Description:
A research project was conducted during 2015 to gain an understanding of the perspectives and actions of the nurses and personal care assistants, (participants) as they sought to provide person centred care (PCC) in a residential care setting.
Anxiety online-A virtual clinic: Preliminary outcomes following completion of five fully automated treatment programs for anxiety disorders and symptoms
Description:
This chapter outlines a case study of the application of the neo-positivist paradigm in the higher education research field. A small scale evaluative study of an attempt to improve teaching and learning provides the case study. The neo-positivist paradigm involves the objective investigation of an aspect of reality, providing provisional, contemporary understanding of patterns and entities. The ways in which this paradigm informed the research desgin, methodology, and the interpretation of results in a small-scale evaulative study are discussed. The study represents an attempt to conduct a rigorous empirical research project that incorporated random allocation to intervention and control groups; pre- and post-intervention measures of teaching and learning and the use of psychometrically sound measurement tools and qualitative data. The ways in which the ontology. axiology and epistemology of the neo-positivist paradigm impacted on the study and its findings are outlined.
Description:
Learning about Indigenous research paradigms and methodologies offers insights and reflexive opportunities for those who seek to improve their research practice. This paper explores how research at the "interface" can enrich scholarly inquiry across the academy. Whilst a single paper cannot do justice to the sophistication and nuance of Indigenous methodologies, as an authorship team of one Indigenous and two non-Indigenous academics and through our established relationship and subsequent conversations, we present in this paper seven distilled methodological learnings that can enrich standard qualitative research practice. We predominantly explored the work of Indigenous scholars worldwide and, where relevant, have drawn on non-Indigenous scholars when there may be "interface" compatibilities. We also build off some of our previous work, such as Andrews (2020a, 2020b, 2021) and Bolton and Andrews.
Description:
Learning about Indigenous research paradigms and methodologies offers insights and reflexive opportunities for those who seek to improve their research practice. This paper explores how research at the "interface" can enrich scholarly inquiry across the academy. Whilst a single paper cannot do justice to the sophistication and nuance of Indigenous methodologies, as an authorship team of one Indigenous and two non-Indigenous academics and through our established relationship and subsequent conversations, we present in this paper seven distilled methodological learnings that can enrich standard qualitative research practice. We predominantly explored the work of Indigenous scholars worldwide and, where relevant, have drawn on non-Indigenous scholars when there may be "interface" compatibilities. We also build off some of our previous work, such as Andrews (2020a, 2020b, 2021) and Bolton and Andrews.
Description:
This research examines the presence and effectiveness of the ‘normalising effect’, traditionally offered as the main justification for tax effect accounting’s (TEA) adoption. TEA can be seen as a technical facet of accounting practice, ‘normalising’ the timing differences between the accounting and taxation systems. That is, income tax is recognised according to when transactions are recognised for accounting purposes in order to ‘normalise’ reported profits, thereby reflecting an income statement focus. It has been contended that this will improve the usefulness of financial reports by ‘correcting’ misleading and ‘unreal’ fluctuations in income tax. Australia’s adoption of AIFRS in 2005 entailed a major conceptual re-alignment of the methodology underpinning TEA, moving away from the income statement focus in favour of a balance sheet focus. This implied a different normalisation emphasis. It is within this contemporary setting, based on a study of 90 companies over the two regulatory periods between 2002 and 2011 (AGAAP and AIFRS), that a quantitative measure of the presence and effectiveness of the normalising effect was undertaken, additionally considering the subsequent balance sheet impact. Effective normalisation was revealed during the AGAAP period, whilst only effective after the removal of loss makers during the AIFRS period. These findings suggest that the relaxation of recognition criteria under AIFRS may have had a meaningful impact on the effectiveness of the new standard. However, when normalisation was given a more narrow definition in light of prima facie tax, deferred taxes had a more substantial impact, particularly during the AIFRS period. Such findings are consistent with the notion thatTEA enables reported tax to be ‘as if’ it were a function of accounting, without a substantial build up on the balance sheet as a consequence. These findings have implications for evaluating the efficacy of TEA and comprehending the nature of contemporary financial statements.
Description:
This research examines the presence and effectiveness of the ‘normalising effect’, traditionally offered as the main justification for tax effect accounting’s (TEA) adoption. TEA can be seen as a technical facet of accounting practice, ‘normalising’ the timing differences between the accounting and taxation systems. That is, income tax is recognised according to when transactions are recognised for accounting purposes in order to ‘normalise’ reported profits, thereby reflecting an income statement focus. It has been contended that this will improve the usefulness of financial reports by ‘correcting’ misleading and ‘unreal’ fluctuations in income tax. Australia’s adoption of AIFRS in 2005 entailed a major conceptual re-alignment of the methodology underpinning TEA, moving away from the income statement focus in favour of a balance sheet focus. This implied a different normalisation emphasis. It is within this contemporary setting, based on a study of 90 companies over the two regulatory periods between 2002 and 2011 (AGAAP and AIFRS), that a quantitative measure of the presence and effectiveness of the normalising effect was undertaken, additionally considering the subsequent balance sheet impact. Effective normalisation was revealed during the AGAAP period, whilst only effective after the removal of loss makers during the AIFRS period. These findings suggest that the relaxation of recognition criteria under AIFRS may have had a meaningful impact on the effectiveness of the new standard. However, when normalisation was given a more narrow definition in light of prima facie tax, deferred taxes had a more substantial impact, particularly during the AIFRS period. Such findings are consistent with the notion thatTEA enables reported tax to be ‘as if’ it were a function of accounting, without a substantial build up on the balance sheet as a consequence. These findings have implications for evaluating the efficacy of TEA and comprehending the nature of contemporary financial statements.
Description:
A sampling methodology has been devised to facilitate the selection of a purposeful sample of marine parks and sanctuaries for the investigation of their impacts on tourism, local community and businesses. The methodology is based on multi-attribute utility theory used for comparing complex alternatives in decision making and takes into account those key attributes of Victoria's thirteen marine national parks and eleven marine sanctuaries that have been identified through both published and draft management plans, government policies and relevant strategies. The attributes are: tourism services, activities, community engagement, visitation, values, interpretation, access, location, conservation significance, and regional context. Values of each marine protected area are quantified and establishment of a total attribute value score for a typical area enables the comparison between individual marine parks and sanctuaries. To strengthen the methodology, a panel of independent experts representing tourism, local government and community organisations have been invited to express their views with regard to these attributes, and their responses have been incorporated into the research.
Description:
This article analyses the experiences of scholars of Africa in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), advancing upon critical research on African Studies and contemporary academia. Drawing upon interviews with researchers, this article makes three arguments about the study of Africa in the ACT and Australia. Firstly, that universities have undergone bureaucratisation, altering the way researchers organise their working lives. Secondly, that the study of Africa in the ACT's universities demonstrates disciplinisation such that researchers' methodologies are more important to their identities and career trajectories than their regions of research. Finally, that research practices have undergone projectisation, with scholars increasingly employed on precarious contracts and periodically shifting their focus to or from Africa. It is argued that the African Studies paradigm and Africanist identity are inoperative in the ACT.
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.
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.
Description:
Background: There has been a significant increase in the availability of online programs for alcohol problems. A systematic review of the research evidence underpinning these programs is timely. Objectives: Our objective was to review the efficacy of online interventions for alcohol misuse. Systematic searches of Medline, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus were conducted for English abstracts (excluding dissertations) published from 1998 onward. Search terms were: (1) Internet, Web*; (2) online, computer *; (3) alcohol*; and (4) Eeffect *, trial*, random* (where * denotes a wildcard). Forward and backward searches from identified papers were also conducted. Articles were included if (1) the primary intervention was delivered and accessed via the Internet, (2) the intervention focused on moderating or stopping alcohol consumption, and (3) the study was a randomized controlled trial of an alcohol-related screen, assessment, or intervention. Results: The literature search initially yielded 31 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 17 of which met inclusion criteria. Of these 17 studies, 12 (70.6%) were conducted with university students, and 11 (64.7%) specifically focused on at-risk, heavy, or binge drinkers. Sample sizes ranged from 40 to 3216 (median 261), with 12 (70.6%) studies predominantly involving brief personalized feedback interventions. Using published data, effect sizes could be extracted from 8 of the 17 studies. In relation to alcohol units per week or month and based on 5 RCTs where a measure of alcohol units per week or month could be extracted, differential effect sizes to posttreatment ranged from 0.02 to 0.81 (mean 0.42, median 0.54). Pre-post effect sizes for brief personalized feedback interventions ranged from 0.02 to 0.81, and in 2 multi-session modularized interventions, a pre-post effect size of 0.56 was obtained in both. Pre-post differential effect sizes for peak blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) ranged from 0.22 to 0.88, with a mean effect size of 0.66. Conclusions: The available evidence suggests that users can benefit from online alcohol interventions and that this approach could be particularly useful for groups less likely to access traditional alcohol-related services, such as women, young people, and at-risk users. However, caution should be exercised given the limited number of studies allowing extraction of effect sizes, the heterogeneity of outcome measures and follow-up periods, and the large proportion of student-based studies. More extensive RCTs in community samples are required to better understand the efficacy of specific online alcohol approaches, program dosage, the additive effect of telephone or face-to-face interventions, and effective strategies for their dissemination and marketing.
Description:
Background: There has been a significant increase in the availability of online programs for alcohol problems. A systematic review of the research evidence underpinning these programs is timely. Objectives: Our objective was to review the efficacy of online interventions for alcohol misuse. Systematic searches of Medline, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus were conducted for English abstracts (excluding dissertations) published from 1998 onward. Search terms were: (1) Internet, Web*; (2) online, computer *; (3) alcohol*; and (4) E\effect *, trial*, random* (where * denotes a wildcard). Forward and backward searches from identified papers were also conducted. Articles were included if (1) the primary intervention was delivered and accessed via the Internet, (2) the intervention focused on moderating or stopping alcohol consumption, and (3) the study was a randomized controlled trial of an alcohol-related screen, assessment, or intervention. Results: The literature search initially yielded 31 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 17 of which met inclusion criteria. Of these 17 studies, 12 (70.6%) were conducted with university students, and 11 (64.7%) specifically focused on at-risk, heavy, or binge drinkers. Sample sizes ranged from 40 to 3216 (median 261), with 12 (70.6%) studies predominantly involving brief personalized feedback interventions. Using published data, effect sizes could be extracted from 8 of the 17 studies. In relation to alcohol units per week or month and based on 5 RCTs where a measure of alcohol units per week or month could be extracted, differential effect sizes to posttreatment ranged from 0.02 to 0.81 (mean 0.42, median 0.54). Pre-post effect sizes for brief personalized feedback interventions ranged from 0.02 to 0.81, and in 2 multi-session modularized interventions, a pre-post effect size of 0.56 was obtained in both. Pre-post differential effect sizes for peak blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) ranged from 0.22 to 0.88, with a mean effect size of 0.66. Conclusions: The available evidence suggests that users can benefit from online alcohol interventions and that this approach could be particularly useful for groups less likely to access traditional alcohol-related services, such as women, young people, and at-risk users. However, caution should be exercised given the limited number of studies allowing extraction of effect sizes, the heterogeneity of outcome measures and follow-up periods, and the large proportion of student-based studies. More extensive RCTs in community samples are required to better understand the efficacy of specific online alcohol approaches, program dosage, the additive effect of telephone or face-to-face interventions, and effective strategies for their dissemination and marketing.
Description:
Background: There has been a significant increase in the availability of online programs for alcohol problems. A systematic review of the research evidence underpinning these programs is timely. Objectives: Our objective was to review the efficacy of online interventions for alcohol misuse. Systematic searches of Medline, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus were conducted for English abstracts (excluding dissertations) published from 1998 onward. Search terms were: (1) Internet, Web*; (2) online, computer *; (3) alcohol*; and (4) Eeffect *, trial*, random* (where * denotes a wildcard). Forward and backward searches from identified papers were also conducted. Articles were included if (1) the primary intervention was delivered and accessed via the Internet, (2) the intervention focused on moderating or stopping alcohol consumption, and (3) the study was a randomized controlled trial of an alcohol-related screen, assessment, or intervention. Results: The literature search initially yielded 31 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 17 of which met inclusion criteria. Of these 17 studies, 12 (70.6%) were conducted with university students, and 11 (64.7%) specifically focused on at-risk, heavy, or binge drinkers. Sample sizes ranged from 40 to 3216 (median 261), with 12 (70.6%) studies predominantly involving brief personalized feedback interventions. Using published data, effect sizes could be extracted from 8 of the 17 studies. In relation to alcohol units per week or month and based on 5 RCTs where a measure of alcohol units per week or month could be extracted, differential effect sizes to posttreatment ranged from 0.02 to 0.81 (mean 0.42, median 0.54). Pre-post effect sizes for brief personalized feedback interventions ranged from 0.02 to 0.81, and in 2 multi-session modularized interventions, a pre-post effect size of 0.56 was obtained in both. Pre-post differential effect sizes for peak blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) ranged from 0.22 to 0.88, with a mean effect size of 0.66. Conclusions: The available evidence suggests that users can benefit from online alcohol interventions and that this approach could be particularly useful for groups less likely to access traditional alcohol-related services, such as women, young people, and at-risk users. However, caution should be exercised given the limited number of studies allowing extraction of effect sizes, the heterogeneity of outcome measures and follow-up periods, and the large proportion of student-based studies. More extensive RCTs in community samples are required to better understand the efficacy of specific online alcohol approaches, program dosage, the additive effect of telephone or face-to-face interventions, and effective strategies for their dissemination and marketing.
Description:
Background: There has been a significant increase in the availability of online programs for alcohol problems. A systematic review of the research evidence underpinning these programs is timely. Objectives: Our objective was to review the efficacy of online interventions for alcohol misuse. Systematic searches of Medline, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus were conducted for English abstracts (excluding dissertations) published from 1998 onward. Search terms were: (1) Internet, Web*; (2) online, computer *; (3) alcohol*; and (4) E\effect *, trial*, random* (where * denotes a wildcard). Forward and backward searches from identified papers were also conducted. Articles were included if (1) the primary intervention was delivered and accessed via the Internet, (2) the intervention focused on moderating or stopping alcohol consumption, and (3) the study was a randomized controlled trial of an alcohol-related screen, assessment, or intervention. Results: The literature search initially yielded 31 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 17 of which met inclusion criteria. Of these 17 studies, 12 (70.6%) were conducted with university students, and 11 (64.7%) specifically focused on at-risk, heavy, or binge drinkers. Sample sizes ranged from 40 to 3216 (median 261), with 12 (70.6%) studies predominantly involving brief personalized feedback interventions. Using published data, effect sizes could be extracted from 8 of the 17 studies. In relation to alcohol units per week or month and based on 5 RCTs where a measure of alcohol units per week or month could be extracted, differential effect sizes to posttreatment ranged from 0.02 to 0.81 (mean 0.42, median 0.54). Pre-post effect sizes for brief personalized feedback interventions ranged from 0.02 to 0.81, and in 2 multi-session modularized interventions, a pre-post effect size of 0.56 was obtained in both. Pre-post differential effect sizes for peak blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) ranged from 0.22 to 0.88, with a mean effect size of 0.66. Conclusions: The available evidence suggests that users can benefit from online alcohol interventions and that this approach could be particularly useful for groups less likely to access traditional alcohol-related services, such as women, young people, and at-risk users. However, caution should be exercised given the limited number of studies allowing extraction of effect sizes, the heterogeneity of outcome measures and follow-up periods, and the large proportion of student-based studies. More extensive RCTs in community samples are required to better understand the efficacy of specific online alcohol approaches, program dosage, the additive effect of telephone or face-to-face interventions, and effective strategies for their dissemination and marketing.
Description:
The virtual classroom is a new and modern structure used now in university teaching around the world. By using the virtual classroom in Transport Law, it was soon discovered that once one overcomes the technical issues, the virtual classroom provides university tuition to students in very advantageous ways like no other traditional face-to-face class can. The virtual classroom, with its numerous functionalities, provides a level of student class participation, which is unprecedented in face-to-face classes. It also allows a greater opportunity for student attendance, as students simply have to be in front of their computer or any hand-held device, which is capable of audio-visual linkups. It is also very appealing to students, as it saves them time and money with public transport and/or parking. A much improved classroom attendance record as compared to face-to-face classes has also been noticed. The students' levels of understanding of the subject matter have also vastly improved through the mechanisms employed in virtual classroom teaching. As technology improves on a daily basis, the virtual classroom will become more and more popular as students rely on online teaching. Universities also need to understand that technology is here to stay and this means that they need to place more and more emphasis on online virtual classroom teaching eventually, it is submitted that if some of the universities do not highlight the importance of online teaching and virtual classrooms, students will simply shop elsewhere until they find a place of teaching that supports the online virtual classroom structure in the courses they wish to undertake.
Description:
The virtual classroom is a new and modern structure used now in university teaching around the world. By using the virtual classroom in Transport Law, it was soon discovered that once one overcomes the technical issues, the virtual classroom provides university tuition to students in very advantageous ways like no other traditional face-to-face class can. The virtual classroom, with its numerous functionalities, provides a level of student class participation, which is unprecedented in face-to-face classes. It also allows a greater opportunity for student attendance, as students simply have to be in front of their computer or any hand-held device, which is capable of audio-visual linkups. It is also very appealing to students, as it saves them time and money with public transport and/or parking. A much improved classroom attendance record as compared to face-to-face classes has also been noticed. The students' levels of understanding of the subject matter have also vastly improved through the mechanisms employed in virtual classroom teaching. As technology improves on a daily basis, the virtual classroom will become more and more popular as students rely on online teaching. Universities also need to understand that technology is here to stay and this means that they need to place more and more emphasis on online virtual classroom teaching eventually, it is submitted that if some of the universities do not highlight the importance of online teaching and virtual classrooms, students will simply shop elsewhere until they find a place of teaching that supports the online virtual classroom structure in the courses they wish to undertake.
Description:
Introduction: Effective social work practice is predicated on empowering, inclusive and culturally responsive communication, and yet, there appears to be very limited focus on language awareness, let alone critical language awareness, in contemporary social work education - both within and beyond the Australasian context. This gap is more worrying against a background where neoliberal and instrumental discourses (Habermas, 1969 O'Regan, 2001) have freely proliferated, and now threaten to colonise virtually all areas of private and public life (Chouliaraki and Fairclough, 1999). In response, this article advocates the inclusion of Critical Language Awareness (CLA) in contemporary social work education. Approach: This article initially maps the broad scope and historical emergence of CLA, before surveying its key political and theoretical influences. Findings: The key outcome is that CLA - as delineated - clearly shares significant overlaps with social work values, particularly: justice, equality and a commitment to anti-discriminatory and antioppressive practice (Dominelli, 2002 Payne, 1997). More importantly, CLA provides conceptual and analytical resources that promise to significantly sharpen students' abilities to recognise, question and ultimately challenge, oppressive discourses (Fairclough, 2011 Manjarres, 2011 Wodak, 2006). Conclusion: It is recommended that CLA strands be woven into existing social work themes and topics. The final part of the article offers some practical suggestions on how this could be done.
Description:
Introduction: Effective social work practice is predicated on empowering, inclusive and culturally responsive communication, and yet, there appears to be very limited focus on language awareness, let alone critical language awareness, in contemporary social work education - both within and beyond the Australasian context. This gap is more worrying against a background where neoliberal and instrumental discourses (Habermas, 1969 O'Regan, 2001) have freely proliferated, and now threaten to colonise virtually all areas of private and public life (Chouliaraki and Fairclough, 1999). In response, this article advocates the inclusion of Critical Language Awareness (CLA) in contemporary social work education. Approach: This article initially maps the broad scope and historical emergence of CLA, before surveying its key political and theoretical influences. Findings: The key outcome is that CLA - as delineated - clearly shares significant overlaps with social work values, particularly: justice, equality and a commitment to anti-discriminatory and antioppressive practice (Dominelli, 2002 Payne, 1997). More importantly, CLA provides conceptual and analytical resources that promise to significantly sharpen students' abilities to recognise, question and ultimately challenge, oppressive discourses (Fairclough, 2011 Manjarres, 2011 Wodak, 2006). Conclusion: It is recommended that CLA strands be woven into existing social work themes and topics. The final part of the article offers some practical suggestions on how this could be done.