Creating quality cross-media experiences

There are many ways to create a cross-media project, but there are approaches which facilitate a quality implementation. The crucial starting point with any creative project is a great story or game. However, because the cross-media artform is still emerging and many practitioners are new to the area, just how to produce a quality cross-media project is not well known. Based on my work on both small- and large-scale projects, I outline ten approaches that will aid in facilitating a quality cross-media project.

Changes in outdoor workers' sun-related attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors : a pre-post workplace intervention

OBJECTIVE To evaluate changes in outdoor workers' sun-related attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors in response to a health promotion intervention using a participatory action research process. METHODS Fourteen workplaces across four outdoor industry types worked collaboratively with the project team to develop tailored sun protection action plans. Workers were assessed before and after the 18-month intervention. RESULTS Outdoor workers reported increases in workplace support for sun protection (P < 0.01) and personal use of sun protection (P < 0.01). More workers reported seeking natural shade (+20%) and wearing more personal protective equipment, including broad-brimmed hats (+25%), long-sleeved collared shirts (+19%), and long trousers (+16%). The proportion of workers reporting sunburn over the past 12 months was lower at postintervention (-14%) (P = 0.03); however, the intensity of reported sunburn increased. CONCLUSIONS This intervention was successful in increasing workers' sun protective attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.

Subclinical psychotic experiences in healthy young adults : associations with stress and genetic predisposition

Stress has been identified as a common trigger for psychosis. Dopamine pathways are suggested to be affected by chronic and severe stress and to play an important role in psychosis. This pilot study investigates the potential relationship of stress and psychosis in subclinical psychotic experiences. It was hypothesized that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) previously found to be associated with psychiatric disorders would be associated with both stress and subclinical psychotic experiences. University students (N=182) were genotyped for 17 SNPs across 11 genes. Higher stress reporting was associated with rs4680 COMT, rs13211507 HLA region, and rs13107325 SLC39A8. Reports of higher subclinical psychotic experiences were associated with DRD2 SNPs rs17601612 and rs658986 and an AKT1 SNP rs2494732. Replication studies are recommended to further pursue this line of research for identification of markers of psychosis for early diagnosis and intervention.

Optimising the education and care experiences of children with 'difficult' temperament

This thesis asked whether more temperamentally reactive or difficult children are more sensitive to Early Childhood and Care (ECEC) environments than less reactive children. The aim was to assess what forms of ECEC provision best support more reactive children. The study analysed data from the national Effective Early Educational Experiences (E4Kids). Children with reactive temperament had less behavioural difficulties in classrooms with higher quality instruction but more when instructional quality was low. The findings underscore the importance of higher quality ECEC environments for temperamentally vulnerable children and the possibility that temperamentally reactive children are "barometers" of ECEC quality more generally.

Experiences in becoming a paramedic : a qualitative study examining the professional socialisation of university qualified paramedics

This thesis used qualitative methods to investigate the professional socialisation of university educated paramedics from Australia and the United Kingdom. The study tested existing professional socialisation theories, taken from other health disciplines, against the paramedical context and developed of a specific model depicting the professional socialisation of university educated paramedics.

Emotional experiences of preservice science teachers in online learning : the formation, disruption and maintenance of social bonds

The enactment of learning to become a science teacher in online mode is an emotionally charged experience. We attend to the formation, maintenance and disruption of social bonds experienced by online preservice science teachers as they shared their emotional online learning experiences through blogs, or e-motion diaries, in reaction to videos of face-to-face lessons. A multi-theoretic framework drawing on microsociological perspectives of emotion informed our hermeneutic interpretations of students’ first-person accounts reported through an e-motion diary. These accounts were analyzed through our own database of emotion labels constructed from the synthesis of existing literature on emotion across a range of fields of inquiry. Preservice science teachers felt included in the face-to-face group as they watched videos of classroom transactions. The strength of these feelings of social solidarity were dependent on the quality of the video recording. E-motion diaries provided a resource for interactions focused on shared emotional experiences leading to formation of social bonds and the alleviation of feelings of fear, trepidation and anxiety about becoming science teachers. We offer implications to inform practitioners who wish to improve feelings of inclusion amongst their online learners in science education.

"Nursing is no place for men" ― A thematic analysis of male nursing students experiences of undergraduate nursing education

Background: Surprisingly, opinion about whether men are suitable within the profession continues to be a divided issue. Men enter the profession for a multitude of reasons, yet barriers whether emotional, verbal or sexual are still present. Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the experience of men “training” to be registered nurses within a regional New Zealand context. Design: A Narrative Analysis approach was used. Participants: Five New Zealand men currently undertaking their bachelor of nursing degree at a regional tertiary institute were interviewed as to their experiences of what it meant to be a man in “training”. Method: A thematic analysis was undertaken and guided by an understanding of the way personal narratives informs the human sciences especially within the context of nursing praxis. Four key themes were identified. Results: Four key themes were identified: A career with flexibility and promise; perceived gender inequality in providing care; developing professional boundaries with female colleagues and being unique has its advantages. Conclusion: The men in this study were attracted to the profession by career stability and advancement; the opportunities for travel also figured highly. At times they felt excluded and marginalised because of their minority status within their group and the feminine nature of the curriculum. The men attempted to dispel the myth around male nurse sexual stereotypes. Some of the students behaved in a manner to exert their heterosexualness. The students in this study sensed their vulnerability in choosing nursing as a career. However, all the participants saw nursing as viable and portable career in terms of advancement and travel.

Maternal employment, work experiences, and financial well-being of Australian mothers who care for young children with special health care needs

The employment and work experiences of mothers who care for young children with special health care needs is the focus of this study. It addresses a gap in the research literature, by providing an understanding of how mothers’ caring role may affect employment conditions, family life, and financial well-being. Quantitative data are drawn from Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. The current study employs a matched case–control methodology to compare the experiences of a group of 292 mothers whose children (aged 4-5 years) with long-term special health care needs with those mothers whose children were typically developing. There were few differences between the two groups with regard to job characteristics and job quality. There were significant differences between the two groups with regard to work–family balance. Fewer mothers with children with special health care needs reported work having a positive effect on family functioning.

Learning about and taking action for the environment : child and teacher experiences in a preschool water education program

Water education and conservation programs have grown exponentially in Australian primary and secondary schools and, although early childhood services have been slower to respond to the challenges of sustainability, they are catching up fast. One early program targeted at preschools was the Water Aware Centre Program in northern New South Wales developed by the local water supply authority. This paper reports on a qualitative study of children’s and teachers’ experiences of the program in three preschools. The study’s aim was to identify program attributes and pedagogies that supported learning and action taking for water conservation, and to investigate if and how the program influenced children’s and teachers’practices. Data were collected through an interview with the program designer, conversations with child participants of the program, and a qualitative survey with early childhood staff. A three-step thematic analysis was conducted on the children’s and teachers’ data. Findings revealed that the program expanded children and teachers’ ideas about water conservation and increased their water conservation practices. The children were found to influence the water conservation practices of the adults around them, thus changing practices at school and at home.

Can we do better? Researchers' experiences with ethical review boards on projects with later life as a focus

The goal of this study was to describe researchers' experiences in submitting ethical proposals focused on older adult populations, including studies with persons with dementia, to ethical review boards. Ethical approval was granted for an online survey. Researchers were recruited via listservs and snowballing techniques. Participants included 157 persons (73% female) from Australia and the United States, with a mean age of 46 (±13). Six main issues were encountered by researchers who participated in this survey. In descending order, these included questions regarding: informed consent and information requirements (61.1%), participants' vulnerability, particularly for those with cognitive impairments (58.6%), participant burden (44.6%), data access (29.3%), adverse effects of data collection/intervention (26.8%), and study methodology (25.5%). An inductive content analysis of responses revealed a range of encounters with ethical review panels spanning positive, negative, and neutral experiences. Concerns voiced about ethical review boards included committees being overly focused on legal risk, as well as not always hearing the voice of older research participants, both potential and actual. Respondents noted inability to move forward on studies, as well as loss of researchers and participant groups from gerontological and clinical research as a result of negative interactions with ethics committees. Positive interactions with the committees reinforced researchers' need to carefully construct their research approaches with persons with dementia in particular. Suggested guidelines for committees when dealing with ethics applications involving older adults include self-reflecting on potential biases and stereotypes, and seeking further clarification and information from gerontological researchers before arriving at decisions.

Student perceptions: Improving the educational experiences of high school students on the autism spectrum

Listening to and reflecting on the voices and personal stories of adolescent students with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is critically important to developing more inclusive approaches to their education. This article considers the experiences of nine adolescents with an ASD on their inclusive education in a large urban secondary school in Australia. These educational experiences were mapped onto four themes emanating from a similar study by Humphrey and Lewis from the United Kingdom. The results from both studies suggest that although students with ASD are having positive and enabling educational experiences, a number of common inhibitors continue to prevent them from taking full advantage of their schooling. By listening to the voices of students with ASD, specific enablers and inhibitors to promoting successful educational experiences are identified, and recommendations for practice are put forward to better support the education not only of students with ASD but all students.

Estimating the burden of disease attributable to urban outdoor air pollution in South Africa in 2000

Objectives To quantify the mortality burden attributed to urban outdoor air pollution in South Africa in 2000. Design The study followed comparative risk assessment (CRA) methodology developed by the World Heath Organization (WHO). In most urban areas, annual mean concentrations of particulate matter (PM) with diameters less than 10 μum (PM10) from monitoring network data and PM with diameters less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) derived using a ratio method were weighted according to population size. PM10 and PM2.5 data from air-quality assessment studies in areas not covered by the network were also included. Population-attributable fractions calculated using risk coefficients presented in the WHO study were weighted by the proportion of the total population (33%) in urban environments, and applied to revised estimates of deaths and years of life lost (YLLs) for South Africa in 2000. Setting South Africa. Subjects Children under 5 years and adults 30 years and older. Outcome measures Mortality and YLLs from lung cancer and cardiopulmonary disease in adults (30 years and older), and from acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in children aged 0 - 4 years. Results Outdoor air pollution in urban areas in South Africa was estimated to cause 3.7% of the national mortality from cardiopulmonary disease and 5.1% of mortality attributable to cancers of the trachea, bronchus and lung in adults aged 30 years and older, and 1.1% of mortality from ARIs in children under 5 years of age. This amounts to 4 637 or 0.9% (95% uncertainty interval 0.3 - 1.5%) of all deaths and about 42 000 YLLs, or 0.4% (95% uncertainty interval 0.1 - 0.7%) of all YLLs in persons in South Africa in 2000. Conclusion Urban air pollution has under-recognised public health impacts in South Africa. Fossil fuel combustion emissions and traffic-related air pollution remain key targets for public health in South Africa.

“I was proud of myself that I didn’t give up and I did it”: Experiences of pride and triumph in learning science

The role that specific emotions, such as pride and triumph, play during instruction in science education is an under-researched field of study. Emotions are recognized as central to learning yet little is known about the way in which they are produced in naturalistic settings, how emotions relate to classroom learning during interactions, and what antecedent factors are associated with emotional experiences during instruction. Data sources for the study include emotion diaries, student written artifacts, video recordings of class interactions, and interviews. Emotions produced in the moment during classroom interactions are analyzed from video data and audio data through a novel theoretical framework related to the sociology of human emotions. These direct observations are compared with students’ recollected emotional experiences reported through emotion diaries and interviews. The study establishes links between pride and triumph within classroom interactions and instructional tasks during learning episodes in a naturalistic setting. We discuss particular classroom activities that are associated with justified feelings of pride and triumph. More specifically, classroom events associated with these emotions were related to understanding science concepts, social interactions, and achieving success on challenging tasks.