Divide-the-Dollar game revisited

In the Divide-the-Dollar (DD) game, two players simultaneously make demands to divide a dollar. Each player receives his demand if the sum of the demands does not exceed one, a payoff of zero otherwise. Note that, in the latter case, both parties are punished severely. A major setback of DD is that each division of the dollar is a Nash equilibrium outcome. Observe that, when the sum of the two demands x and y exceeds one, it is as if Player 1's demand x (or his offer (1&minus;x) to Player 2) suggests that Player 2 agrees to λx < 1 times his demand y so that Player 1's demand and Player 2's modified demand add up to exactly one; similarly, Player 2's demand y (or his offer (1&minus;y) to Player 1) suggests that Player 1 agrees to λyx so that λyx+y = 1. Considering this fact, we change DD's payoff assignment rule when the sum of the demands exceeds one; here in this case, each player's payoff becomes his demand times his λ; i.e., each player has to make the sacrifice that he asks his opponent to make. We show that this modified version of DD has an iterated strict dominant strategy equilibrium in which each player makes the egalitarian demand 1/2. We also provide a natural N-person generalization of this procedure.

Students' expectations of the virtual maternity clinic

The aim for the Virtual Maternity Clinic (VMC) is to engage students in learning about the role of the midwife and care of women during early pregnancy. The VMC, using Deakin Studies Online as a platform, includes LiveSim, videoed characters and Adobe Flash of four pregnant women with diverse issues. From an evaluation distributed to students prior to access of the VMC to identify their expectations, we found that undergraduate students wanted to learn how to interact with women during early pregnancy, whereas postgraduate students wanted strategies to learn about midwifery practice. Further development of the VMC is progressing to include a suite of programs incorporating the care of women during late pregnancy, labour and birth; and the time after birth.

Cross-cultural issues in the supervision of a Chinese socio-legal PhD student

The purpose of this co-authored paper is to explain how culturally specific features of Chinese students impact on the processes by which they commence their socio-legal research degrees by research candidature. The presentation by the co-authors of the paper will include a simulation of the first meeting between the candidate and the supervisor. This simulation will show how specific features of Chinese culture and the Chinese education system create a massive culture shock when Chinese research students are exposed to Anglo-Australian academic culture. We will explain how the underlying principles of Chinese culture impact on the candidate‘s expectations in relation to: the role of the supervisor; the requirement of original contribution; expectations in feedback on written work and communication more generally . We will then propose strategies for reducing the impact of culture shock and improving the experience of the candidature and the performance from each party to the relationship in terms of timely completions and reduced attrition. These strategies derive from the authors‘ experience in relation to doctoral research management and cross-cultural communication.

Web-text : perceptions of digital reading skills in the ESL classroom

New strategies required in Web reading and digital writing cause previous notions of literacy to be reshaped and compel teachers to rethink classroom reading practice. The aim of this paper is to compare student perceptions of reading skills needed in the traditional print- text mode with the skills needed to read and gather information on the Web. Do students perceive reading as different on the Web? Are there implications for reading classroom teachers? This research was conducted in a medium-sized suburban government primary school of 580 students from 72 different countries. The participants were 48 students in two grade-six classes, with a focus on 12 English as second language (ESL) students' responses. These students came from Taiwan, China, India, Malaysia, Poland and Bhutan. The study was replicated in an adult ELICOS language centre environment with the authors own class of 18 students from China, Indonesia, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Japan. Different student expectations of Web-text compared to paper-text were evident. This research adds to our constantly evolving notions of literacy embracing technology and can be applied to primary, secondary and tertiary levels of ESL teaching practice.

Improving employee outcomes in the public sector

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the efficacy of the demand-control-support model, augmented with employee perceptions of organisational justice and degree of met expectations.

Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 128 public sector employees working in a large state police force operating under many of the elements of new public management. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted using four indicators of occupational strain: employee wellbeing, job satisfaction, organisational commitment and intent to quit.

Findings – The results of this study suggest that the demand-control-support model has great utility in identifying those aspects of the work environment associated with employee strain. Job control and social support at work in particular were the most consistent predictors. In contrast, the expectation and justice variables failed to make significant contributions to the model in all but one analysis providing no support for the “injustice as stressor” perspective.

Research limitations/implications – Although a cross-sectional design was utilized, these results highlight the value of applying the parsimonious demand-control-support model to a wider set of outcomes, especially in a public sector environment.

Practical implications – The results emphasize the importance of the relatively neglected “softer” work characteristics support and control. In order to combat the ill-effects of organisational reforms and prompt a shift towards the public value approach, managers operating under elements of new public management should ensure that adequate social support at work is available and that employee control is commensurate with their demands.

Originality/value – This study examined an augmented demand-control-support model and identified that whilst perceptions of justice can influence employee attitudes and wellbeing, the demand, control, and support variables remain the most influential factors with regard to public sector employee attitudes and wellbeing.

Discourse of conscience in the assessment of voluntary assignments in equity

This article examines the continuing suitability of the existing Australian test for determining when a voluntary assignment of legal property has passed in equity. It suggests that the current test, which focuses upon the ‘completion’ by the donor of the all the necessary transfer formalities, and the underlying equitable maxims that support it, should be revised to better reflect the dual concerns of assignment and constructive trust. The article reviews the English authorities, in particular the English Court of Appeal in Pennington v Waine, which held that the equitable jurisdiction can validate a voluntary assignment of legal property where, in the circumstances, it would be unconscionable to allow the donor to resile. It is argued that this approach represents an appropriate progression because it provides greater scope for a particularised examination of the intention, circumstances and behaviour surrounding the purported assignment. A test which encourages greater contextual examination of the overall circumstances underlying the assignment process is consistent with the core expectations of equitable methodology. It supports the multi-layered process of determining whether a donor intended the assignment and further, whether that donor should be held liable as constructive trustee.

Conceptualizing user satisfaction in the ubiquitous computing era

In this research-in-progress paper we argue that technology in the ubiquitous computing era offers experiences to users that extend well beyond the functional, practical applications offered in the world of work. In this era a realm of engagement is opening up to the individual that transcends the utilitarian, to encompass hedonic and social existence. Our central argument, therefore, is that user satisfaction is a notion which must extend to encompass rich, holistic human experience involving complex and fleeting interactions, driven by highly personal circumstances. We argue that the expectations, requirements and value perceptions of individuals in this dynamic context may only be anticipated and understood if situational factors (such as location, time, context, history-of-use) and quality of life factors (such as life stage, mobility, health, income, background, education) are taken into account. We identify the fundamental differences in key characteristics of user satisfaction between the traditional and ubiquitous computing environments and provide details about our own research approach, in which we are exploring ubiquitous content provision from the perspective of content providers.

Predicting outcomes in the Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating (DAFNE) trial

Background: In the UK, DAFNE training in flexible intensive insulin therapy significantly reduced the negative impact of diabetes on quality of life (QoL) and improved blood glucose (BG) control without significantly increasing severe hypoglycaemia or body mass index (BMI). Analyses were conducted to predict who would benefit most from the generally highly successful DAFNE training and who might experience undesirable effects (e.g. weight gain).

Methods: Multiple regression was used to predict change in outcomes (6-months post-DAFNE) using baseline data: demographic, biomedical, ADDQoL (measure of the impact of diabetes on QoL), extended DTSQ (Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire), and other psychological measures including diabetes-specific well-being and locus of control.

Findings: Greatest improvement in ADDQoL scores was achieved by those reporting less dietary freedom and less treatment satisfaction at baseline (R2=0.21). BG improvement was predicted by higher baseline BG, lower perceived frequency of hypoglycaemia, greater expectations of DAFNE, and greater BMI (R2=0.30). Increase in BMI was predicted by less dietary freedom, DAFNE training centre, and less ‘satisfaction with insulin’ at baseline (R2=0.23).

Conclusions/Discussion: DAFNE has important benefits to offer. Lifting dietary restrictions had substantial benefits for QoL. BG improvement was predicted by baseline BG but also by expectations (perhaps reflecting greater optimism or determination). Prediction of weight gain was more complex. The influence of training centre will have involved implicit messages conveyed by Educators before and during DAFNE. While DAFNE was successful overall, outcomes are likely to be maximised for individuals if their expectations and personal goals are considered by DAFNE Educators.

Cultural politics in the English classroom : textually dangerous territory?

How might one approach cultural politics in the English classroom? What might the role of the class text be in these discussions? This article is a snapshot of the author's journey from a pre-service English teacher to her most recent experiences of English teaching. Her pre- service pedagogy indicated a 'minimization' of the role of the text in unpacking cultural politics; the text itself was overshadowed by the important points the teacher was making about critiquing the way the world is socially, culturally and politically organised. In her beginning teaching year, the author was in a remote rural school where she encountered attitudes to hegemonic masculinity and heterosexuality which she felt she did not deal appropriately with. She now believes that more emphasis on how the features of the text itself work to create meaning and construct identities is needed. She recognises the importance of close textual analysis as a way toward engaging in culturally political conversations about constructions of gender and sexuality in media and non-media texts. If she were to have her beginning teaching years over again, she would probably collate a series of contrasting representations of masculinity and femininity from a variety of sources, including popular culture. She would then develop activities based around undertaking textual analysis of the constructions of gender and sexuality, and ask students to identify the different elements in the texts that create meaning, and compare similarities and differences between texts.

'Go Grrrl!' : constructions of femininity in the textual practices of elite girls' schooling

In this paper I consider the utility of discourses of ‘girl power’ for understanding, and complicating, the way youthful femininities are produced in schooling. The paper is concerned with expanding the possibilities for how queer theoretical resources might be utilized within studies of girls and schooling. Existing studies have drawn upon Judith Butler’s notion of a ‘heterosexual matrix’ for understanding, and attending to, the way normative discourses of heterosexuality underpin the school-based production of youthful femininities. The term ‘heterofemininities’ has been used in order to label these school-produced intersections of sex/gender/sexuality. Drawing on discourses of ‘girl power’ that gather around ‘voice’ and responsibility, I propose that the production of ‘hetero-femininities’ within educational contexts might be further explored, and thus complicated, when the significance of discourses of ‘girl power’ is considered. I analyse young women’s discussions of key ‘girl power’ icons in popular culture, generated through fieldwork in an elite girls’ school in Australia. In this analysis I explore the intersections of gender/sexuality/girl power that are produced in the young women’s textual practices.

By design : negotiating flexible learning in the built environment discipline

The term ‘flexible education’ is now firmly entrenched within Australian higher education discourse, yet the term is a contested one imbued with a multiplicity of meanings. This paper describes a process designed to elucidate how the idea of flexible education can be translated into teaching models that are informed by the specific demands of disciplinary contexts. The process uses a flexible learning ‘matching’ tool to articulate the understandings and preferences of students and academics of the Built Environment to bridge the gap between student expectations of flexibility and their teacher’s willingness and ability to provide that flexibility within the limits of the pedagogical context and teaching resources. The findings suggest an informed starting point for educators in the Built Environment and other creative disciplines from which to traverse the complexities inherent in negotiating flexibility in an increasingly digital world.

Patient and practitioner compliance with silicone hydrogel and daily disposable lens replacement in the United States

Objective: The objectives of this study were to assess current recommendations for replacement frequency (RF) of silicone hydrogel (SH) and daily disposable (DD) lenses, to determine compliance with these recommendations, and to investigate the reasons given for noncompliance.

Methods: A package containing 20 patient surveys was sent to 309 eye care practitioners (ECPs) in the United States who had agreed to participate in the study. One thousand eight hundred fifty-nine completed surveys were received from 158 ECPs and 1,654 surveys were eligible for analysis. Questions related to patient demographics, lens type, lens wearing patterns, the ECP instructions for RF, and the actual patient reported RF. ECPs were asked to provide lens information and their recommendation for RF after the surveys had been completed and sealed in envelopes. All responses were anonymous.

Results: Sixty-six percent of patients were women and their mean age was 34 ± 12 years. Eighty-eight percent of lenses were worn for daily wear, 12.8 ± 3.2 hours a day, 6.2 ± 1.5 days a week. Lens type distribution was 16% DD, 45% 2 week (2W) SH, and 39% 1 month (1M) SH. ECP recommendations for RF varied according to the lens type; 1% of 1M (95% CI 0.2-1.7), 4% of DD (95% CI 2.1-7.2), and 18% of 2W (95% CI 15.1-20.7) patients were given instructions that did not conform to the manufacturers' recommended RF (MRRF). When considering only those patients who were given the correct instructions for RF, 38% were not compliant with the MRRF; noncompliance rates varied according to the lens type and were 12% for DD (95% CI 8.6-17.2), 28% for 1M (95% CI 24.9-32.1), and 52% for 2W (95% CI 47.8-55.8). The most frequent reasons for over wearing lenses were forgetting which day to replace lenses (51%) and to save money (26%). Fifty-three percent believed that a reminder system would aid compliance; the most popular methods being a cell phone reminder or text message (29%) and a nominated day each week or month (26%). Discussions between the ECPs and the patients were more extensive for patients who were compliant with the MRRF.

Conclusions: ECPs recommended RFs more frequently with DD and 1M SH lenses than with 2W SH lenses, consistent with manufacturers' recommendations. Patients were less compliant with RF than ECPs for all lens types investigated. Patients were most compliant with RF when wearing DD lenses and least compliant when wearing 2W SH lenses. Better communication facilitated greater compliance with RF. More than half of those not replacing lenses, when recommended, reported that this was because they forgot which day to replace their lenses.

The effect of mathematical games on on-task behaviours in the primary classroom

A challenge for primary classroom teachers is to maintain students’ engagement with learning tasks while catering for their diverse needs, capabilities and interests. Multiple pedagogical approaches are employed to promote on-task behaviours in the mathematics classroom. There is a general assumption by educators that games ignite children’s on-task behaviours, but there is little systemically researched empirical data to support this claim. This paper compares students’ on-task behaviours during non-digital game-playing lessons compared with non-game-playing lessons. Six randomly selected grade 5 and 6 students (9–12 year olds) were observed during ten mathematics lessons. A total of 2,100 observations were recorded via an observational schedule and analysed by comparing the percentage of exhibited behaviours. The study found the children spent 93 % of the class-time exhibiting on-task engagement during the game-playing lessons compared with 72 % during the non-game-playing lessons. The game-playing lessons also promoted greater incidents of student talk related to the mathematical task (34 %) compared with the non-game playing lessons (11 %). These results support the argument that games serve to increase students’ time-on-task in mathematics lessons. Therefore, it is contended that use of games explicitly addressing the mathematical content being taught in a classroom is one way to increase engagement and, in turn, potential for learning.

Learners’ motivation and identity in the Vietnamese EFL writing classroom

The study reported in this paper explores issues of motivation and learners’ identity in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing classroom in Vietnam from the perspectives of the learners. It was conducted with thirty English-major students at a university in central Vietnam. While relevant literature appears to place much emphasis on students’ extrinsic motivations related to institutional needs, their linguistic needs, and social needs in learning EFL writing, students are not only concerned with these but more significantly, with their intrinsic motivations such as their interest, passion and inspiration, which are linked to their personal and cultural needs in writing. Students in this study show their potential to write independently, creatively and passionately if they are really motivated. This reflects an image of students who are able and ready to write with a sense of authorship in a foreign language, which is different from how they appear to be in the routine described with writing as imitating the model and developing some preconceived ideas. The research also suggests that decisions about appropriate methods and materials for teaching writing in the study context need to be based on a comprehensive interpretation of not only the visible signs or visible needs mainly shaped by institutional requirements and social expectations but also what is deep inside students’ act of writing in a foreign language involving their own cognitive and affective process embedded in their unrecognised needs.