Unravelling the paradox of community participation: If the process is so good why don’t people participate?

Community participation is recognised as a basic human right and an important human need. Benefits of the process of community participation for individuals and the community are well documented and structures are established at the community, and organisational level, to facilitate the participatory process. Despite the potential benefits of participation the reality is that relatively few people choose to participate when given the opportunity. In order to facilitate effective community action it is necessary to know which individuals will participate, under what circumstances and the level of participation involved. A review of studies in the participation literature reveals that the identification of a number of social-psychological factors and cost/benefit variables associated with participation has contributed significantly to systematising an understanding of participation in voluntary organisations. Research suggests that by increasing the benefits and reducing costs in effective management systems it may be possible to increase participation. However, longitudinal studies are needed to clearly define which characteristics predict participation and which characteristics are consequences of participation. Although caution must be taken in generalising the findings of the studies conducted in the United States, given the complete absence of Australian data, the studies provide important direction for Australian research

Energy Poverty, Practice, and Policy

This Open Access book examines the implications of welfare policy for energy poverty and engages with key conceptual debates at the forefront of energy demand research. Academic work on energy poverty has rarely been brought into conversation with practice-theory-based approaches to energy use and sustainability. This book reveals how novel insights can be made visible through combining these different ways of thinking about energy demand issues. It presents a distinctive approach to energy poverty that places inequalities at the heart of debates about the advancing energy intensity of contemporary societies

Arrietty Comes Home : Studio Ghibli\u27s The Borrower Arrietty and Its English-language Dubs

Studio Ghibli’s animated feature, The Borrower Arrietty (2010), is an adaptation of Mary Norton’s classic British children’s novel, The Borrowers (1952). It belongs in a tradition of Ghibli films adapted from, or influenced by, British children’s books, including Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) and Memories of Marnie (2014). In relocating the story to Japan and transferring it to the screen, Ghibli made numerous changes, reflecting the change of medium and cultural context.In most cases, English-language dubs for Ghibli films are produced by Disney-Pixar, using American voice actors. Uniquely, for The Borrower Arrietty two English-language dubs were created: one released by Disney as The Secret World of Arrietty (2012), and the other by Studio Canal in the UK, as Arrietty (2011), employing a largely British cast. The scripts, characterisation and cultural reference points differ markedly in these two dubs, both from each other and from Ghibli’s Japanese script.This article explores the transmission of Norton’s story across cultures, using a comparative analysis of the Japanese-language film and the two English-language dubs̶with appropriate reference to Norton’s novel. It argues that many of the changes are related to cultural differences between Japan, the USA and the UK, differences that extend beyond language and the material world to matters of narrative convention and (particularly in the case of Disney) attitudes to character and family relationships. Nevertheless, it cautions against glib conclusions about“national character”, noting the number and complexity of the factors involved

The impact of REWARDS on reading skills of students with learning disabilities

Twenty-one students, an intact convenience group, were selected to participate in this research project. Each student received Special Education Services through a Resource Specialist Program (RSP). All students were randomly assigned to either the comparison or experimental group. Over a five week period participants in the comparison group remained in their language arts classroom and participated in Sustained Silent Reading (SSR). Students in the experimental group participated in REWARDS- Reading Excellence: Word Attack and Rate Development Strategies, a reading intervention. Both groups were administered the Woodcock-Johnson III form A at pre-test and form B at post-test, results of these assessments were analyzed using an AnCOVA test

Sexuality in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities:A meta-ethnographic synthesis of qualitative studies

Background: The normalisation movement calls for more recognition of the sexual rights of people with intellectual disabilities to challenge classically paradoxical cultural beliefs: ‘hypersexual’ versus ‘asexual’. Aims: This meta-ethnographic qualitative synthesis aimed to explore the voices of people with intellectual disabilities in regards to their experiences and perceptions of sexuality using a Coordinated Management of Meaning framework to derive new conceptual understandings of how their sexuality exists within multiple contexts. Methods and procedures: A systematic literature search and quality assessment yielded 16 studies that met the inclusion criteria and were synthesised following the method of meta-ethnography. Outcomes and results: Four core themes were identified; 'sociocultural Norms’; ‘Under Others Power’; 'sexual Identity’ and 'sexual Experience’. Conclusions and implications: Application of the hierarchical Coordinated Management of Meaning model suggested caregivers contextual beliefs about people with intellectual disabilities’ sexuality inhibited or facilitated positive expressions of sexuality over and above individual needs and desires. Rights-based cultural messages provided the only context that led to positive sexuality outcomes and research that explores sexuality within this context is much needed. The Coordinated Management of Meaning model identified by this research may act as a framework to support the reflective-practice of caregivers.</p

Embodying life-long learning: Transition and capstone experiences

This paper discusses the principle of Transition as it has been conceptualised by the Curriculum Renewal in Legal Education project. The project sought to develop a principled framework for renewing the final year of tertiary legal education in Australia. Capstone experiences were chosen as the most appropriate mechanism for assisting final year students to manage the transition process. Thoughtfully designed capstones assist students to integrate and synthesize their learning over their entire degree program, facilitate closure on the undergraduate experience, and assist students to transition from student to emerging professional. We discuss the importance of addressing final year students’ transitional needs and explain how the principle facilitates this process. Although the framework has been developed specifically for legal education in Australia its approach enables transferability across disciplines and institutions. The framework addresses criticisms that universities and law schools are not meeting the needs of final year students by preparing them for the transition to graduate life in a complex and uncertain world

Multiple relapses into opiate and crack misuse among people in recovery:An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Relapsing multiple times back into opiate and crack cocaine misuse significantly increases the risk for overdose death, of which rates continue to soar worldwide. This study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of opiate and crack relapse from the lived experience perspectives of people in recovery from substance misuse. Semi-structured interviews were held, and interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyze the data. Findings revealed two superordinate themes which highlighted the impact of relapse on an individual's sense of self, their conceptualizations of relapse, and their approach to recovery thereafter. The study offers implications and future directions for mental health authorities and addiction professionals