A RCT of an education reengagement program for at-risk youth. A RCT of an education reengagement program for at-risk youth. This project aims to determine the best and most cost-effective way to help 12–15 year olds re-engage with school when they become at-risk for dropping out, by conducting a gold-standard randomized-control trial. 20% of Australians fail to attain a Year 12 or equivalent certificate, often for preventable reasons. Dropouts are more likely to be unemployed, have psychological ....A RCT of an education reengagement program for at-risk youth. A RCT of an education reengagement program for at-risk youth. This project aims to determine the best and most cost-effective way to help 12–15 year olds re-engage with school when they become at-risk for dropping out, by conducting a gold-standard randomized-control trial. 20% of Australians fail to attain a Year 12 or equivalent certificate, often for preventable reasons. Dropouts are more likely to be unemployed, have psychological, social, and health problems, and end up in prison. This project could influence implementation of programmes and policy related to youth dropout, promote youth economic, social and physical wellbeing, and decrease their chance of committing crimes and becoming a social burden.Read moreRead less
Making Australia internationally competitive: driving educational attainment by academic motivation, self-concept, engagement and aspirations. This project will extend and test predictions from motivation theory about educational choice and attainment, using multiple large national/international databases and new statistical models. This will result in better strategies to meet government targets of increasing tertiary enrolments, particularly for disadvantaged students.
The role of social-emotional learning in attaining literacy and numeracy. This project aims to characterise variability in developmental pathways to literacy and numeracy, and the factors that contribute to this variation, utilising innovative analytical approaches and population data. This project expects to generate new knowledge regarding the role of school-based social-emotional learning programs in supporting children’s achievement of literacy and numeracy. Expected outcomes of the project ....The role of social-emotional learning in attaining literacy and numeracy. This project aims to characterise variability in developmental pathways to literacy and numeracy, and the factors that contribute to this variation, utilising innovative analytical approaches and population data. This project expects to generate new knowledge regarding the role of school-based social-emotional learning programs in supporting children’s achievement of literacy and numeracy. Expected outcomes of the project include enhanced collaboration with government to deliver policy-relevant information on the most effective targets and timing for delivering social-emotional programs that maximise academic learning. This should assist policy makers to develop better strategies to support every child’s academic achievement.Read moreRead less
Ageing and self-regulation. Australia is faced with an ageing population, and thus an increasingly important national goal is ageing well and ageing productively. Our preliminary research suggests that self-regulation may be a significant problem for older Australians. The proposed research will provide a clearer picture of when and why older adults have difficulties regulating their behaviour, and which older adults are particularly susceptible to lapses in self-control. If older adults do hav ....Ageing and self-regulation. Australia is faced with an ageing population, and thus an increasingly important national goal is ageing well and ageing productively. Our preliminary research suggests that self-regulation may be a significant problem for older Australians. The proposed research will provide a clearer picture of when and why older adults have difficulties regulating their behaviour, and which older adults are particularly susceptible to lapses in self-control. If older adults do have difficulties self-regulating, and if these self-regulation failures incur health, financial and social costs, by gaining a clearer understanding of this problem, the proposed research will take an important step in improving the lives of older Australians. Read moreRead less
Everyday cognition in older adulthood: Mechanisms contributing to the age-prospective memory paradox. Australia is faced with an ageing population, and thus an increasingly important goal is ageing well and ageing productively. The proposed research will clarify why older adults perform extremely well on prospective memory (PM) tasks based in everyday environments, but very poorly on PM tasks that take place in the controlled situation of the laboratory. Advancing our understanding of why this ....Everyday cognition in older adulthood: Mechanisms contributing to the age-prospective memory paradox. Australia is faced with an ageing population, and thus an increasingly important goal is ageing well and ageing productively. The proposed research will clarify why older adults perform extremely well on prospective memory (PM) tasks based in everyday environments, but very poorly on PM tasks that take place in the controlled situation of the laboratory. Advancing our understanding of why this 'paradoxical' pattern of age effects occurs will help clarify how other aspects of everyday cognition in older adulthood may be optimised, and consequently take an important step in improving the lives of older adults. The results will also inform development of rehabilitation strategies for clinical groups who present with PM difficulties. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0882345
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$650,000.00
Summary
A 3.0 Tesla MRI system for human cognitive neuroscience research. For the first time scientists are beginning to reveal the complex relationship between human brain function and behaviour. These advances have stemmed almost exclusively from the development of sophisticated brain scanning techniques that provide high-resolution images of physiological changes associated with perceptual, cognitive and motor behaviours. This application seeks support for a state-of-the-art scanner to obtain high-re ....A 3.0 Tesla MRI system for human cognitive neuroscience research. For the first time scientists are beginning to reveal the complex relationship between human brain function and behaviour. These advances have stemmed almost exclusively from the development of sophisticated brain scanning techniques that provide high-resolution images of physiological changes associated with perceptual, cognitive and motor behaviours. This application seeks support for a state-of-the-art scanner to obtain high-resolution images of the brain as healthy adults perceive, think, learn, remember and decide. The facility will enable Australian scientists to understand the complex links between brain and behaviour in health and disease.Read moreRead less
Ageing, Inhibition, and Social Control - steps towards improving the lives of older adults. Australia is faced with an ageing population, and thus an increasingly important national goal is ageing well and ageing productively. The proposed research will extend our preliminary findings on ageing and social inappropriateness to provide a clearer picture of when and why this occurs, and among whom. The proposed research will also examine the mental and physical health consequences of social inappro ....Ageing, Inhibition, and Social Control - steps towards improving the lives of older adults. Australia is faced with an ageing population, and thus an increasingly important national goal is ageing well and ageing productively. The proposed research will extend our preliminary findings on ageing and social inappropriateness to provide a clearer picture of when and why this occurs, and among whom. The proposed research will also examine the mental and physical health consequences of social inappropriateness longitudinally. If cognitive losses do lead to social losses, with attendant negative health consequences, by gaining a clearer understanding of this problem, the proposed research will take an important step in improving the lives of older adults.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0882219
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$100,000.00
Summary
Infrastructure for an integrated cognitive neurophysiological research facility: Mapping the neurobiology of memory and language. The Integrated Cognitive Neurophysiological Research Facility will enhance Australia's national research capacity in cognitive neuroscience by enabling large numbers of researchers and graduate students to investigate the neuroscience of memory and language in a collaborative, multi-disciplinary research environment. The facility will deliver national benefits by unco ....Infrastructure for an integrated cognitive neurophysiological research facility: Mapping the neurobiology of memory and language. The Integrated Cognitive Neurophysiological Research Facility will enhance Australia's national research capacity in cognitive neuroscience by enabling large numbers of researchers and graduate students to investigate the neuroscience of memory and language in a collaborative, multi-disciplinary research environment. The facility will deliver national benefits by uncovering the ways in which areas of the brain are used to remember events and process language. This information can then be used to understand how damage to the brain (such as in stroke or disease) can disrupt memory and language and subsequently lead to more effective neurorehabilitation techniques.Read moreRead less
Structured Writing Tasks: Examination of the process of change as indicated by cognitive-behavioural models of trauma. Research demonstrates that structured writing about past upsetting experiences is beneficial for physical and psychological health. The aim of this study is to identify the process of change responsible for these benefits. Three processes, based on trauma theory, have been identified (exposure, devaluation, and benefit-finding) and are manipulated within the writing paradigm. T ....Structured Writing Tasks: Examination of the process of change as indicated by cognitive-behavioural models of trauma. Research demonstrates that structured writing about past upsetting experiences is beneficial for physical and psychological health. The aim of this study is to identify the process of change responsible for these benefits. Three processes, based on trauma theory, have been identified (exposure, devaluation, and benefit-finding) and are manipulated within the writing paradigm. This study will test these processes in predicting future health benefits. It will increase the effectiveness of the writing paradigm for the general population, provide manualised variations of the writing paradigm based on trauma theory, examine patient-matching variables, and provide a base to conduct research in clinical populations.Read moreRead less