Embodied Virtues and Expertise. The Project will provide a theoretical framework for understanding expertise. Crucially, the framework will provide an account that explains the motivation of experts, and allows for the virtues of experts to be analysed and promoted. The framework will thus fill a perceived gap in professional pedagogical disciplines such as Education, Nursing Education, and Medicine, in which the concept of expertise is central, but for which an adequate theoretical framework of ....Embodied Virtues and Expertise. The Project will provide a theoretical framework for understanding expertise. Crucially, the framework will provide an account that explains the motivation of experts, and allows for the virtues of experts to be analysed and promoted. The framework will thus fill a perceived gap in professional pedagogical disciplines such as Education, Nursing Education, and Medicine, in which the concept of expertise is central, but for which an adequate theoretical framework of expertise is lacking. Academics and practitioners from these disciplines will participate in conferences and workshops run under the Project.Read moreRead less
Integrating between-person and within-person approaches to personality in the workplace. Personality tests are used to predict well being and productivity at work and are often used for personnel decisions within organisations in developed countries, including Australia. The treatment of personality as a fixed set of traits that produce similar responses across situations ignores human variability across situations which is needed for design of interventions to make humans happier and more effec ....Integrating between-person and within-person approaches to personality in the workplace. Personality tests are used to predict well being and productivity at work and are often used for personnel decisions within organisations in developed countries, including Australia. The treatment of personality as a fixed set of traits that produce similar responses across situations ignores human variability across situations which is needed for design of interventions to make humans happier and more effective at work. The results of tests of the integrated model of personality will be used to design interventions for the development of responses that lead to greater well being and effectiveness of managers in work settings.Read moreRead less
Context, Judgement and Informal Learning at Work: An Investigation of Factors Crucial for Enhancing Performance. This project investigates learning that enables people to perform well the demanding aspects of their occupations. Detailed case studies of critical incidents in a range of workplaces will be constructed and the learning or otherwise by key players involved in these incidents will be elucidated and analysed. These findings will test and refine a theory of learning at work that concept ....Context, Judgement and Informal Learning at Work: An Investigation of Factors Crucial for Enhancing Performance. This project investigates learning that enables people to perform well the demanding aspects of their occupations. Detailed case studies of critical incidents in a range of workplaces will be constructed and the learning or otherwise by key players involved in these incidents will be elucidated and analysed. These findings will test and refine a theory of learning at work that conceptualises it, at its best, as a growing capacity to make appropriate context-sensitive judgements. Developing a sound theory of workplace learning is very important because, though it is currently a major policy focus, received theories are of limited explanatory value.Read moreRead less
Risk Management using Agent-Based Virtual Environments. Since September 11, terrorism and its prevention has been high on the agenda of modern governments. On reflection, there were many signs that could have alerted US government officials to what was about to transpire and saved many lives. But much of the knowledge needed to detect and handle such situations can not be learnt from a book. Many things we need to experience in order to learn. This project combines the investigators' expertise i ....Risk Management using Agent-Based Virtual Environments. Since September 11, terrorism and its prevention has been high on the agenda of modern governments. On reflection, there were many signs that could have alerted US government officials to what was about to transpire and saved many lives. But much of the knowledge needed to detect and handle such situations can not be learnt from a book. Many things we need to experience in order to learn. This project combines the investigators' expertise in knowledge based, agent based and natural language fields to produce an interactive virtual environment for the user to engage with.Read moreRead less
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
The Making of Creative Artists. This project is designed to examine how creativity is developed among artists. Through analysing the experience of five groups of artists (from undergraduate students to established practitioners), it investigates subjects' conceptions of creativity and the creative processes emergent within their practice. Using a theoretical framework based on Pierre Bourdieu and refined by one of the chief investigators (Chan), the project employs a longitudinal research desig ....The Making of Creative Artists. This project is designed to examine how creativity is developed among artists. Through analysing the experience of five groups of artists (from undergraduate students to established practitioners), it investigates subjects' conceptions of creativity and the creative processes emergent within their practice. Using a theoretical framework based on Pierre Bourdieu and refined by one of the chief investigators (Chan), the project employs a longitudinal research design to examine the development of creativity among novices. Contrasted against a background of orthodox literature in creativity research the project breaks new ground in explaining the role of creativity in the sociology of occupations.Read moreRead less
Precarious employment and health: new knowledge, new solutions. This study examines why insecure forms of employment, such as casual work and self-employment, are usually associated with poorer health than more secure employment. The aim is to identify causes of these adverse effects and to develop policy and practice interventions to minimise them.
Tranquillising Work Stress: Corporate Climate and Antidepressant Use. This national project will investigate the plausible link between distress at work and Australia’s high levels of antidepressant use, through creative linkage of data from the Australian Workplace Barometer (10-year longitudinal study) to antidepressant medication data (via the national Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme). The project advances theory by probing the role corporate climate plays in work design, distress, mental hea .... Tranquillising Work Stress: Corporate Climate and Antidepressant Use. This national project will investigate the plausible link between distress at work and Australia’s high levels of antidepressant use, through creative linkage of data from the Australian Workplace Barometer (10-year longitudinal study) to antidepressant medication data (via the national Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme). The project advances theory by probing the role corporate climate plays in work design, distress, mental health problems and antidepressant use. It will determine if antidepressant use has led to an underestimation of work stress effects. It will estimate the $AUD cost of work related antidepressant use. The project will yield evidence to stimulate corporate climate change to protect worker psychological health and wellbeing.Read moreRead less
Sleepy and sitting: a dual curse for the modern workforce? This project aims to generate new knowledge about the impact of inadequate sleep and prolonged sitting on health markers and performance. Many workers, particularly those working outside standard hours, experience both prolonged sitting and inadequate sleep. Expected outcomes of this project include critical evidence to address the dual burden experienced by a large population of workers who are both sleepy and sitting. This should provi ....Sleepy and sitting: a dual curse for the modern workforce? This project aims to generate new knowledge about the impact of inadequate sleep and prolonged sitting on health markers and performance. Many workers, particularly those working outside standard hours, experience both prolonged sitting and inadequate sleep. Expected outcomes of this project include critical evidence to address the dual burden experienced by a large population of workers who are both sleepy and sitting. This should provide significant benefits for the many working Australians whose health and safety is compromised due to their exposure to inadequate sleep and prolonged sitting. It will also contribute to the evidence-base for workplace policies and public health guidelines.Read moreRead less
Climate Change and Burden of Disease: Current Risk and Future Burden. Climate change has had a negative impact on human health. However, few studies have assessed burden of diseases (BOD) for these climate-sensitive/heat attributable diseases. We will generate the first national picture of the climate attributable BOD in Australia, measured in Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALY), the attribution from climate, and project future BOD under various climatic/demographic change scenarios. This proje ....Climate Change and Burden of Disease: Current Risk and Future Burden. Climate change has had a negative impact on human health. However, few studies have assessed burden of diseases (BOD) for these climate-sensitive/heat attributable diseases. We will generate the first national picture of the climate attributable BOD in Australia, measured in Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALY), the attribution from climate, and project future BOD under various climatic/demographic change scenarios. This project will rank Australian climate-sensitive/heat attributable diseases by their current burden and projected increase under climate changes, and provide needed scientific evidence to policy-makers in the development, prioritization and implementation of current and future climate change and health adaptation strategies. Read moreRead less