Creative culture: The development of innovative research practices in science, technology and art. The proposed research will contribute to our understanding of the factors and conditions conducive to scientific, technological and artistic innovations. Australian governments and industries devote hundreds of millions of dollars annually to support scientific research and artistic projects. An understanding of how creativity can be fostered and maintained is therefore important for the appropria ....Creative culture: The development of innovative research practices in science, technology and art. The proposed research will contribute to our understanding of the factors and conditions conducive to scientific, technological and artistic innovations. Australian governments and industries devote hundreds of millions of dollars annually to support scientific research and artistic projects. An understanding of how creativity can be fostered and maintained is therefore important for the appropriate use of such resources. The project will contribute directly to the goal of "promoting an innovation culture and economy" under the National Research Priority framework, as it focuses on the organisational processes and socialisation techniques that favour a culture of creativity among researchers in science, technology and art.Read moreRead less
Examining the impact of employment on social relationships in urban communities. Intra-community relationships are associated with positive health outcomes for communities and residents by increasing social support, promoting engagement and encouraging community belonging. Community health outcomes are also linked to community socio-economic disadvantage suggesting that strengthened community relationships can potentially reduce socio-economic disparities in health. However, first an understan ....Examining the impact of employment on social relationships in urban communities. Intra-community relationships are associated with positive health outcomes for communities and residents by increasing social support, promoting engagement and encouraging community belonging. Community health outcomes are also linked to community socio-economic disadvantage suggesting that strengthened community relationships can potentially reduce socio-economic disparities in health. However, first an understanding of the complex effects of employment on forming and sustaining community relationships is needed. This research will provide policy makers with evidence to better balance and address objectives of increasing employment, strengthening community and improving health by taking into account their interdependencies.Read moreRead less
Globally Engaged? Responses to Neoliberal Globalisation among Family Farmers in Australia. The pursuit of free trade regimes often requires significant adjustment at the farm level, which can carry high costs, both for farm families and governments in the payment of farm adjustment monies. Presently, there is little understanding about how Australian farmers think about and act under the conditions of a neoliberal, globally competitive world market. The project provides a unique insight into the ....Globally Engaged? Responses to Neoliberal Globalisation among Family Farmers in Australia. The pursuit of free trade regimes often requires significant adjustment at the farm level, which can carry high costs, both for farm families and governments in the payment of farm adjustment monies. Presently, there is little understanding about how Australian farmers think about and act under the conditions of a neoliberal, globally competitive world market. The project provides a unique insight into the effects of, and responses to, these conditions among farmers. It will contribute to the international scholarship on globalisation and rural studies and will assist governments develop policies more sensitive to farmers' needs. It will also be the starting point for comparable research projects internationally.
Read moreRead less
Speed, Time and the Political Process in Australia. The project represents the first empirically-based study to research the traditional processes of political decision-making from the perspective of time and speed in the context of economic globalisation and the networked society. A clearer understanding of how political processes function in a globally-networked setting will provide valuable insight into how well the fundamental, politically grounded, aspects of Australian life and culture are ....Speed, Time and the Political Process in Australia. The project represents the first empirically-based study to research the traditional processes of political decision-making from the perspective of time and speed in the context of economic globalisation and the networked society. A clearer understanding of how political processes function in a globally-networked setting will provide valuable insight into how well the fundamental, politically grounded, aspects of Australian life and culture are functioning. This unique perspective will form the basis of an incisive method of applying 'time-awareness' not only to the political process, but to the many national/community sectors across Australian society that depend upon responsible and effective decision-making practices.Read moreRead less
Rethinking women's depression through narratives of recovery and wellbeing. This research project explores the growing problem of depression for women in Australia from a new angle. It investigates how rural and urban women at different life stages talk about their own experiences of recovery from depression and what helped to improve their emotional wellbeing. By considering the social and gendered context of women's depression this project will contribute to a broader evidence base for preven ....Rethinking women's depression through narratives of recovery and wellbeing. This research project explores the growing problem of depression for women in Australia from a new angle. It investigates how rural and urban women at different life stages talk about their own experiences of recovery from depression and what helped to improve their emotional wellbeing. By considering the social and gendered context of women's depression this project will contribute to a broader evidence base for prevention policies and treatment practices. It will also enable different ways of approaching women's depression amongst health professionals, families and communities.Read moreRead less
Sampling Gay Men: Testing Methodological Alternatives in a Minority Population. This project will systematically assess the efficacy and appropriateness of five separate techniques for the recruitment of gay and homosexually active men in Australia. The project will use the data from the Australian Study of Health and Relationships to assess the representativeness of the samples obtained. Using theoretical considerations of the inter-relationship of identity, attraction and practice, the suitabi ....Sampling Gay Men: Testing Methodological Alternatives in a Minority Population. This project will systematically assess the efficacy and appropriateness of five separate techniques for the recruitment of gay and homosexually active men in Australia. The project will use the data from the Australian Study of Health and Relationships to assess the representativeness of the samples obtained. Using theoretical considerations of the inter-relationship of identity, attraction and practice, the suitability of recruitment strategies for research projects addressing key elements of gay men's health will be assessed. As a by-product of the sampling exercise, a description of the key health concerns of gay and homosexually active men will be developed. Read moreRead less
Understanding Online Gender: Structures and Use of Computer Mediated Communication and its Social Environments. The project uses participant observation of the Internet mailing list Cybermind, to explore the dynamics and effects of gender online. Users of the list will be followed through their everyday interactions, and through their experience of other online forums, to see how these effects vary.
Presentation of gender in personal Web pages will also be investigated, as will patterns of e ....Understanding Online Gender: Structures and Use of Computer Mediated Communication and its Social Environments. The project uses participant observation of the Internet mailing list Cybermind, to explore the dynamics and effects of gender online. Users of the list will be followed through their everyday interactions, and through their experience of other online forums, to see how these effects vary.
Presentation of gender in personal Web pages will also be investigated, as will patterns of exploration of the Web.
Results will help the design of Internet communication structures, by government and business, which are supportive of both multi-gendered communication and use of the World Wide Web, given variations in topic and social function.Read moreRead less
The Quality of Part-Time Employment in Australia: Dimensions, Prospects and Policy. Part-time employment is an important and growing phenomenon in Australia, as in most OECD countries. While research has focused on the quantity of part-time employment, the key dimension of quality has been neglected. This project will develop a sophisticated conceptual framework for assessing the quality of part-time employment, drawing on cross-national comparisons and using a gender systems approach. It will ....The Quality of Part-Time Employment in Australia: Dimensions, Prospects and Policy. Part-time employment is an important and growing phenomenon in Australia, as in most OECD countries. While research has focused on the quantity of part-time employment, the key dimension of quality has been neglected. This project will develop a sophisticated conceptual framework for assessing the quality of part-time employment, drawing on cross-national comparisons and using a gender systems approach. It will produce a comprehensive and practical assessment of the quality of part-time employment in Australia, including two detailed industry case studies. Finally, the project will evaluate the main policy paths for improving the quality of part-time employment.Read moreRead less
Precision and the person: a sociological study of innovation in cancer care. This project aims to investigate the social implications of the turn toward ‘precision’ medicine as articulated in cancer care where it has its strongest foothold. The project intends to examine the evolving social impacts of ‘precision’ across the life course for cancer patients, their carers and health professionals drawing on social and political theory. Expected outcomes include a unique evidence-base that will info ....Precision and the person: a sociological study of innovation in cancer care. This project aims to investigate the social implications of the turn toward ‘precision’ medicine as articulated in cancer care where it has its strongest foothold. The project intends to examine the evolving social impacts of ‘precision’ across the life course for cancer patients, their carers and health professionals drawing on social and political theory. Expected outcomes include a unique evidence-base that will inform practice and policy frameworks, and offer an urgently needed community perspective on the evolution and value of precision in medicine. This project will generate a range of social, economic and health policy benefits and impacts.Read moreRead less
Teacher identity and the challenge of the socially critical curriculum: The case of Health & Physical Education. The focus of this research project is upon how the teacher identity might influence the possibilities for curriculum reform in Health and Physical Education. In particular we are interested in the interplay between the embodied identity of HPE teachers and the socially critical agenda of the new HPE curriculum. The project aims to gain an understanding of how prospective and practisin ....Teacher identity and the challenge of the socially critical curriculum: The case of Health & Physical Education. The focus of this research project is upon how the teacher identity might influence the possibilities for curriculum reform in Health and Physical Education. In particular we are interested in the interplay between the embodied identity of HPE teachers and the socially critical agenda of the new HPE curriculum. The project aims to gain an understanding of how prospective and practising HPE teachers construct their teacher identities, and of the extent of their commitment to the emancipatory and life politics (Giddens, 1991) discourses that underpin the new HPE curriculum. Findings will be of direct significance for policy-makers and curriculum reformers in the field of Health and Physical Education.Read moreRead less