Contributions of school design to adolescent identity formation : case studies of four Australian secondary schools

The paper presents a summary of the study that examined the relationship between school design and adolescent identity formation. Reviewing theories and empirical studies of identity development, three major processes involved in adolescent identity formation were identified: (1) separation or individuation process, (2) social integration or relational connectedness, and (3) developmental exploration. Two key characteristics of schools that support these identity formation processes were proposed: (1) having a supportive environment addressing needs for individuation and social integration, and (2) providing opportunities for developmental exploration. Implications of these characteristics for school design were studied through a review of research and practices of learning space design. Four secondary schools in Australia which represented an innovative approach to learning space design were then examined to provide insights into these design-related implications and better understand issues and challenges associated with them. The paper concludes with proposing five design principles which supports adolescent identity development through contributing to processes involved in identity formation.

Personal, musical and social benefits of singing in a community ensemble: three case studies in Melbourne (Australia)

Australia has a diverse, multilayered society that reflects its rich musical life. There are many community choirs formed by various cultural and linguistically diverse groups. This article is part of an ongoing project, Well-being and ageing: community, diversity and the arts (since 2008), undertaken by Deakin University and Monash University, that explores the cultural diversity within Australian society and how active music engagement fosters well-being. The singing groups selected for this discussion are the Skylarkers, the Bosnian Behar Choir, and the Coro Furlan. The Skylarkers and the Bosnian Behar Choir are mixed groups who respectively perform popular music from their generation and celebrate their culture through music. The Coro Furlan is an Italian male choir who understand themselves as custodians of their heritage. In these interpretative, qualitative case studies semi-structured interviews were undertaken and analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. In this approach there is an exploration of participants’ understanding of their lived experiences. The analysis of the combined data identified musical and social benefits that contribute to participants’ sense of individual well-being. Musical benefits occurred through sharing, learning and singing together. Social benefits included opportunities to build friendships, overcome isolation and gain a sense of validation. Many found that singing enhanced their health and happiness. Active music making in community choirs and music ensembles continues to be an effective way to support individuals, build community, and share culture and heritage.

Communication of scientific uncertainty : international case studies on the development of folate and vitamin D Dietary Reference Values.

Transparent evidence-based decision making has been promoted worldwide to engender trust in science and policy making. Yet, little attention has been given to transparency implementation. The degree of transparency (focused on how uncertain evidence was handled) during the development of folate and vitamin D Dietary Reference Values was explored in three a priori defined areas: (i) value request; (ii) evidence evaluation; and (iii) final values.

Evaluation of University of Queensland Library Spaces: three case studies at St Lucia Campus

Introduction: The paper reports on an evaluation study of spaces in the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSHL), Biological Sciences (BSL) and Walter Harrison Law (WHLL) Libraries of the University of Queensland (UQ). The study was part of an evaluation of the quality and patterns of use of spaces in UQ libraries, which aimed to propose recommendations for future improvements and decision-making. This paper presents a study of areas of weakness in existing SSHL spaces, and impacts of the refurbishment of spaces at BSL and WHLL on students’ experiences. The findings evidence a link between students’ learning experiences and the quality of library spaces.Methods: An online survey, “Students’ Experiences and Perceptions of Library Physical Spaces”, was designed to collect data from students. The survey questions addressed seven topics: (1) overall satisfaction with spaces in the UQ Libraries; (2) welcoming nature of the library entry; (3) lighting; (4) acoustics; (5) furniture; (6) wayfinding; and (7) preferences for different space types in the library.Results: 1505 students completed the surveys, with 1098 responses recorded to open-ended questions on why students visited the libraries and the physical characteristics of the spaces that influenced their experiences. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data elucidated key design challenges and considerations. In particular, the data suggested that the provision of individual quiet study spaces remains an important role of academic libraries, with Studying Alone identified as the most important reason for student visits.Conclusions: The findings highlight the importance of individual study spaces and propose a number of recommendations in relation to physical space design and management.Relevance: Academic libraries face the challenge to keep pace with change in relation to students’ demographics, pedagogy and technology. In doing so, it is important to have an understanding of the evolving patterns of students’ learning behaviours, space uses and preferences through ongoing evaluation of library spaces.

Understanding evidence: a statewide survey to explore evidence-informed public health decision-making in a local government setting

 Background: The value placed on types of evidence within decision-making contexts is highly dependent on individuals, the organizations in which the work and the systems and sectors they operate in. Decision-making processes too are highly contextual. Understanding the values placed on evidence and processes guiding decision-making is crucial to designing strategies to support evidence-informed decision-making (EIDM). This paper describes how evidence is used to inform local government (LG) public health decisions.
Methods: The study used mixed methods including a cross-sectional survey and interviews. The Evidence-Informed Decision-Making Tool (EvIDenT) survey was designed to assess three key domains likely to impact on EIDM: access, confidence, and organizational culture. Other elements included the usefulness and influence of sources of evidence (people/groups and resources), skills and barriers, and facilitators to EIDM. Forty-five LGs from Victoria, Australia agreed to participate in the survey and up to four people from each organization were invited to complete the survey (n = 175). To further explore definitions of evidence and generate experiential data on EIDM practice, key informant interviews were conducted with a range of LG employees working in areas relevant to public health.
Results: In total, 135 responses were received (75% response rate) and 13 interviews were conducted. Analysis revealed varying levels of access, confidence and organizational culture to support EIDM. Significant relationships were found between domains: confidence, culture and access to research evidence. Some forms of evidence (e.g. community views) appeared to be used more commonly and at the expense of others (e.g. research evidence). Overall, a mixture of evidence (but more internal than external evidence) was influential in public health decision-making in councils. By comparison, a mixture of evidence (but more external than internal evidence) was deemed to be useful in public health decision-making.
Conclusions: This study makes an important contribution to understanding how evidence is used within the public health LG context.

Problems and prospects for corporate governance in Bangladesh: Some case studies basis analysis

Bangladesh is one of the least economically developed countries in the world. A lack of corporate governance creates problem for the economic development of the country. This study has been undertaken to observe whether corporate governance is being well-executed in Bangladesh and to inform views about which approach to corporate governance will be more acceptable to the county. The study has examined six cases to see whether corporate governance is properly utilised in the country. It is suggested that monetary, fiscal and exchange rate policies should be applied with appropriate diligence by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Bangladesh Bank and the National Board of Revenue. It is expected that value can be added through arranging primary and supportive activities. Attention to inbound and outbound logistics is likely to improve productivity, enhancing profitability, long run sustainability and creating distinct competencies for the Bangladesh economy. Ultimately this may help to improve gross domestic product and the basic needs of the population.

Aboriginal people and local government. A Shepparton story

Sequential governments have created policies to deal with the "Aboriginal problem". None of these have been particularly successful. I contend that the absence of effective dialogue has been the cause of most failures. I also argue that future policies will also fail unless a dialogic approach of deep listening, respect and love is adopted.

Rethinking creativity: three case studies of the social processes of creativity

Creativity and innovation are often seen as being important in terms of organisations, not only dealing with large amounts of change, but also being able to flourish in uncertain times. Yet, despite large amounts of creativity research, it continues to be a contested subject and fragmented field which leaves researchers without clear direction. Thus the approach to studying creativity needs to be rethought in order to develop new insights into the phenomenon. This research contributes to the debate on creativity by developing concepts around how creativity unfolds within a specific social context. It does this by approaching the study of creativity from a critical perspective and conducting a series of case studies into creativity in organisations. This research finds that, while the production of an artefact is a prerequisite, creativity is not an enduring feature of a given artefact. Rather, creativity exists when an artefact is labelled creative within a particular social system. In addition, as part of the interpretive research process, aspects of identity work emerged. Exploration of creativity as part of the process of identity work provides novel insight into creativity and a conceptual map which may be utilized as part of ongoing research into creativity. This research makes a significant contribution to the understanding of creativity by unpacking the processes of creativity, in three diverse organisational settings, and showing how creativity may be conceptualised as a contextually bound, socially constructed label which is underpinned by identity related motives.

Communication of scientific uncertainty: International case studies on the development of folate and vitamin D Dietary Reference Values

Objective Transparent evidence-based decision making has been promoted worldwide to engender trust in science and policy making. Yet, little attention has been given to transparency implementation. The degree of transparency (focused on how uncertain evidence was handled) during the development of folate and vitamin D Dietary Reference Values was explored in three a priori defined areas: (i) value request; (ii) evidence evaluation; and (iii) final values. Design Qualitative case studies (semi-structured interviews and desk research). A common protocol was used for data collection, interview thematic analysis and reporting. Results were coordinated via cross-case synthesis. Setting Australia and New Zealand, Netherlands, Nordic countries, Poland, Spain and UK. Subjects Twenty-one interviews were conducted in six case studies. Results Transparency of process was not universally observed across countries or areas of the recommendation setting process. Transparency practices were most commonly seen surrounding the request to develop reference values (e.g. access to risk manager/assessor problem formulation discussions) and evidence evaluation (e.g. disclosure of risk assessor data sourcing/evaluation protocols). Fewer transparency practices were observed to assist with handling uncertainty in the evidence base during the development of quantitative reference values. Conclusions Implementation of transparency policies may be limited by a lack of dedicated resources and best practice procedures, particularly to assist with the latter stages of reference value development. Challenges remain regarding the best practice for transparently communicating the influence of uncertain evidence on the final reference values. Resolving this issue may assist the evolution of nutrition risk assessment and better inform the recommendation setting process.