Social networking and teaching : an Australian case study

In recent years, the Internet has impacted all aspects of modern society. We have now seen the phenomenon of social networking and the impact that this had upon all aspects of modern society including higher education. An issue is how can these social networking technologies relate to tertiary education and how can they be used in this educational context. This paper is based on two case studies which were conducted at an Australian University into the usage of two social networking systems in a teaching environment. The results of these case studies were assessed using a socio-technical framework.

Risk and protective factors for adolescent substance use in Washington State, the United States and Victoria, Australia : a longitudinal study

Purpose
To compare the levels of risk and protective factors and the predictive influence of these factors on alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use over a 12-month follow-up period in Washington State in the United States and in Victoria, Australia.

Method
The study involved a longitudinal school-based survey of students drawn as a two-stage cluster sample recruited through schools, and administered in the years 2002 and 2003 in both states. The study used statewide representative samples of students in the seventh and ninth grades (n = 3,876) in Washington State and Victoria.

Results
Washington State students, relative to Victorian students, had higher rates of cannabis use but lower rates of alcohol and tobacco use at time 1. Levels of risk and protective factors showed few but important differences that contribute to the explanation of differences in substance use; Washington State students, relative to Victorian students, reported higher religiosity (odds ratio, .96 vs. .79) and availability of handguns (odds ratio, 1.23 vs. 1.18), but less favorable peer, community, and parental attitudes to substance use. The associations with substance use at follow-up are generally comparable, but in many instances were weaker in Washington State.

Conclusions
Levels of risk and protective factors and their associations with substance use at follow-up were mostly similar in the two states. Further high-quality longitudinal studies to establish invariance in the relations between risk and protective factors and substance use in adolescence across diverse countries are warranted.

An examination of the health and wellbeing of childless women : A cross-sectional exploratory study in Victoria, Australia

Background
Childlessness among Australian women is increasing. Despite this, little is known about the physical and mental health and wellbeing of childless women, particularly during the reproductive years. The aims of this exploratory study were to: 1) describe the physical and mental health and wellbeing and lifestyle behaviours of childless women who are currently within the latter part of their reproductive years (30 – 45 years of age); and 2) compare the physical and mental health and wellbeing and lifestyle behaviours of these childless women to Australian population norms.
Methods
A convenience sample of 50 women aged between 30 and 45 years were recruited to participate in a computer assisted telephone interview. The SF-36 Health Survey v2 and lifestyle indicators were collected in regards to women’s health and wellbeing. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, t-tests for independent sample means and 95% confidence intervals for the difference between two independent proportions.
Results
Childless women in this study reported statistically significant poorer general health, vitality, social functioning and mental health when compared to the adult female population of Australia. With the exception of vegetable consumption, lifestyle behaviours were similar for the childless sample compared to the adult female population in Australia.
Conclusions
Childless women may be at a greater risk of experiencing poor physical and mental health when compared to the Australian population. A woman’s health and wellbeing during her reproductive years may have longer term health consequences and as such the health and wellbeing of childless women requires further investigation to identify and address implications for the provision of health (and other social) services for this growing population group.

Closed vs open corporate social networking communities : a case study of the Victoria Police and Dairy Australia.

The availability of affordable, user-friendly audio-visual equipment, software and the Internet, allows anyone to become a content creator or media outlet. This exploratory case study examines the adoption of social networking by Victoria Police and Diary Australia, a non-media and non-profit organization respectively, in corporate communication, public infmmation and community relations. The paper initiates discussions on the implications for traditional media and audiences of this phenomenon. It content analyzed the two websites during a two-week period and conducted interviews with their moderators about the sites' content, functions and efficacy. The purpose, role and community acceptance of these sites are examined, along with organizational motivations for establishing these channels to reach audiences, bypassing traditional media's gatekeeping function. It highlights how these organizations may set both media and public agendas when traditional media use this web content in their news gathering and reporting, similar to using press releases in the past.

Fruit and vegetable consumption and the risk of proximal colon, distal colon and rectal cancers in a case-control study in Western Australia

Background Fruits and vegetables (F/V) have been examined extensively in nutrition research in relation to colorectal cancer (CRC). However, their protective effect is subject to debate, possibly because of different effects on different subsites of the large bowel.

Objective To determine whether any association between F/V consumption and risk of CRC differed by subsite of the bowel (proximal colon, distal colon, and rectum).

Design The Western Australian Bowel Health Study is a population-based, case-control study conducted between June 2005 and August 2007. Complete food frequency questionnaire data were analysed from 834 CRC cases and 939 controls. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the effects of quartiles of F/V intake on risk of CRC at different subsites. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for CRC overall and for the three separate subsites.

Results Risk of proximal colon cancer and rectal cancer was not associated with intakes of total F/V, total vegetable, or total fruit. Brassica vegetable intake was inversely related with proximal colon cancer (Q4 vs Q1 OR 0.62; 95% CI 0.41 to 0.93). For distal colon cancer, significant negative trends were seen for total F/V, and total vegetable intake. Distal colon cancer risk was significantly decreased for intake of dark yellow vegetables (Q4 vs Q1 OR 0.61; 95% CI 0.41 to 0.92) and apples (Q4 vs Q1 OR 0.51; 95% CI 0.34 to 0.77). An increased risk for CRC was found to be associated with intake of fruit juice (Q4 vs Q1 OR 1.74; 95% CI 1.24 to 2.45).

Conclusions Our results suggest that different F/V may confer different risks for cancer of the proximal colon, distal colon, or rectum. Future studies might consider taking into account the location of the tumor when examining the relation between F/V consumption and risk of CRC.

The impact of school suspension on student tobacco use : a longitudinal study in Victoria, Australia, and Washington State, United States

Context: School suspension may have unintended consequences in contributing to problem behaviors, including dropping out from school, substance use, and antisocial behavior. Tobacco use is an early-onset problem behavior, but prospective studies of the effects of suspension on tobacco use are lacking.

Method: Longitudinal school-based survey of students drawn as a two-stage cluster sample, administered in 2002 and 2003, in Washington State, United States, and Victoria, Australia. The study uses statewide representative samples of students in Grades 7 and 9 (N = 3,599). Results: Rates of tobacco use were higher for Victorian than Washington State students. School suspension remained a predictor of current tobacco use at 12-month follow-up, after controlling for established risk factors including prior tobacco and other drug use for Grade 7 but not Grade 9 students.

Conclusions: School suspension is associated with early adolescent tobacco use, itself an established predictor of adverse outcomes in young people. Findings suggest the need to explore process mechanisms and alternatives to school suspensions as a response to challenging student behavior in early adolescence.

Access to alcohol outlets and harmful alcohol consumption : a multi-level study in Melbourne, Australia

Aims To assess the association between access to off-premises alcohol outlets and harmful alcohol consumption.
Design, setting and participants Multi-level study of 2334 adults aged 18–75 years from 49 census collector districts (the smallest spatial unit in Australia at the time of survey) in metropolitan Melbourne.
Measurements Alcohol outlet density was defined as the number of outlets within a 1-km road network of respondents’ homes and proximity was the shortest road network distance to the closest outlet from their home. Using multi-level logistic regression we estimated the association between outlet density and proximity and four measures of harmful alcohol consumption: drinking at levels associated with short-term harm at least weekly and monthly; drinking at levels associated with long-term harm and frequency of consumption.
Findings Density of alcohol outlets was associated with increased risk of drinking alcohol at levels associated with harm. The strongest association was for short-term harm at least weekly [odds ratio (OR) 1.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04–1.16]. When density was fitted as a categorical variable, the highest risk of drinking at levels associated with short-term harm was when there were eight or more outlets (short-term harm weekly: OR 2.36, 95% CI 1.22–4.54 and short-term harm monthly: OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.07–3.04). We found no evidence to support an association between proximity and harmful alcohol consumption.
Conclusions The number of off-premises alcohol outlets in a locality is associated with the level of harmful alcohol consumption in that area. Reducing the number of off-premises alcohol outlets could reduce levels of harmful alcohol consumption.

A cross-national study of teaching and learning in primary science classrooms

This presentation reports on the methodological issues confronting an Australian-German-Taiwanese team planning comparative video ethnographic research into primary science classrooms. The issues that will be canvassed include: the benefits of cross-cultural comparisons in providing perspectives on local practice, the theoretical justifications of such comparisons, selection of cases for comparison and possibilities for claiming cultural representativeness, the planning of appropriate data sets, the different comparative stories offered by different analytical frames, practical issues of communication and data sharing, and issues of entanglement of language and culture in the analysis.

Does Candida and/or Staphylococcus play a role in nipple and breast pain in lactation? A cohort study in Melbourne, Australia

Objective: To investigate Candida species and Staphylococcus aureus and the development of 'nipple and breast thrush' among breastfeeding women. Design: Prospective longitudinal cohort study. Setting: Two hospitals in Melbourne, Australia (one public, one private) with follow-up in the community. Participants: 360 nulliparous women recruited at 36 weeks' gestation from November 2009 to June 2011. Participants were followed up six times: in hospital, at home weekly until 4 weeks postpartum and by telephone at 8 weeks. Main outcome measures: Case definition 'nipple and breast thrush': burning nipple pain and breast pain (not related to mastitis); detection of Candida spp (using culture and PCR) in the mother's vagina, nipple or breast milk or in the baby's mouth; detection of S aureus in the mother' nipple or breast milk. Results: Women with the case definition of nipple/ breast thrush were more likely to have Candida spp in nipple/breast milk/baby oral samples (54%) compared to other women (36%, p=0.014). S aureus was common in nipple/breast milk/baby samples of women with these symptoms as well as women without these symptoms (82% vs 79%) (p=0.597). Time-to-event analysis examined predictors of nipple/breast thrush up to and including the time of data collection. Candida in nipple/breast milk/baby predicted incidence of the case definition (rate ratio (RR) 1.87 (95% CI 1.10 to 3.16, p=0.018). We do not have evidence that S aureus colonisation was a predictor of these symptoms (RR 1.53, 95% CI 0.88 to 2.64, p=0.13). Nipple damage was also a predictor of these symptoms, RR 2.30 (95% CI 1.19 to 4.43, p=0.012). In the multivariate model, with all three predictors, the RRs were very similar to the univariate RRs. This indicates that Candida and nipple damage are independent predictors of our case definition.

Mathematical thinking of preschool children in rural and regional Australia : research and practice

At what age do young children begin thinking mathematically? Can young children work on mathematical problems? How do early childhood educators ensure young children feel good about mathematics? Where do early childhood educators learn about suitable mathematics activities?

A good early childhood start in mathematics is critical for later mathematics success. Parents, carers and early childhood educators are teaching mathematics, either consciously or unconsciously, in any social interaction with a child.

Mathematical Thinking of Preschool Children in Rural and Regional Australia is an extension of a conference of Australian and New Zealand researchers that identified a number of important problems related to the mathematical learning of children prior to formal schooling. A project team of 11 researchers from top Australian universities sought to investigate how early childhood education can best have a positive influence on early mathematics learning.

The investigation complements and extends the work of Project Good Start by focusing attention on critical aspects of parents, carers and early childhood educators who care for young children. Early childhood educators from regional and rural New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria were interviewed, following a set of structured questions. The questions focused on: children’s mathematics learning; support for mathematics teaching; use of technology; attitudes to mathematics; and assessment and record keeping.

The researchers also reviewed research focusing on the mathematical capacities and potential foundations for further mathematical development in young children (0–5 years) published in the last decade and produced an annotated bibliography. This should provide a good basis for further research and reading.

Based upon the results of this investigation, the researchers make 11 recommendations for improving the practices of early childhood education centres in relation to young children’s mathematical thinking and development. The implications for policy and decision makers are outlined for teacher education, the provision of resources and further research.

An experimental study on Aerobic Gymnastic: performance analysis as an effective evaluation for technique and teaching of motor gestures

Aerobic Gymnastic is the ability to perform complex movements produced by the traditional aerobic exercises, in a continuous manner, with high intensity, perfectly integrated with soundtracks. This sport is performed in an aerobic/anaerobic lactacid condition and expects the execution of complex movements produced by the traditional aerobic exercises integrated with difficulty elements performed with a high technical level. An inaccuracy about this sport is related to the name itself “aerobic” because Aerobic Gymnastic does not use just the aerobic work during the competition, due to the fact that the exercises last among 1’30” and 1’45” at high rhythm. Agonistic Aerobics exploit the basic movements of amateur Aerobics and its coordination schemes, even though the agonistic Aerobics is so much intense than the amateur Aerobics to need a completely different mix of energetic mechanisms. Due to the complexity and the speed with which you perform the technical elements of Aerobic Gymnastic, the introduction of video analysis is essential for a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of athletes’ performance during the training. The performance analysis can allow the accurate analysis and explanation of the evolution and dynamics of a historical phenomenon and motor sports. The notational analysis is used by technicians to have an objective analysis of performance. Tactics, technique and individual movements can be analyzed to help coaches and athletes to re-evaluate their performance and gain advantage during the competition. The purpose of the following experimental work will be a starting point for analyzing the performance of the athletes in an objective way, not only during competitions, but especially during the phases of training. It is, therefore, advisable to introduce the video analysis and notational analysis for more quantitative and qualitative examination of technical movements. The goal is to lead to an improvement of the technique of the athlete and the teaching of the coach.