Inclusion and accountability: communications research with consumers with disabilities

Over the past two decades there has been an increasing focus on doing research with and for consumers rather than on consumers. Research that is collaborative and inclusive has been called for by people with disabilities. People with disabilities are a group of telecommunications consumers who are disadvantaged because of social barriers and access issues with equipment, services and information. In this paper, the benefits and challenges of collaborative (e.g. participatory, participatory action, emancipatory) research with these consumers and the processes that can facilitate inclusive and accountable research outcomes are addressed. Throughout the paper, four questions will be explored: Who determines which research issues are explored and the methods that are used? What is the level of consumer involvement in the research process? How can academics and government ensure that consumer-focused research is inclusive and participatory? How, and to whom, should research results be made available?

In the first part of the paper, the perspectives on consumer research by people with disabilities are presented. Respect for and appreciation of consumers' views underpins the philosophical stance needed by researchers and funding bodies before serious engagement in empowering, person-centred research can be successful.

In the second part of the paper, there is a focus on defining the features of collaborative research approaches. Participatory research, participatory action research, and emancipatory research are variations that incorporate differing levels of consumer involvement. Each of these, however, embrace shifts in philosophy and methods away from more traditional 'scientific' research. Such changes result in a greater sense of inclusion and project ownership by consumers.

The third part of the paper addresses some of the issues associated with collaborative research for consumers with disabilities, for academic researchers, and for government funding bodies. Differing understandings of the social nature of disablement influence attitudes toward consumer involvement and are demonstrated in the choice of research questions, project aims, and the methodologies used. Differing agendas are reflected in reactions to the traditional project requirements and processes of government, the preferred research methodologies of researchers, and the perceived accountability of researchers or government for the dissemination and sharing of research results. The challenges to successful engagement with consumers in collaborative research have been identified in the literature and a number of strategies recommended (Barnes, 2003; Clear, 1999; Mercer, 2002; Oliver, 1992, 1997; Zarb, 1997). Application of inclusive strategies by researchers and funding bodies is essential for positive change and inclusive, empowering outcomes.

The paper concludes with a case study of a DCITA-funded research project. The project is evaluated using participatory/emancipatory research criteria modified from Zarb (1992) and addresses consumer, researcher, and funding body participation. The four questions used in the discussion of the paper are applied to this particular project. In addition, the benefits and learnings from the project will be compared with the outcomes desired by consumers who espouse collaborative research approaches.

Introduction of new technology into hydroponic tomato growing at the farm level - a case study in collaborative research

In 2000 Deakin University and Elmac Hydroponics, with funding from the Australian Research Council began a collaborative PhD project researching the management and economics for commercial tomato production using the innovative Autopot® hydroponics system. The collaboration between Deakin University, the Elmac farmers and the wider hydroponics industry was central to this research project. A significant outcome was the education of both the researchers and the farmers. Deakin University researchers benefited from the chance to learn about conducting research within the commercial constraints of the industry. Elmac and the wider industry had the opportunity to learn about the methodology, application and limitations of scientific research. However, there are conflicts between the desired educational outcomes for the stakeholders in a collaborative project of this type. In most cases, the award of the PhD degree to the candidate depends entirely on the thesis. A thesis however, would be of little value to most hydroponics farmers. The desired educational outcome for industry is in the application of the results to their situation for improved management of production and increased profit. This paper highlights the benefits and constraints of collaborative research into the introduction of innovative technology to the hydroponics industry.

Effective integration of teaching and research in a first year food and nutrition course

Previous research has indicated that undergraduate student learning can be enhanced through active involvement in research. Furthermore, creating an academic environment where teaching and research are intimately linked can facilitate the induction of students into a community of learners where new knowledge is created, explored and critiqued. Scaffolding and supporting student learning via engagement in authentic research experiences can work to ensure graduating students have the capacity to generate and investigate important questions that contributes to the development of new knowledge. This paper presents a case study that outlines curriculum design and pedagogical strategies aimed at integrating teaching and research within the first year of an undergraduate course. First year Food and Nutrition students were asked to partake in a research project where they were asked to complete a series of diet and food related questionnaires, analyse, interpret and critique the resulting data. Students were supported through this learning activity via small group tutorial support and question and answer sessions within the learning management system. Anonymous evaluation of the teaching and learning experience was conducted at the end of the teaching period and the results indicate that the students welcomed the opportunity to engage in an authentic, research based learning activity. Students’ found the assessment tasks were clearly explained to them (88% agreeing), and felt well supported in approaching this research based assessment task. Furthermore, the qualitative comments indicated that the students’ found the learning environment to be meaningful and relevant. This case study indicates that it is possible to effectively incorporate authentic research experiences within the curriculum of a first year course. The experiential, inquiry based learning approach used supported the students’ participation in a systematic, rigorous data collection process required in a structured research environment and blended these requirements with authentic learning of discipline specific skills and knowledge.

Knowing wildfire risk: scientific interactions with risk mitigation policy and practice in Victoria, Australia

Over the past decade, major landscape wildfires (or ‘bushfires’ in Australia) in fire-prone countries have illustrated the seriousness of this global environmental problem. This natural hazard presents a complex mesh of dynamic factors for those seeking to reduce or manage its costs, as ignitions, hazard behaviour, and the reactions of different human and ecological communities during and after hazard events are all extremely uncertain. But while those at risk of wildfire have been subject to significant research, the social dimensions of its management, including the role of science, have received little attention. This paper reports on a case study of the Barwon-Otway area of Victoria in Australia, a high wildfire risk area that has recently been a pilot site for a new risk mitigation strategy utilising the wildfire simulation model PHOENIX RapidFire. Against simple equations between ‘more science’ and ‘less uncertainty,’ this paper presents results from interviews and a workshop with practitioners to investigate how scientific research interacts with and informs both wildfire policy and practice. We suggest that attending to cultural and social specificities of the application of any technical innovation—such as next generation modelling—raises questions for future research about the roles of narrative, performance, and other knowledges in the sedimentation of science.

Limits to problem solving in science

Popper, Polanyi and Duncker represent the widely held position that theoretical and experimental scientific research are motivated by problems to which discoveries are solutions. According to the argument here, their views are unsupported and - in light of counter-instances, anomalous chance discoveries, and the force of curiosity - over-generalized.

Made which to measure? Nineteenth century science and sporting bodies

The modification of bodies to enhance performance for competitive sporting purposes originated in the mid eighteenth century. Since then, ‘science’ has informed the discourses of sports training practices, but its influence has changed significantly, now being directive rather than merely being addressed in the ethos of training. Today, sports training practices often are associated with scientific research focussed on understanding the biological processes underpinning physical achievements. However, in the first two centuries of modern sport, science, rather than directing practice, was used as a legitimating, justifying discourse that served to empower training practices.

This paper, an exercise in historical anthropology, replaces conventional ethnographic data with the texts of sports training manuals, sports periodicals and medical journals to examine how these discourses represented the influence of science on the preparation of the body for competition. The focus on the nineteenth century is instructive because, first, physiological models at the century’s start were influenced by Galenic theory, but were underpinned by modern empirical science at its end. Second, from the 1860s, amateurism inspired a major rethinking of training; the ensuing contrast with the preparation of professional athletes illustrates how science was deployed in the making of nineteenth century sporting bodies.

Community group volunteer perceptions and awareness of Victorian marine protected areas

In 2004, a Community Based Monitoring (CBM) program for Victoria’s Marine National Parks and Marine Sanctuaries was developed. A key performance area for Victoria’s Marine Protected Area (MPA) Management Strategy is community engagement. This program was developed to incorporate the key performance principles of community education, participation and engagement. CBM involves scientific protocols to monitor different habitat types in a MPA. As part of the CBM project, perceptions and values of MPAs were investigated through a pilot survey of 125 community group volunteers from 4 volunteer groups. Surveys were sent to all community group members which included participants and non-participants in the CBM program. Questions sought qualitative and quantitative information, focusing on personal values of MPAs. The surveys included questions associated with CBM, MPA management and environmental issues affecting the marine environment. Responses from the pilot study indicated that 50% of the volunteers participated in CBM to learn more about scientific research, and 30% wanted to work close to nature. This pilot study will form the basis of a larger-scale study to investigate community group perceptions of MPAs and identifying how to maintain volunteer enthusiasm, interest and motivation in a CBM program.

Faith, tradition, and dynamic order : Michael Polanyi's liberal thought from 1941 to 1951

In his writings between 1941 and 1951, Michael Polanyi developed a distinctive view of liberal social and political life. Planned organizations are a part of all modern societies, according to Polanyi, but in liberal modernity he highlighted dynamic social orders whose agents freely adjust their efforts in light of the initiatives and accomplishments of their peers. Liberal society itself is the most extensive of dynamic orders, with the market economy, and cultural orders of scientific research, Protestant religious inquiry, and common law among its constituents. Liberal society and its dynamic orders of culture are, Polanyi explained, directed at transcendent ideals (truth, beauty, and justice). He saw knowledge, rules of practice, and standards of value in these orders as being preserved in traditions that inform and constrain the initiatives of their members. Investing faith in a cultural enterprise, Polanyi's agents choose to act   responsibly, dedicating their freedom to an ideal end. They are custodians and cultivators of the heritage of their dynamic order.

Bamboo fibres and their unique properties

This paper collates the different properties of bamboo fibres as claimed by bamboo fibre and product manufacturers. The available information suggests that bamboo fibres have unique properties such as excellent appearance and feel, natural antibacterial, UV-shielding and moisture-controlling characteristics. Hence bamboo fibres provide a very promising alternative to other natural fibres by virtue of their novel properties. However, those properties may largely depend on the manufacturing process, which is not widely disclosed. Moreover, common manufacturing process may require the use of a large amount of chemicals and hence further process development may be required in order to make the product truly eco-friendly. It is identified that the data of those unique properties rarely appear in scientific journals and the validity of those claims can be speculative. Therefore, there is a strong need for non-biased scientific research and evaluation on the unique properties of bamboo fibres.

Treaties as tools of foreign policy : a psychopolitical inquiry via Keatings's vision for Australia

Paul Keating will be remembered by some Australians as a visionary. As Prime Minister he outlined the structure of external and domestic reform that he believed would guarantee global security for all Australians. Driving these reforms, more often than not, were interstate agreements, often in the form of multilateral treaties, sometimes in the guise of bilateral compromise, rarely as unilateral declarations. In areas as diverse as collaborative scientific research or the protection of children in the workplace, the Keating Executive set out, through codification, to transform Australia’s political landscape. The fields of trade, military, environmental and human rights were all included in the attempts by Keating to forge a new image of and for Australia in the Asia Pacific region. Treaties were vital agents of change in this milieu in the bid to reformulate regional perceptions of Australia. The path of inquiry in this thesis stemmed from a quest to examine the origin, role, purpose and efficacy of treaties in the Keating Government’s foreign policy aimed at regional military security. In order to make this examination it develops a polyphonic1 analytical model whose purpose is to explore the psychopolitical underpinnings of these agreements. Thus the thesis has a two fold task. To develop an analytical model of how treaties work as tools of foreign policy and to outline and assess the Keating treaty strategy. Its principal contribution is on the theoretical side.

An evaluation of Sea Search as a citizen science programme in Marine Protected Areas

Citizen science involves collaboration between multi-sector agencies and the public to address a natural resource management issue. The Sea Search citizen science programme involves community groups in monitoring and collecting subtidal rocky reef and intertidal rocky shore data in Victorian Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), Australia. In this study we compared volunteer and scientifically collected data and the volunteer motivation for participation in the Sea Search programme. Intertidal rocky shore volunteer-collected data was found to be typically comparable to data collected by scientists for species richness and diversity measures. For subtidal monitoring there was also no significant difference for species richness recorded by scientists and volunteers. However, low statistical power suggest only large changes could be detected due to reduced data replication. Generally volunteers recorded lower species diversity for biological groups compared to scientists, albeit not significant. Species abundance measures for algae species were significantly different between volunteers and scientists. These results suggest difficulty in identification and abundance measurements by volunteers and the need for additional training requirements necessary for surveying algae assemblages. The subtidal monitoring results also highlight the difficulties of collecting data in exposed rocky reef habitats with weather conditions and volunteer diver availability constraining sampling effort. The prime motivation for volunteer participation in Sea Search was to assist with scientific research followed closely by wanting to work close to nature. This study revealed two important themes for volunteer engagement in Sea Search: 1) volunteer training and participation and, 2) usability of volunteer collected data for MPA managers. Volunteer-collected data through the Sea Search citizen science programme has the potential to provide useable data to assist in informed management practices of Victoria’s MPAs, but requires the support and commitment from all partners involved.

The role of partners in shaping the body image and body change strategies of adult men : partners and male body image

The current study examined the relationship between perceived messages about the bodies of adult men from their sexual partners and the actual body image of these men. Interviews were conducted among 38 middle-aged men. Feedback from partners was generally complimentary, and the men were generally positive about their body image. Partners were seen to be more focused on a healthy body rather than a physically attractive body. The implications of these findings for better understanding the social influence on adult men to obtain a healthy body weight are discussed.

Reporting of the ACT heroin trials

The aim of this research is to analyse the reports of the proposed heroin maintenance trials in the Australian Capital Territory (A.C.T.), in Melbourne print media during 1997. The proposal for trials of heroin-prescription to long-term users in the A.C.T. was based on extensive scientific research. The rejection of this proposal by Prime Minister Howard raised many questions. This study was designed to help understand what discourses and rhetorical devices were used in the reporting of heroin issues in the media and what part some sections of the media played in the government’s decision. Discourse analysis was conducted of newspaper articles from two major Melbourne newspapers, The Age and the Herald-Sun for the year 1997. All articles relating to heroin and drug-policy from the newspapers were included for analysis. Those in favour of the trials used predominantly health and social discourses. Those opposed used moral discourses supported with stereotypes, metaphors, emotive practices and ‘inaccuracies’. There were considerable differences in discourses presented by The Age and the Herald-Sun. This study demonstrates that opposition to the heroin trials relied on rhetorical strategies and sensationalistic arguments, rather than meaningful debate of scientific and social issues. Researchers should act to identify the stereotypes and metaphors used in the discourses surrounding an issue and act to disarm them.

Solar industrial process heating in Australia - Past and current status

Thirty years ago in Australia, there was a significant research, development and demonstration programme in solar industrial process heating (SIPH). This activity was led principally by the Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation, the country’s main scientific research body. Other state government bodies also funded demonstration projects. Today, there is very little SIPH activity at any level in Australia. The contrast with the progress in other renewable energy technologies like wind and solar photovoltaic systems is striking. While the implementation of these technologies has progressed, SIPH has gone backwards. If Australia is to decarbonise its economy at the rate required, a massive deployment of solar thermal technology in those industries which use large quantities of low temperature hot water is also required. Recent developments nationally and internationally may rekindle new applications of solar thermal energy use by industry. This paper reviews the past achievements in SIPH in Australia and describes the lessons learned in order to better prepare for any new wave of SIPH activity.

Global trends in marine nutraceuticals

An expanding body of scientific research indicates that the marine environment is emerging as a unique resource of functional food ingredients with health-promoting properties. Significant attention has been paid to exploration of potential nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals derived from the ocean. Marine-based  nutraceuticals are gaining attention due to their unique features, which are absent in terrestrial-based resources. A number of new marine nutraceutical products have been introduced in the nutraceuticals and functional foods markets. The main sources and products of primary interest for marine nutraceuticals and ingredients include omega-3 fish/algal oil, phospholipids, micro/macro algal nutrition supplements, fish proteins and peptides, hydrolysates, shellfish chitin, fish collagen, and mineral supplements.