City-to-surf - a peer-to-peer model of on-line professional development: a collaborative mentoring model

This project explores the potential of electronic communications to support peer-to-peer interaction between separate whole-school communities as a means of providing both authentic, situated, professional development for teachers, concurrent with the development of enhanced student learning outcomes, and the intentional sharing of school 'culture'.  The intense use of telecommunications by both teacher and students in a 'many-to-many' manner provides rich opportunities for teachers to rethink their pedagogy, reconceptualise their classroom culture, and for students to see teachers as learners 'in situ'.  An extensive trial between two schools some 120km apart has demonstrated the basic functionality of the model.  This paper discusses the origins of the project, findings from the trial, and the nature of the changes to be made to the model to enhance its effects.

The sources of stress experienced by professional Australian footballers

Previous studies looking at the sources of stress in sport have generally overlooked the unique experiences of professional athletes participating in team sports. This paper describes the results of a qualitative study aimed at identifying the sources of stress experienced by a cross-section of professional Australian footballers. Players from two Australian Football League clubs took part in the study involving in-depth, one-to-one interviews and focus group discussions. The results revealed that players identified sources of stress that went beyond those associated with the competitive event (such as poor performances) and included a lack of feedback, difficulty balancing football and study commitments, and job insecurity. The influence of both competition and non-competition sources of stress parallels previous research involving non-professional athletes and indicates that the entire sporting experience needs to be taken into account when developing stress management strategies.

From personal reflection to social positioning: the development of a transformational model of a professional education in midwifery

A transformational model of professional identity formation, anchored and globalized in workplace conversations, is advanced. Whilst the need to theorize the aims and methods of clinical education has been served by the techno-rational platform of 'reflective practice', this platform does not provide an adequate psychological tool to explore the dynamics of social episodes in professional learning and this led us to positioning theory. Positioning theory is one such appropriate tool in which individuals metaphorically locate themselves within discursive action in everyday conversations to do with personal positioning, institutional practices and societal rhetoric. This paper develops the case for researching social episodes in clinical education through professional conversations where midwifery students, in practice settings, are encouraged to account for their moment-by-moment interactions with their preceptors/midwives and university mentors. It is our belief that the reflection elaborated by positioning theory should be considered as the new epistemology for professional education where professional conversations are key to transformative learning processes for persons and institutions.

Discourses of deception: cheating in professional running

Cheating, it is claimed, is anathema to sport. But is this the case? In this paper it is argued that cheating is integral to modern sport, that the model of sport as 'fair play' is simply an ideological guise of amateurism. The paper focuses on the sport of professional running which, since its origins in the eighteenth century, has been a gambling sport. Strategies involving cheating to manipulate wins, or losses, have featured in this sport as ways of increasing the probability of striking successful wagers. Such strategies are an accepted part of professional running: participants anticipate and expect others to be playing it in this way. However, a distinction is made between what is referred to in the paper as 'clean' cheating and 'dirty' cheating. The former is an accepted way of the sport, the latter occurs but is deprecated. The paper explores these different forms of cheating and the athletes' responses to them. Through a focus on the discourses of success in capitalist society, a model of cheating is developed to interpret such practices. Within the context of professional running, a working class sport, it is argued that, given the habitus of its practitioners, 'success' may be measured in terms of monetary gains and the 'kick-on' in life that these might provide. Cheating practices may serve to enhance the probability of success and social mobility. Given the relatively short career spans of sports people and the costs involved in developing the requisite skills, cheating may promote success and establish a financial base for post-sport careers. The paper concludes that cheating in sport can be anticipated as a feature of an acquisitive capitalist society.

Weight management and weight loss strategies of professional jockeys

Jockeys are required to maintain very low body weight and precise weight control during competition. This study examined the weight loss and weight management strategies of professional horseracing jockeys in the state of Victoria, Australia. An anonymous, self-completed questionnaire was administered (55 % response rate, n = 116). Almost half (43 %) reported that maintaining riding weight was difficult or very difficult, with 75 % routinely skipping meals. In preparation for racing, 60 % reported that they typically required additional weight loss, with 81 % restricting food intake in the 24 hours prior to racing. Additionally, sauna-induced sweating (29 %) and diuretics (22 %) were frequently employed to further aid in weight loss prior to racing. These rapid weight loss methods did not differ between the 51 % of jockeys who followed a weight management plan compared to those who did not. The impact of these extreme weight loss practices on riding performance and health remains unknown.

Caught up in the teaching-training divide: confusing professional identities

The adult education sector in Australia has undergone significant changes in recent years including a shift towards the marketisation of education and the delivery of highly prescriptive Vocational Education and Training (VET). This article reports on research that explored the ways in which educators in the adult sector understand their work and identify as professionals in this changed context. The findings of the study suggest that educators who have work histories as “teachers” strongly resist the ways in which the current discourses of VET position them as “trainers”. Data from interviews with educators and observations of them at work are analysed to highlight the ways in which they understand teaching and training as binary opposites. I examine the consequences of teachers investing in a rigid and  uncompromising teaching/training binary and argue that it is counterproductive to their forging new identities in a changed education context.

`Absolutely professional development`: a case of gender inclusive ideals and realities

In this article, I focus on the significance of the professional development ideals and realities of 'resourcing' and 'reflectivity' for the transformative potential of gender inclusive policy in the changing context of the state of Victoria, Australia. The data is selected from a wider longitudinal case study that investigates conceptualisation and enactment of gender inclusive schooling in primary schools since 1975. I assess this example of continuing teacher education by discussing the standpoint of interviewed inservice educators from a feminist perspective.

Predictors of the strain experienced by professional Australian footballers

The purpose of this model was to examine whether both the generic dimensions of the Job stress model (JSM) and job-specific stressors would be predictive of the strain experienced by professional Australian footballers. A football-specific stressor scale questionnaire was distributed and football specific stressors and their impact were identified.

Authenticity in assessment : reflecting undergraduate study and professional practice

The literature suggests that assessment is a powerful tool for influencing student study habits. It is also recognized that there is a tension between traditional forms of assessment and newer forms of assessment that offer a more authentic representation of practice, but are more complex and expensive to administer. The international trend in undergraduate engineering course accreditation to move to demonstration of attainment of graduate attributes poses new challenges in assessment of learning. A case study based on integrating assessment practices across the year levels of an engineering management studies stream in an undergraduate course is presented. Key features of the assessment portfolio include: the use of assessment in the first year as a foundational tool to establish student study habits and skills; the evolution of assessment tasks by the fourth year to reflect the world of professional practice and to allow students to demonstrate their integration of knowledge and skills; the weighting of assessment tasks to indicate the value attached to particular tasks; the structured inclusion of group work; a concern for student and staff workloads; the recognition of student diversity, in particular the needs of off-campus and mature-age students; and the matching of assessment tasks to professional accreditation requirements.

The internet and competitive advantage : a study of Australia`s four premier professional sporting leagues

Sport and the Internet have shown early signs of a prosperous marriage. Web sites with sport content are among the most popular and well trafficked, with sport followers and web users sharing remarkably similar demographics. In the United States, the sport–Internet union is projected to generate US$6.27 billion in advertising revenue alone on sports-related web sites by 2005. Despite these compelling observations, limited empirical research has been undertaken exploring how to maximise the opportunities for competitive advantage that the Internet can provide to sport organisations. This research was a response to this void, and was undertaken in three stages. Initially, empirical and conceptual Internet literature was reviewed to establish theoretical “best practice”. Secondly, the Internet goals, strategies and practices of the 55 teams competing in the Australian Football League (AFL), National Basketball League (NBL), National Rugby League (NRL), and National Soccer League (NSL) were examined, using a telephone-administered survey. An 87% (N = 48) response rate was achieved. Finally, seven recommendations for closing this gap were made, including the implementation of Internet project teams and the instigation of league forums.