulation approach which allows students to interact with the 'characters' in humanistic ways that promote person-centred care and therapeutic communication. This simulation approach holds previously untapped potential for a range of learning experiences, however, to be effective, adequate resourcing, training, preparation and practice is required. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The Implementation of Musculoskeletal Injury-Prevention Exercise Programmes in Team Ball Sports : A Systematic Review Employing the RE-AIM Framework
- Authors: O'Brien, James , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sports Medicine Vol. 44, no. 9 (2014), p. 1305-1318
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1058737
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- Description: Background Team ball sports such as soccer, basketball and volleyball have high participation levels worldwide. Musculoskeletal injuries are common in team ball sports and are associated with significant treatment costs, participation loss and long-term negative side effects. The results of recent randomized controlled trials provide support for the protective effect of injury-prevention exercise programmes (IPEPs) in team ball sports, but also highlight that achieving adequate compliance can be challenging. A key process in enhancing the ultimate impact of team ball sport IPEPs is identifying the specific implementation components that influence the adoption, execution and maintenance of these interventions. Despite this, no systematic review focussing on the specific implementation components of team ball sport IPEPs has been conducted. Objectives Our objective was to assess the reporting of specific implementation components in the published literature on team ball sport IPEPs using the Reach Efficacy Adoption Implementation Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. Methods Six electronic databases were systematically searched from inception to December 2012 for papers reporting team ball sport IPEP trials. All eligible papers were independently evaluated by two raters before reaching consensus on the reporting of individual RE-AIM items, using the RE-AIM Model Dimension Items Checklist (RE-AIM MDIC). Results A total of 60 papers, reporting 52 unique intervention trials, met eligibility criteria. Before consensus, the level of agreement across all trials between reviewers using the RE-AIM MDIC ranged from 81 to 91 %. The RE-AIM MDIC dimension of 'efficacy' had the highest level of reporting, with the five individual items in this dimension reported in 19-100 % of eligible trials (mean 58 %). The RE-AIM MDIC dimension 'maintenance-setting level' had the lowest level of reporting, with none of the four individual items in this dimension reported. For other dimensions, the mean level of reporting and range across items were 'reach' 34 % (12-60 %); 'adoption-setting level' 1 % (0-2 %); 'adoption-delivery agent level' 7 % (4-10 %); 'implementation' 36 % (13-63 %) and 'maintenance individual level' 1 % (0-4 %). Conclusion Information on the specific implementation components of team ball sport IPEPs in published studies is scarce. In particular, major reporting gaps exist regarding the adoption and maintenance of these programmes. The RE-AIM MDIC can be successfully applied to reviewing literature in this context.
The valorisation of African languages and policies in the African education systems : a case of Uganda
- Authors: Muzoora, Michael , Terry, Daniel , Asiimwe, Agatha
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Universal Journal of Educational Research Vol. 2, no. 1 (2014), p. 42-50
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- Description: This paper highlights the challenges of current language policies in education in Africa, with reference to Uganda. Also examined are the likely challenges to language policy in education, while indicating how these challenges can be curtailed or overcome. The authors suggest a different view is required when approaching this topic with a paradigm shift from modernist theories imbued with colonial and neo-colonial approaches experienced by African countries over decades. The use of a more post-modernist critical theory is required to envisage democracy, linguistic justice, linguistic human rights, linguistic citizenship, diversity and sustainability for quality education and development. The execution of outdated language policies in education that are often misguided and do not reflect reality continually cost individual learners and their societies. This is evidenced by the trend of education output and research by scholars worldwide on literacy and educational achievement in Africa. Many African governments are tending towards local/arterial languages in educational policy and are supportive of inclusion of African languages in education however the trend in literacy and educational attainment is stagnant with outcomes becoming worse. By advocating for a much wider collective approach, research based on these very communities by African researchers working with and in the communities can aid an improved outcome in the African settings. The approach advocates language policies in education to shift from borrowing colonial policies to pragmatic policies which are emancipatory and liberative with learner centred approaches to teaching and learning.
What is a Sports Injury?
- Authors: Timpka, Toomas , Jacobsson, Jenny , Bickenbach, Jerome , Finch, Caroline , Ekberg, Joakim , Nordenfelt, Lennart
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sports Medicine Vol. 44, no. 4 (2014), p. 423-428
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
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- Description: Current sports injury reporting systems lack a common conceptual basis. We propose a conceptual foundation as a basis for the recording of health problems associated with participation in sports, based on the notion of impairment used by the World Health Organization. We provide definitions of sports impairment concepts to represent the perspectives of health services, the participants in sports and physical exercise themselves, and sports institutions. For each perspective, the duration of the causative event is used as the norm for separating concepts into those denoting impairment conditions sustained instantly and those developing gradually over time. Regarding sports impairment sustained in isolated events, 'sports injury' denotes the loss of bodily function or structure that is the object of observations in clinical examinations; 'sports trauma' is defined as an immediate sensation of pain, discomfort or loss of functioning that is the object of athlete self-evaluations; and 'sports incapacity' is the sidelining of an athlete because of a health evaluation made by a legitimate sports authority that is the object of time loss observations. Correspondingly, sports impairment caused by excessive bouts of physical exercise is denoted as 'sports disease' (overuse syndrome) when observed by health service professionals during clinical examinations, 'sports illness' when observed by the athlete in self-evaluations, and 'sports sickness' when recorded as time loss from sports participation by a sports body representative. We propose a concerted development effort in this area that takes advantage of concurrent ontology management resources and involves the international sporting community in building terminology systems that have broad relevance.
What would you like? Identifying the required characteristics of an industry-wide incident reporting and learning system for the led outdoor activity sector
- Authors: Goode, Natassia , Finch, Caroline , Cassell, Erin , Lenne, Michael , Salmon, Paul
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Outdoor Education Vol. 17, no. 2 (July 2014), p. 2-15
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Full Text: false
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- Description: The aim of this study was to identify the characteristics that led outdoor activity providers agree are necessary for the development of a new industry-wide incident reporting and learning system (UPLOADS). The study involved: 1) a literature review to identify a set of characteristics that are considered to be hallmarks of successful reporting and learning systems in other safety-critical domains; and (2) the presentation of these characteristics to 25 Australian led outdoor activity providers using a two round modified-Delphi technique to obtain consensus views on their relative importance in this domain. Thirteen out of 30 characteristics were endorsed as "essential" for developing an incident reporting and learning system for the led outdoor activity sector, and a further 13 were endorsed as "required". "Essential" characteristics primarily related to operational or practical characteristics of the system, while "required" characteristics primarily related to system infrastructure, data quality and the basis for developing of countermeasures to address identified injury risks. The findings indicate that although led outdoor activity providers are primarily concerned that the demands of reporting do not adversely impact on their day to day operations, they also recognise that data collection methods and countermeasure development need to be of high quality. The paper concludes by highlighting some potential strategies for implementing the characteristics considered "essential" and "required".
Where has class gone? The pervasiveness of class in girls' physical activity in a rural town
- Authors: Smyth, John , Mooney, Amanda , Casey, Meghan
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sport, Education and Society Vol. 19, no. 1 (January 2014 2014), p. 1-18
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP0990206
- Full Text: false
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- Description: This paper seeks to animate discussion around how social class operates with adolescent girls from low socio-economic status backgrounds to shape and inform their decisions about participation in physical activity (PA) inside and outside of school. Examining the instance of girls in a single secondary school in an Australian regional town, the paper questions the impact of class and how the girls experience the obstacles, impediments and interferences to participation in PA. These girls are portrayed as living multiple, complex and embodied subjectivities that shape and are informed by the relational geographies in which they are located, as they interact ‘with’, ‘to’ and ‘between’ the social, emotional and classed hierarchies that require them to access familial and other resources in making decisions about participation in PA.
A design exercise on temperature measurement
- Authors: Jones, John
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Physics Education Vol. 48, no. 3 (2013), p. 350-354
- Full Text: false
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- Description: A design exercise in chemical engineering is described which is concerned with thermocouples. Physics is the relevant discipline, a point that was made to the students doing the exercise, and accordingly an account of the exercise for the guidance of teachers and lecturers is presented as a contribution to Physics Education. © 2013 IOP Publishing Ltd.
Activation of self-focus and self-presentation traits under private, mixed, and public pressure
- Authors: Geukes, Katharina , Mesagno, Christopher , Hanrahan, Stephanie , Kellmann, Michael
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology Vol. 35, no. 1 (2013), p. 50-59
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- Description: Trait activation theorists suggest that situational demands activate traits in (pressure) situations. In a comparison of situational demands of private (monetary incentive, cover story), mixed (monetary incentive, small audience), and public (large audience, video taping) high-pressure situations, we hypothesized that situational demands of private and mixed high-pressure conditions would activate self-focus traits and those of a public high-pressure condition would activate self-presentation traits. Female handball players (N = 120) completed personality questionnaires and then performed a throwing task in a low-pressure condition and one of three high-pressure conditions (n = 40). Increased anxiety levels from low to high pressure indicated successful pressure manipulations. A self-focus trait negatively predicted performance in private and mixed high-pressure conditions, and self-presentation traits positively predicted performance in the public high-pressure condition. Thus, pressure situations differed in their trait-activating situational demands. Experimental research investigating the trait-performance relationship should therefore use simulations of real competitions over laboratory-based scenarios. © 2013 Human Kinetics, Inc.
- Description: 2003010828
Activity profiles of the Australian female netball team players during international competition: Implications for training practice
- Authors: Fox, Aaron , Spittle, Michael , Otago, Leonie , Saunders, Natalie
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Sports Sciences Vol. 31, no. 14 (2013), p. 1588-1595
- Full Text: false
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- Description: In elite sport, to remain competitive at the international level, it is critical to understand the game demands on players to ensure sport specific training programmes are designed for optimal athlete preparation and conditioning. In netball, recent research examining the activity patterns of players at the elite level is lacking, with only one study undertaken on this level of competition in the past 30 years. Therefore, the aim of this study was to provide coaches with up to date knowledge of player activity patterns as a basis for the design of optimal sport specific training programmes. The Australian female netball team were analysed using video footage of three international test matches. Player activity was categorised into five movement and eight game-based activities; and further classified as work or rest. Results suggest that differences in the current game exist when compared to the previous analysis. Positional differences were also found with regard to player activity confirming the need for an individualised component of training based on player position. © 2013 Copyright © 2013 Taylor & Francis.
- Description: C1
Assessing spiritual well-being: relating with God explains greatest variance in spiritual well-being among Australian youth
- Authors: Fisher, John
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Childrens Spirituality Vol. 18, no. 4 (November 2013), p. 306-317
- Full Text: false
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- Description: How do we set standards in assessing spiritual well-being (SWB)? Most measures provide only scores on arbitrary scales. Therefore, if the questions differ, the scores are likely to as well. This paper reports on two scales developed with 460 Australian secondary school students, with diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, from state, Catholic, Christian Community and independent schools. The four domains model of spiritual health/well-being was the theoretical base from which 12 items were developed to reflect quality of relationships with each of self, others, environment and God/the Divine. The instrument with the five top-scoring items in each domain, known as Spiritual Health And Life-Orientation Measure (SHALOM), has been sought for use in over 200 studies in 20 languages. The second-highest sets of five items were extracted and found to form statistically valid factors, for a new instrument called SWBQ2. As would be expected, the mean values for the factor scores varied between SHALOM and SWBQ2, overall and by school type. However, regression analyses of the lived experience scores showed that relating with God provided greatest explanation of variance in SWB, on both measures. A double-response method introduced for SHALOM was also used with SWBQ2 to compare each person's lived experience with their ideals, better reflecting quality of relationships, rather than just the arbitrary scores. There was negligible difference in dissonance scores on the four factors in both measures, that is, in comparing the difference between ideals and lived experiences. This method showed consistency in the quality of relationships reflecting SWB, contrasted with variance shown using only lived experience, as mentioned above. Relating with God was again most influential on SWB. These findings have implications for methods used in assessing SWB as well as outcomes.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2204 Religion and Religious Studies
Blurring the boundaries : From relational learning towards a critical pedagogy of engagement for disengaged disadvantaged young people
- Authors: Smyth, John , McInerney, Peter , Fish, Tim
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Pedagogy, Culture and Society Vol. 21, no. 2 (2013), p. 299-320
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP100100045
- Full Text: false
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- Description: This paper tackles what is arguably the most pervasive and pressing educational issue confronting affluent Western countries - the disengagement, disconnection and tragic displacement from schooling of increasing numbers of young people, mostly those from backgrounds of disadvantage. Despite enormous policy efforts, this 'problem' is proving impossible to dislodge from within the existing educational policy paradigm that appears to be exacerbating the problem. This paper explores theoretically and practically what alternative attempts might look like that start from within the lives and experiences of those most affected, young people as well as their teachers, and it explores what some research 'portraits' look like from 'inside' the existential realities of these complexities. Employing the heuristics of 'new mobilities', the paper looks at some alternative ways of locating 'new social spaces' from which to re-engage and re-connect these young people with learning, and with some effect. The paper is sanguine about the extensive work yet to be done, and in this regard it proffers some thoughts on the unfinished business of what it terms a 'critical pedagogy of engagement'. © 2013 Copyright Pedagogy, Culture & Society.
- Description: 2003011131
Bridging socio-cultural incongruity: conceptualising the success of students from low socio-economic status backgrounds in Australian higher education
- Authors: Devlin, Marcia
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Studies in Higher Education Vol. 38, no. 6 (2013), p. 939-949
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- Description: This article examines the conceptual frames that might be used to consider the success and achievement of students from low socio-economic status in Australian higher education. Based on an examination of key literature from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and North America, it is argued that Australia should avoid adopting either a deficit conception of students from low socio-economic backgrounds or a deficit conception of the institutions into which they will move. Further, rather than it being the primary responsibility of the student or of the institution to change to ensure the success of these students, it is argued that the adjustments necessary to ensure achievement for students from low socio-economic backgrounds in Australian higher education would be most usefully conceptualised as a ‘joint venture’ toward bridging socio-cultural incongruity.
Comparing levels of spiritual well-being and support among pre-service teachers in Hong Kong and Australia
- Authors: Fisher, John , Wong, Ping Ho
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Religious Education Journal of Australia Vol. 29, no. 1 (2013), p. 34-40
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: A Chinese version of the Spiritual Health And Life-Orientation Measure (SHALOM) developed in this study was shown to be a sound measure of spiritual well-being (SWB) in which 573 pre-service teachers from Hong Kong reported slightly lower levels of relating with themselves and other people, in Personal and Communal SWB, but higher levels of Environmental and Transcendental SWB compared with a group of 557 similar pre-service teachers at the University of Ballarat, Australia. Using regression analyses, investigation of the relationships between levels of spiritual well-being and helps revealed very similar results in explaining variance for each of the four domains, as well as overall spiritual well-being, for these two groups. Prayer, nature and being happy contributed most to explanation of variance in spiritual well-being in both groups helping others, friends, self-improvement, music, walks and other religious activities contributed variously as well. Common principles undergirded support provided for both groups of pre-service teachers' spiritual well-being. It was just a matter of degree as to how much they applied. SHALOM revealed more similarities than differences in spiritual well-being in these two groups of pre-service teachers, even though they were separated culturally and linguistically. These results do, however, raise questions about the efficacy of these pre-service teachers to adequately address school students' spiritual well-being.
Could targeted exercise programmes prevent lower limb injury in community Australian football?
- Authors: Andrew, Nadine , Gabbe, Belinda , Cook, Jill , Lloyd, David , Donnelly, Cyril , Nash, Clare , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sports Medicine Vol. 43, no. 8 (2013), p. 751-763
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565907
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- Description: Background: Australian football is a popular sport in Australia, at both the community and elite levels. It is a high-speed contact sport with a higher incidence of medically treated injuries when compared with most other organized sports. Hamstring injuries, ligament injuries to the knee or ankle, hip/groin injuries and tendinopathies are particularly common and often result in considerable time lost from sport. Consequently, the prevention of lower limb injuries is a priority for both community and elite Australian football organizations. There is considerable literature available on exercise programmes aimed at reducing lower limb injuries in Australian football and other running-related sports. The quality and outcomes of these studies have varied considerably, but indicate that exercise protocols may be an effective means of preventing lower limb injuries. Despite this, there has been limited high-quality and systematic evaluation of these data. Objective: The aim of this literature review is to systematically evaluate the evidence about the benefits of lower limb injury prevention exercise protocols aimed at reducing the most common severe lower limb injuries in Australian football. Methods: The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, the Cochrane Bone Joint and Muscle Trauma Group Specialized Register, MEDLINE and other electronic databases were searched, from January 1990 to December 2010. Papers reporting the results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-RCTs, cohort and case-control studies were extracted. Primary outcomes were injury reduction or risk factor identification and/or modification. Secondary outcomes were adherence to any trialled interventions, injury severity and adverse effects such as secondary injuries and muscle soreness. The methodological quality of extracted manuscripts was assessed and results were collated. Results: Forty-seven papers were identified and reviewed of which 18 related to hamstring injury, eight related to knee or ankle ligament injury, five related to tendon injury and four were hip or groin injury related. Another 12 papers targeted general lower limb injuries. Most (n = 27 [57 %]) were observational studies, investigating injury risk factors. Twenty reported the results of intervention trials. Of these, 15 were efficacy trials reporting the effects of an intervention in reducing injury rates, four were biomechanical interventions in which the impact of the intervention on a known injury risk factor was assessed and one reported changes in injury risk factors as well as injury rates. The strength of the evidence base for exercise programmes for lower limb injury prevention was found to be limited, primarily due to the research methods employed, low adherence to interventions by the study participants and a lack of statistical power. Limited evidence obtained from a small number of RCTs suggests that balance and control exercises might be efficacious in preventing ankle ligament injuries and a programme involving a combination of balance and control exercises, eccentric hamstring, plyometrics and strength exercises could be efficacious in preventing all lower limb injuries. Conclusions: Overall, the evidence for exercise programmes as an efficacious lower limb injury prevention strategy is predominantly restricted to studies addressing injury aetiology and mechanisms. The findings of this review highlight the need to develop and test interventions in well designed population-based trials with an emphasis on promoting intervention uptake and adherence and, hence, intervention effectiveness. The results of this review can inform the development of the components of a future lower limb injury prevention exercise protocol for community-level Australian football. © 2013 Springer International Publishing Switzerland. Funded by the NHMRC.
- Description: 2003011215
Curriculum learning designs : Teaching health assessment skills for advanced nursing practitioners through sustainable flexible learning
- Authors: Fitzgerald, Les , Wong, Pauline , Hannon, John , Solberg Tokerud, Marte , Lyons, Judith
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Nurse Education Today Vol. 33, no. 10 (2013), p. 1230-1236
- Full Text: false
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- Description: Background: Innovative curriculum designs are vital for effective learning in contemporary nursing education where traditional modes of delivery are not adequate to meet the learning needs of postgraduate students. This instance of postgraduate teaching in a distributed learning environment offered the opportunity to design a flexible learning model for teaching advanced clinical skills. Aim: To present a sustainable model for flexible learning that enables specialist nurses to gain postgraduate qualifications without on-campus class attendance by teaching and assessing clinical health care skills in an authentic workplace setting. Methods: An action research methodology was used to gather evidence and report on the process of curriculum development of a core unit, Comprehensive Health Assessment (CHA), within 13 different postgraduate speciality courses. Qualitative data was collected from 27 teaching academics, 21 clinical specialist staff, and 7 hospital managers via interviews, focus groups and journal reflections. Evaluations from the initial iteration of CHA from 36 students were obtained. Data was analyzed to develop and evaluate the curriculum design of CHA. Results: The key factors indicated by participants in the curriculum design process were coordination and structuring of teaching and assessment; integration of content development; working with technologies, balancing specialities and core knowledge; and managing induction and expectations. Conclusions: A set of recommendations emerged as a result of the action research process. These included: a constructive alignment approach to curriculum design; the production of a facilitator's guide that specifies expectations and unit information for academic and clinical education staff; an agreed template for content authors; and the inclusion of synchronous communication for real-time online tutoring. The highlight of the project was that it built curriculum design capabilities of clinicians and students which can sustain this alternative model of online learning. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.
Development and trial of a water exposure measure of estimated drowning risk for surf bathers
- Authors: Morgan, Damian , Ozanne-Smith, Joan
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education Vol. 7, no. 2 (2013 2013), p. 116-135
- Full Text:
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- Description: To better address drowning issues, risk assessment at the group and sample levels would be enhanced by precise measures of exposure to water. The aim of the study was to develop and pilot test a method of measuring exposure to water based on estimating immersions for surf bathers. Validated direct observation counts provided peak-bathing period point estimates and a daily bather immersion profile for an identified sampling frame comprising 20 beaches over 39 summer days. An estimated 10,089 water immersions occurred at the peak-bathing period in the sampling frame. Swimmers comprised 86.0% and surfers with equipment 14.0% of the observed bathing sample, respectively. For swimmers only on patrolled beaches, 77.1% bathed in the lifesaver supervised (flag) zones. The study has implications for the provision of organized bather supervision and provides a foundation for generation of hypotheses on the nature of drowning risk for selected surf bather groups.
Dispositions of elite-level Australian rugby coaches towards game sense : Characteristics of their coaching habitus
- Authors: Light, Richard , Evans, John
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sport, Education and Society Vol. 18, no. 3 (2013), p. 407-423
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- Description: Bourdieu's analytic concept of habitus has provided a valuable means of theorising coach development but is yet to be operationalised in empirical research. This article redresses this oversight by drawing on a larger study that inquired into how the 'coaching habitus' of elite-level Australian and New Zealand rugby coaches structured their interpretation and use of the Game Sense approach to coaching to illustrate how habitus can be operationalised. It focuses on the identification of characteristics of the individual coaching habitus of four elite-level Australian rugby coaches and how they shape their interpretation and use of Game Sense. Drawing on suggestions made by Lau, we identify the characteristics of four individual 'coaching habitus' by examining their views on: (1) the characteristics of good coaches; (2) characteristics of great rugby players and how to develop them; and (3) their dispositions towards innovation in coaching. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
- Description: 2003011104
Explaining Newton's laws of motion : Using student reasoning through representations to develop conceptual understanding
- Authors: Waldrip, Bruce , Prain, Vaughan , Sellings, Peter
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Instructional Science Vol. 41, no. 1 (2013), p. 165-189
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The development of students' reasoning and argumentation skills in school science is currently attracting strong research interest. In this paper we report on a study where we aimed to investigate student learning on the topic of motion when students, guided by their teacher, responded to a sequence of representational challenges in which their representational claims functioned as both process and product for reasoning about this topic. This qualitative case study entailed collection of data through classroom observation, transcripts of student/teacher interactions, and interviews with teacher and students. We found that students participated in various reasoning processes in generating and critiquing their own and other students' representations on the topic of motion, contributing to positive engagement with the topic and conceptual understanding. We identified several pedagogical principles that support this learning. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.