Gender differences in the perceptions of wildlife management objectives and priorities in Australasia

It is now well established that men and women often differ significantly in their attitudes and responses to workplace situations, challenges and policies. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of gender on perceptions and priorities held by Australasian wildlife managers. Data were collected via a questionnaire distributed during December 2002 – February 2003 to members of the Australasian Wildlife Management Society (AWMS) and registrants of the 2002 AWMS annual conference. The results show that there are now significantly more female AWMS members than there were in the early 1990s, a possible indication of a change in the wider wildlife management profession in Australasia. Consistent with previous research, male respondents held different views from female respondents about wildlife and wildlife management. In particular, male respondents were significantly more likely to express the ‘management/consumptive use of wildlife’ perspective than female respondents. Interestingly, this gap was observed only in the 18–30-year age category. The paper examines what these differences might mean for the future of wildlife management in Australasia.

Exercise dependence and elite athletes: perceptions of coaches of elite athletes.

Exercise dependence (EXD) is a psychological condition associated with physical, emotional, social and performance consequences. Despite growing awareness of the prevalence of EXD within the athletic population, the symptoms or dimensions that comprise the condition largely remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to examine the perceptions of coaches relating to the symptoms or dimensions that define EXD among athletes. Participants were 90 coaches of elite athletes employed by the Australian Institute of Sport and State Institutes of Sport in Australia. Coaches completed an EXD checklist and a separate checklist of characteristics of committed exercisers. Both checklists contained 31 dimensions. The results supported a constellation of cognitive, emotional, behavioral, physical, social and performance dimensions. The results are discussed in terms of the consequences of EXD for elite athletes. Implications for coaches and teammates of elite athletes who experience EXD are also highlighted.

Haemodynamic instability after cardiac surgery: nurses` perceptions of clinical decision-making

Background. Cardiac surgical patients are distinguished by their potential for instability in the early postoperative period, highly invasive haemodynamic monitoring technologies and unique clinical presentations as a result of undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass. Little is known about nurses’ perceptions of assuming responsibility for such patients. An nderstanding of nurses’ perceptions may identify areas of practice that can be improved and assist in determining the adequacy of current decision supports.

Aim. The aim of this study was to describe critical care nurses’ perceptions of assuming responsibility for the nursing management of cardiac patients in the initial two-hour postoperative period. Design. An exploratory descriptive study based on naturalistic decision-making.

Methods. Thirty-eight nurses were interviewed immediately following a two-hour observation of their clinical practice. Content analysis and a systematic thematic analysis process called ‘Framework’ were used to analyse the interview transcripts.

Results. Nurses described their perceptions of managing patients in terms of how they felt about making decisions for complex cardiac surgical patients and in terms of how clinical processes unique to the admission phase impacted their decision-making. Nurses felt either daunted or stimulated and challenged when making decisions. Nurses identified handover from anaesthetists, settling in procedures and forms of
collegial assistance as important processes that impacted their decision-making.

Conclusion. Nurses’ previous experiences with similar patients influenced how they felt about making decisions during the initial two-hour postoperative period, but did not alter their views about processes important for patient safety during this time. Relevance to clinical practice. Feelings expressed by nurses in this study highlight the need for clinical supervision and appropriate allocation of resources during the immediate recovery period after cardiac surgery. Nurses identified ways to improve clinical processes that impacted their decision-making during the immediate recovery of cardiac surgical patients.

Work teams : perceptions of a ready-made support system?

Much research on work teams has been focused at the team-level, considering such issues as effectiveness, productivity, and overall interaction. Using qualitative in-depth interviews, the author has asked the question: what is the experience of the individual working within a team? This paper discusses one theme to have emerged, that of perceptions of support being provided within the team. Respondents' accounts presented an expectation that support would be forthcoming from other team members. The discussion considers the experiences of respondents both when this support was received and when it was not, prompting a reconsideration of our understanding of work teams. Further discussion shows how the expectation and provision of this support has implications for how individuals view both teams and organizational work in general, and how consideration of this issue can assist managers in the renewal of employees' energy and well-being.

Who thinks I need a perfect body? Perceptions and internal dialogue among adolescents about their bodies

The main aim of this study was to provide a detailed examination of the nature of the messages that adolescent boys and girls receive about their bodies. Forty adolescent boys and 40 adolescent girls participated in an in-depth interview to gain an understanding of the range of potential ‘sources’ of body-related messages. Messages were organized around the source of these messages (self, mother, father, brother, sister, female friends, male friends, media). There were consistent gender differences in the way that adolescents received and interpreted messages about their bodies. Overall girls received more positive and more negative messages than boys did. Boys reported having received virtually no negative messages from most people. The content of internal dialogue among adolescents revealed that messages about the body could be interpreted, distorted, and deflected. The implications of these findings for preventing body image-related problems and disordered eating among adolescents are discussed.

`Don`t call me sweetie!` patients differ from nurses in their perceptions of caring

Effective nursing care relies on congruent nurse-patient perception of needs. This study used Q methodology to compare nurses' and patients' perceptions of important nursing care behaviour. Q methodology applies statistical analysis to qualitative data through a technique of comparative rating using a forced choice format. The Care Q Sort, comprising fifty statements of nursing behaviour, was administered to nurses and patients from medical wards. Participants ranked the nursing behaviours from most to least important. Analysis was completed on 74 rankings. There was agreement for many behaviours but bimodal distributions for nurses' scores for some statements which may be attributable to different professional levels. An additional open comments section provided an experiential dimension to the research results. The findings will inform nursing practice and patient care planning.

Testosterone replacement therapy-perceptions of recipients and partners

Background. The androgenic hormones are important determinants of sexual behaviour in men. Testosterone replacement is important treatment for pituitary disease to maintain normal functioning. Although the physical effects of testosterone replacement have been well documented, little is known about the effects on relationships, particularly from the point of view of the sexual partners of men receiving testosterone replacement.

Aims. This paper reports a study exploring the perceptions of testosterone replacement on well-being and sexual functioning.

Methods. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five men receiving testosterone implants (recipients), their permanent partners, and five recipients without partners. Recipient serum testosterone concentration was measured at 0, 1 and 4 months after testosterone implantation.

Results. The three groups reported similar effects of testosterone on well-being and sexual functioning. Recipient and partner ratings were also similar. Strength was less affected by decreasing testosterone concentration than energy in men with partners, but both strength and energy declined in men without partners. Decreased testosterone levels had a statistically significantly different effect on libido at time zero between men with and without partners (P < 0·015) and on ability to sustain an erection, but the ability to achieve an erection persisted over the 6 months in both male groups. Intercourse frequency increased from once per week at time 0 to ≥3 per week between 1 and 4 months after implant in men with partners. There were important effects of testosterone deficiency on general and sexual relationships, and these differed between men with partners and those without.

Conclusions. Testosterone has important physical and psychological benefits that may be related to the age at which testosterone replacement commences and the indications for its use. The small sample size may limit the ability to generalize the findings outside the study.

Information systems development contracts : An exploratory study of Australian legal pratitioners' and information systems professionals' perceptions

IS professionals are primarily concerned with the development of a project to meet the goals of a client. Unfortunately, IS professional do not always pay close attention to the contract or to its management and are often unaware of the legal implications of the contracts to which they are assenting. Legal advice can be sought during pre-contractual processes to help ensure that the contract meets the expectations of all the parties. If the project does not meet stakeholder’s expectations, thus causing a contract to come into dispute, lawyers may be called in to review the contract and to seek a settlement. This paper reports an exploratory study of the differences in perceptions of IS development contracts that exist between IS professionals and legal practitioners.

Australian and US preservice teachers' perceptions of the gender stereotyping of mathematics

Historically mathematics was considered a pursuit more suited to males than females. Using a new instrument, contemporary high school students' beliefs about the gender stereotyping of mathematics have been measured and an apparent change in beliefs reported. The same instrument was administered to preservice teachers in Australia and the USA. These countries share common social and cultural characteristics and both were active in addressing identified female disadvantage in mathematics education outcomes. The preservice teachers were asked to respond to the survey items as they believed high school students would answer. The Australian and US preservice teachers' responses were compared. The results are reported and discussed in this paper.

Teacher attitudes and perceptions of primary school music education at independent schools in South Africa

As South Africa enters the new millennium and is currently in its second term of democracy, the question remains: is outcomes-based education preliminary the way forward for learners in South Africa. The new education system recognises the importance of arts education and specifically music education at the primary school level. This article focuses on music education at independent schools in Gauteng, South Africa. The reporting of this article is based on the author's doctoral thesis entitled "Outcomes-based music education in the foundation phase at independent schools in Gauteng, South Africa". The principal form of research was a questionnaire sent to music teachers at primary schools registered with the Independent Schools Council (ISC). The purpose of the questionnaires was to contribute to a study on teachers' perceptions, attitudes and opinions regarding music education and outcomes-based education. The questionnaire was divided into three main sections, namely: personal and professional details, outcomes-based education and general information. Both open and closed types of questions were employed. The questionnaire yielded both ambivalent views about the change of the education system as well as the inclusion of music as an area of learning within "Arts and Culture". It also identified current teaching trends and exposed areas of weakness that call for attention.

Perceptions of barriers to numeracy

This paper reports on one of the initial stage in a project that aims to identify, describe, evaluate, and provide advice on aspects of classroom pedagogy that may act as barriers to the numeracy development of some primary students. The paper describes how focus groups were used and some of the outcomes of this process. Some concerns are discussed, and suggestions for improving the process are made. However, it is concluded that the focus group approach served the research purposes well.

Small business perceptions of postal and online survey research

Concerns over the overall cost of marketing research and the cost per usable response have in large measure caused marketing practitioners to turn to online marketing research techniques, either as a solus technique, or in a mixed mode application. However, the use of e-mail and mixed mode surveys such as postal invitations to complete online questionnaires present both familiar and new issues, as the extant literature illustrates. This paper examines an earlier study before reporting findings from the present study, which employs a method that ascertains the probability of commissioning four survey research methods, described in scenarios and delivered using e-mail and the World Wide Web (Web). It is evident that while perceptions of e-mail, the Internet, and privacy have changed since early use of the Internet and more particularly the World Wide Web, and there is acknowledgement in the literature concerning the lower costs and faster response speeds of online marketing research, small businesses do appear to discriminate in favour of targeted online survey methods over postal surveys, portrayed as scenarios in this study, but that this perception does not apply to all hybrid survey modes.