Engaging, exploring, and experiencing multicultural music in Australian music teacher education : the changing landscape of multicultural music education

ln multicultural Australia, the development of positive intercultural attitudes is essential in the creation of a harmonious society. Music education is a powerful medium to address cultural inclusivity. The 2005 National Review of School Music Education challenges Australian higher education institutions to prepare programs that explore multiculturalism to engender tolerance.This research explored how final year teacher education students at Monash University and Deakin University (Victoria, Australia) engage with music of other cultures and how this affects their understanding of cultural diversity in school music. From 2005 to 2008, teacher education students undertaking music methodologies were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews.The data collected from the interviews were transcribed and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, and from these data, we developed patterns of meaning that are reported thematically; student teachers' beliefs, attitudes, and understandings of multiculturalism and the classroom realities of multiculturalism.The findings contribute to how we, as tertiary educators, evaluate our role and programs.

Female university students' perceptions of a sexual assault when victim and perpetrator gender are varied

This study examines the general impressions and blame attributions of Trinidadian university students in cases of sexual assault. Participants were 132 female students from the University of the West Indies, Faculty of Social Sciences. Each respondent read one of four sexual assault scenarios, in which victim and perpetrator gender were varied. Participants' impressions of the incident, opinions about each party's behaviour, blame attributions, attitudes about reporting the incident to the police, desired outcome, and their reasons for these were then assessed. Consistent with Burt's rape myth theory, the qualitative and quantitative results showed a tendency for participants to attribute an internal locus of control to female victims, and to blame them more than males. Although same sex events evoked significantly more emotional and disgust-related reactions, these reactions did not translate into different seriousness scores, or different ideas about whether the victim should report the incident to the police. Although respondents showed an ability to separate their initial reactions from their attitudes about the legal status of the event, many of the response patterns indicated gender role biases on the part of these future professionals.

Culture clash : artistic production and the school environment

Artists-in-schools programs involving contemporary art practices can be transformational for the participants when environmental considerations are integral to the planning and structure of the project and both the form and content of the program are reflected upon critically.

Police officers' questioning of children about repeated abuse

This thesis examined the perceptions of police and legal professionals regarding how police officers should and do interview children about repeated abuse. It also examined the actual performance of police interviewers in mock and field interviews to understand the reason for interviewer's difficulties and how interview strategy can be improved. The portfolio examines and discusses the complexities associated with assessing the risk of sexual recidivism among different sex offender populations - adult sex offenders, sex offenders with an intellectual disability, adolescent sex offenders and indigenous sex offenders. Four case studies are presented.

Re-engagement in education through community partnerships in south west Victoria

This case study provided policy direction for post-compulsory education. It highlighted the need for a mandated responsibility for the provision of on-going transition advice and re-engagement programs for young people who have left school. It confirmed the complexity of the work of networks formed in order to improve educational pathways.

Tweeds, blankets and rugs

Contains a brief history of Geelong. Discusses the development of the wool industry and its importance to the town. A chronological history of Geelong's four mills built 1860-1875. The importance of the textile industry as an employer, especially of women is covered.

Why did they leave and what can they tell us? Allied health professionals leaving rural settings

The aim of this paper is to explore the lack of retention of allied health professionals in rural areas in Victoria, Australia. A structured telephone interview was used to elicit responses from 32 allied health professionals from south-west, central-west and north-east Victoria about their working experiences and reasons for resignation. The data revealed that work experiences in rural areas can be summarised within three domains: organisational, professional and personal/community. Under the organisational domain the participants were mainly focussed on the way in which their work arrangements require them to be both more generalist in their approach to day-to-day work, and more expansive in shouldering management style functions in the workplace. Under the professional domain there were three major issues; clinical, career and education/training. The personal/community domain focussed on issues to do with their affinity for their workplace as well as their location in a rural place. The attempts by government to address some of the leading factors for retention of allied health professionals are perhaps too narrowly focussed on the public sector and could encompass a wider approach.

What is known about the topic? Although recruitment and retention of allied health professionals in rural areas is widely discussed, the professionals have not been interviewed about their experiences once they have left rural employment.

What does this paper add? This paper provides detailed insights into the reasons why allied health professionals leave their positions in rural areas and the positive and negative aspects of living and working in a rural area. The results of this study contribute to the development of better policy models for recruitment and retention of allied health professionals in rural areas.

What are the implications for practitioners? The factors that influence whether allied health professionals stay or leave rural areas is of concern for health policy makers at state and federal levels. This paper provides information for the extension and development of programs to attenuate rural leakage of professionals.

Cultural connections across time and place : Wardell's late 19th century Genazzano FCJ College Kew

The Catholic Church was profoundly affected by the 1872 Victorian Education Act, which made education secular, compulsory and free, and led to the withdrawal of state aid to religious schools. In order for the Church to run its own schools, it had to look overseas for help and invited religious teaching orders, such as the Faithful Companions of Jesus (FCJs) to set up schools in Victoria, Australia. In many instances purpose built buildings were designed by architects. William Wardell was well established in private practice in Sydney when he designed the new Convent and School, Kew, Victoria, for the FCJ Sisters, in the late 1880s. Building commenced just before the crash of Marvellous Melbourne. Less than half of the total concept of Wardell’s original plan was built. It opened for business in April 1891. Today this building forms the heart of the contemporary Genazzano FCJ College Kew. Many histories intersect in this commission. The vision for Catholic education in Victoria in the late 19th century is critical. The FCJs charism and their experience of teaching in Europe, in France, England, Ireland, Italy and Switzerland, provides a model for their work in Australia. At this time the importance of architecture to society is made manifest in education and its demands on building: if learning is valued then buildings should reflect this, for public buildings can shape morality. Wardell was trained as a Gothic Revival architect and his building participates in a broader medieval and Gothic tradition. Wardell’s original plan for this late Victorian Gothic style asymmetrical three-storeyed building, was designed to integrate a convent, school, chapel, and dormitories. This paper considers architectural history from diverse perspectives, educational, social, religious, economic and political, recognising the complexity of this project and the people who played a part in its conception and realisation.

Organizational discourse and change : positions, perspectives, progress and prospects

It has been 10 years since The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science (JABS) published a special issue titled “Discourses of Organizing” (Vol. 36, No. 2, 2000) based on the then emerging field of organizational discourse. A decade on seems to be an appropriate juncture at which to reflect on the range of work produced and the general progress made and consider possible future directions. In addition to briefly taking stock of developments within the field, this opening piece provides an opportunity to introduce the subsequent articles contained in this special issue and locate them within the developing landscape of discursive contributions on organizational change. Given these broad aims, there are three main sections in this introductory article. First, the general trajectory and shifting patterns of “organizational discourse and change” contributions are considered and a way of thinking about different waves of engagement is presented. Then, in the second main section, the focus and general contribution of the articles presented in this collection are discussed. Finally, we conclude by speculating on emerging trends and the scope for further inquiry.

Maternal self-efficacy regarding children's eating and sedentary behaviours in the early years : Associations with children's food intake and sedentary behaviours

Introduction. This cross-sectional study aimed to describe parents' views regarding self-efficacy to influence children's eating and sedentary behaviours at two time points in early childhood, and to examine associations between these views and children's eating and sedentary behaviours.

Methods. Mothers of 1-year (n=60) and 5-year-old children (n=80) were recruited through Maternal and Child Health Centres and kindergartens in Victoria, Australia. Mothers reported children's dietary intake, television viewing and perceptions of their self-efficacy regarding children's eating and sedentary behaviours.

Results. Overall, 5-year-old children consumed significantly more energy-dense food and drink and spent significantly more time viewing TV/DVD and video. Mothers of 1-year-olds were significantly more likely to report they felt confident to limit child's consumption of non-core foods/drinks, and to limit screen access (p<0.001). Measures of maternal self-efficacy were directly associated with 5-year-old children's water (p<0.05), and fruit and vegetable consumption (p<0.005), and with 1-year-old children's vegetable consumption (p<0.05), and were inversely associated with cordial and cake consumption (p<0.05). Maternal self-efficacy to limit viewing time was inversely associated with screen-time exposure in both age groups (p<0.01).

Conclusion. This study suggests that mother's self-efficacy regarding limiting non-core foods/drinks and limiting screen-time exposures may decline during the first few years of a child's life. Higher maternal self-efficacy was associated with children having more obesity protective eating and sedentary behaviours at both ages. Interventions to support the development of healthy lifestyle behaviours may be most effective if they target mothers' self-efficacy in these domains early in their child's life.

‘The Snowtown we know and love’ : small newspapers and heinous crimes

This paper examines the role of small newspapers in Australia when bizarre and shocking crimes are committed locally. These crimes often attract intense media attention that casts a net of shame across entire townships through their representation as places of fascination and fear in the public imagination. We take a practice approach in the tradition of Pierre Bourdieu to explore the complex editorial considerations, news judgements and community responsibilities small newspapers must negotiate when covering these stories for local audiences. This study focuses on three towns in regional Australia that have been represented in metropolitan and international news media as ‘dead zones' after shocking crimes: Bowral in NSW, Snowtown in South Australia and Moe in Victoria.

Synthesis of 2-(selenophen-2-yl) pyrroles and their electropolymerization to electrochromic nanofilms

The divergent syntheses of 2-(selenophen-2-yl)pyrroles and their N-vinyl derivatives from available 2-acylselenophenes and acetylenes in a one-pot procedure make these exotic heterocyclic ensembles accessible. Now we face a potentially vast area for exploration with a great diversity of far-reaching consequences including conducting electrochromic polymers with repeating of pyrrole and selenophene units (emerging rivalry for polypyrroles and polyselenophenes), the synthesis of functionalized pyrrole–selenophene assembles for advanced materials, biochemistry and medicine, exciting models for theory of polymer conductivity.

Social and professional participation of individuals who are deaf : utilizing the psychosocial potential maximization framework

This article documents a strength-based understanding of how individuals who are deaf maximize their social and professional potential. This exploratory study was conducted with 49 adult participants who are deaf (n ¼ 30) and who have typical hearing (n ¼ 19) residing in America, Australia, England, and South Africa. The findings support a systematic and comprehensive framework of proactive psychosocial attributes and tactics. Statistical analysis showed no significant differences between the groups across four variables of psychosocial competencies. Qualitative data further suggests that participants who are deaf maximize their potential using two types of proactive psychosocial attributes and tactics: 1) skills that individuals with typical hearing use and 2) specialized skills for identifying, circumventing, or mastering deafness-related difficulties. These findings contribute to understandings of how individuals who are deaf can achieve social and professional success.

Environmental sustainability awareness and academic curriculum improvements: the case of a business and law faculty in an Australian university

Climate change, global warming, rising sea levels, ice cap melting, carbon taxes and trading schemes etc. are all major environmental issues that confront the modern world. Universities are now trying to ensure that their students graduate with an understanding of environmental sustainability regardless of their field of expertise.