Consumer feedback following participation in a family-based intervention for youth mental health

Background. This paper presents findings derived from consumer feedback, following a multicentre randomised controlled trial for adolescent mental health problems and substance misuse. The paper focuses on the implementation of a family-based intervention, including fidelity of delivery, family members’ experiences, and their suggestions for program improvements.
Methods. Qualitative and quantitative data (

Social and professional participation of individuals who are deaf : utilizing the psychosocial potential maximization framework

This article documents a strength-based understanding of how individuals who are deaf maximize their social and professional potential. This exploratory study was conducted with 49 adult participants who are deaf (n ¼ 30) and who have typical hearing (n ¼ 19) residing in America, Australia, England, and South Africa. The findings support a systematic and comprehensive framework of proactive psychosocial attributes and tactics. Statistical analysis showed no significant differences between the groups across four variables of psychosocial competencies. Qualitative data further suggests that participants who are deaf maximize their potential using two types of proactive psychosocial attributes and tactics: 1) skills that individuals with typical hearing use and 2) specialized skills for identifying, circumventing, or mastering deafness-related difficulties. These findings contribute to understandings of how individuals who are deaf can achieve social and professional success.

Patient participation in symptom management in an acute oncology setting

Cancer and cancer treatments are associated with high symptom burden. Effective, safe and quality symptom management requires patient participation in symptom identification and treatment. This mixed methods, in depth investigation of symptom management practices uncovered patient, clinician and symptom factors that play a role in patients’ ability and willingness to participate.

Physical activity participation and barriers for people with multiple myeloma

Purpose

This study aims to examine, for people treated for multiple myeloma, (1) differences between prediagnosis and postdiagnosis levels of physical activity, (2) perceived barriers and likelihood of attending a physical activity program, and (3) factors that influence whether or not respondents are meeting physical activity guidelines.
Methods

This was a quantitative cross-sectional study; data were gathered from a larger Australian population-wide survey. Respondents completed the survey in hard copy, online, or over the telephone. Demographic and clinical variables included age, gender, locality, time since diagnosis, and marital status. The Godin Leisure-Time Questionnaire measured physical activity; barriers and likelihood of participating in a physical activity program were assessed using a five-point Likert scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses.
Results

Of the 229 respondents, 53.1 % were male, 42 % aged 60–69 years, and 75.7 % were married or in a de facto relationship. Participation in physical activity declined significantly from prediagnosis levels. Fatigue, injuries, and pain were the strongest perceived barriers to participation; 41 % reported they were likely to attend an exercise program if offered. Respondents who were sufficiently active before diagnosis were 4.79 times more likely to be sufficiently active posttreatment.
Conclusions

People with multiple myeloma reported very low levels of physical activity across all levels of intensity; however, they were interested in attending a physical activity program. To increase physical activity among people with multiple myeloma, interventions should target perceived barriers with a particular focus on those who were not physically active prior to diagnosis.

Understanding user participation in Australian Government tourism Facebook page

With Facebook being the largest social network site (SNS), can government use Facebook (FB) to increase citizen participation in delivering and promoting their services? This paper presents the case of government use of social media for tourism to provide a general understanding online government and user participation in the Tourism government FB page. This is a case study research into the government FB page of Tourism Australia. FB page wall posts and comments are analysed quantitatively using content analysis to determine what type of online participation is visible in these sites and what the agencies are trying to achieve. Further, the paper employed a spectrum of online engagement matrix to identify the type of engagement being attained by the page. Findings show that the page has successfully served as a platform for its audience to share their Australian experience and it is being used for the purpose of announcing, informing and involving type of online engagement. This is an example of a crowdsourcing endeavour where tourism experiences and stories and pictures are being sourced from public. The research contributes to gaining a better understanding of government FB phenomenon, in particular for Australian context.

Student attention, engagement and participation in a Twitter-friendly classroom

Guided by a participatory action research methodology, this paper outlines an approach to integrating the social media Twitter platform within a tertiary education course, based on a social, constructivist pedagogy. It explores the perceptions of students on the benefits of using this technology for enhancing attentiveness, engagement and participation in the classroom. Previous studies have shown that greater participation and communication can stimulate student learning and lead to better academic performance, increased motivation, and an appreciation of different points of views. The untested hypothesis is that social media tools like Twitter can foster this type of communication. Students posted their responses during classroom activities via Twitter and then were surveyed on their perceived benefits associated with using the social media platform. The preliminary findings of the qualitative study suggest that, while not without its challenges, social media tools like Twitter have the potential to be used effectively for education-based activities in the classroom to improve communication and engagement both amongst the students and with the instructor.

A design pattern for responsible information systems education

This paper explores the idea of responsible systems design. To do so, it examines a case study - the accreditation of Information Systems (IS) courses by the professional body. A professionally accredited educational program, like any other non-trivial design product, represents the balancing of competing influences, ideas and stakeholders. The case is particularly relevant because there have been significant changes in the context of Australian IS education recently that have made more complex the task of designing educational systems in a responsible manner. A general approach to addressing this complexity is articulated here as a design pattern to guide IS educational design. The pattern identifies the influences on design, the processes and products of design and the feedback mechanism required to demonstrate that stakeholder requirements are satisfied. Design tensions and principles arising from the model are discussed and future work identified

Geelong kindergarten participation rate project evaluation of phases one and two, 2011-2012

Anecdotal evidence indicated that some kindergartens in the Geelong region were suffering from significant absenteeism or children arriving late or leaving early. Some educators felt that this was linked to the status of Health Care Card Holders. The research project analysed kindergarten attendance records to determine if there was evidence to support the educators’ beliefs. Data did support some of the conjecture. Researchers then undertook interviews with Educators and parents to investigate possible reasons for irregular attendance.

Factors limiting participation in arthritis self-management programmes : an exploration of barriers and patient preferences within a randomized controlled trial

Objective. To improve understanding of barriers to participation in community-based arthritis self-management programmes and patient preferences for self-management education.

Methods. Individuals with hip or knee OA referred to orthopaedic surgeons or rheumatologists at six public and private hospitals in Victoria, Australia, were recruited for a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the Stanford Arthritis Self-Management Programme (ASMP). As part of the study design, potential participants were asked during the screening and recruitment process about reasons for being unable to attend the course, reasons for not participating in the study and individual preferences for course scheduling.

Results. Of 1125 individuals assessed, 216 (19%) were unable to attend six ASMP sessions. This was commonly due to physical limitations, including illness, restricted mobility and pain (22%), difficulty getting to or from courses (22%), work commitments (22%), the time commitment required (17%) and family roles (12%). Among those who did not want to participate in the study (n = 258), the overwhelming reason was disinterest (74%). Specific preferences for course scheduling were frequent, confirming the practical challenges faced in organizing courses for the RCT.

Conclusion. Incorporating patients from public and private settings, this study has elicited new insights into barriers to ASMP participation. Many people with hip or knee OA have limited capacity and motivation to attend community-based group programmes. Future self-management programmes and research should include more accessible options for those who cannot attend group-based programmes.

Is e-governance a function of government or media? Some directions for future research and development of electronically mediated citizen participation

Citizen participation, enabled by electronic means, grows, in parallel with government's apparent failure to promote it. Organisations such as Getup and Moveon flourish; the BBC announced in 2003 that 'Internet-based political activism is happening...The BBC wants to help a wider audience find their voice by tackling obstacles to greater participation' (http://www.opendemocracy.net). (Kevill, 2003). Such actions echo, perhaps, the enthusiastic adoption of the Internet by activist media groups, particularly Indymedia. This paper presents a response to this situation. It provides a richer account of the contradictory rise of e-government without e-governance, and examines the potential for media-based participatory engagement to complement e-government. It presents two models of the future of electronically mediated citizen engagement: the first involving agonistic relations between government and citizenry, with civic participation occurring outside of government-approved forums; the second involving the intimate linking of governmental transactions to participation by those citizens engaged in them. Finally it will outline mechanisms for researching the capacity of either or both models to sustain effective participation.

E-governance as digital ecosystem : a new way to think about citizen engagement and the internet?

There has been a long history of attempting to deploy networked information and communications – mostly in the form of the Internet – to support the broad goals of effective, efficient and responsible democratic government. While there has been considerable talk about the way such technologies might promote better governance – through increased citizen participation in debates and discussions about future outcomes – there has been, in contrast, much action that actually uses the Internet for more efficient government, by creating online and networked interfaces by which citizens can transact business with government. There has been only limited success in using the Internet and similar communications channels to allow citizens to participate in their own governance. Undoubtedly, the Internet does facilitate public consultation. For example, the European Commission used an Interactive Policy Making web tool for public consultation on legislation for regulation of chemicals. Over 6,500 contributions were received over a period of 2 months and the consultation process led to the identification of key flaws in proposals, saving billions of Euros (Timmers,2008). However, consultation of this kind tends to be a mechanism for gathering opinion and gaining citizen approval for change that is not different except in transmission form than previous approaches based on meetings and written submissions. While the European Commission example can be seen as successful, Internet-based consultation can too easily become promotional or marketing oriented, as in recent efforts in Australian by the Federal Communications Minister to use a blog to discuss proposed changes to Internet censorship regulations: in this case, discussion and debate from participants appears largely to have been ignored in favour of a pre-existing position. This paper aims to provide a solution to some of these problems by drawing on the idea of how the Internet can host and support a digital eco-system.

Actively disadvantaged : a foucauldian perspective of rural adolescent girls' participation in sport and physical activity

The illustriousness of sport to Australian culture has often been discussed and in rural communities it could be argued that community sporting clubs are integral, and often unparalleled, in the development of collective community identities and individual subjectivities (Tonts, 2005). Sport is considered a way of life for many rural Australians, yet social, climatic and economic factors have resulted in vast changes to the sporting landscape in rural communities, particularly for adolescent females. With the amalgamation of many community sporting clubs due to declining populations and the rationalisation of Government funding, fewer opportunities for participation in organised physical activity now exist for rural adolescent girls (Tonts & Atherley, 2005). Compounding this lack of opportunity, are questions around the types of physical activity experiences available to rural adolescent females and the impact this has on the way that rural adolescent females construct ideas around being physically active. This paper is concerned with the ways in which prevalent cultural and institutional discourses mediated through community sport and school-based physical activity impact the construction of female physically active subjectivities in rural communities.

Stakeholder participation in estuary management: the development of Victoria's Estuary Entrance Management Support System

Stakeholder involvement in the management of estuaries is a necessary element of good environmental governance. In Victoria, Australia, a key challenge for estuary managers is whether or not estuaries should be artificially opened since many river mouths close ‘naturally’ from time to time. Estuary closure resulting in raised estuarine water levels leads to economic and social impacts on local communities. In the past these effects have been addressed by artificial river mouth openings, often without reference to associated environmental impacts. This article discusses the development and features of an Estuary Entrance Management Support System and considers its performance against principles of effective environmental management. It concludes that, in bringing together technical information with stakeholder input through a structured process, such a system makes a useful contribution to improving estuary entrance management.