The influence of learning environment on student conceptions of learning

Responding to the increasing numbers of students who now study across more than one of the traditional sectors of education and training, this research explored quantitative differences in conceptions of learning between students who had entered university study on the basis of a VET qualification, and those who had entered on a basis of previous university studies. Using the Conceptions of Learning Inventory the research also used gender as an independent variable. While some differences were shown between the previously-VET and previously-university students and some differences between genders these differences were characterised by low to moderate effect sizes only. The authors conclude that the quantitative differences are not particularly important, but that qualitative research may indicate differences in kind between the conceptions of learning of the two groups.

The influence of Sport Education on student motivation in physical education

Background: Physical educators are faced with trying to provide motivating and enjoyable experiences in physical education. Sport Education is an instructional model that aims to provide positive motivational sport experiences by simulating the features of authentic sport. Research support for Sport Education is positive, however, the effects on student motivation and the motivational climate are not well understood.

Purpose: To investigate the influence of the Sport Education model on student motivation (intrinsic/extrinsic motivation, goal orientations, and perceived motivational climate) in secondary physical education.

Setting: Six classes were selected according to teacher and class availability in the sports of soccer, hockey, and football codes in a co-educational government school.

Participants: Participants were 115 (male = 97, female = 18) Year-8 students (aged 13-14 years), in a Sport Education condition (n = 41) and a Traditional condition (n = 74).

Measures: At pre- and post-test, all participants completed three questionnaires: the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory, the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire, and the Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire.

Intervention: Participants completed either a Sport Education condition or a Traditional condition for one double period (100 minutes) one day per week for 10 weeks (Sport Education condition) or for five weeks (Traditional condition). The Sport Education condition incorporated six distinctive features: seasons, affiliation, formal competition, record keeping, festivity, and a culminating event. The Traditional condition used whole-group instruction led by the teacher.

Research design: The study used a non-equivalent control group design with pre- and post-test procedures. The independent variable was teaching condition and the dependent variable was student motivation (assessed by intrinsic motivation, goal orientations, and motivational climate). The groups were already established and selected for convenience purposes.

Data collection and analysis: Participants completed pre-test measures and then participated in their pre-established classes. Post-test measures were completed in the last class in each condition. A reliability analysis on measures was conducted using Cronach's alphas. A pre-test manipulation check was performed to check for any initial differences in motivation. To compare the difference in changes between conditions on motivation, a series of 2 times 2 repeated measures analyses of variance were conducted. A comparison of the relationship between motivation measures was conducted using Pearson's product moment correlation coefficients.

Findings: There was a significant difference between the conditions on changes in perceived competence, task orientation, and mastery climate, with the Traditional condition decreasing significantly from pre- to post-test compared with the Sport Education condition. There were no significant differences on interest/enjoyment, effort/importance, pressure/tension, ego orientation, or performance climate. A mastery climate was positively related to task orientation and intrinsic motivation and a performance climate was related to ego orientation.

Conclusions: The Sport Education condition was more successful in maintaining high levels of intrinsic motivation, task orientation, and mastery climate than the Traditional condition. That is, the Traditional condition was associated with a decrease in adaptive aspects of motivation for students, whereas the Sport Education condition maintained existing levels of motivation.

The valuation of self-funded retirement villages in Australia

Changing demographics will see an increasing demand for self-funded sector retirement villages in Australia. As such, valuers can expect to be more involved in providing valuation advice in this sector, although the central issue remains that retirement villages are complex businesses. They have been described as management intensive operating businesses with a substantial real estate element. As a result the valuation process in this sector requires a different type of analysis, in comparison to the traditional real estate based investment.
This paper provides an analysis of recent trends in the demand for retirement villages and examine current practise with respect to valuation thereof. It emphasises the need for a greater awareness of the ‘business enterprise value’ component and provides a framework within which the components of value can be better understood. The purpose of the paper is to provide a foundation for a greater reliability with respect to valuation advice.

Towering over all : the Italianate villa in the colonial landscape

The Picturesque aesthetic emerged in the later 18th century, uniting the Sublime and the Beautiful and had its roots in the paintings of Claude Lorrain. In Britain, and in Australia, it came to link art, literature and landscape with architecture. The Picturesque aesthetic informed much of colonial culture which was achieved, in part, through the production and dissemination of architectural pattern books catering for the aspirations of the rising middle classes. This was against a background of political change including democratic reform. The Italianate villa, codified and promoted in such pattern books, was a particularly successful synthesis of style, form and function. The first Italianate villa in England, Cronkhill (1803) by John Nash contains all the ingredients which were essential to the model and had a deeper meaning. Deepdene (from 1807) by Thomas Hope gave the model further impetus. The works of Charles Barry and others in a second generation confirmed the model's acceptability. In Britain, its public status peaked with Osborne House (from 1845), Queen Victoria's Italianate villa on the Isle of Wight, Robert Kerr used a vignette of Osborne House on the title page of his sophisticated and influential pattern book, The Gentleman's House (1864,1871). It was one of many books, including those of J.C, Loudon and AJ. Downing, current in colonial Victoria. The latter authors and horticulturists were themselves villa dwellers with libraries and orchards, two criteria for the true villa lifestyle. Situation and a sense of retreat were the two further criteria for the villa lifestyle. As the new colony of Victoria blossomed between 1851 and 1891, the Italianate villa, its garden setting and its landscape siting captured the tenor of the times. Melbourne, the capital was a rich manufacturing metropolis with a productive hinterland and international markets. The people enjoyed a prosperity and lifestyle which they wished to display. Those who had a position in society were keen to demonstrate and protect it. Those with aspirations attempted to provide the evidence necessary for such acceptance, The model matured and became ubiquitous. Its evolution can be traced through a series of increasingly complicated rural and suburban examples, a process which modernist historians have dismissed as a decadent decline. These villas, in fact, demonstrate an increasingly sophisticated retreat by merchants from ‘the Town’ and by graziers from ‘the Country’. In both town and country, the towers of villas mark territory newly acquired. The same claim was often made in humbler situations. Government House, Melbourne (from 1871), a splendid Italianate villa and arguably finer than Osborne House, was set in a cultivated landscape and towered above all It incorporated the four criteria and, in addition, claimed its domain, focused authority and established the colony's social status. It symbolised ancient notions of democracy and idealism but with a modem appreciation for the informal and domestic. Government House in Melbourne is the epitome of the Italianate villa in the colonial landscape and is the climax of the Picturesque aesthetic in Victoria.

Teaching Zambian traditional birth attendants to monitor growth of infants : evaluation of an education program

The high infant mortality in Zambia is largely attributable to malnutrition. It is exacerbated by the inability of mothers to recognise threats to nutritional status and take corrective action. Advice in ‘Health Centres’ is often inaccessible to mothers. The Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) work with pregnant women in local communities, and the purpose of this study was to develop and implement an educationprogram in growth monitoring and nutrition for the TBAs and then to evaluate its effects. Twenty five TBAs from two peri-urban areas of Kitwe were enrolled in this pilot study and eighteen completed the program. The researcher developed and taught a program to the TBAs over ten days. A pretest was given before the teaching program to enable the researcher to obtain information about the knowledge and skills of the TBAs. Following the teaching program the TBAs were re-tested, with the same questionnaire. Focus groups were conducted to enable the TBA to provide information on the teaching materials and the education program. The TBAs then returned to their communities and put into practice the skills and knowledge they had learned for six months. Their practice was monitored by a trained Public Health Nurse. The researcher also surveyed 38 pregnant women about their knowledge of growth monitoring and nutrition before the TBAs went into the field to work with their local communities. The same questionnaire used with the pregnant women was administered to 38 new mothers with children aged 0 to 6 months to gain information of their knowledge and skills following the work of the TBAs. The program was evaluated by assessing the extent to which TBAs knowledge and skills were increased, the knowledge and understanding of a selection of their clients and the rates of malnutrition of infants in the area under study. The results from the research clearly indicated that the teaching program on growth monitoring and nutrition given to the selected group of TBAs had a positive effect on their knowledge and skills. It was found that the teaching developed their knowledge, practical skills, evaluative skills. That they were able to give infants’ mothers sound advice regarding their children’s nutrition was revealed by the mother’s increased knowledge and the decrease in numbers of malnourished children in the study areas at the conclusion of the research. The major outcomes from the study are: that Zambian TBAs can be taught to carry out an expanded role; field experience is a key factor in the teaching program; making advice available in local communities is important; and preliminary data on the Zambian experience were generated. Recommendations are: The pilot program should be expanded with continuing support from the Health Department. Similar educational programs should be introduced into other areas of Zambia with support from the Ministry of Health. That in administering a teaching program: Sufficient time must be allocated to practical work to allow poorly educated women to attain the basic skills needed to master the complex skills required to competently reduce faltering in their communities. The teaching materials to illustrate nutritional principles for feeding programs must be developed to suite locally available foods and conditions. Methods of teaching should suit the local area, for example, using what facilities are locally available. The timing of the teaching program should be suitable for the TBAs to attend. This may vary from area to area, for example it may be necessary to avoid times traditionally given to fetching water or working in the fields. For similar reasons, the venue for the teaching program should be suitable to the TBAs. The teachers should go into the TBAs’ community rather than causing disruption of the TBAs’ day by expecting them to go to the teacher. Data should be collected from a larger group of TBAs and clients to enable sophisticated statistical analysis to complement data from this pilot program. The TBAs should be given recognition for their work and achievement. This is something which they asked for. They do not ask for payment, rather acknowledgment through regular follow up and approbation.

Role of water and surfactant in the solvent milling of wool

Unlike other fibres, wool felts readily when agitated in the presence of water. For this reason, only the minimum necessary quantity of water is used when the garments are drycleaned. However, wool fibres are often deliberately felted to obtain a warm bulky handle by controlled addition of water to the solvent. This process is known as solvent milling and recently, it has become a popular alternative to the traditional milling in water alone. Although the factors which influence milling in solvent are known, the relationships between them are not well defined. A comprehensive study of the relationship between water distribution and milling shrinkage during agitation of wool in perchloroethylene has been carried out in this thesis. The Karl Fischer method of determination was used throughout to establish the distribution of water between the wool fibre and the solvent liquor. The emphasis was placed on practical production variables. The role of surfactant in affecting milling shrinkage through its effect on the transport of water to the fibre from the solvent was examined. The ability of a suitable surfactant in promoting even and rapid sorption of water by the fibre was related to the colloidal properties of the milling liquor.

Studies in supervisory practice : the effectiveness of the practicum in teacher education in the Northern Territory

In this thesis we descend into the swampy lowlands to meet with student-teachers and their supervisors and observe them working together at different sites across the Top End of Australia. In the process we discover the multiple relationships that comprise the practicum text and the discomforting untidiness and unwieldiness, as well as the awkwardness of complexity, which surrounds research into supervisory practice. The thesis demonstrates the need to attend to the subjectivities of the participants and highlights the conflicting attitudes, beliefs, interests, and desires which are only partially realised or understood. It moves us beyond language to the sentient world of anger, love, disgust, hope, fear, despair, joy, anguish, and pain and we become immersed in a murky, incoherent, interior world of hints, shadows, and unfamiliar sounds, a world of lost innocence and conflict in which knowledge is truly embodied. Encompassing a view of supervision as moral praxis, particular attention was given to the care and protection of the self and a romanticist conception of the self was seen to predominate. The thesis demonstrates the part played by positioning and agency in the process of subjectification, the importance of emotional and relational bonding in the emergence of collegiality, the tactics of power employed by supervisors, the struggle for personal autonomy, the presence of anxiety induced by failure to pro vide feedback, the inculcation of guilt, and the complex interplay of age-related and gender effects. Attention is also given to the degree to which supervisors adopt reflective and constructivist approaches to their work. The stories reveal that supervision is much more than advising student-teachers on curriculum content, resource availability and lesson presentation. It is a process of interiority in which supervisors may need to provide emotional support in the face of displacement and disorientation, and assume the role of an abiding presence, someone capable of imaginative introjection, someone who ‘knows’. Particular attention is paid to the language of supervision which was marked by indirection, diffidence, imprecision, irony, and understatement. At the same time, the agonistic nature of language associated with the politics of the personal is made apparent. Whilst in the opinion of Liaison Lecturers, context-of-site did not appear to matter as far as acquiring teaching competence was concerned, the failure to attend to context-of-site affected how student-teachers engaged with difference and diversity. In spite of attempts to contest the myths of Aboriginal education and interrupt the discourse of impoverishment, colonialist attitudes and resistance to liberatory education persisted. The thesis ends with suggestions for alternatives to the traditional practicum and discusses the introduction of Field-Based Teacher Education into Northern Territory schools.

Action research in higher education : the advancement of university learning and teaching

This thesis aims to contribute to the improvement and advancement of university learning, teaching, and staff development; to integrate educational theory and the practice of university teaching; and to contribute to the establishment of a new, emerging paradigm in higher education. The strategy towards achieving these aims comprises (1) an alternative research methodology in the interpretive, non-positivist paradigm; (2) an integrated framework drawing on a variety of previously unrelated theories to form an alternative model of university education; and (3) reference to the dialectical relationship between educational theory and teaching practice and their integration through action research in higher education. The thesis is not so much a critique of the traditional paradigm and of existing functionalist-structuralist approaches to higher education, but more a development and clarification of an alternative, dialectical, human action approach to higher education. The original contribution of this thesis to the theory and practice of higher education lies in the development (1) of an alternative model of university education based on an integration of previously unrelated domains of theory; (2) of a theoretical model of professional development as action research (the CRASP Model: Critical attitude, Research into teaching, Accountability, Self-evaluation, Professionalism); and (3) of action research projects in higher education. Action research is research by the university teachers themselves into their teaching practice, i.e. into problems of the curriculum and student learning. The case studies included in and appended to this thesis show that in one educational setting at least it was possible to improve and advance university learning and teaching through action research. The evidence for this advancement is provided in a number of previously published case studies compiled in the Appendix.

Does Australia's treatment of non-citizens accord with its international human rights obligations? with specific reference to the treatment of on-shore refugees

The son of immigrants, I was motivated to write a paper addressing the issues of alienation and discrimination which confronts non-citizens upon arriving in Australia. Apart from descendants of Australia's indigenous population, the common bond shared by all citizens and permanent residents of Australia is that they are either themselves immigrants or are descended from immigrants. In this paper I will look at whether Australia's law and practice meets its international human rights treaty and convention obligations vis-a-vis non-citizens. To investigate this issue I trace the history of immigration to Australia and look at the political policies which influenced the treatment of non-citizens from 1788 to present times. In 1958 when my parents stepped upon Australian soil as displaced persons, Australia was a very different place from Australia in the 1990s. At that time Australia was still firmly under the influence of the 'White Australia Policy' which openly encouraged discrimination against non-anglo saxons. Since those times Australia has advanced to become one of the most culturally diverse nations in the world where multiculturalism is encouraged and a non-discriminatory immigration program is supported by both Australia's major political parties. However, notwithstanding the great social advances made in Australia in recent decades the traditional legal sources of law, namely, judicial pronouncements, statutes and the Commonwealth Constitution have not kept pace and it is my submission that Australia's body of law inadequately protects the rights of non-citizens when compared to Australia's international human rights convention and treaty obligations. This paper will consider these major sources of law and will investigate how they have been used in the context of the protection of the rights of non-citizens. It will be asserted that the weaknesses exposed in the Australian legal system can be improved by the adoption of a Bill of Rights1 which encompasses Australia's international human rights treaty and convention obligations. It is envisaged that a Bill of Rights would provide a framework applicable at the State, Territory and Federal levels within which issues pertaining to non-citizens could be resolved. The direction of this thesis owes much to the writings, advice and supervision of Dr. Imtiaz Omar who was always available to discuss the progress of this work. Dr. Omar is a passionate advocate of human rights and has been a tremendous inspiration to me throughout my writing. I owe a debt of thanks to the partners of Coulter Burke who with good nature ignored the sprawl of books and papers on the boardroom table, often for days at a time, thus enabling me to return to my writing from time to time as my inspirational juices ebbed and waned. Thanks also go to my typists Julie Pante, Vesna Dudas and Irene Padula who worked after hours and on weekends always without complaint, on the various versions of this thesis. My final acknowledgement goes to my wife Paula who during the years that I was working on this thesis encouraged me during my darker moments and listened to all my frustrations yet never doubted that I would one day complete the task successfully. I wish to thank her wholeheartedly for her motivation and belief in my abilities. The law relied upon in the thesis is as at the 30th June, 1998. Bill or Charter of Rights 'are taken to be enactments which systematically declare certain fundamental rights and freedoms and require that they be respected'. See Evans, G. 'Prospect and Problems for an Australian Bill of Rights' (1970) 3 Australian Year Book of International Law 1 at 16. Some such notable exception is the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, contained in an ordinary statute.

To integrate or not to integrate? Future considerations for chronic disease self-management programs in the health care system

Objective: The growing burden of chronic disease and the increasing realisation that the current health system is ill equipped to deal with this trend has resulted in a health policy shift away from the traditional medical model to a more patient centred approach. As such, chronic disease self-management programs (CDSMP) have emerged as a potentially important component within this approach. Policy and program trends at the international level highlight several critical factors that need to be considered by governments and health care providers alike if CDSMP are to be integrated within the broader health system. This study reviewed international and local policy literature and sought perspectives from key stakeholders to determine the value and potential for integrating a generic group-based CDSMP into the care continuum.
Method: Prominent self-management policies were identified through a comprehensive literature search. Interviews were conducted with policy makers across Australia (n=20), health practitioners (n=20) and consumers (n=42) purposefully recruited from metropolitan and rural Victoria, representing key demographics of interest including low socioeconomic areas.
Results: Whilst CDSMP were viewed as having significant potential to be integrated into the health sector it was identified that the delivery and content of CDSMP needs to be flexible in order to address the needs of people across the disease, age and care continuums. Critical issues to be addressed if CDSMP are to be successfully integrated include increasing the profile of self-management; actively engaging and training health practitioners in self-management and overcoming system barriers such as lack of integrated referral pathways and networks.
Discussion: Policy directions at the national level suggest that self-management will be a centrepiece in forthcoming chronic disease initiatives. International evidence has highlighted the requirement for a ‘suite’ of programs to adequately cater to different stages of the disease continuum, age groups, ethnic backgrounds and sociogeographical areas. Furthermore engagement with key stakeholders (particularly GPs) is identified as critical to ensure the successful integration of CDSMP into the health system.
Conclusion: Evidence suggests that CDSMP is an important facet in improving care of people with chronic conditions. Findings from this study suggest that current infrastructure and policy direction, which have been found to be critical factors in facilitating integration of CDSMP into the health sector, are either absent or inadequate in Victoria. CDSMPs are currently lacking a sustainable workforce, referral infrastructure and specific policy. Such factors need to be addressed before the integration of CDSMP can be considered across the healthcare continuum in Victoria.

National and international financial reporting standard convergence and the relevance for non-participants in capital markets : a preparer perspective

This study presents some implications of recent policy moves to enhance the harmonization of financial reporting and disclosure by adopting international financial reporting standards. In particular the impact on small organizations that do not participate in capital markets is considered. The results of a survey of practitioners indicate a perception that the non-capital market sector is likely to be significantly affected by additional reporting burden that convergence with international financial reporting standards imposes. On the whole the results show there was concern that the traditional users of the financial reports of organizations who do not participate in capital markets, would have limited if any, use for financial reports that conformed to international financial reporting standards, The results of this study have implications for nations such as Malaysia and New Zealand, which are currently engaging in the differential reporting debate.

Development of the multi-scale analysis model to simulate strain localization occurring during material processing

Abstract A detailed description of possibilities given by the developed Cellular Automata—Finite Element (CAFE) multi scale model for prediction of the initiation and propagation of micro shear bands and shear bands in metallic materials subjected to plastic deformation is presented in the work. Particular emphasis in defining the criterion for initiation of micro shear and shear bands, as well as in defining the transition rules for the cellular automata, is put on accounting for the physical aspects of these phenomena occurring in two different scales in the material. The proposed approach led to the creation of the real multi scale model of strain localization phenomena. This model predicts material behavior in various thermo-mechanical processes. Selected examples of applications of the developed model to simulations of metal forming processes, which involve strain localization, are presented in the work. An approach based on the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamic, which allows to overcome difficulties with remeshing in the traditional CAFE method, is a subject of this work as well. In the developed model remeshing becomes possible and difficulties limiting application of the CAFE method to simple deformation processes are solved. Obtained results of numerical simulaA detailed description of possibilities given by the developed Cellular Automata—Finite Element (CAFE) multi scale model for prediction of the initiation and propagation of micro shear bands and shear bands in metallic materials subjected to plastic deformation is presented in the work. Particular emphasis in defining the criterion for initiation of micro shear and shear bands, as well as in defining the transition rules for the cellular automata, is put on accounting for the physical aspects of these phenomena occurring in two different scales in the material. The proposed approach led to the creation of the real multi scale model of strain localization phenomena. This model predicts material behavior in various thermo-mechanical processes. Selected examples of applications of the developed model to simulations of metal forming processes, which involve strain localization, are presented in the work. An approach based on the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamic, which allows to overcome difficulties with remeshing in the traditional CAFE method, is a subject of this work as well. In the developed model remeshing becomes possible and difficulties limiting application of the CAFE method to simple deformation processes are solved. Obtained results of numerical simulations are compared with the experimental results of cold rolling process to show good predicative capabilities of the developed model.tions are compared with the experimental results of cold rolling process to show good predicative capabilities of the developed model.

The odd bod, the icon and the modest woman : the differences and similarities amongst three Australian women music teachers, performers and composers

Throughout Australia's history there have been many women who have been active in music education, performance and composition, despite the traditional family commitments which women have negotiated, overcoming prevailing negative attitudes to success outside the home. The period 1900 to 1950 in Australia saw significant changes in the social structure such as universal suffrage, Federation and World War 1. These changes broadened opportunities for some women to negotiate a life-time career in music. The researcher has identified three significant women who were able to forge careers in music during this time in music teaching, composition and performance. The women were Mona McBurney, Ruby Davy and Ruth Flockart. The selected women were all unique; McBurney was an outstanding composer for her time, being the first woman in Australia to compose an opera. Also, she was the first woman in Australia to gain her Bachelor of Music. Despite these successes, she had a reputation for her overwhelming modesty and shyness. Davy was significant because of her diversified ability as a teacher, performer, composer and elocutionist, and because she was the first woman in Australia to gain her Doctorate of Music. Davy has been described by several people as unusual, strange, and an 'odd bod'. Flockart was a music teacher at Methodist Ladies' College Melbourne for almost fifty years, half of those as the Director of Music. She was a significant figure in contemporary music education, particularly as a choral conductor, where she has been described as an 'icon'. This research looks at the differences and similarities amongst these three women in terms of family life, social position, education and support systems, and their ability to negotiate a career in music teaching, performance and composition.

Challenging the dominant discourses of the state aid debate

The state aid debate is one of the longest running and most intractable issues in the public policy sphere in Australia. Recent decisions by the Commonwealth government to increase funding to private schools has reignited the debate. But the traditional defences of public education have proved inadequate to the task of hanging the course of current neo-liberal education policy trajectories. As the percentage of students attending private schools continues to grow, and as the spectre of a residualised public education system looms larger, so the need to rethink Australian public education becomes a more urgent project. In this paper we analyse what is happening and why; identify a range of concerns from the standpoint of a social democratic educational agenda; and theorise some possible strategies which might be pursued by those committed to a vibrant public schooling
system in Australia.

Executive architect : designers becoming leaders through the "stakeholder approach"

The traditional role of an architect in today's competitive markets is no longer feasible. To remain competitive, the architect must combine business, design and technology to enhance and expand his services, redefine his role as a leader, and finally, transform into an "executive architect"