Making difference count: a demographic study of overseas born teachers

This article reports on the findings of a demographic study which is part of an Australian Research Council funded case study. It seeks to better understand the experiences and challenges facing teachers who are overseas born and educated non-native speakers of English. The investigation has been carried out in Victorian government metropolitan, regional city and rural secondary schools. A statewide survey has provided data about this previously `invisible' population of teachers, their demographic location, their qualifications, backgrounds and the nature of their teaching experiences. The findings raise a number of concerns in relation to overseas born teachers of ethnic difference in rural schools where cultural and professional isolation may be of particular concern. We explore some of the implications for teacher education in the light of increasing numbers of overseas born students entering teacher education courses.

Monotone approximation of aggregation operators using least squares splines

The need for monotone approximation of scattered data often arises in many problems of regression, when the monotonicity is semantically important. One such domain is fuzzy set theory, where membership functions and aggregation operators are order preserving. Least squares polynomial splines provide great flexbility when modeling non-linear functions, but may fail to be monotone. Linear restrictions on spline coefficients provide necessary and sufficient conditions for spline monotonicity. The basis for splines is selected in such a way that these restrictions take an especially simple form. The resulting non-negative least squares problem can be solved by a variety of standard proven techniques. Additional interpolation requirements can also be imposed in the same framework. The method is applied to fuzzy systems, where membership functions and aggregation operators are constructed from empirical data.

Monotonicity preserving approximation of multivariate scattered data

This paper describes a new method of monotone interpolation and smoothing of multivariate scattered data. It is based on the assumption that the function to be approximated is Lipschitz continuous. The method provides the optimal approximation in the worst case scenario and tight error bounds. Smoothing of noisy data subject to monotonicity constraints is converted into a quadratic programming problem. Estimation of the unknown Lipschitz constant from the data by sample splitting and cross-validation is described. Extension of the method for locally Lipschitz functions is presented.

Identification of general aggregation operators by Lipschitz approximation

Aggregation operators model various operations on fuzzy sets, such as conjunction, disjunction and aver aging. The choice of aggregation operators suitable for a particular problem is frequently done by fitting the parameters of the operator to the observed data. This paper examines fitting general aggregation operators by using a new method of Lipschitz approximation.

Multi-wavelets from B-spline super-functions with approximation order

Approximation order is an important feature of all wavelets. It implies that polynomials up to degree p−1 are in the space spanned by the scaling function(s). In the scalar case, the scalar sum rules determine the approximation order or the left eigenvectors of the infinite down-sampled convolution matrix H determine the combinations of scaling functions required to produce the desired polynomial. For multi-wavelets the condition for approximation order is similar to the conditions in the scalar case. Generalized left eigenvectors of the matrix H_f; a finite portion of H determines the combinations of scaling functions that produce the desired superfunction from which polynomials of desired degree can be reproduced. The superfunctions in this work are taken to be B-splines. However, any refinable function can serve as the superfunction. The condition of approximation order is derived and new, symmetric, compactly supported and orthogonal multi-wavelets with approximation orders one, two, three and four are constructed.

Shape preserving approximation using least squares splines

Least squares polynomial splines are an effective tool for data fitting, but they may fail to preserve essential properties of the underlying function, such as monotonicity or convexity. The shape restrictions are translated into linear inequality conditions on spline coefficients. The basis functions are selected in such a way that these conditions take a simple form, and the problem becomes non-negative least squares problem, for which effecitive and robust methods of solution exist. Multidimensional monotone approximation is achieved by using tensor-product splines with the appropriate restrictions. Additional inter polation conditions can also be introduced. The conversion formulas to traditional B-spline representation are provided.

Using Choquet integrals for kNN approximation and classification

k-nearest neighbors (kNN) is a popular method for function approximation and classification. One drawback of this method is that the nearest neighbors can be all located on one side of the point in question x. An alternative natural neighbors method is expensive for more than three variables. In this paper we propose the use of the discrete Choquet integral for combining the values of the nearest neighbors so that redundant information is canceled out. We design a fuzzy measure based on location of the nearest neighbors, which favors neighbors located all around x.

Adapting to rural communities by overseas-born health professionals

Introduction
As with other multicultural nations, cultural diversity is a prominent feature of Australian society that leads to intercultural awareness and respect through citizen interactions. While this enriching multicultural interaction is clearly seen in big cities like Sydney and Melbourne, it can be very different in the Australian rural context. Living in an isolated rural area is challenging for health professionals who were brought up in urban areas, particularly those born overseas as they experience two types of cultural and social adaptation: urban into rural and native culture into new culture.

As a result of workforce shortages, many overseas trained health professionals are recruited to work in Australia, particularly in rural areas. This has given rise to various initiatives and strategies developed to support and assist these health professionals in their dual cultural and social adaptation. These include University Departments of Rural Health and Rural Clinical Schools programs as well as the Rural Workforce Agencies. However, these programs do not extend to those health professionals who were born overseas and trained in Australia as they are ‘Australian graduates’. In this paper we argue that in ways similar to those born and trained overseas, overseas-born Australian-trained health professionals may require additional support during the acculturation process and making the transition to working in rural communities.

Aim
The aim of this study is to examine some aspects of the acculturation of overseas-born Australian trained health professionals working in rural areas. This study seeks to understand the particular issues that emerge as a result of cultural difference in order to propose strategies that may more adequately prepare these Australian graduates for their rural health experience.

Method
Six overseas-born Australian-trained health professionals were invited to participate in this qualitative study using snowball sampling. The interviews were recorded with the approval of the participants. The interview data were transcribed as raw data and later coded for thematic analysis, which includes topics and themes arising from the raw data as well as from the interview questions with a focus on issues and strategies of acculturation into a rural health context.

Results/conclusion
There were different factors which facilitated or hindered the acculturation of overseas-born health professionals into a rural workforce such as professional isolation, cultural shock, family pressure, and cultural identity. The acculturation process was also affected by the quality of their perceived ‘social and cultural capital’. Different coping strategies were employed to deal with the changes in a new rural environment. The paper discusses some implications of this study with focus on how to improve the living and working conditions of overseas-born Australian-trained health professionals in order to attract them to rural Australia.

Vietnamese-born health professionals : negotiating work and life in rural Australia

Introduction: Australia is a culturally diverse nation due to migrants from a wide variety of countries creating a multicultural society. The health professions are highly valued by the younger generation of overseas-born migrants who have acculturated into Australian society; many have chosen health care as their profession in Australia. However, most migrants settle in metropolitan areas and young health professionals may find working in rural or remote Australia culturally and professionally highly challenging. The present study of migrant health professionals examined the life experiences and acculturation strategies of Vietnamese-born health professionals working and living in rural Australia. Objectives: The two main study objectives were to: (1) examine aspects of the acculturation of overseas-born and Australian-trained health professionals in the Australian health discourse; and (2) identify key coping strategies used by them when in working in the rural context.

Methods: Six overseas-born, Australian-trained health professionals were invited to participate in this qualitative study using a snowball sampling technique. The participants were all born in Vietnam and had experienced working in rural Australia. They included three medical doctors, a dentist, a physiotherapist and a nurse. The interviews were recorded and four participants also provided additional written responses to some of the open-ended interview questions. The interview data were transcribed and later coded for thematic analysis. Topics and themes that emerged focused on the issues and strategies of acculturation to the rural health context.

Results: The study showed that the acculturation process was affected by the participants’ views about and attitudes towards working in an Australian rural context. The study identified these essential strategies used by the participants in adapting to a new workplace: collaborating, distancing, adjusting, repairing, and accommodating.

Conclusion: The study provides insights into the lives of these health professionals in a rural context, and particularly their experience of cultural shock and the coping strategies they may use. A need is identified for a larger study to inform recruitment and retention of these health professionals to rural Australia, and to assist universities to prepare such students and their clinical supervisors for rural placements.

Born of fire, possessed by darkness : mysticism and Australian poetry

This dissertation is structured around five Australian mystical poets: Ada Cambridge, John Shaw Neilson, Francis Webb, Judith Wright and Kevin Hart. It examines the varieties of Western Christian mysticism upon which these poets draw, or with which they exhibit affinities. A short prelude section to each chapter considers the thematic parallels of their contemporaries, while the final chapter critically investigates constructions of Indigeneity in Australian mystical poetry and the renegotiated mystical poetics of Indigenous poets and theologians. The central argument of this dissertation is that an understanding of Western Christian mysticism is essential to the study of Australian poetry. There are three sub-arguments: firstly, that Australian literary criticism regarding the mystical largely avoids the concept of mysticism as a shifting notion both historically and in the present; secondly, that what passes for mysticism is recurringly subject to poorly defined constructions of mysticism as well as individual poets’ use of the mystical for personal, creative or ideological purposes; thirdly, that in avoiding the concept of a shifting notion critics have ignored the increasing contribution of Australian poets to national and international discourses of mysticism.