Ten Australian ICU nurses` perceptions of organisational restructuring

The Australian healthcare system underwent radical reform in the 1990s as economic rationalist policies were embraced. As a result, there was significant organisational restructuring within hospitals. Traditional indicators, such as nursing absenteeism and attrition, increase during times of organisational change. Despite this, nurses' views of healthcare reform are under-represented in the literature and little is known about the impact of organisational restructuring on perceived performance. This study investigated the perceived impact of organisational restructuring on a group of intensive care unit (ICU) nurses' workplace performance. It employed a qualitative approach to collect data from a purposive sample of clinical nurses. The primary method of data collection was semi-structured interviews. Content analysis generated three categories of data. Participants identified constant pressure, inadequate communication and organisational components of restructuring within the hospital as issues that had a significant impact on their workplace performance. They perceived organisational restructuring was poorly communicated, and this resulted in an environment of constant pressure. Organisational components of restructuring included the subcategories of specialised service provision and an alternative administrative structure that had both positive and negative ramifications for performance.
To date, there has been little investigation of nurses' perceptions of organisational restructure or the impact this type of change has in the clinical domain. Participants in this study believed reorganisation was detrimental to quality care delivery in intensive care, as a result of fiscal constraint, inadequate communication and pressure that influenced their workplace performance.

Police perceptions of interviews involving children with intellectual disabilities: a qualitative inquiry

This study employed a qualitative method to explore the experiences of 20 police officers when interviewing children with intellectual disabilities. Three main themes were interpreted as representing challenges to the officers when interviewing special-needs children: police organizational culture, participants' perceptions of these children as interviewees, and prior information. Participants in this inquiry mentioned poor organizational priority within the police force for child abuse cases and children with intellectual disabilities, as well as inadequate support for interviewing skills development and maintenance. Participants also attempted to equalize these children by interviewing them in the same way as their mainstream peers. Finally, participants viewed interview preparation as influential in determining an interview's successful outcome, but recognized that preparedness could bias their interviewing techniques. Increased attention towards these issues will provide a basis for developing strategies to minimize such challenges and thus improve the quality of interviews with children with intellectual disabilities.

Environment, resource sustainability and sustainable behaviour: exploring perceptions of students in South West Victoria

The movement toward a sustainable future has begun in many parts of the world, as the seriousness of the environmental problems faced by the planet become more widely recognised. Waste reduction, improved efficiency of energy use, water saving devices and changes in modes of transport are the first steps in the transition to a sustainable future. The students of today will be the decision makers of tomorrow and, thus, can have a significant effect on future development and the environmental
impacts of that development. If students today are to become active participants in the environmental decision-making process, education for sustainability becomes a key component in ensuring sustainable futures. There is a need to establish data describing students’ attitudes toward environmental and resource sustainability issues so that challenges to implementing sustainable development policy can be better recognised. The aims of this study were to identify the perceptions of students in
the south west region of Victoria regarding environment and resource sustainability, and to identify their level of participation in sustainable behaviours. A survey of students has found that global environmental issues perceived by students as being in urgent need of attention were access to freshwater, loss of tropical rainforest and exhaustion of natural resources. At the local level the most urgent issues identified were water pollution, salinization and soil degradation, and clearing of native vegetation. Students perceive that Australians are overusing natural resources. They indicated particular concern for the sustainability of fossil fuels, water, coastal environments and fisheries resources. The results of this study indicate that students are responding to concerns for the environment and resource sustainability by embracing some forms of sustainable behaviour. However, as educators we need to ensure that
the link is made between environment and resource sustainability and the implementation of policies that will further encourage sustainable behaviour.

Pandora`s box : academic perceptions of student plagiarism in writing

Plagiarism is viewed by many academics as a kind of Pandora's box—the elements contained inside are too frightening to allow escape for fear of the havoc that may result. Reluctance by academic members of staff to discuss student plagiarism openly may contribute to the often untenable situations we, as teachers, face when dealing with student plagiarism issues. In this article, I examine the dilemmas English for Academic Purposes (EAP) staff face when dealing with student plagiarism in the tertiary classroom. The perceptions of all 11 teachers involved in teaching a first year EAP writing subject at South-Coast University are detailed in light of the university's policy on plagiarism. My research indicates that not only is an agreed definition of plagiarism difficult to reach by members of staff teaching the same subject, but plagiarism is a multi-layered phenomenon encompassing a spectrum of human intention. Evaluating the spectrum can lead to differences in the implementation of university plagiarism policy, the result of which embodies issues of equity. The aim of the article is to encourage policy-makers and academic staff to acknowledge the concerns about implementation of plagiarism policy. Collaborative, cross-disciplinary re-thinking of plagiarism is needed to reach workable solutions.

Perceptions of the learning context and learning approaches : implications for quality learning outcomes in accounting

This study analyses learning approaches, course perceptions and learning outcomes of a group of second year accounting students at an Australian university using qualitative data analysis techniques. The research method involves the development of a series of matrices linking types of motives and strategies used by students in their study, together with their perceptions of the learning context associated with learning outcomes. The study focuses on assessing the links between learning approaches and a qualitative assessment of students' conceptual understanding of aspects of financial accounting studied at the undergraduate level. The results confirm how individual differences in the perceptions of the learning context relate to study motives and strategies. The findings show how different forms of memorisation relate to study strategies and how the completion of accounting tasks link to students' perceptions of course requirements. There was also some evidence that, in terms of learning outcomes, students with sophisticated levels of understanding of concepts, tended to have consistent deep and achieving approaches to learning. This result was compared with students' academic performance as a measure of learning outcome. Discrepancies between these two measures of learning outcome are highlighted in the conclusions. The findings strengthen the case for further investigation of the use of measures other than academic performance in examining relationships between learning approaches and learning outcomes.

Secondary students` perceptions of a constructivist-informed teaching and learning environment for geometric optics

This article describes an exploration of a class of secondary school students perceptions of a constructivist informed teaching and learning environment for geometric optics. The students perceived the environment as one where they could freely express their ideas and be involved in activities. What was also apparent in this exploration was the students' preference for a classroom that involved small group discussions to whole class discussions that reflected a need for time to think about issues. They also have a preference for relevant, practical work that tests their ideas and a preference to have fewer notes that they construct themselves rather than notes dictated by the teacher.

NT: Refereed article. Includes bibliographical references.

Analysis of the learning context, perceptions of the learning environment and approaches to learning accounting: a longitudinal study

This study investigates student approaches to learning over the 3 years of an undergraduate degree course in accounting. The objective of the study was, first, to identify changes in learning approaches over the course duration. Second, the study examined whether any changes in learning approaches were consistent with changes in the context of learning as well as students' perceptions of the teaching/learning environment. The results show that students made greater use of sophisticated learning approaches over time linked to their more favourable perceptions of the teaching/learning environment as they progressed in their course. However, there were no significant changes in learning approach attributable to the learning context. Implications for accounting educators drawn from the findings are discussed.

Wildlife management in Australasia : perceptions of objectives and priorities

The aim of this study was to examine the values and attitudes held by Australasian wildlife managers as they relate to wildlife management issues, and to gain some insight into possible future directions and priorities for Australasian wildlife management. During December 2002 – February 2003, 138 questionnaires were completed by members of the Australasian Wildlife Management Society (AWMS) and registrants of the 2002 AWMS annual conference. Threatened species management, threatened communities/habitats, and management of introduced species were the issues rated as needing the highest priority for the Australasian Wildlife Management Society. Issues such as animal rights, genetically modified organisms and timber harvesting on public lands were the lowest-rating issues. Respondents expressed a strong belief in managing and controlling wildlife to achieve wildlife management objectives, a strong belief that wildlife should be protected and that wildlife managers should minimise the pain and suffering of individual animals, and a belief that resources should be directed towards conserving wildlife populations rather than protecting individual animals from non-threatened populations. While respondents held a strong belief that it is important to consult the community when developing wildlife management policies and programs, there was little support for a comanagerial approach where the community has a significant role to play in decision-making processes.

How do perceptions of local neighborhood relate to adolescents` walking and cycling?

Purpose. To examine how perceptions of the local neighborhood relate to adolescents' walking and cycling. Design. Exploratory cross-sectional study. Setting. Birth cohort from the Nepean Hospital, Sydney, Australia. Subjects. Three hundred forty-seven adolescents (79.1 % response rate; 49.6% boys; mean age - 13.0 ± 0.2 years) and their parents. Measures. Self-report and parental-report questionnaires. Results. Multiple linear regressions, adjusted for level of maternal education, revealed that boys who reported having many peers to hang out with locally, cycled for recreation (β = 0.242, p = .006) or for transport (β = 0.141, p = . 046) more often, and walked for transport for longer (β = 0.129, p = .024) on weekdays. For girls this variable was related to cycling for recreation on weekends (β = 0.164, p = .006) and walking to school (β = 0.118, p = .002). Adolescents who waved/talked to neighbors walked for transport more often (boys, β = 0.149, p = .037; girls, β = 0.119, p = .012). Girls who perceived local roads to be safe spent more time walking for transport on weekdays (β = 0.183, p = .007) and for exercise on weekends (β = 0.184, p = . 034). Parents' perception of heavy traffic was negatively associated with boys' walking for transport (β = -0.138, p = .037) and many aspects of girls' walking and cycling. Conclusion. Social interaction and road safety may be important predictors of adolescents' walking and cycling in their neighborhood. Limitations are the use of self-report and cross-sectional data. Longitudinal studies may clarify these relations.

Children's perceptions of their home and neighborhood environments, and their association with objectively measured physical activity: A qualitative and quantitative study

Environmental factors may have an important influence on children’s physical activity, yet children’s perspectives of their home and neighborhood environments have not been widely assessed. The aim of this study was to investigate children’s perceptions of their environments, and to examine associations between these perceptions and objectively measured physical activity. The sample consisted of 147, 10-year-old Australian children, who drew maps of their home and neighborhood environments. A subsample of children photographed places and things in these environments that were important to them. The maps were analyzed for themes, and for the frequency with which particular objects and locations appeared. Physical activity was objectively measured using accelerometers. Six themes emerged from the qualitative analysis of the maps and photographs: the family home; opportunities for physical activity and sedentary pursuits; food items and locations; green space and outside areas; the school and opportunities for social interaction. Of the 11 variables established from these themes, one home and two neighborhood factors were associated with children’s physical activity. These findings contribute to a broader understanding of children’s perceptions of their environment, and highlight the potential importance of the home and neighborhood environments for promoting physical activity behavior.

Perceptions of local neighbourhood environments and their relationship to childhood overweight and obesity

OBJECTIVES: To examine associations between parent and child perceptions of the local neighbourhood and overweight/obesity among children aged 5–6 and 10–12 y. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SUBJECTS: In total, 291 families of 5–6-y-old and 919 families of 10–12-y-old children. MEASURES: Parent's perceptions of local neighbourhood and perceived child access to eight local destinations within walking distance of home; 10–12-y-old children's perception of local neighbourhood; socio-demographic characteristics (survey). Children's height and weight (measured). RESULTS: No perceptions of the local neighbourhood were associated with weight status among 5–6-y-old children. Among 10–12-y-old children, those whose parents agreed that there was heavy traffic in their local streets were more likely to be overweight or obese (OR=1.4, 95% CI=1.0–1.8), and those whose parents agreed that road safety was a concern were more likely to be obese (OR=3.9, 95% CI=1.0–15.2), compared to those whose parents disagreed with these statements. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that parental perceptions of heavy traffic on local streets and concern about road safety may be indirect influences on overweight and obesity among 10–12-y-old children. Future work should also consider perceptions of the neighbourhood related to food choice.

Attitudes and perceptions of workers to sexual harrassment

The authors investigated how individual factors (age, gender, gender role, past experiences of sexual harassment) and organizational factors (gender ratio, sexual harassment policies, the role of employers) related to workers' attitudes toward and perceptions of sexual harassment. In Study 1, participants were 176 workers from a large, white-collar organization. In Study 2, participants were 75 workers from a smaller, blue-collar organization. Individuals from Study 2 experienced more sexual harassment, were more tolerant of sexual harassment, and perceived less behavior as sexual harassment than did individuals from Study 1. For both samples, organizational and individual factors predicted workers' attitudes toward and experiences of sexual harassment. Individual factors—such as age, gender, gender role, past experiences of sexual harassment, and perceptions of management's tolerance of sexual harassment—predicted attitudes toward sexual harassment. Workers' attitudes, the behavioral context, and the gender of the victim and perpetrator predicted perceptions of sexual harassment. The authors discussed the broader implications of these findings and suggested recommendations for future research.

Perceptions of the host destination as a result of attendance at a special event: a post-consumption analysis

Many destinations are now using special events as integral components of their marketing strategies. The aim of this study was to explore how  attendance at a special event might impact perceptions of the host destination. Using a case study approach, this research explored the nexus between special events, their attendees and special event destinations. This research specifically focused on exploring whether attendance at a special event influences resulting perceptions of the host destination. The results of a survey-based study indicate that for almost a quarter of respondents who resided outside the host destination, their perceptions of the host destination had changed. Over 90% of these respondents indicated that these post-consumption perceptions of the host destination were more favourable than they were before attendance at the event. Key reasons provided by respondents for their changes in perceptions included Access, the Special Event itself and Attractions at the destination. The paper concludes that the synergies between the special event and the host destination can be likened to those of the celebrity and the products that they endorse and promote, and this notion should be further explored. Recommendations were made to assist marketers of host destinations to more effectively capitalise on the synergies between special events and destinations.

Nurses' perceptions of discharge planning

The present paper investigates what the term discharge planning actually means to nurses working in the acute care environment. A qualitative approach was used for this study. Twelve volunteer registered nurses (RNs) working in a large metropolitan Victorian public hospital were interviewed. All participants stated emphatically that they were involved in the discharge planning process although differing levels of involvement existed. ‘Organizing’ and ‘planning’ were key words used by participants to define the term discharge planning. All but one participant considered the nurse to be the coordinator of the discharge planning process. How participants communicated with other nursing staff regarding the discharge planning needs of individual patients depended on the policy of each individual ward. Communication was perceived to be a major factor that either enhanced or impeded the discharge planning process.