Health and resilience in the preschool years: An innovative approach to early intervention. Given the prevalence of psychopathology in childhood, it is essential that we maximise the effectiveness of early intervention (EI). Drawing on theory and research highlighting the marked influence, on cognitive and socio-emotional development, of particular kinds of parent-child discussions about past experiences, this project aims to foster preschooler's achievement of key developmental tasks (emergent ....Health and resilience in the preschool years: An innovative approach to early intervention. Given the prevalence of psychopathology in childhood, it is essential that we maximise the effectiveness of early intervention (EI). Drawing on theory and research highlighting the marked influence, on cognitive and socio-emotional development, of particular kinds of parent-child discussions about past experiences, this project aims to foster preschooler's achievement of key developmental tasks (emergent literacy, emotion knowledge, attachment) by training parents and children in effective conversational styles. The research will (i) develop an innovative, theoretically-driven approach to EI, (ii) test this approach in clinical and nonclinical populations, and (iii) provide a strong test of social interaction theories of development.Read moreRead less
On feeling good and succeeding: Identifying the antecedents of emotional well-being and school success amongst adolescents. We propose a multi-wave longitudinal study of all high school students in the Wollongong Catholic Diocese, identifying the psychological predictors of academic and emotional problems. We will track students and monitor the influence over time of a comprehensive set of predictors, examining their unique effects on the trajectories of educational and emotional outcomes. The s ....On feeling good and succeeding: Identifying the antecedents of emotional well-being and school success amongst adolescents. We propose a multi-wave longitudinal study of all high school students in the Wollongong Catholic Diocese, identifying the psychological predictors of academic and emotional problems. We will track students and monitor the influence over time of a comprehensive set of predictors, examining their unique effects on the trajectories of educational and emotional outcomes. The study will inform us about the developmental processes through which youth pass, leading to a new model of the psychological processes involved in academic and emotional outcomes. This model will enhance future intervention programmes with youth at risk of academic and emotional problems.Read moreRead less
Practical methods to evaluate school breakfast programs. This innovative project will provide a doctoral student with the opportunity to develop in-depth academic research within the practical constraints of field-based program evaluation. The candidate will develop a practical methodology to evaluate community-based programs, specifically school breakfast programs in New South Wales. The outcome of the project will be an evaluation protocol, set of tools and reporting proforma that can be appli ....Practical methods to evaluate school breakfast programs. This innovative project will provide a doctoral student with the opportunity to develop in-depth academic research within the practical constraints of field-based program evaluation. The candidate will develop a practical methodology to evaluate community-based programs, specifically school breakfast programs in New South Wales. The outcome of the project will be an evaluation protocol, set of tools and reporting proforma that can be applied by volunteers and teachers to evaluate school breakfast programs. The research process undertaken by the candidate also will be applicable to the development of evaluation methodologies of a range of community-based programs.Read moreRead less
Youth off the streets (YOTS): Rehabilitating at-risk youth and young offenders through responsive service learning programs. Young people involved in substance abuse and delinquency are a major economic and social cost to Australia. Although numerous crime prevention strategies have been developed for working with at-risk, homeless, substance abusing and delinquent young people, few have been adequately evaluated and outcomes are poor. Almost none reflect contemporary knowledge in theories of a ....Youth off the streets (YOTS): Rehabilitating at-risk youth and young offenders through responsive service learning programs. Young people involved in substance abuse and delinquency are a major economic and social cost to Australia. Although numerous crime prevention strategies have been developed for working with at-risk, homeless, substance abusing and delinquent young people, few have been adequately evaluated and outcomes are poor. Almost none reflect contemporary knowledge in theories of adolescent development. This research will develop an innovative intervention based on Service Learning relevant to other diversion programs within Juvenile Justice and an industry model for long-term sustainable program evaluation. We will also develop an intervention model relevant to other organisations with similar aims and budgetary constraints.Read moreRead less
Fitting in and making friends: The psycho-social underpinnings of children's adaptation to school. This project has four areas of national benefit: It will provide vital information for researchers, educators and clinicians about the psycho-social processes underpinning children's social integration within the classroom; Key factors that assist in school transition will be identified, thus presenting the opportunity for early identification of children at risk of social exclusion; This work will ....Fitting in and making friends: The psycho-social underpinnings of children's adaptation to school. This project has four areas of national benefit: It will provide vital information for researchers, educators and clinicians about the psycho-social processes underpinning children's social integration within the classroom; Key factors that assist in school transition will be identified, thus presenting the opportunity for early identification of children at risk of social exclusion; This work will facilitate the extension of existing models of School Readiness and child-school transition, and contribute to Australia's international profile for conducting influential and cutting-edge research. Given the involvement of research students, this research will promote future research directions of upcoming Australian researchers.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354736
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$30,000.00
Summary
Families, Law and Social Policy Research Network. The Federal Government's Family Law Pathways Advisory Group recommended that a national research agenda be developed for family law and social policy that focuses on the separation and divorce transition. For many families Commonwealth private family law and the public law of child protection and domestic violence, provides the setting in which this transition takes place. The proposed multidisciplinary network brings together researchers, policy ....Families, Law and Social Policy Research Network. The Federal Government's Family Law Pathways Advisory Group recommended that a national research agenda be developed for family law and social policy that focuses on the separation and divorce transition. For many families Commonwealth private family law and the public law of child protection and domestic violence, provides the setting in which this transition takes place. The proposed multidisciplinary network brings together researchers, policy makers and service providers in this area. Benefits include research better targeted to the needs of end-users, a stronger evidence base for complex practice, decreased fragmentation of research effort, and a base for research training.Read moreRead less
Identity, Belonging and Citizenship in urban and regional Australia. This project examines a sense of identity, and belonging in relation to citizenship among young people in urban and regional Australia. The project will examine what it means to be an individual, and to have a sense of belonging, and what it means to be an Australian. The project will show where understandings are common to adolescents and young adults. An additive model is proposed of the personal and social identities that a ....Identity, Belonging and Citizenship in urban and regional Australia. This project examines a sense of identity, and belonging in relation to citizenship among young people in urban and regional Australia. The project will examine what it means to be an individual, and to have a sense of belonging, and what it means to be an Australian. The project will show where understandings are common to adolescents and young adults. An additive model is proposed of the personal and social identities that are particular to urban and regional areas of Australia, that have discrete historical, gendered, social and economic foundations. Innovative methodologies integrate implicit and explicit attitudes as aspects of self knowledge. The project therefore contributes to a new contextualized understanding of Australian identity, democracy and citizenship.
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