Youth Gangs: The Australian Experience. Little systematic research has been undertaken in Australia into the nature and activities of youth gangs. The aim of this project is to provide a national study of youth group formations, processes of group transformation (toward or away from gangs), and strategies the might be employed to curtail gang formation and gang-related behaviour. The study will involve interviews with young people in each capital city, and focus group discussions with youth serv ....Youth Gangs: The Australian Experience. Little systematic research has been undertaken in Australia into the nature and activities of youth gangs. The aim of this project is to provide a national study of youth group formations, processes of group transformation (toward or away from gangs), and strategies the might be employed to curtail gang formation and gang-related behaviour. The study will involve interviews with young people in each capital city, and focus group discussions with youth service providers in each city. The research methods draw upon the instruments presently being developed by the Eurogang Research Network in order to facilitate cross-national comparisons. It will be the first national study of its kind, and will provide new conceptual insights into the character of youth group formation in Australia, baseline youth gang data, and analysis of possible intervention strategies.
Read moreRead less
Predicting health, well-being, and educational success in emerging adults: An 8 year longitudinal study. This project will inform the community about factors that affect the psychological, physical, academic, and employment outcomes of emerging adults. It will improve our knowledge of why some young people do not reach their full potential. The project will provide a comprehensive assessment of factors associated with well-being across several domains. It will better equip and assist professiona ....Predicting health, well-being, and educational success in emerging adults: An 8 year longitudinal study. This project will inform the community about factors that affect the psychological, physical, academic, and employment outcomes of emerging adults. It will improve our knowledge of why some young people do not reach their full potential. The project will provide a comprehensive assessment of factors associated with well-being across several domains. It will better equip and assist professionals to identify early those youth at risk of having poor psychological, health, and employment prospects post-school. The project will inform the development of intervention programs for young people and maximise their overall adjustment and well-being several years later.Read moreRead less
Challenges, Possibilities and Future Directions: A National Assessment of Australia's Children's Courts. Children's Courts occupy a unique position in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems in responding to often marginalized delinquent youth and vulnerable children and families. Philosophical and structural shifts in Australia and overseas suggest community and legal system responses are often ineffective and contribute to longer-term problems, creating social challenges for governments ....Challenges, Possibilities and Future Directions: A National Assessment of Australia's Children's Courts. Children's Courts occupy a unique position in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems in responding to often marginalized delinquent youth and vulnerable children and families. Philosophical and structural shifts in Australia and overseas suggest community and legal system responses are often ineffective and contribute to longer-term problems, creating social challenges for governments and communities alike. This national study will examine how key stakeholders, including, significantly, judicial officers, view the Children's Court's contemporary responses and challenges, their preferred alternatives responses and the viability of suggested reforms, thus offering a unique contribution to informing legal and social policy change.Read moreRead less
Developing Evidence Based Strategies For Addressing Childhood Vaccination Rejection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$743,927.00
Summary
Parental rejection of vaccines is a global concern that threatens to undermine disease control. A lack of evidence hampers the responses to this complex and persistent problem. We will interview parents who don’t vaccinate their children to learn what influences their decisions. We will then hold community juries and a public engagement process to refine strategies for responding to vaccination rejection that are acceptable to a well informed citizenry, practical and ethically justified.
Young children's world-making through music: Young children's identity construction in and through music. The research addresses the National Research Priority Goal of "A Healthy Start to Life" by providing new information on music's role in generating positive mental health and well-being outcomes for young children with a focus on their construction of identity in and through music. This research will impact on early childhood policy and practices in child-care and early learning settings. It ....Young children's world-making through music: Young children's identity construction in and through music. The research addresses the National Research Priority Goal of "A Healthy Start to Life" by providing new information on music's role in generating positive mental health and well-being outcomes for young children with a focus on their construction of identity in and through music. This research will impact on early childhood policy and practices in child-care and early learning settings. It will inform the development of programs that build strong self-identity, contribute to the emotional health of young children, and promote the social engagement of young children, factors that are foundational to subsequent success in formal schooling.Read moreRead less
Integrating teachers’ knowledge and affect to improve mathematics teaching and raise attainment. Mathematics teachers need to know their subject and how to teach it and need passion for the discipline and for inspiring their students to love it. They must believe that their students can learn mathematics and set high academic expectations for all of them. Knowledge and beliefs must be addressed in order to improve teaching, but exactly how can this be done? This project aims to build on existin ....Integrating teachers’ knowledge and affect to improve mathematics teaching and raise attainment. Mathematics teachers need to know their subject and how to teach it and need passion for the discipline and for inspiring their students to love it. They must believe that their students can learn mathematics and set high academic expectations for all of them. Knowledge and beliefs must be addressed in order to improve teaching, but exactly how can this be done? This project aims to build on existing work to develop theoretical insights that will lead to innovative approaches towards teacher change based on the integration of teacher knowledge and affect.Read moreRead less
The effects of maternal attachment, marital satisfaction and sensitivity to infants on infants attachment and adjustment: A longitudinal-structural equation study. This study will examine how family and attachment factors effect the adjustment of infant at 24 months of age. A longitudinal study, using structural equation method, will examine how maternal attachment and marital satisfaction when infants are 4 months of age will effect maternal parenting behaviors two months later, and how all thr ....The effects of maternal attachment, marital satisfaction and sensitivity to infants on infants attachment and adjustment: A longitudinal-structural equation study. This study will examine how family and attachment factors effect the adjustment of infant at 24 months of age. A longitudinal study, using structural equation method, will examine how maternal attachment and marital satisfaction when infants are 4 months of age will effect maternal parenting behaviors two months later, and how all three of these measures will effect infant attachment 6 months later. It will then examine how all four of these measures will effect the adjustment of infants 12 months later. The study will have important implications for early intervention and prevention of psychological problems in infants and children.Read moreRead less
Does binocular vision training enhance literacy among primary school children with poor reading? One in ten Australian children can not read well despite adequate intelligence and opportunity. This project aims to find out the extent that these reading problems reflect poor binocular vision (the eyes not working well together) and evaluate new treatments.
Talking Maths: Bridging the gap through talk in Early Years mathematics . The study aims to address the gap in mathematical performance in Australia in relation to socioeconomic status (SES) by focusing on language and learning in mathematics. The study will design and evaluate a school-based intervention that positions language through talk as a key resource in teaching mathematics in Grades 1 and 2. Outcomes of the study will be empirical evidence of the effect of a language-based pedagogy on ....Talking Maths: Bridging the gap through talk in Early Years mathematics . The study aims to address the gap in mathematical performance in Australia in relation to socioeconomic status (SES) by focusing on language and learning in mathematics. The study will design and evaluate a school-based intervention that positions language through talk as a key resource in teaching mathematics in Grades 1 and 2. Outcomes of the study will be empirical evidence of the effect of a language-based pedagogy on young students' achievement in mathematics and further understanding of the relationship between talk and learning. These outcomes will inform policy and teacher education and have a long lasting impact on low SES students' educational and work opportunities with ultimate impact on economic and cultural prosperity.
Read moreRead less
Individual, social and physical environmental influences on children's active transport and independent mobility. Childhood obesity is likely to have significant economic and social impacts on Australian society. Preventing further increases in this disease is crucial, particularly among children at high risk such as those living in rural or disadvantaged areas. The promotion of behaviours such as active transport may have a significant benefit for public health; however little is known about wh ....Individual, social and physical environmental influences on children's active transport and independent mobility. Childhood obesity is likely to have significant economic and social impacts on Australian society. Preventing further increases in this disease is crucial, particularly among children at high risk such as those living in rural or disadvantaged areas. The promotion of behaviours such as active transport may have a significant benefit for public health; however little is known about what influences active transport among children in rural or disadvantaged areas. This study will identify important factors influencing active transport and will directly inform strategies aiming to promote health and wellbeing, thereby creating a healthier generation of Australian children.Read moreRead less