Healing The Past By Nurturing The Future: Learning How To Identify And Support Indigenous Parents Who Have Experienced Complex Childhood Trauma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,193,719.00
Summary
Complex childhood trauma causes profound and long-lasting effects on physical, social and emotional wellbeing, which can be triggered during the transition to parenthood and impede the capacity of parents to nurture their children. The transition offers a unique opportunity for healing and preventing intergenerational transmission of trauma. This project co-designs and evaluates acceptability and feasibility of screening and support for Indigenous parents experiencing complex trauma.
How The Lateral Habenula Integrates Behavioral And Autonomic Functions: The VTA Dopamine Connection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$819,904.00
Summary
When adverse events occur, the lateral habenula, an old brain nucleus, helps calculate the wisest corrective action by contributing to the “brake” that controls the brain’s dopamine reward system. Our research will show how the lateral habenula links corrective changes in behavior with coordinated changes in temperature. Understanding this link will greatly contribute to understanding the brain mechanisms that regulate our physiology during stressful situations and as part of mental illness.
Many heart diseases are associated with impairment of energetics of the heart. Improving the heart's energetics can lead to improved survival and long-term outcomes. Perhexiline is a heart medication that works by improving the way the heart uses energy. Although effective, it is associated with long-term toxicities. Better understanding of this medication may lead to less adverse effects and also provide a basis for further investigation of drug development in the future.
The Kids in Communities Study: national investigation of community level effects on children's developmental outcomes. This project (a cross-disciplinary collaboration) will investigate community level factors influencing early childhood developmental outcomes using a mixed methods approach in up to 10 communities across Australia. This will result in a potential set of measures or indicators that reflect communities that are good for children.
Settlement outcomes of Syrian-conflict refugee families in Australia. This project aims to focus on the policy responses to, and settlement outcomes for, Syrian-conflict refugee families in Australia with an emphasis on employment and education. The Syrian conflict has generated an unprecedented flow of refugees across Europe and other countries, including Australia. These countries face new challenges in providing successful settlement outcomes for the refugees. Utilising a longitudinal study o ....Settlement outcomes of Syrian-conflict refugee families in Australia. This project aims to focus on the policy responses to, and settlement outcomes for, Syrian-conflict refugee families in Australia with an emphasis on employment and education. The Syrian conflict has generated an unprecedented flow of refugees across Europe and other countries, including Australia. These countries face new challenges in providing successful settlement outcomes for the refugees. Utilising a longitudinal study of 250 refugee families and fieldwork in key areas of high refugee settlement in NSW, Victoria and Queensland, this project will generate comparative insights to identify policy and program responses that lead to the most successful settlement outcomes. Improved employment, education and settlement outcomes for refugees will have economic, social and cultural benefits for Australian society and improve the quality of life of refugees.Read moreRead less
Keeping the best: how school leaders engage and retain high quality early career teachers. This project will investigate how school leaders use micropolitical strategies to engage and retain high quality early career teachers. It will develop a framework for school leaders to guide policies and practices to keep the best early career teachers in the profession.
Pursuing equity in high poverty rural schools: improving learning through rich accountabilities. Poor performance of students in schools located in high poverty communities is a pressing educational problem for Australia, with educational disadvantage in poor rural communities in particular demanding amelioration. The evidence suggests the equity and quality of schooling outcomes are centrally important to the nation's economic future, the strength of Australian democracy, social inclusion and a ....Pursuing equity in high poverty rural schools: improving learning through rich accountabilities. Poor performance of students in schools located in high poverty communities is a pressing educational problem for Australia, with educational disadvantage in poor rural communities in particular demanding amelioration. The evidence suggests the equity and quality of schooling outcomes are centrally important to the nation's economic future, the strength of Australian democracy, social inclusion and a unified nation. In strengthening policy and practice knowledge about educative usage of performance data and the development of rich forms of accountability, the research will advance the academic literature and provide an evidence base for success of the national partnership on low socio-economic status schools.Read moreRead less
Punish them or engage them? Identifying and addressing productive and unproductive student behaviours in South Australian schools. This project will provide a contemporary understanding of productive and unproductive student behaviour, which is a key educational concern in Australia. Evidence will be obtained to inform educational decisions to engage and promote positive student behaviour and improve academic achievement.
Are the kids alright? Understanding the wellbeing of Australian children in their middle years. This project will produce the first comprehensive national stock-take of wellbeing among Australian children in their middle years, with a special focus on children who experience disadvantage. Findings will reflect children's views and experiences, have direct policy relevance and lay the groundwork for comparing and monitoring of child wellbeing.
Educational leadership and turnaround literacy pedagogy. This project will provide new ways of thinking about school reform for improving literacy achievement in high poverty contexts. The project will examine the ways in which new forms of educational leadership are developing in South Australian public schools and its effects on school culture, pedagogy and student literacy learning.