Pathways to work engagement, wellbeing and positive teaching among mid-career teachers: The role of personal and workplace resources. Teaching is a highly demanding, yet rewarding career for many. It is also a decidedly stressful occupation associated with high burnout. By following a large sample of teachers recruited ten years earlier into their mid-career, this project investigates the coping and motivational resources that keep them engaged, allowing them to thrive personally and professiona ....Pathways to work engagement, wellbeing and positive teaching among mid-career teachers: The role of personal and workplace resources. Teaching is a highly demanding, yet rewarding career for many. It is also a decidedly stressful occupation associated with high burnout. By following a large sample of teachers recruited ten years earlier into their mid-career, this project investigates the coping and motivational resources that keep them engaged, allowing them to thrive personally and professionally in different kinds of school environments, versus pathways that predict to burnout, ill-being and negative teaching behaviours. Selected subgroups who were most at risk and most positively engaged earlier in their career will be the focus of longitudinal case studies to uncover more nuanced processes promoting positive and negative pathways.Read moreRead less
Social acceptability of forest management options: Landscape level visualisation and evaluation. Sustainable forest policy requires social acceptance. Prior research has investigated relative acceptability of options at a forest stand level. However, we have insufficient understanding of public acceptance of forest management systems implemented across the wider landscape. Only detailed knowledge of public reaction to social, environmental and economic impacts and the trade-offs involved can red ....Social acceptability of forest management options: Landscape level visualisation and evaluation. Sustainable forest policy requires social acceptance. Prior research has investigated relative acceptability of options at a forest stand level. However, we have insufficient understanding of public acceptance of forest management systems implemented across the wider landscape. Only detailed knowledge of public reaction to social, environmental and economic impacts and the trade-offs involved can reduce the divisive nature of the forest management debate. This project will use interactive, still and animated computer representations of landscapes to examine social acceptability of alternatives to clearfell harvesting. This knowledge will be integrated with biophysical data to improve management of forested landscapes.Read moreRead less
Acceptability of Forest Harvesting Systems. Fierce public debate over forest management has prompted forest agencies to develop and test alternative harvesting systems. This project will examine community response to these harvesting and regeneration options. It will avoid the biases of existing research by developing an interactive simulation of the forest environment that will allow participants to view visual, ecological and economic outcomes of harvest options, as well as changes over time ....Acceptability of Forest Harvesting Systems. Fierce public debate over forest management has prompted forest agencies to develop and test alternative harvesting systems. This project will examine community response to these harvesting and regeneration options. It will avoid the biases of existing research by developing an interactive simulation of the forest environment that will allow participants to view visual, ecological and economic outcomes of harvest options, as well as changes over time as forest regenerates. Public judgements of the acceptability of harvesting options will be integrated with the outcomes of related biophysical studies to identify socially and ecologically sustainable management options for Australian native forests.Read moreRead less
Incorporating contested social values into native forest management. This project aims to relate social values to forest management criteria and indicators, and to incorporate social values in ecological modelling of management scenarios. For agencies, like the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment, it will predict the likely ecological outcomes and public acceptance of diverse management scenarios.
Understanding the impact of missing family on forcibly displaced people. This project aims to investigate the psychological and social effects of having missing family on forcibly displaced people settled in Australia. This world-first project enlists a longitudinal mixed-method approach to compare those with missing family to those whose connections have been restored on key outcomes and coping strategies. Project outcomes will enhance the ability of Australian Red Cross and the International C ....Understanding the impact of missing family on forcibly displaced people. This project aims to investigate the psychological and social effects of having missing family on forcibly displaced people settled in Australia. This world-first project enlists a longitudinal mixed-method approach to compare those with missing family to those whose connections have been restored on key outcomes and coping strategies. Project outcomes will enhance the ability of Australian Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross to understand and support the needs of families of the missing. This should provide significant practice and policy benefits for Red Cross’ humanitarian work in restoring family links in Australia and worldwide.Read moreRead less
The social and cognitive functions of affect. Dealing with affective problems represents a major challenge in clinical, health, organisational and counselling psychology. Yet the role that affective states play in thinking, judgments and many everyday social behaviours remains poorly understood.. This project will produce direct national and community benefit by developing a new, integrative theory of affective influences on thinking and action, and exploring the functions and processing consequ ....The social and cognitive functions of affect. Dealing with affective problems represents a major challenge in clinical, health, organisational and counselling psychology. Yet the role that affective states play in thinking, judgments and many everyday social behaviours remains poorly understood.. This project will produce direct national and community benefit by developing a new, integrative theory of affective influences on thinking and action, and exploring the functions and processing consequences of affect in everyday settings. The real-life consequences of affect infusion in applied areas will also be explored. The project will also contribute to Australia's research capability by training doctoral and postdoctoral students, and fostering international research collaboration.Read moreRead less
Predicting health, well-being, and educational success in emerging adults: An 8 year longitudinal study. This project will inform the community about factors that affect the psychological, physical, academic, and employment outcomes of emerging adults. It will improve our knowledge of why some young people do not reach their full potential. The project will provide a comprehensive assessment of factors associated with well-being across several domains. It will better equip and assist professiona ....Predicting health, well-being, and educational success in emerging adults: An 8 year longitudinal study. This project will inform the community about factors that affect the psychological, physical, academic, and employment outcomes of emerging adults. It will improve our knowledge of why some young people do not reach their full potential. The project will provide a comprehensive assessment of factors associated with well-being across several domains. It will better equip and assist professionals to identify early those youth at risk of having poor psychological, health, and employment prospects post-school. The project will inform the development of intervention programs for young people and maximise their overall adjustment and well-being several years later.Read moreRead less
The development of feedforward mechanisms of motor control: The role of efference copy in motor skill development. Our work provides preliminary evidence that deficits in efference copy (or feedforward planning) underlie impaired motor skill development in children (or Developmental Coordination Disorder - DCD). The aim of this project is to advance our understanding of normal and abnormal motor development by examining this hypothesis in a large sample, longitudinally. We will examine variati ....The development of feedforward mechanisms of motor control: The role of efference copy in motor skill development. Our work provides preliminary evidence that deficits in efference copy (or feedforward planning) underlie impaired motor skill development in children (or Developmental Coordination Disorder - DCD). The aim of this project is to advance our understanding of normal and abnormal motor development by examining this hypothesis in a large sample, longitudinally. We will examine variations in the presentation of clumsiness, cognitive deficit(s) in different subtypes, and changes in presentation with age. We predict that deficits in efference copy will explain departures from normal motor skill development in most children. We also predict that imagery training will ameliorate the deficit.Read moreRead less
Development of rapid, online motor control in children. Movement is the primary means by which young children develop understanding of the world. The studies described in this project will provide important insights into the development of movement skill in children and the underlying causes of motor impairment. In particular we aim to understand how thought and action are coordinated in children, supporting the ability to perform more efficient movements. Hence, our work will inform the traini ....Development of rapid, online motor control in children. Movement is the primary means by which young children develop understanding of the world. The studies described in this project will provide important insights into the development of movement skill in children and the underlying causes of motor impairment. In particular we aim to understand how thought and action are coordinated in children, supporting the ability to perform more efficient movements. Hence, our work will inform the training and practice of movement educators and physical therapists, transcending some of the myths of clinical theory. This work will have important implications for identifying and training children at risk for motor impairment. Read moreRead less
A biopsychosocial model of exercise dependence, steroid use and disordered eating among adolescent boys. Recent evidence suggests that hazardous body change strategies adopted by adolescent boys are a major problem. This study validates a biopsychosocial framework to explain the development of exercise dependence, steroid and food supplement use, and disordered eating among at risk adolescent boys. A longitudinal experimental design will be employed. Late maturing boys, who are also less popular ....A biopsychosocial model of exercise dependence, steroid use and disordered eating among adolescent boys. Recent evidence suggests that hazardous body change strategies adopted by adolescent boys are a major problem. This study validates a biopsychosocial framework to explain the development of exercise dependence, steroid and food supplement use, and disordered eating among at risk adolescent boys. A longitudinal experimental design will be employed. Late maturing boys, who are also less popular with peers, are expected to demonstrate high body dissatisfaction, low self-esteem and high negative affect and maladaptive body change strategies. The result of this study will inform treatment programs for these behaviours.Read moreRead less