Preventive health care: how compatible are clinicians' identity and practice with transition to the new roles that health reform requires? This project is designed to assess how health care workers cope with the various impacts of health reform and to explore ways of enhancing their preparedness for and commitment to these reforms, particularly as these reforms herald new roles, responsibilities and expectations. The significance of the project lies in the way it links reform to the in situ enac ....Preventive health care: how compatible are clinicians' identity and practice with transition to the new roles that health reform requires? This project is designed to assess how health care workers cope with the various impacts of health reform and to explore ways of enhancing their preparedness for and commitment to these reforms, particularly as these reforms herald new roles, responsibilities and expectations. The significance of the project lies in the way it links reform to the in situ enactment of clinical practice and reflection through video-recording and practitioner auto-review. The project's outcomes include increased understanding of: the tension between situated practice and reform; employee commitment to the interactive implications of reform, and video-based research as individual and organizational change methodology.Read moreRead less
Anchoring preventive health care to positive learning: an exploration of local methods of organising and improving clinical practices. Safe health care is the most important treatment factor for patients and families. This project focuses on how clinical professionals achieve quality and safety in their daily practices, by investigating their team processes and communications. The project produces methods and approaches for enhancing the social, organisational and clinical conducts that best rea ....Anchoring preventive health care to positive learning: an exploration of local methods of organising and improving clinical practices. Safe health care is the most important treatment factor for patients and families. This project focuses on how clinical professionals achieve quality and safety in their daily practices, by investigating their team processes and communications. The project produces methods and approaches for enhancing the social, organisational and clinical conducts that best realise high quality and safe care.Read moreRead less
Emotion in voice matters: Advancing a neural model of auditory emotion perception. Accurate perception of emotion in others is fundamental for positive social relationships, and speaking is the most common source of information from which a person will infer emotional intent. This project capitalises on recent advances in brain imaging technologies to develop a neural theory of vocal emotion perception that integrates research across neuro-cognitive, affective, and language disciplines. This wi ....Emotion in voice matters: Advancing a neural model of auditory emotion perception. Accurate perception of emotion in others is fundamental for positive social relationships, and speaking is the most common source of information from which a person will infer emotional intent. This project capitalises on recent advances in brain imaging technologies to develop a neural theory of vocal emotion perception that integrates research across neuro-cognitive, affective, and language disciplines. This will put Australia at the forefront of an important emerging research field 'social neuroscience', raising our international profile in this area. Findings will provide the theoretical knowledge that is currently lacking in the development of targeted remediation programs for individuals suffering from social communication problems.Read moreRead less
Success and failure in second language learning (SLL). Why do some people succeed in learning a second language to very high levels and others fail miserably despite the fact that both groups may have set out with similarly positive attitudes and high levels of motivation? This research project focuses on the social contexts in which second language learning takes place. It aims to provide an insider account of what it is like to be a successful or unsuccessful L2 user. It will describe the ling ....Success and failure in second language learning (SLL). Why do some people succeed in learning a second language to very high levels and others fail miserably despite the fact that both groups may have set out with similarly positive attitudes and high levels of motivation? This research project focuses on the social contexts in which second language learning takes place. It aims to provide an insider account of what it is like to be a successful or unsuccessful L2 user. It will describe the linguistic and discursive resources language learners have access to, and the ways in which such access is structured in the communities they participate in.Read moreRead less
The role of emotion and social cognition in communication disorders. Social neuroscience is a rapidly emerging field that has identified the frontal systems of the brain as critical to social cognition, i.e. the ability to process specifically social information. Communication disorders also arising from frontal lobe damage are directly relevant to this field but have been ignored to date. This project represents cutting edge research putting Australia at the forefront in this endeavour. Not ....The role of emotion and social cognition in communication disorders. Social neuroscience is a rapidly emerging field that has identified the frontal systems of the brain as critical to social cognition, i.e. the ability to process specifically social information. Communication disorders also arising from frontal lobe damage are directly relevant to this field but have been ignored to date. This project represents cutting edge research putting Australia at the forefront in this endeavour. Not only is this research theoretically important but it is directly relevant to clinical management and remediation of the thousands of people in Australia who suffer brain injury annually and who suffer psychosocial disorders as a result. Read moreRead less
Enacting Reconciliation: Negotiating Meaning in Youth Justice Conferencing. 'Restorative justice' initiatives like youth justice conferencing are aimed at strengthening the social fabric by making sure the voices of victims are heard while giving offenders a genuine opportunity to 'set things right' and get back on track with their lives. More detailed research into the way participants use language and other communicative modes will help the convenors of conferences, and the trainers of conveno ....Enacting Reconciliation: Negotiating Meaning in Youth Justice Conferencing. 'Restorative justice' initiatives like youth justice conferencing are aimed at strengthening the social fabric by making sure the voices of victims are heard while giving offenders a genuine opportunity to 'set things right' and get back on track with their lives. More detailed research into the way participants use language and other communicative modes will help the convenors of conferences, and the trainers of convenors, to understand better the potential of this social healing process. This project will also add to Australia's reputation as a world-leader in the field of restorative justice.Read moreRead less
Towards a social theory of semiotic technology: Exploring PowerPoint's design and its use in higher education and corporate settings. PowerPoint has become the dominant technology for designing and delivering presentations in many important settings and skills in the use of PowerPoint have become essential for professional and academic success. This study will investigate the use of PowerPoint in higher education and corporate settings in order to discover what these skills are and how the desig ....Towards a social theory of semiotic technology: Exploring PowerPoint's design and its use in higher education and corporate settings. PowerPoint has become the dominant technology for designing and delivering presentations in many important settings and skills in the use of PowerPoint have become essential for professional and academic success. This study will investigate the use of PowerPoint in higher education and corporate settings in order to discover what these skills are and how the design of PowerPoint supports or hinders the achievement of a range of communicative purposes. The study will provide guidelines for evaluating and improving the design and use of PowerPoint and other, similar presentation software.Read moreRead less