Cost effective smart identification of early attentional problems associated with literacy and numeracy indicators in preschool children. The benefits of this project are improved early identification of children at-risk of failure, and initiation of a significant longitudinal Australian educational database. Identifying children with emergent learning problems will promote interventions to improve achievement leading to a more productive adult life. The development and administration of screeni ....Cost effective smart identification of early attentional problems associated with literacy and numeracy indicators in preschool children. The benefits of this project are improved early identification of children at-risk of failure, and initiation of a significant longitudinal Australian educational database. Identifying children with emergent learning problems will promote interventions to improve achievement leading to a more productive adult life. The development and administration of screening procedures with software distributed to schools and analysed with increasing power as the database expands, will enable the predictive validity of the process to be examined re-iteratively. The generated longitudinal student databases will have the potential to track both detection and intervention effectiveness, and become a national research asset.Read moreRead less
Comparing racism in Australian and Canada. Surveys of racist attitudes in Australia and Canada present a unique opportunity for comparative analysis. This project will demonstrate the central influence of place and context to attitudes to and experiences of racism. International comparative assessments of racism are rare. Comparable key concepts will be agreed, e.g.: attitudes towards cultural diversity and national identity; extent and experience of racism; multicultural policies. Overall findi ....Comparing racism in Australian and Canada. Surveys of racist attitudes in Australia and Canada present a unique opportunity for comparative analysis. This project will demonstrate the central influence of place and context to attitudes to and experiences of racism. International comparative assessments of racism are rare. Comparable key concepts will be agreed, e.g.: attitudes towards cultural diversity and national identity; extent and experience of racism; multicultural policies. Overall findings and spatial variations will be compared, aiming at publication in international journals. It will strengthen a significant relationship between geographers in Sydney and Vancouver. International recognition of the Sydney-based research cluster on racism will be enhanced.Read moreRead less
On-Line Identity, Interpersonal Relationships And Society. This project will provide a thoroughgoing account of the implications of the communication context provided by the Internet for the development of our identity as persons and as a society. Its significance is grounded in the fact that the context of our communication with others significantly affects the kind of relationships we develop and so the sort of person and society we become. The Internet has now emerged as a central communicati ....On-Line Identity, Interpersonal Relationships And Society. This project will provide a thoroughgoing account of the implications of the communication context provided by the Internet for the development of our identity as persons and as a society. Its significance is grounded in the fact that the context of our communication with others significantly affects the kind of relationships we develop and so the sort of person and society we become. The Internet has now emerged as a central communication context through which our professional, business and personal lives are pursued.Read moreRead less
Education reform and social transformation in rural China. This project will increase Australian understanding of China's transformation from a rural, agricultural nation into an urban industrialized one. It will also build a collaboration between the Australian National University and the Shandong Academy of Social Sciences, which will facilitate the ability of Australian postgraduate students to undertake field research in China.
Negotiating the minefield: Social conventions surrounding group criticism and their role in explaining defensiveness. People often describe the delivery of group criticism as a 'minefield', because of the potential for mistrust, hostility and defensiveness. When it comes to group criticism, being right is not enough; one must also obey certain conventions that are designed to minimize hurt and denial. In this project we explore for the first time what these 'rules of engagement' are, and what t ....Negotiating the minefield: Social conventions surrounding group criticism and their role in explaining defensiveness. People often describe the delivery of group criticism as a 'minefield', because of the potential for mistrust, hostility and defensiveness. When it comes to group criticism, being right is not enough; one must also obey certain conventions that are designed to minimize hurt and denial. In this project we explore for the first time what these 'rules of engagement' are, and what this means for those who wish to promote positive change in groups. This will have applied implications in that it will help provide specific recommendations regarding how to negotiate sensitive issues within a range of cultural, national, and corporate groups.Read moreRead less
Social Capital and Sustainable Development: An International Study. A collaborative international study of social capital and sustainability in local communities will address the following objectives: 1. to characterize the properties of networks that generate social capital and of network formation; and 2. to analyze the mechanisms by which social capital contributes to sustainable development. The project will involve intensive comparative case studies of five communities, three in Canada and ....Social Capital and Sustainable Development: An International Study. A collaborative international study of social capital and sustainability in local communities will address the following objectives: 1. to characterize the properties of networks that generate social capital and of network formation; and 2. to analyze the mechanisms by which social capital contributes to sustainable development. The project will involve intensive comparative case studies of five communities, three in Canada and two in Australia. Within each case community, an intensive qualitative and quantitative analysis will be conducted of the theorized mechanisms for the development of social capital and its mobilization for reconciliation of the ecological, economic and social imperatives required for sustainable development.
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Determining global and regional conservation priorities for biodiversity hotspots. The economic wealth of both Australia and Israel is underpinned by biological diversity - for example the remarkable biological diversity of both countries fuels multimillion-dollar tourism industries. We will devise methods to make better decisions about where to invest conservation dollars amongst the biodiversity 'hotspots' of the Mediterranean ecosystems of the world. We will create and test new theory and to ....Determining global and regional conservation priorities for biodiversity hotspots. The economic wealth of both Australia and Israel is underpinned by biological diversity - for example the remarkable biological diversity of both countries fuels multimillion-dollar tourism industries. We will devise methods to make better decisions about where to invest conservation dollars amongst the biodiversity 'hotspots' of the Mediterranean ecosystems of the world. We will create and test new theory and tools for incorporating into decision making the effect of processes such as climate change and invasion by alien species, which will help reduce the huge detrimental impacts on social, economic, health and human-well being. We will share the results of our work with decision makers and with the public.Read moreRead less
Economics, politics and culture in early post-independence Indonesia. Recent events in East Timor have highlighted the problems faced by new states after the initial honeymoon following independence is over. By examining the experience of Indonesia in the 1950s from the longer perspective of the 21st century, this project aims to better understand the significance of apparently simple but highly significant decisions made in the first years after decolonization and comparable major regime chang ....Economics, politics and culture in early post-independence Indonesia. Recent events in East Timor have highlighted the problems faced by new states after the initial honeymoon following independence is over. By examining the experience of Indonesia in the 1950s from the longer perspective of the 21st century, this project aims to better understand the significance of apparently simple but highly significant decisions made in the first years after decolonization and comparable major regime changes.Read moreRead less
Contemporary Chinese transnationalism from an international perspective: Australia and France compared. The recent focus on terrorism and security has heightened concerns that migrant transnational linkages affect social and political security. The project will help understanding of the transnational ties of Chinese and other migrants through comparison of their international social, economic, and faith-based practices and relationships. One aim is to assess whether common negative perceptions ....Contemporary Chinese transnationalism from an international perspective: Australia and France compared. The recent focus on terrorism and security has heightened concerns that migrant transnational linkages affect social and political security. The project will help understanding of the transnational ties of Chinese and other migrants through comparison of their international social, economic, and faith-based practices and relationships. One aim is to assess whether common negative perceptions about transnationalism are accurate. Also examined is the capacity for such stereotypes to cause resistance among migrants and the strategies available to policy makers to overcome such responses with their potentially destabilising impact on the host societies and their security;Read moreRead less
Race and gender stereotypes on the brain: The case of emotion expression. Australia is a multicultural, multiethnic society in which people from different backgrounds interact every day. Successful interaction among persons from different backgrounds requires a mutual understanding of the manner in which emotions are expressed and perceived as emotions are a central part of any interaction. The current project will investigate whether there are systematic biases in the manner in which emotions ....Race and gender stereotypes on the brain: The case of emotion expression. Australia is a multicultural, multiethnic society in which people from different backgrounds interact every day. Successful interaction among persons from different backgrounds requires a mutual understanding of the manner in which emotions are expressed and perceived as emotions are a central part of any interaction. The current project will investigate whether there are systematic biases in the manner in which emotions are expressed and perceived within and across ethnic groups. It will rely on objective indices to achieve this aim, measures of the electrical activity of the brain. Read moreRead less