Building leadership capacity in undergraduate students: Final report for ALTC Teaching Fellowship

This Fellowship addressed the significant issue of leadership. Its primary focus was researching and developing leadership skills in undergraduate students. The Fellowship was designed to develop and trial a leadership program specifically to enhance the competencies and skills of undergraduate students beyond their discipline knowledge. A group of universities across Australia agreed to participate in a pilot program to respond to the following identified issues. • The area of leadership development in undergraduates has been under-researched and under-debated in recent work about graduate attributes, generic skills, and work integrated learning. • There has been considerable focus on leadership development for staff within the higher education sector, however not specifically for undergraduate students. • There appears to have been no national review, synthesis or analysis or any formal collective discussion about leadership development for students, the existing leadership development programs, and what might constitute good practice in leadership development for students. • There is a lack of evaluation of leadership development programs for students. • The majority of leadership development programs are often housed in student support units rather than an academic unit and are characterised by their voluntary nature and competitive entry. • Participation may occur through extra-curricular activities such as student societies and clubs and may or may not include some form of formal skills development program. • Programs are often based in a specific discipline (e.g., the Science Mentoring and Leadership Program at the University of Sydney) and for specific populations (e.g., gifted/talented students or women). • Programs are often for all students (not specifically for undergraduate students)..

Moving to Western Australia : decision making processes of migrants from the United Kingdom

International migration has assumed a new importance during the last few decades due to the volume and increase of population movement. Two important questions are relevant to the migration process. The person has to make the decision to move and to select a place of destination. In this thesis a series of studies designed to examine the factors that led to the consideration of leaving and the attributes which contributed to the choice of destination are presented. This research begins by adopting suggestions proposed by Jahoda (1981) to ask questions and thereby increase the knowledge base. The methodological framework of this research is derived from the different issues and controversies within psychology that have arisen due to a growing dissatisfaction with the traditional approaches that underpin much psychological research. Alternative philosophical and methodological approaches are drawn upon such as, substantive theorising (Wicker, 1989), the human science methodological framework (Dokecki, 1992), critical multiplism (Newbrough, 1992) and a systems perspective (Bronfenbrenner (1977) to achieve a more holistic approach to the research. A multi-method thesis is presented in four stages that incorporate triangulation of quantitative and qualitative methods to serve both completeness and confirmation of the research. Each level provides more detail and specificity moving from the macro to the micro level of inquiry. In order to address the key question of what factors influence the decision to migrate, the first stage explores the potential reasons why people leave the United Kingdom to live in Australia. The literature on possible reasons for migration is reviewed and is used as one source of information that is then further explored in this stage using qualitative semi-structured interviews that focus on the interpretive and descriptive analysis of these reasons. Some of the possible explanations included migrating for a better life and education for the children, the climate in Australia and the better economic prospects for the future. Based on these different perspectives provided by the participants, an informed decision tree was developed. The results of this first stage of the research informed the following two stages. The second stage of the research is a specific analysis of the substantive domain that examined the information obtained from stage one in more detail. This experimental stage was ideographic and used linear regression models obtained by regression analyses to understand the basis of the migration decision and the factors which contribute to that decision. Results of this study indicated that the judgments of two thirds of the participants were well modelled by the linear model. The implications and limitations for using this approach are discussed in detail. In the third stage of the research, the substantive domain is further explored in two studies which use a multiattribute utility model approach for conceptual clarification of the decision making process. In this stage, the additional research question was addressed which examined whether there were any differences in the decision making process between migrants from the U.K. living in Australia and a specific group with a visa intending to migrate who have not yet departed from the U.K. In the first study, 446 migrants from the U.K. already living in Australia completed a questionnaire. In the second study, a group of potential migrants, who had not yet migrated but had already obtained their visas, completed a similar questionnaire. In summary, the results supported the salience of the different factors determined in the previous studies and indicated that participants could be clearly divided into three groups using cluster analysis. The implications for understanding the results of both these studies are discussed. The final stage of the research continues the process of exploring the substantive domain and returns to the migrants to understand their experiences through real life episodes of migration. This stage uses the approach suggested by Dewey (1929), and returns to the migrants who have the experience and are able to clarify the situation as they have the best knowledge. The results reinforced the importance and salience of the different factors determined in the previous stages. It also confirmed that one cannot focus solely on only one factor, as there are a combination of factors which play a role in the decision to move. The final chapter reviews the results obtained in this thesis and the different methodological perspectives used in the research. The accumulation of knowledge that has resulted from this research and the contribution made to the understanding of the substantive domain of migration is discussed further. Positive suggestions for further research are proposed

Using a student centred approach in a large class context

Teaching large classes has become a reality for most courses in Australian universities. While many academics recognise the benefits to students and themselves of using alternative teaching methodologies, many resort to the traditional formal lecture approach when it comes to teaching large classes. This paper examines the tension between providing a meaningful learning experience for university students and the constraints of increased class sizes. Presented as a case study, it challenges the assumptions of staff and students in terms of what constitutes an appropriate learning environment and identifies strategies that could usefully be transferred from a small class to a large class context. The unit presented as the case study was co-ordinated by the first author with the support and guidance of the second author. Sections of the paper are written in the first person and it is the voice of the first author as she discusses her personal experience of, and response to, the challenge of using small class strategies within the context of a large class

National security: A propositional study to develop resilience indicators as an aid to personnel vetting

Within the National Security domain there is a convergence of security responsibility across the national security agencies, law enforcement and private security sectors. The sensitivity of this environment requires individuals operating in the domain to be honest, trustworthy and loyal. Personnel vetting is a formal process used to determine an individual’s suitability for access to this domain. Notwithstanding this process, significant breaches of trust, security, and corruption still occur. In psychology, resilience is a well researched phenomenon that is considered a multidimensional construct where individual attributes, family aspects and social environment interact in aiding individuals to deal with vulnerability. There are many understandings and definitions of resilience based on theorists’ different perspectives; however, most agree that resilience is represented by a minimum of two aspects. The first is adversity and second, how the individual deals with adversity that demonstrates situational adaptation in a positive manner. The study is a work in progress and proposes the use of a recently developed Lifespan Resilience Scale. This scale will use resilience markers as an aid to National Security by providing vetting agencies with an additional tool for proactive intervention. The Lifespan Resilience Scale is currently undergoing reliability and validity testing within a student population. Once validated within this population, the scale will be adjusted and tested within the vetting environment using cross validated cohorts and expert opinion. Such a tool will assist National Security through better personnel risk management

Teaching and learning online for the first time: Student and coordinator perspectives

In recent years the higher education sector has moved towards the flexible delivery of individual units and entire courses. As a result, online delivery methods are becoming increasingly common. In this paper we describe students’ and unit-coordinators’ views concerning teaching and learning online for the first time in an introductory psychology unit. Using an action learning approach, views were ascertained through a focus group, messages posted on the online discussion boards, a survey, and coordinator reflections. The results indicate that the current online design of the unit does little to actively engage students in the learning process. We argue that transformation rather than adaptation of unit material to better suit the online environment is required. Facilitating the transformation of unit materials requires greater institutional support and ongoing professional development for teaching staff. In addition, it is recommended that a combined approach (online and face-to-face learning) may be more beneficial than online delivery only, especially for large undergraduate classes and during the transition year

Can sense of community inform social capital?

This paper examines the theoretical linkage between social capital and sense of community through research studies within four contextual areas. Social capital (SC) can be conceptualized as all the interactions between individuals in a community, and has been examined in various groups and communities. Sense of community (SoC) is a psychological construct that we argue is a correlate of social capital. Sense of community reflects the feelings of attachment and belonging that an individual has towards a community. Through qualitative and quantitative research carried out across the lifespan in four communities in Western Australia (i.e., Perth community, adolescent Jewish community, urban and rural communities, and primary school community), this paper utilizes SoC as a framework for investigating ways in which SC may be realized in communities. The significance of this paper highlights the practical application of increasing SC within communities through targeting SoC within individuals

Psychological resilience of Western Australian police officers: relationship between resilience, coping style, psychological functioning and demographics

This study examines the relationships between resilience, coping style, psychological functioning and the demographic variables of gender, age, rank and length of service in a sample of 285 Western Australian Police officers. Regression analysis indicated that resilience was predicted by greater use of rational coping and less use of emotional coping, but not psychological functioning. Increased age, rank and length of service were all correlated with significantly lower resilience scores. Significant differences in coping styles were found for all demographic variables. Implications of these findings and recommendations for future research are discussed

Preparing student paramedics for the mental health challenges of the profession by using the wisdom of the experienced

Given the significant mental health issues affecting our paramedics, there exists an urgent need to promote positive mental health and well-being among future cohorts of student paramedics.  This study investigated the preparedness of student paramedics for the mental health challenges of the profession and explored the coping strategies used by experienced paramedics.The study was conducted in two parts. Part A comprised of two surveys which were developed and administered to 16 course coordinators and 302 students of the 16 accredited undergraduate paramedicine courses across Australia and New Zealand. The survey aimed to identify the perceived need for preparation within the curriculum.  In addition, the anticipations, confidence and fears of student paramedics, Course Coordinators and paramedics were also collected as a means to explore the preparedness through self-evaluation, reflection and discussion.Part B included twenty semi-structured interviews with experienced paramedics, from Australia and New Zealand. The interviews were conducted to gain an understanding of their experiences and the mental health coping strategies they employed, as well as capture the advice they would give to student paramedics. Results from the interviews were validated by three focus groups comprised of six paramedics each, representative of the geographic spread.Results suggest there is widespread recognition for the need to include preparation for the mental health challenges of the profession, within accredited undergraduate paramedic courses, with 100% of course coordinators and 97% of students recognising this need.The interviews with paramedics provided valuable insights into the experiences and strategies used to aid the survival of the paramedics throughout their careers.  Within the interviews, 70% of participants expressed a sincere love for the paramedic role, and 70% identified black humour as the coping strategy most used by themselves and colleagues.  In addition, extensive advice was given to students based upon the paramedics’ lived experiences.  This advice comprised of three themes; support, health and the profession.   These findings were mapped against the aims of Australia’s current Mental Health Policy to provide evidence-based and policy-informed guidelines for the integration of positive mental health strategies into undergraduate paramedicine curricula.Preparing student paramedics for the mental health challenges of the profession could be advantageous.  One way to achieve this is through the inclusion of key content within the undergraduate curriculum by utilising the relatable data collected on anticipation, confidence, fears and the advice offered by the veteran paramedics can be integrated. These lived experiences are highly credible and an opportunity for veterans to contribute positively to the future of paramedicine

Physical activity: its implication on attention span and quality of life in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

This study examined the effects of physical activity on the attention span and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children in Singapore. Male participants (N = 12) aged 2-6 years, diagnosed with ASD were randomly assigned to either a physical activity or non-physical activity group. In the physical activity group, participants were administered 8 tri-cycling sessions; both groups of participants were measured for their attention span, and their parents completed the HRQoL questionnaires. Results indicate that as the exercise increases, the physical activity group demonstrated increasingly longer duration of attention span. These results extend the findings that physical activity enhances cognition of ASD children and support its consideration into the early intervention programs

Students with ASD in mainstream primary education settings: Teachers\u27 experiences in Western Australian classrooms

The shift to inclusive education within Australia has resulted in increasing numbers of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) being placed in mainstream educational settings. This move has created new demands on teachers who are not necessarily trained to meet the challenge. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop an understanding of how 12 Western Australian primary school (K-7) teachers adapted to the challenge of having a student with ASD in their mainstream classroom. Using an interpretivist framework, data from semistructured interviews revealed that teachers perceived a need to first recognise and accept the challenges associated with having a student with ASD in their mainstream classroom before they could move to accessing avenues of support. The implications of this finding are discussed