School innovation in science : a model for supporting school and teacher development

‘School Innovation in Science’ represents a model, developed through working with more than 200 Victorian schools, to improve science teaching and learning. SIS works at the level of the science team and the teacher, providing resources to challenge and support the change process. Its emphasis is on strategic planning supported by a framework for describing effective teaching, materials for auditing practice and planning initiatives, and a networked support structure. Experience and results from the project, concerning the nature and extent of change, will be used to provide insight into the multidimensional nature of the change process and to suggest a number of principles concerning support for change. Arising out of this, the major elements of a School Innovation Model are identified, that supports a transformative agenda for schools more generally.

The effect of hook/bait size and angling technique on the hooking location and the catch of recreationally caught black bream Acanthopagrus butcheri

The black bream Acanthopagrus butcheri recreational fishery is the largest estuarine fishery in Victoria. This fishery is managed through legal-minimum length and daily bag limits. The success of this management strategy requires a high survival rate for released fish. Deep-hooking is known to reduce the chance of fish survival after recreational capture and release. This study investigated the potential to reduce deep-hooking and the number of under-size A. butcheri caught by varying angling gear and techniques. Three sizes of long shank hook (small [size 8], medium [size 4] and large [size 1/0]) and two angling techniques (slack line and tight line) were tested for their deep-hooking rates and selectivity characteristics. Increasing the hook size from small to large decreased the likelihood of deep-hooking by 6.6 times (95% CI 2.3–16.3 times). Fishing with a tight line instead of a slack line decreased the chance of deep-hooking by almost 100% (95% CI 0.8–3.6). Fishing with a large hook instead of a small hook significantly (F = 6.71, df = 2, P = <0.001) increased the mean A. butcheri length, although this mean size increase was less than 1 cm. This study was able to identify angling gear and angling technique manipulations that reduced the rate of deep-hooking when targeting A. butcheri in Victorian estuaries.

The right tool for the job? Use of the multiple intelligences and Bloom's taxonomy grid

This article explores the tacit understanding of teachers in the field of gifted educational practices after their participation in gifted education professional development. The data for this article are drawn from a single-case qualitative study where semi-structured interviews were held with teachers, administrators and support staff in a metropolitan Victorian primary school. The findings lead to two main arguments: first, that some teachers preserved their deeply entrenched beliefs and assumptions about the gifted, the talented and intelligence[s]; and second, that teachers, without critical examination, eagerly adopted and adapted Gardner's Multiple Intelligences theory, overlaid with Bloom's Revised Taxonomy of Thinking as a means for addressing individual differences in the classroom. The article argues that teachers welcomed the Gardner/Bloom matrix for its 'tick-the-box' simplicity, with little insight into the theoretical models. Whilst the matrix had an immediate value in the mixed ability classrooms, in the long term it did not support the learning needs of gifted students. [Author abstract]

Student characteristics and approaches to learning: a cross-cultural study

The principal aim of this study is to examine the relationship between the cultural background of students and their learning approaches in a tertiary accounting program. While prior research in this area has more generally focused on the investigation of the learning approaches of accounting students, there appears to have been little investigation into the learning approaches of students from different cultures who are studying together at the same institution. The paper presents the results of a study of 550 students enrolled in an undergraduate accounting program at a multi-campus Victorian university where learning approaches and cultural background variables were investigated together with other background variables such as gender and age.

The findings extend prior research on the impact cultural factors may have on the learning approaches of accounting students and also assists in clarifying the relationship between memorisation in the process of learning given the diverse ways that students from different cultures study accounting.

Online marketing by local government in Australia and the United States

The study reported in this paper involves a comparison audit of local government websites in two states of Australia with county and city level government in two states of the United States of America, using the Marketing Readiness of Website Indicator (MRWI). The hypothesised more highly rated Web use in marketing by United States local government relative to Australian local government (LGA) is not supported. Californian counties, NSW and Victorian LGAs generally employ the Web in a more capable manner in marketing than Californian cities and Alabama counties and cities.

Knowledge, attitudes and experience associated with testing for prostate cancer: a comparison between male doctors and men in the community

Background: Debate about testing for prostate cancer using prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and digital rectal examination (DRE) continues. The evidence of benefit from screening for prostate cancer using PSA tests is inconclusive, and it is unclear how PSA can be used most effectively in the detection of prostate cancer. Given the lack of consensus, it is important that consumers understand the issues in a way that will permit them to decide whether or not to have a test and, if symptomatic, how their condition is managed.

Aims: To compare prostate cancer knowledge, attitudes and testing experiences reported by male doctors and men in the community, despite the lack of evidence of a benefit.

Methods : The primary method for ascertaining the attitudes of male doctors (MD) was a telephone survey, with some doctors electing to complete a written survey. Each MD was selected, at random, from a register of male practitioners aged ≥ 49 years of age. A total of 266 MD participated in the survey. The community sample (CS) was accessed using a telephone survey. Five hundred male Victorian residents aged ≥ 49 years of age participated in the study.

Results:
Knowledge − Overall, 55% of the CS indicated ­correctly that prostate disease is sometimes cancer, compared to 83% of MD.

Attitudes − Fifty-five per cent of MD believed men should be tested for prostate disease at least every 2 years, compared to 68% of men in the CS.

Testing experience − Forty-five per cent of MD had been tested for prostate cancer in the past, and 92% of those tests were reported as negative. In the CS, 56% had been tested for prostate cancer in the past, and 78% of the results were reported as negative. The ­significant independent predictors of having had a prostate test among MD were: (i) age (≥ 60 years; odds ratio (OR): 1.59; 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.30−1.88) and (ii) positive attitudes towards regular testing for prostate cancer (OR: 2.27; 95% CI: 1.98−2.56). The significant independent predictors for the CS were: (i) age (≥ 60 years; OR: 1.65; 95% CI: 1.40−1.89), (ii) being married (OR: 1.30; 95% CI: 1.00−1.60), (iii) knowledge that prostate disease was sometimes cancer (OR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.26−1.66) and (iv) positive attitudes towards regular testing for prostate cancer (OR: 2.12; 95% CI: 1.90−2.34).

Conclusions: The results highlight that testing for prostate cancer is widespread in the community and in the medical profession. Further research should be undertaken to identify how to help men make fully informed decisions about prostate cancer testing.

After hMSH2 and hMLH1- what next? Analysis of three-generational, population-based, early-onset colorectal cancer families

The aim of our study was to examine the role of genetic factors on early-onset colorectal cancer after excluding the impact of germline mutations in the two major mismatch repair genes. A total of 131 incident probands, under 45 years at diagnosis of a first primary colorectal cancer selected from the Victorian Cancer Registry, and their first-and second-degree relatives, were interviewed. Germline DNA from all 12 probands with a family history meeting the modified Amsterdam Criteria for Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Cancer (HNPCC) and a random sample of 31 of the remaining probands was screened for mutations in hMSH2 and hMLH1 via manual sequencing. Germline mutations were identified in 6 of the 131 probands (5%), all from the "HNPCC" families. Of the remaining 125 probands, 51 (41%) reported at least one first-or second-degree relative with colorectal cancer with an excess of colorectal cancer in first-degree relatives (SMR = 2.7, 95% CI = 1.7-4.1, p < 0.001). The lifetime risk to age 70 for first-degree relatives was 8.0% (5.0-12.8%), compared to the Victorian population risk of 3.2% (p = 0.01). The best fitting major gene model was a recessively-inherited risk of 98% to age 70 (95% CI = 24-100%) carried by 0.17% of the population and would explain 15% of all colorectal cancer in cases with a diagnosis before age 45. Early-onset colorectal cancer is strongly familial even after excluding families found to be segregating a mutation in either of the 2 major mismatch repair genes. There is evidence for a role of yet to be identified genes associated with a high recessively-inherited risk of colorectal cancer.

What are grade 5 and 6 children buying from school canteens and what do parents and teachers think about it?

Objective: The foods sold in school canteens have a significant role to play in ensuring children consume a healthy balance of nutritious foods. However, no research to date has described the foods that Australian children are purchasing at school canteens, or the perceptions held about school canteens by students, teachers and parents.
Design: An exploratory cross-sectional survey was used to obtain information from students, parents and teachers through self completion questionnaires.
Subjects: There were 384 children aged nine to 12 years, 404 parents and 41 teachers involved.
Settings: The study was conducted in 12 primary schools in Victoria, Australia.
Main outcome measures: Types of foods purchased at school canteens, school canteen usage, parents' and teachers' perceptions of the role of the school and canteen in influencing children's eating habits.
Results: More than 50% of the children surveyed used the school canteen at least once per week. Children identified preference for unhealthy alternatives and availability as key barriers to choosing healthy foods at the canteen and suggested increased availability, advertisements and cost reductions as aids to purchasing healthy foods. Teachers placed more importance on the role of the canteen than parents did.
Statistical analyses: Frequencies, cross-tabulation analyses and chi square tests were undertaken using the SPSS 11 computer program.
Conclusions: These Victorian primary school children and their teachers, and to a lesser extent parents, had a clear understanding of healthy foods. Children and teachers identified barriers that prevent school canteens
from providing healthy foods. There is likely to be strong support from these stakeholders for novel health promoting policies.

Exechonella (Exechonellidae: Bryozoa, Cheilostomata) from the recent and miocene of Southern Australia

The cheilostome family Exechonellidae Harmer, 1957 is widely distributed in time and space. The genus Exechonella Duvergier, 1924 has a pan-tropical to subtropical distribution from the Eocene to the Recent and is represented by several Australian species from the Tertiary of Victoria and the Recent ofthe southern and eastern coasts. Some species exhibit a wide range of variation in morphological characters, and one, Exechonella papillata, "appears to be new, and is described here. Nearly all specimens are encrusting, but one Tertiary Victorian species has erect, cylindrical, branching colonies. Recent samples, from a depth range of 40-190 metres, include large colonies of several thousand zooids. Frontal wall structures include marginal septular pores connecting between the visceral and hypostegal coeloms, and frontal foramina. Avicularia and homologous structures derived from frontal septular pores are illustrated. The structure of the frontal foramina in different populations of Tertiary E. marginata, demonstrates a major development of hypostegal coelom not found in other species, but resembling that found in another exechonellid genus, Stephanopora Kirkpatrick, 1888.

The transfer of management accounting practices from London counting houses to the British North American fur trade

During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries management accounting practices were transferred from London counting houses to the British North American fur trade. This transfer involved a set of practices that was more effective for implementing the strategy being pursued at the time than the set used with the previous strategy. London counting houses had developed management accounting practices to facilitate their backward integration strategies with America and the West Indies. Pivotal to this development was the requirement for sub-unit accountability and responsibility.

Accounting graduates' perceptions of skills emphasis in undergraduate courses: an investigation from two Victorian Universities

This study investigated the emphasis placed on technical and generic skills developed during undergraduate accounting courses from the graduate perspective. It is motivated by two issues. First, calls by the accounting profession and international education committees regarding the professional adequacy of graduates. Second, the challenge facing educators and professional bodies to design accounting courses that address a diverse range of needs from students, the educational philosophy of the institution, and the changing dynamics of global business. Data obtained from 310 graduates from two Victorian universities provided insights into the types of skills development considered necessary for a successful accounting career.

Trace metal concentrations in edible tissue of snapper, flathead, lobster, and abalone from coastal waters of Victoria, Australia

The concentrations of heavy metals in the edible tissue of commonly fished species of the Victorian coast of Australia are reported. The metals studied were As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Se, and Zn and the fish species examined were snapper (Pagruss auratus), flathead (Platycephalus bassenssis and Neoplatycephalus richardsoni), lobster (Jasus edwardsii), and abalone (Haliotis rubra). None of the fish species studied had average concentrations exceeding the maximum levels specified for As, Cd, Hg, and Pb by the Food Standards Australia and New Zealand Food Standards code. Additionally, the concentrations of Cu, Se, and Zn were close to or below the median values generally expected in these species. Essential trace elements Se and Zn were found to be well regulated by all fish species. Although also essential, Cu was not so well regulated, especially in abalone. Nonessential metals As, Cd, and Hg are not regulated in the studied fish and their concentrations in the fish tissue are dependent on size and fishing zone. Metal concentrations were not largely affected by sex. Surprisingly, the concentrations of metals in fish in Port Phillip Bay, a zone, which includes the major cities of Melbourne and Geelong and is known to have high concentrations of metals in the water and sediment, were not consistently higher than those in other less-populated fishing zones.

Food and activity in out of school hours care in Victoria

Objective: To describe characteristics of the Victorian out of school hours care (OSHC) sector to assess its potential role in promoting healthy lifestyles to children and their families.

Design: Written questionnaires were sent to 1100 Victorian OSHC programs to collect information about the services, foods and activities offered to children, the training and resources utilised by staff and the type of information sent home to parents/guardians.

Subjects: A total of 426 Victorian OSHC coordinators completed questionnaires in the present descriptive study (39% response rate).

Setting: Out of school hours care provides care for 5–12 years olds before school, after school and/or during school holidays.

Results: Over 80% of coordinators reported offering fruit, breads, cereals, and milk and dairy products. One-third offer vegetables as part of meals or snacks. One-third reported offering cakes, biscuits and/or slices, and chips and/or pastries. About 17% reported offering water, whereas 24% reported offering cordial/soft drinks and fruit juice. Cooking was offered as an after-school activity by about half of those surveyed. Active games were common (62%) as were indoor active games and sports (36%). Sedentary activities were also commonplace (37–51%). Only about 30% of OSHC coordinators had participated in nutrition and/or physical activity training in the previous two years. Few OSHC programs sent home health information to parents/guardians.

Conclusion and application: Opportunities exist to help Victorian OSHC programs with nutrition and physical activity information, resources and training. Although the findings of the present study are specific to Victoria, they highlight the potential role of the growing OSHC sector to help improve the health of Australian children.

Conflict resolution and policy making mediation in the Mekong River Basin

The Mekong River serves China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam covering an area of approximately 795, 000 square kilometres and the Mekong River basin is a delicate eco-system rich in natural resources and bio-diversity. Competing demands for increasingly scarce supplies of water, the reciprocal impacts of land and water uses and inadequate governance arrangements have given rise to conflicts that has to be resolved by policy making to facilitate a process, whereby the main principles adopted in the Mekong River Agreement can be implemented.

Knowledge and attitudes of ED staff before and after implementation of the emergency nurse practitioner role

Introduction
The Emergency Nurse Practitioner (ENP) role was implemented in the Emergency Department (ED) at The Northern Hospital (TNH) in April 2004. Implementation of the ENP role occurred as part of a Department of Human Services funded project to establish the ENP model as an effective and sustainable model of care delivery in Victorian EDs.

Aim
The aim of this study was to examine the attitudes and knowledge of ED medical and nursing staff prior to, and following, implementation of the ENP role.

Methods
The design was a pre-test/post-test design and the Northern Emergency Nurse Practitioner Staff Survey was used for data collection. A total of 104 ED staff completed the pre-test survey and the post-test survey was completed by 79 ED staff.

Results
The attitudes and knowledge of ED medical and nursing staff changed significantly during implementation of the ENP role. Pre-test data indicated that staff were generally supportive of the role but had a poor understanding of the requirements for endorsement and how the role would function in clinical practice. Post-test data showed significant increases in support for the ENP role, a greater understanding of the requirements to become an ENP and increased understanding of the logistics and functions of an ENP.

Conclusion
The implementation of the Nurse Practitioner role within the emergency department of The Northern Hospital, Victoria Australia has been a positive experience for both medical and nursing staff.