Speaking Greek in diaspora: language contact, survival, and maintenance. Australia is a highly multilingual and multicultural country, speaking several hundred different indigenous and immigrant languages across the nation. Greek is the second largest language spoken in Australia (the second largest country of Greek diaspora in the world). A systematic investigation of the Greek language spoken in Australia by various generations, and its comparison with Greek as spoken in critical locations in ....Speaking Greek in diaspora: language contact, survival, and maintenance. Australia is a highly multilingual and multicultural country, speaking several hundred different indigenous and immigrant languages across the nation. Greek is the second largest language spoken in Australia (the second largest country of Greek diaspora in the world). A systematic investigation of the Greek language spoken in Australia by various generations, and its comparison with Greek as spoken in critical locations in South America, will enhance cross-cultural understanding and communication within Australia and world-wide. The project will fortify the scientific and economic links with the European community already established by the National Centre for Hellenic Studies and Research, in terms of social and economic benefit.Read moreRead less
Improving engagement in learning and transition to mainstream schooling for newly-arrived Sudanese youth in the middle years of schooling. The 'new wave' of Sudanese refugees (48.3% of 2003 intake) with disrupted educational and social/emotional backgrounds is currently challenging Australian schools' expertise and resources. Using frameworks that draw on cultural theory, identity and language, the study will explore the social capital needs (skills and capacities, and resource needs) of Sudanes ....Improving engagement in learning and transition to mainstream schooling for newly-arrived Sudanese youth in the middle years of schooling. The 'new wave' of Sudanese refugees (48.3% of 2003 intake) with disrupted educational and social/emotional backgrounds is currently challenging Australian schools' expertise and resources. Using frameworks that draw on cultural theory, identity and language, the study will explore the social capital needs (skills and capacities, and resource needs) of Sudanese middle-schooling students enabling successful, productive and engaged transition from their on-arrival program into mainstream secondary schooling. The resulting model and web-based materials will provide a framework for educating other groups likely to follow from Africa/elsewhere, and meet the National Priority Goal: strengthening Australia's social fabric.Read moreRead less
Literature, Language and the Expression of Cultural Change in the Francophone Pacific. The proposal aims to analyse and document in monographs, critical editions, doctoral theses and other forms the evolution of linguistic and cultural change in the French Pacific through a comprehensive case study of the contemporary literature and press of New Caledonia. After years of civil unrest, stability was restored to this French Pacific Territory, a near neighbour of Australia, through the Matignon and ....Literature, Language and the Expression of Cultural Change in the Francophone Pacific. The proposal aims to analyse and document in monographs, critical editions, doctoral theses and other forms the evolution of linguistic and cultural change in the French Pacific through a comprehensive case study of the contemporary literature and press of New Caledonia. After years of civil unrest, stability was restored to this French Pacific Territory, a near neighbour of Australia, through the Matignon and Noumea Accords (1988, 1998).This has led to the emergence of new forms of cultural expression, particularly in literature, and a specific form of Pacific French, as part of a process of nation-building in New Caledonia.Read moreRead less
Participation in the administration of justice: deaf citizens as jurors. This project will pioneer international research on legal signed language interpreting and jury service; the results are likely to innovate law reform. The expected outcome will be to overturn previously held common law that deaf people cannot serve as jurors due to having an interpreter as the 13th person in the jury room as well as confidentiality issues.
Chinese imprint on Tasmania and consequent connnections with China. The project identifies and analyses Chinese cultural heritage in Tasmania and consequent connections with China. It will establish the veracity of life and work of Chinese settlers in Tasmania and of their descendants in China as a result. It will analyse Chinese traditional cultural values that underlined migrant motivation and behaviour patterns. Finally it will analyse how their connections with Tasmania influenced life of th ....Chinese imprint on Tasmania and consequent connnections with China. The project identifies and analyses Chinese cultural heritage in Tasmania and consequent connections with China. It will establish the veracity of life and work of Chinese settlers in Tasmania and of their descendants in China as a result. It will analyse Chinese traditional cultural values that underlined migrant motivation and behaviour patterns. Finally it will analyse how their connections with Tasmania influenced life of their descendants. The project will provide intellectual content for local community to establish Chinese aspect of cultural heritage and find a niche tourist market for affluent Chinese from where their ancestors came to Tasmania.Read moreRead less
Grey literature, policy innovation and access to knowledge: realising the value of informal publishing. This project examines the growth of informal research publishing, 'grey literature' in Australia, and the policies and practices that shape it. The project will make recommendations for producers, collecting institutions and policy-makers on how to maximise the considerable social and cultural benefit of 'grey literature'.
Meeting point: integrating Aboriginal and linguistics knowledge systems for description of contemporary revival languages in Australia. Past policies of assimilation have been extremely detrimental to the Aboriginal languages of many parts of Australia. As part of the process of healing from this past, many Aboriginal communities are moving to revive their languages. This research will support communities by developing an accessible and theoretically robust model of language revival which emerge ....Meeting point: integrating Aboriginal and linguistics knowledge systems for description of contemporary revival languages in Australia. Past policies of assimilation have been extremely detrimental to the Aboriginal languages of many parts of Australia. As part of the process of healing from this past, many Aboriginal communities are moving to revive their languages. This research will support communities by developing an accessible and theoretically robust model of language revival which emerges from their own as well as academic approaches to the subject. Practical outcomes will include clearer, more extensive and rigorous information available to Aboriginal communities and the linguists who work with them, and recommendations for optimal pathways for language revival which respond to the priorities and directions of the communities concerned.Read moreRead less
Speaking Hmong in diaspora: language contact, resilience, and change. The project aims to investigate the how the Hmong language survives in the diaspora, with special focus on how the language transforms itself depending on the environment it finds itself in. We focus on the structure and maintenance of Hmong within the immigrant community in North Queensland across several generations of speakers, within the context of multilingual repertoires involving Australian English and Lao. The outcomes ....Speaking Hmong in diaspora: language contact, resilience, and change. The project aims to investigate the how the Hmong language survives in the diaspora, with special focus on how the language transforms itself depending on the environment it finds itself in. We focus on the structure and maintenance of Hmong within the immigrant community in North Queensland across several generations of speakers, within the context of multilingual repertoires involving Australian English and Lao. The outcomes will reveal the processes and results of language change such as the emergence of a new blend of Green and White Hmong. The project will provide significant benefits for the maintenance of diasporic Hmong within a larger context of multilingual immigrant communities.Read moreRead less
Land, language and heritage. The project will produce full documentation (written, audiovisual and web form) of the Jirrbal tribe from north Queensland, dealing with traditional life and language, ancient and recent history and cultural adaptation. The project works towards the empowerment of Indigenous Australians, reaffirmation of their identity and sustainable use of traditional environment.
The Development of Creative Thinking Ability in TAFE Design Students. The aim is to develop an instructional framework as a conceptual basis for instruction aimed at TAFE design student use of imagery in creative thinking. The research addresses the challenges of recent post-compulsory education initiatives, which include a more specific focus on the development of creative problem-solving skills, but provide little guidance on instructional strategies. The research will synthesise the framewo ....The Development of Creative Thinking Ability in TAFE Design Students. The aim is to develop an instructional framework as a conceptual basis for instruction aimed at TAFE design student use of imagery in creative thinking. The research addresses the challenges of recent post-compulsory education initiatives, which include a more specific focus on the development of creative problem-solving skills, but provide little guidance on instructional strategies. The research will synthesise the framework from theories about cognitive processes, creative problem-solving and the use of mental imagery; and the results of an imagery training program and creative problem-solving interventions. The outcome will be an instructional framework for guiding the development of student creative thinking in design-based courses in TAFE.Read moreRead less