A socio-cultural analysis of eating disorders among pre-teen boys and girls. This project tackles the tough question of why there has been a dramatic increase in eating disorders amongst very young boys and girls by examining the social conditions of children's lives in contemporary Australia. The findings will provide important information for policy makers, educators and clinicians working with children and families.
The invisible parents project - exploring the barriers to effective parental and community involvement in three Northern Territory Schools. Education outcomes in the Northern Territory, particularly for Indigenous students, lag far behind those of other Australians, to the point that the situation can be considered a national emergency. This research program will explore ways to improve parental involvement. This will inform the Smith Family's efforts to undertake early intervention for children ....The invisible parents project - exploring the barriers to effective parental and community involvement in three Northern Territory Schools. Education outcomes in the Northern Territory, particularly for Indigenous students, lag far behind those of other Australians, to the point that the situation can be considered a national emergency. This research program will explore ways to improve parental involvement. This will inform the Smith Family's efforts to undertake early intervention for children who are at risk of education failure. It will provide benefits to the rural and regional communities who feed schools in Darwin and Katherine and provide national benefits through making a significant contribution of anthropologically-informed knowledge on the determinants of successful school outcomes.Read moreRead less
A critical analysis of the increase in diagnosis of special educational needs in New South Wales government schools. Enhancing the ability of schools to respond to students with diverse needs has been shown to reduce student disengagement and early leaving. This research will identify ways to achieve this important goal, while reducing incentives for schools to label and segregate students who experience difficulty in schools and with learning. This will have long term benefits not only for indi ....A critical analysis of the increase in diagnosis of special educational needs in New South Wales government schools. Enhancing the ability of schools to respond to students with diverse needs has been shown to reduce student disengagement and early leaving. This research will identify ways to achieve this important goal, while reducing incentives for schools to label and segregate students who experience difficulty in schools and with learning. This will have long term benefits not only for individual students, but for communities and for the nation as a whole. The project will contribute to the Commonwealth government's national agenda linking positive educational outcomes to successful employment, broader economic participation, and enhanced social inclusion.Read moreRead less
Mobile Me: Young People, Sociality and the Mobile Phone. The project tests and reinforces child-centred, participatory research practices and outcomes. It underlines the NSW Commission for Children and Young People's commitment to investigating contemporary problems and opportunities for young people, and to formulating appropriate policy responses. The project is designed to elicit and interpret young people's and pre-teen's views on their communicative environment, and to understand the mechan ....Mobile Me: Young People, Sociality and the Mobile Phone. The project tests and reinforces child-centred, participatory research practices and outcomes. It underlines the NSW Commission for Children and Young People's commitment to investigating contemporary problems and opportunities for young people, and to formulating appropriate policy responses. The project is designed to elicit and interpret young people's and pre-teen's views on their communicative environment, and to understand the mechanisms through which social relationships, information conduits, and knowledge networks are built and sustained. The dissemination of the findings will bring young people, educationalists and industry players into a productive dialogue on the benefits and dangers of this pervasive technology.Read moreRead less
'Digital Natives': Growing up with new and old media in Australia. Developing a sophisticated digital literacy is important for both the future of children, the cultural, social and economic well-being of the nation. Digital literacy requires not only communications infrastructure but targeted investment in human skills. Investing in the development of a digitally literate Australian population has become an explicit means for promoting the future economic and social well-being of the nation. Th ....'Digital Natives': Growing up with new and old media in Australia. Developing a sophisticated digital literacy is important for both the future of children, the cultural, social and economic well-being of the nation. Digital literacy requires not only communications infrastructure but targeted investment in human skills. Investing in the development of a digitally literate Australian population has become an explicit means for promoting the future economic and social well-being of the nation. The information provided by this project has the potential to contribute significantly to giving children 'a healthy start to life' in their early years. Read moreRead less
Sailing into the Future: Training Australia's digital generation for the future demands of the new economy. The Young Endeavour tall ship in association with the Department of Navy provides a team-building and skill development training scheme for all Australian youth. The purpose of the training is to provide young people with life-long skills; to provide a positive experience that will resonate through the adult life of those who sail on the ship, and to prepare these individuals for a future ....Sailing into the Future: Training Australia's digital generation for the future demands of the new economy. The Young Endeavour tall ship in association with the Department of Navy provides a team-building and skill development training scheme for all Australian youth. The purpose of the training is to provide young people with life-long skills; to provide a positive experience that will resonate through the adult life of those who sail on the ship, and to prepare these individuals for a future that is always and already undergoing changes both enconomic and social. The purpose of this research project is to ensure that the aims of the Young Endeavour Youth Scheme are met, and to create a long-term planning strategy that will improve and expand the work of the training scheme in anticipation of the next 10 years.
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Improving Australia's response to childhood obesity: prevention education and its impact on mothers and families. This project will generate new and more considered approaches to childhood obesity prevention, and in turn ensure future investment of public funds in this area best supports children's health.
Women's concepts, beliefs and practices related to the health of their infants and young children: a sociological study. It has been frequently argued that parents should take responsibility for promoting optimal health and development in their children. Little is known, however, about how parents of infants and young children conceptualise 'good health' in relation to their children, what steps they take to promote optimal health and development, how they make decisions about these steps, what ....Women's concepts, beliefs and practices related to the health of their infants and young children: a sociological study. It has been frequently argued that parents should take responsibility for promoting optimal health and development in their children. Little is known, however, about how parents of infants and young children conceptualise 'good health' in relation to their children, what steps they take to promote optimal health and development, how they make decisions about these steps, what sources of information they use, what difficulties they may encounter and what help they need. Insights into these phenomena derived from the proposed project have the potential to inform policy and programs directed at promoting and maintaining good health in the early years of life.Read moreRead less
Social, Economic, and Health Benefits of Vaccinating Children in Day Care Centres against Influenza. Young children are frequently hospitalised for influenza. Infected children are also highly likely to transmit to child and adult contacts resulting in additional hospitalisations, and medical visits constituting a major societal and economic burden. Other social impacts include parental and day care staff work absence, and grandparental illness. Using a highly scientific approach to vaccinating ....Social, Economic, and Health Benefits of Vaccinating Children in Day Care Centres against Influenza. Young children are frequently hospitalised for influenza. Infected children are also highly likely to transmit to child and adult contacts resulting in additional hospitalisations, and medical visits constituting a major societal and economic burden. Other social impacts include parental and day care staff work absence, and grandparental illness. Using a highly scientific approach to vaccinating children against influenza in preschool settings, we will determine the social and economic benefits to families and industry: employers of parents, and importantly the growing child-care industry.Read moreRead less
Social transformation and international migration in the 21st century. Understanding the factors that shape international migration is crucial for Australia, because planned immigration remains a cornerstone of policy, yet traditional assumptions on the predominance of permanent settlement and the geographical controllability of movement are losing their validity. This project will help create the social scientific tools for new approaches to understanding migration and diversity at the global, ....Social transformation and international migration in the 21st century. Understanding the factors that shape international migration is crucial for Australia, because planned immigration remains a cornerstone of policy, yet traditional assumptions on the predominance of permanent settlement and the geographical controllability of movement are losing their validity. This project will help create the social scientific tools for new approaches to understanding migration and diversity at the global, regional and national levels. It will help Australian governments and civil society address new challenges in this field. It will also contribute to developing a highly-trained workforce for fundamental research on migration and social transformation. Read moreRead less