Enhancing School Retention: School and Community Linkages in Regional/Rural Western Australia. One of the most intractable issues confronting schools, communities and education systems in Australia, is how to create and sustain the conditions to retain young people for twelve years of schooling, particularly in regional/rural areas. This project will ethnographically map, investigate and describe a small number of schools and communities that have improved their levels of school retention. A Pr ....Enhancing School Retention: School and Community Linkages in Regional/Rural Western Australia. One of the most intractable issues confronting schools, communities and education systems in Australia, is how to create and sustain the conditions to retain young people for twelve years of schooling, particularly in regional/rural areas. This project will ethnographically map, investigate and describe a small number of schools and communities that have improved their levels of school retention. A Profile of Conditions Supporting Improved Retention will be developed and validated using an action research process. Finally, a set of materials focussing on the conditions promoting school retention, will be developed for wider use by schools and communities.Read moreRead less
When caring ends: Understanding and supporting informal care trajectories. This project aims to advance understandings of how, why, when, and for whom caring ends, including the socio-cultural and relational factors that shape experiences before, during, and after caring. Using an innovative, multi-method sociological approach, and foregrounding carers’ voices, this project expects to generate new knowledge on the meaning and experience of care and caring. This project is significant in bringing ....When caring ends: Understanding and supporting informal care trajectories. This project aims to advance understandings of how, why, when, and for whom caring ends, including the socio-cultural and relational factors that shape experiences before, during, and after caring. Using an innovative, multi-method sociological approach, and foregrounding carers’ voices, this project expects to generate new knowledge on the meaning and experience of care and caring. This project is significant in bringing together leading researchers and key carer-focused organisations, spanning service sectors and moving across care relationships, life stages and contexts. Expected outcomes include enhanced service capacity with tangible policy and practice benefits that will enable sustainable and fulfilling informal caring experiences.Read moreRead less
Exploring social innovations in urban water systems with a novel modelling approach. The project will investigate how wide reaching social renewal takes place in the urban water sector. With improved understanding of how social innovation works, the project will develop a computer model to assist decision-making under conditions of high uncertainty with systematic scenario analysis.
Unintended consequences? A sociological study of how social relations influence decisions about antibiotics. Professional decision-making can be difficult to influence, particularly in health contexts. Decisions are often not just about scientific evidence of best practice. Rather, decisions are heavily influenced by social context and the relationships that surround them. An 'antimicrobial perfect storm' is predicted to occur within the next two decades, in part due to poor antibiotic decision- ....Unintended consequences? A sociological study of how social relations influence decisions about antibiotics. Professional decision-making can be difficult to influence, particularly in health contexts. Decisions are often not just about scientific evidence of best practice. Rather, decisions are heavily influenced by social context and the relationships that surround them. An 'antimicrobial perfect storm' is predicted to occur within the next two decades, in part due to poor antibiotic decision-making, presenting a major threat to Australia. Using rigorous sociological research methods, this project aims to explore the social underpinnings of antibiotic decision-making, incorporating professional, lay and managerial perspectives. It aims to provide a means of understanding current practice and the barriers to enacting change.Read moreRead less
Towards an understanding of the relationship between creative capital and regional economic and employment development. The project aims to investigate the role of creative capital and creative industries in regional economic and employment development. It will critically examine strategies designed to foster innovation and creativity: developing and attracting the ?creative classes?, and fostering the connection of creative capacity across industry, business and cultural realms.
Country practices: an analysis of factors affecting the wellbeing of general practitioners and their families in rural and remote WA. This project will analyse relationships between (1) the shortage of general practitioners in rural and remote Western Australia and (2) the wellbeing of practitioners and their families. The study will use an appropriate sociological framework, together with data drawn primarily from participant observation and intensive interviewing. It will deepen our understand ....Country practices: an analysis of factors affecting the wellbeing of general practitioners and their families in rural and remote WA. This project will analyse relationships between (1) the shortage of general practitioners in rural and remote Western Australia and (2) the wellbeing of practitioners and their families. The study will use an appropriate sociological framework, together with data drawn primarily from participant observation and intensive interviewing. It will deepen our understanding of problems in attracting and retaining general practitioners to work in rural and remote communities, and of ways in which these problems might be addressed. Innovative aspects of the study include the use of ethnographic research methods and the inclusion of family members in the analysis.Read moreRead less
Social inclusion through community embedded, socially supported university education. Through the collaboration of community agencies and tertiary institutions this research project identifies key impacts of community embedded socially supported higher education upon enhancing the social inclusion of disadvantaged Australians. It identifies the educational and social support factors which contribute to the effectiveness of this strategy and the cost and benefits of this innovative educational pa ....Social inclusion through community embedded, socially supported university education. Through the collaboration of community agencies and tertiary institutions this research project identifies key impacts of community embedded socially supported higher education upon enhancing the social inclusion of disadvantaged Australians. It identifies the educational and social support factors which contribute to the effectiveness of this strategy and the cost and benefits of this innovative educational pathway to social inclusion for governments and the community. Read moreRead less
Investigating mismatches between Australian international graduate destinations and skill shortages. This project examines the extent to which Australias current skills shortage can be addressed by changes to the training and recruitment of international graduates from Australian universities. Australia does not employ its international graduates to the extent that other countries do (eg USA) despite the fact that these graduates have necessary professional skills, are familiar with Australian c ....Investigating mismatches between Australian international graduate destinations and skill shortages. This project examines the extent to which Australias current skills shortage can be addressed by changes to the training and recruitment of international graduates from Australian universities. Australia does not employ its international graduates to the extent that other countries do (eg USA) despite the fact that these graduates have necessary professional skills, are familiar with Australian culture and have studied in English. This project will inform the evidence base on the successful recruitment and employment of skilled international graduates into the professions. This study identifies the inhibiting factors and proposes solutions for universities, government, employers and graduates.Read moreRead less
Re-engaging disadvantaged young people with learning. Having significant numbers of young people, especially those from contexts of socio-economic disadvantage, not experiencing a satisfying and worthwhile education, is a personal, social and economic loss the nation can ill-afford. This research will provide insights into the impediments confronting these young people, the circumstances in which they re-engage with formal learning, and the benefits of having done so. This will enable new policy ....Re-engaging disadvantaged young people with learning. Having significant numbers of young people, especially those from contexts of socio-economic disadvantage, not experiencing a satisfying and worthwhile education, is a personal, social and economic loss the nation can ill-afford. This research will provide insights into the impediments confronting these young people, the circumstances in which they re-engage with formal learning, and the benefits of having done so. This will enable new policy and practice responses in the direction of reducing economic costs while seeking to ameliorate personal, health and social consequences. Reducing educational inequalities is one of the most salient ways of strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric.Read moreRead less
Exploring the experience of security in the Australian Vietnamese community: practical implications for policing. Effective policing in Victoria depends upon sensitive relations with complex communities, but police experience persistent difficulties in implementing community policing strategies with the Australian Vietnamese community. Vietnamese residents call for police action and protection from drug and gambling-related crime. However, police find it difficult to build effective communicati ....Exploring the experience of security in the Australian Vietnamese community: practical implications for policing. Effective policing in Victoria depends upon sensitive relations with complex communities, but police experience persistent difficulties in implementing community policing strategies with the Australian Vietnamese community. Vietnamese residents call for police action and protection from drug and gambling-related crime. However, police find it difficult to build effective communication and co-operation with a community that seems reticent and lacking in trust. This project explores solutions to these problems, drawing on qualitative research on attitudes, experience of security and insecurity, institutional culture and cultural understandings amongst both police and community members. Read moreRead less