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An analysis of the nature of young students’ STEM learning in 3D technology-enhanced makerspaces

  • Authors: Forbes, Anne , Falloon, Garry , Stevenson, Michael , Hatzigianni, Maria , Bower, Matt
  • Date: 2024
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Developing culturally and developmentally appropriate early STEM learning experiences Chapter 11 p. 172-187
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  • Description: Research Findings: This study was undertaken to investigate learning processes and outcomes from using 3D design and printing technologies with children aged 5–8 years, in three schools in a metropolitan city in Australia. Data were collected from five sources (teacher interviews, surveys, journals; student interviews; and iPad screen recordings) and analyzed to identify themes responding to the question: What is the nature of students’ learning and learning processes in technology-enhanced Makerspaces? Findings report the perspectives of teachers and students, supplemented by screen recordings from the iPads. Students were found to have significant engagement in learning through involvement in these technology-enhanced Makerspaces, and to have developed skills and understanding in a number of areas including: digital technical proficiency, design thinking, problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. Findings are conceptualized using a research-informed Maker Literacies Framework, to better understand the nature of students’ learning and work processes while engaged in these environments. Practice or Policy: Findings imply that Makerspaces with 3D design and printing could be used to promote young children’s STEM literacies although teachers need to be mindful of the need to explicitly plan for and teach important STEM concepts, if learning in these disciplines is a goal. © 2020, © 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

How lived experience mediated my gold, ribbons, puzzles and morals research motivations : a reflective introspection

  • Authors: Stranieri, Andrew
  • Date: 2024
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Research partners with lived experience : stories from patients and survivors Chapter 15 p. 183-191
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  • Description: Studies on factors that motivate researchers conclude that financial rewards, recognition, curiosity and a desire to contribute; the so-called, Gold, Ribbons, Puzzle and Morals motivating factors, combine to explain why individuals start and continue to be researchers. Lived experience with significant, often life-changing events as a patient, carer, victim, or bystander has motivated many, directly or indirectly, including me, to become researchers. In this chapter, I draw on introspection to examine my journey through 25 years of research experience in university settings. I use concepts from dual systems theories that identify intuition and cognition as two processes that come together to explain how key events and situations in life have influenced my decisions. This illustrates how critical events have mediated the Gold, Ribbon, Puzzle and Morals factors that were motivating my research efforts.

Intelligent feature selection algorithm using SA-SVM classification for skin cancer diagnosis

  • Authors: Hoshyar, Azadeh , Al-Jumaily, Adel
  • Date: 2024
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Non-Invasive Health Systems based on Advanced Biomedical Signal and Image Processing Chapter 15 p. 372-395
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  • Description: In recent decades, the incidence of malignant melanoma as a deadly skin cancer has increased worldwide. With its high medical costs and death rates, this cancer has prioritized the need for early diagnosis. Computer-based detection systems can improve the diagnosis rate of melanoma by 5%-30% compared to the naked eye and reduce human error. Although much effort has been made to advance the detection of skin cancers, there are still serious concerns about it. This chapter introduces automatic skin cancer diagnosis and an overview of methods in each step toward detection. A novel algorithm in feature selection and classification stages of automatic skin cancer diagnosis is designed and implemented to identify malignant and benign lesions. A smart algorithm is proposed based on inertia-based particle swarm optimization (IPSO) and the self-advising SVM (SA-SVM). This algorithm optimizes the feature selection stage. Additionally, SA-SVM, known as a new classifier in skin cancer detection systems, is employed along with the proposed algorithm. The statistical and performance measurement analyses of algorithms are presented to prove the superiority of the proposed algorithms. © 2024 selection and editorial matter, Adel Al-Jumaily, Paolo Crippa, Ali Mansour, and Claudio Turchetti; individual chapters, the contributors.

Is doctor google our best choice for healthcare information recommendations? A duty of care to improve processes

  • Authors: Burstein, Frada , Meredith, Grant
  • Date: 2024
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Research partners with lived experience : stories from patients and survivors Chapter 7 p. 91-102
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  • Description: Living with a life-long medical condition or a serious disease requires a lot of research skills on how to access the best quality information to inform better decision-making of healthcare consumers. Relatives, friends, and carers are often sharing the stress and responsibility of looking after the healthcare of consumers. They feel personally responsible for meeting not only physical, but also information needs of people they care for. With the internet being almost a default source of a wide variety of information, and health information in particular, this interview-based chapter reflects on what are the opportunities and challenges for information and communication technology (ICT) researchers who aim to address the personalized needs for quality healthcare information provision. Professor Frada Burstein is a leading information technology researcher specializing in smart information portals in health care. Her research has contributed to the transformations in web-based information systems architecture to empower patients. She was named the ICT Educator of the Year for her pioneering work in knowledge management and ICT education. In this interview with Grant Meredith, she reveals how her intense experiences caring for her father led her to focus her intelligent systems research toward health care.

Living with family violence and the great escape

  • Authors: Zentveld, Elisa
  • Date: 2024
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Research partners with lived experience : stories from patients and survivors Chapter 5 p. 57-71
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  • Description: Lived experience can add an important dimension to research. Whilst acceptance of lived experience in research has not exactly taken hold yet, there is a movement towards valuing the contribution lived experience can provide, especially in some research areas. This book chapter explains how lived experience drew me, as a researcher in one discipline, to move into another research area—family violence. It is not living with family violence per se that resulted in the discipline change, but more so the systems that keep victims bound to perpetrators of family violence. I realised through my experiences that living with family violence can feel like a one-way ticket where there is no return journey; no escape route. I use my lived experience with navigating systems (namely legal systems) to contribute to family violence research. This chapter explains my three court journeys and how those outcomes and experiences led me to turn my research attention to family violence. This chapter also explains how the research gaps I uncovered could best be found through lived experience. This chapter, therefore, provides an important perspective on both the value of lived experiences with research, as well as the field of family violence (focusing on legal systems).

Rach’s endometriosis story

To be, or not to be, that is the question : stuttering into academia

  • Authors: Meredith, Grant
  • Date: 2024
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Research partners with lived experience : stories from patients and survivors Chapter 4 p. 43-56
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  • Description: In this chapter Grant Meredith, the discipline leader of Information Technology for the Global Professional School at Federation University (Australia) outlines his journey as a person who stutters from his rural Australian upbringing through to being an Information Technology academic. This passage to academia is a reflection on an unconventional odyssey that has meandered from blue collar careers to a university education and beyond. The author discusses what it means to him to have vocal difference and how it may have influenced his research path. Along the way he questions his identity as a person who stutters and find his own “community” to engage within.

Who punched me in the back? becoming a CKD researcher

  • Authors: Firmin, Sally
  • Date: 2024
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Research partners with lived experience : stories from patients and survivors Chapter 2 p. 17-26
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  • Description: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a silent, deadly killer. CKD causes your kidneys to become damaged and can no longer clean your blood. As a result, your body becomes overloaded with fluid, and you suffer from headaches, migraines, nausea, vomiting, and most days, it feels like someone punched you in the back, amongst other symptoms. Like many other Australians, it was too late when I was diagnosed with CKD. My kidney function had reduced to 18%. Despite following a strict diet and medication schedule, within 2 years of diagnosis, my kidney function reduced to less than 5%, and I became a haemodialysis patient. I have survived this time by using a positive mindset and regular meditation. This chapter is my story of CKD from a young child to the current day and how becoming a haemodialysis patient inspired me to become a CKD researcher with lived experience.

A comparison of health-related quality of life in rural and metropolitan areas of Australia: the contribution of sports and physical activity

  • Authors: Eime, Rochelle , Charity, Melanie , Westerbeek, Hans , Harvey, Jack
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Rural Quality of Life Chapter 17 p. 315-332
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  • Description: "People can be physically active in many different ways, including general physical activity and organised sports. In addition to the physical health benefits of participation, there is increasing evidence of broader health benefits –health-related quality of life of participation in organised community-level sports, specifically social and mental health benefits. The study utilised data from over 6,000 participants and investigated their sports and physical activity profiles and quality of life –social, physical and mental. In doing so, the propositions of the Health through Sport conceptual model regarding the different health benefits of different types of activity are investigated. Research questions: (1) What is the health-related quality of life of individuals in rural and regional areas (countryside) compared to metropolitan areas? (2) How does the health-related quality of life of individuals differ according to type of activity? (3) How do the activity profiles and health outcomes of individuals align to the Health through Sport conceptual model?The aim was to investigate the contribution of participation in sports and physical activity to the health-related quality of life of individuals before and during COVID-19. This study demonstrates that indicators of health-related quality of life differ among those living in rural and regional areas compared to metropolitan areas, in conjunction with differences attributable to gender, age and activity setting and mode." © Manchester University Press 2022.

A leadership quest in teaching and learning : a case study of building capability and competency

  • Authors: Panther, Barbara
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Perspectives on Teaching and Learning Leadership in Higher Education: Case Studies from UK and Australia Chapter 8 p. 66-74
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  • Description: After 20 years as a university leader, I have come to the realisation that leadership in higher education is like a quest. At each stage of this leadership quest, the goal changes, the world expands and companions on the journey vary. At each new junction, leaders are required to learn new skills, new languages and new ways to work with and influence others. In this case study, Scott et al.’s (2008) academic leadership model has been used as a basis for reflection on the changing capabilities and competencies required as I adventured through every expanding leadership role. I reflect on critical incidents which caused me to pause, lessons learned, and provide wisdom for others on similar quests. © 2024 selection and editorial matter, Josephine Lang, Namrata Rao and Anesa Hosein; individual chapters, the contributors.

A moment of fuzziness : connections between shifting notions of ‘home’ and welfare arrangements ‘back home’ for Black Zimbabwean migrants living under COVID-19 travel restrictions in Australia

  • Authors: Chihota, Clement
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Post-Pandemic Welfare and Social Work: Re-imagining the New Normal Chapter 17 p. 197-209
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  • Description: This chapter makes connections between shifting notions of ‘home’ and welfare arrangements to support relatives ‘back home’, among first-generation Black Zimbabwean migrants living in Australia under COVID-19 travel restrictions. Using anecdotal evidence and harnessing elements of constructivist and structuralist theory, the chapter reflects on how a binary opposition between ‘kumusha/ekhaya’ (meaning the place of origin and belonging) and ‘kumasango/ingangeni’ (literally, ‘the jungle’ - and in this context - any other location that is not kumusha/ekhaya) was largely operative for this community, prior to the pandemic. As a sense-making structure, this opposition promoted resiliency as challenges associated with resettling in Australia were assigned to the kumasango/ingangeni category, meaning they could be expected, while kumusha/ekhaya served as the idyllic ‘counterweight’ (i.e. the place of restoration and regeneration, always within reach, when required. The imposition of COVID-19 travel restrictions between early 2020 and late 2021 disrupted and fuzzified this ʼneat’ conceptual structure and instigated recalibrations of the meaning and location of ‘home’ for this community. As further argued, this shift in the relationship with kumusha/ekhaya, which could be occurring in other places hosting the Zimbabwean diaspora, may have long-term impacts on the informal welfare system, which has helped to sustain livelihoods in Zimbabwe for the past two decades. © 2024 selection and editorial matter, Goetz Ottmann and Carolyn Noble; individual chapters, the contributors.

An introduction to the Ramsar Convention on wetlands

  • Authors: Gell, Peter , Finlayson, C. , Davidson, Nick
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Ramsar Wetlands: Values, Assessment, Management Chapter 1 p. 1-36
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  • Description: The Ramsar Convention on the conservation and wise use of the World’s wetlands was agreed in response to widespread recognition of the declining condition of wetlands and the impact of this on wetland habitats and associated fauna. Since 1971, over 2000 wetlands have been listed as internationally important by 172 countries and covering more than 2,000,000km2. There have been considerable advances in the scientific understanding of wetlands, and today, the monitoring of these systems draws on multiple disciplinary approaches. The Convention itself has responded to these advances and the ongoing challenge to conserve the world’s wetlands. Importantly, signatory nations regularly report on the condition of wetlands, update listings, and have adopted a framework to ensure wise use of all wetlands. In turn, healthy wetlands are increasingly seen to afford considerable ecosystem services to human communities that rely on them for the provision of food and water and recreation and for their cultural and aesthetic values. Whilst the Convention has now passed its 50th anniversary, it is increasingly recognised that wetlands continually change over many time scales and that direct human pressures are merely one of the drivers that affect wetlands. The monitoring of these changes continues to allow the Convention and signatory nations to amend the framework to reflect emerging understanding of wetland change. These advances enable the Convention to encourage, and better allow, signatory nations to pursue social and economic outcomes whilst continuing to contribute to the pursuit of conserving the natural assets accommodated within the global network of significant wetlands. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Applications of power electronics in renewable energy systems

  • Authors: Abu-Siada, Ahmed , Islam, Syed
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Power Electronics Handbook Chapter 23 p. 797-843
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  • Description: The Kyoto and Paris agreements on global reduction of greenhouse gas emissions have prompted renewed interest in the adoption of clean renewable energy systems worldwide. Many renewable energy technologies have been well developed over the years and become morereliable, and cost-competitive with conventional fuel-based generation. The cost of renewable energy technologies is on a falling trend and is expected to fall further with the increase in demand and production. There are many renewable energy sources (RES) such as biomass, solar, wind, mini-hydro, and tidal power. However, solar and wind energy systems make use of advanced power electronics technologies, and therefore, the focus in this chapter will be on solar photovoltaic and wind power systems. © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Assembling more-than-human stories: outdoor environmental education as a co-production

  • Authors: Jukes, Scott , Reeves, Ya
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Learning to confront ecological precarity : engaging with more-than-human worlds Chapter 4 p. 51-74
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  • Description: This chapter draws upon pedagogical experimentation on a ski-touring journey in the Australian Alps. The aim of the chapter is to build upon place-responsive pedagogies in OEE with insight from new materialist and posthumanist theory. The chapter focusses on the generative potential of considering co-productions and assemblages that include the materiality of a more-than-human world. Combining place-responsive and new materialist ideas, the concept of more-than-human stories is offered as a pedagogical strategy that may challenge anthropocentrism and develop different ways of thinking about and with more-than-human places. An example of these ideas in practice is offered, where Ya, an undergraduate student, presents her more-than-human story—One Single Moment—a picture-story book created on the ski-touring journey. Following her picture-story book, she maps the conditions of possibility, the various pedagogical influences that led to the creation of One Single Moment. The aim through this chapter is to offer methodological and pedagogical insight into using new materialist theories in creative and productive ways. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Bidialectal CALD learners of English : implications on bilingual language disorders and differential diagnosis1

  • Authors: Han, Weifeng , Brebner, Chris
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Typical and Atypical Language Development in Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Chapter 10 p. 195-210
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  • Description: Bidialectal learners are found to have better language awareness than monodialectal speakers in their first language (L1). However, few studies have investigated the role of L1 bidialectism in second language (L2) acquisition. Therefore, little is known as to whether error patterns in L2 are caused by learners’ diverse L1 dialectal backgrounds. This study investigates the role of L1 bidialectism on L2, particularly the syntax-semantics interface. Participants were 78 L1-monodialectal (Mandarin) and 79 L1-bidialectal (Mandarin and Wu) English L2 learners. All participants completed a sentence-picture matching task of 40 sentences that were different at the syntax-semantics interface between L1 and L2. The participants performing in the top and bottom 10% were interviewed. The results were both quantitatively and qualitatively analysed. An L1 bidialectal advantage in comprehension at the L2 syntax-semantics interface was found when the interface yields more readings in L2 than in L1. This study provides evidence that L1 bidialectism is an important factor to consider in second language acquisition and speech-language pathology studies. For clinicians, this provides evidence that bidialectism may also impact culturally and linguistically diverse children’s L2 performance and should be considered when making a differential diagnosis between language differences and disorders. © 2024 selection and editorial matter, Weifeng Han and Chris Brebner; individual chapters, the contributors.

Blockchain and RFID for baggage movement in the aviation industry

  • Authors: Dubey, Suchi , Singh, Anurag , Riaz, Shoaib , Shukla, Vinod
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Emerging Applications of Blockchain Technology Chapter 16 p. 291-304
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  • Description: Airlines are liable for lost baggage claims, damaged luggage, or lost baggage in transit. Every year hundreds of millions are lost in settling the claims of the traveler related to baggage. This causes inconvenience and dissatisfaction for the traveler with airlines and baggage movements. For the long-distance multiple stop overs and connecting flights, travelers are always worried about their baggage check in to the connecting flights. With the help of the block chain technology, it is impossible to manipulate and tamper data and records and hence it creates traceability, transparency, and immutability. The paper discusses the proposed model of integrating RFID along with block chain technology in the baggage claim and proposed a conceptual model to trace the journey the baggage so as to locate without delay. The model will integrate various departments, verticals that operate on the airports and create a seamless service of transparency for promoting efficiency and reduces losses. In the proposed model third party service is involved which facilitate traveler in baggage drop off on to their selected point of collection within a city. After required standard operating procedures at the drop off location traveler can directly report to airport as per their reporting time. The baggage will be assigned an RFID and will be put under block chain which will be simultaneously updated with time stamped activity on block chain as per the movement of baggage. As each node will be having a copy of baggage details it is very easy for the airline to track the movement of baggage in a transparent and efficient way. Proposed models discuss a model of baggage drop off on selected location which in turn will be put under block chain for easy traceability. With this model airline companies can improve collaboration, provide more convenient services and above all reduce the cost incurred in baggage claim drastically. The paper discusses the block chain model for traveler which can be applied in cargo handling in future. © 2023 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Bookend : outdoor environmental education in precarious times

  • Authors: Jukes, Scott
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Learning to confront ecological precarity : engaging with more-than-human worlds Chapter 12 p. 223-232
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  • Description: This final chapter brings an inevitable end to the book, but not necessarily the project. I tie together the many of the ideas touched upon throughout by noting the two main contributions the book offers. Namely, more-than-human pedagogies as an educational offering and immanent praxiography as methodological approach. I present a condensed articulation of the idea of more-than-human pedagogies, linking to the various other chapters and examples. Following this, I discuss immanent praxiography, including some guiding principles for enactment. This chapter ends with a coda that reflects on the project. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Challenging court landscapes and opportunities for change

  • Authors: Camilleri, Marg , Harkness, Alistair
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Australian Courts : controversies, challenges and change Chapter 16 p. 367-390
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  • Description: Courts are complex institutions which must constantly adjust to ensure that they are fulfilling their responsibilities to defendants, victims, witnesses, society and others who enter court spaces either virtually or physically. Courts must also manage their relationships with other agencies (whether justice or community) on whom they rely. Courts face an array of challenges in contemporary Australia, including the COVID-19 pandemic which has necessitated courts to pivot from inherently complex systems which are primarily public facing to virtual spaces which must continue to maintain the rule of law and to be open, transparent and subject to scrutiny. This chapter considers other challenges, too, which various courts and those who work in, with or appear before are facing. It assesses a suite of potential micro and macro reforms, advocating for ongoing systemic and structural change.

Collecting data for equity and justice: approaches and methods for collecting sex and gender data

  • Authors: Arora, Aparna , Brindaalakshmi, K. , Kutch, Bren , Rydergaard, Erika , van der Merwe, Leigh , Zavros-Orr, Agli
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Handbook of Research on Exploring Gender Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Through an Intersectional Lens Chapter 12 p. 236-263
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  • Description: This chapter seeks to address the challenge of collecting data about individual and interpersonal experiences of sex and gender to advance justice and equity in a context where gender and sex classifications have been used to erase and subdue non-conforming identities. The authors outline the field of previous studies on the topic, then illustrate the need for data collection with a human rights approach illustrated by case studies from three geographical contexts. First, the importance of accurate and just data for equitable access to public services is highlighted through a case study of transgender inclusion in public data in India. Second, the importance of collecting data with communities is illustrated through the example of a feminist association of transgender women based in South Africa. Finally, the authors provide ideas for designing data collection instruments, illustrated through changes in the Australian data collection standards initiated by advocacy and activist groups. © 2023 by IGI Global.

Confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory structural equation modeling of the factor structure of the Social Thoughts and Beliefs Scale (STABS)

  • Authors: Gomez, Rapson , Stavropoulos, Vasileios , Watson, Shaun , Brown, Taylor
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Advances in Psychology Research Chapter 3 p. 55-76
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  • Description: The Social Thoughts and Beliefs Scale (STABS) is a valuable tool often used in clinical practice involving social anxiety. However, it is argued that the factor structure of the STABS has yet to be clearly established. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine the factor structure of the STABS using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM). Firstly, comparing the first-order CFA, ESEM, bifactor CFA (BCFA), and bifactor ESEM (BESEM) models with group/specific factors for social comparison (SC) and social ineptness (SI). Participants were 329 individuals (males = 109, females = 220), aged between 18 and 71 years, from the general community. While the ESEM, BCFA, and BESEM models with group/specific factors for SC and SI showed adequate fit, the specific factors in the BCFA and BESEM models were poorly defined in these models, relative to the ESEM model. There was support for the internal consistency reliabilities (omega) and external validities of the factors in the ESEM model. Thus, the ESEM model with specific factors for SC and SI was selected as the preferred model. The practical implications and revisions of the STABS are discussed. © 2023 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.