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This paper explores the application of Constructivist Grounded Theory (C-GT) methodology for social work research. First, it argues that C-GT methodology is well aligned with social work as the two value the individual in the context of their environmental influences. Both also prioritise the importance of respecting and valuing the participant or individual, seeing their perspective as unique and significant. Finally, this research methodology's systematic yet flexible guidelines align with social work ethics, which also focus on the importance of professional integrity. The paper then provides an example of a C-GT PhD study in relation to an area of social work practice, that is, stability in statutory kinship care in Queensland, Australia. The paper details the specific recruitment and sampling of participants, data collection and coding analysis examples from the PhD study. The examples evidence the relevance of C-GT methodology and its application for research in the area of social work practice, specifically statutory kinship care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A stand-alone strangulation offence was introduced in Queensland, Australia in 2016. One of the elements of the Queensland strangulation offence is that the victim did not consent to the strangulation. This paper reviews the harms and dangers associated with strangulation before overviewing the debates about the use of strangulation during sex. Drawing on focus group discussions conducted with domestic violence support workers and men's behaviour change workers, we discuss four overlapping themes identified in the discussions. These were perceptions that: strangulation during sex is normalised; consent is not informed; it happens in the context of coercive control; and the requirement of consent opens a loophole in the strangulation offence. Considering the issues raised, and the clear risks and harms, we suggest that consideration should be given to whether it is ever possible to consent to strangulation and we consider possible reforms such as following the two-tiered approaches to consent used in the England and Wales law and elsewhere in Australia. We also conclude that law reforms such as these are partial solutions and there is significant need for more community education about the risks and harms of strangulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) police liaison programs were established around Australia from the late 1980s onwards to ameliorate discriminatory relationships between LGBTIQ people and police. With specialized training to better understand LGBTIQ issues, police liaison officers can provide support to LGBTIQ people as victims, offenders, or witnesses. Interestingly, very few LGBTIQ people seek support from these officers, even though many know they exist. This paper reports the results of a survey of a sample of LGBTIQ community members across two Australian states (Queensland and New South Wales) that explored why LGBTIQ people seek support from LGBTI police liaison officers. An online questionnaire asked LGBTIQ people about their perceptions of, and experiences with, police generally, and LGBTI police liaison officers specifically. Similar to past research, our analysis primarily found high levels of awareness of liaison officers, but very few participants accessed them. Further, and concerningly, the participants were generally reluctant to seek them out for support. Key implications of our findings for policy and practice development in police and LGBTIQ community services are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small tourism businesses are essential to Australia's economy and development, particularly in regional and rural areas, where a majority of these firms are located. It is important to understand the operation of regional small tourism business, to create strategies for their sustained success into the future. This research paper explores collaboration as an operation of small tourism businesses, by understanding the extent to which small tourism firms face challenges in collaborating at different stages of their business life cycle, and how these challenges to collaboration can be overcome. Collaboration is the selected concept examined within this study as it exposes businesses to shared knowledge, resources, marketing, and capabilities, which these businesses alone would not typically possess. To understand this further, reponses about collaborative behavior were gathered from 24 small tourism operators/managers from The Granite Belt region in South-East Queensland, Australia. Tourism operators recognized several hindrances to successful collaboration: (1) a limited understanding of what collaboration is and how it can be enacted, (2) the informal nature of current collaborations, (3) unbalanced efforts from stakeholders within the collaborations, (4) competition between stakeholders, (5) differing opinions of collaborating businesses, and (6) perceived failure or misdirected leadership from local governing bodies. Using these challenges, a framework was developed that makes recommendations to tourism scholars, organizations, operators, and local councils on how to overcome these hindrances by improving communication, formalizing selected collaborative efforts, and reporting on collaborations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge-based development strategies play an important role in supporting local economic development of cities in the knowledge era. This paper investigates local knowledge-based urban development policies of Brisbane, Australia in its long journey to become a competitive knowledge city. The paper examines Brisbane's recent progress towards establishing knowledge community precincts that are critical creative urban environments to attract and retain global investment and talent. This paper also discusses major challenges Brisbane is experiencing during the implementation of its state- and city-wide knowledge-based urban development strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Illuminating the physical difficulties experienced by hotel room attendants in delivering service quality at five-star hotels on the Gold Coast region of South East Queensland, Australia, our research was founded on socialist-feminist and critical theory epistemologies. In-depth interviews were conducted with a sample of 46 hotel room attendants. We used a qualitative, social-constructivist, grounded theory methodology to render the empirical material into a basic social structural process of tasking. Tasking offers a conceptual framework of room attendants' daily employment experiences as they transform hotel rooms to prescribed standards. Tasking illustrates the high physical demands placed on room attendants, tantamount to exploitation from their own perspectives. Tasking contributes to research on employment experiences in hospitality, particularly on hotel praxis, delivery of quality customer service and the operational demands placed on room attendants. This paper presents the results of the first in-depth examination of the daily functions and roles of hotel room attendants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical pharmacy service delivery is currently a significant challenge in remote areas. Mount Isa Base Hospital provides clinical pharmacy support to ten remote sites across an area of over 300,000 square kilometres. These sites do not have on-site pharmacists available and, due to the vast distances and unpredictable travel conditions, the outreach pharmacist from Mount Isa Base Hospital only visits sporadically. Provision of direct patient care and advice on medication safety with this model was restricted and insufficient. Telepharmacy provides an opportunity for these services to be vastly expanded. In an attempt to increase pharmacist accessibility for remote hospital sites, the Mount Isa Base Hospital pharmacy department developed an inpatient telepharmacy service. Telehealth equipment is being used to communicate directly with patients and hospital staff, review inpatient medication charts, generate patient medication lists, identify and resolve clinical interventions and provide medication-related advice and counselling. As a result of this implementation, all patients and health professionals in remote north-west Queensland hospitals now have access to a pharmacist. The number of inpatient medication reviews, clinical interventions and patient-pharmacist/clinician-pharmacist interactions occurring at each remote hospital site has increased. Since service initiation, 106 medication-related reviews have been completed via telepharmacy, including 48 patient interactions, and 111 medication-related interventions have been made. This paper outlines the process for the development of an inpatient telepharmacy service for remote hospitals and discusses the benefits and limitations associated with implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crime script analysis was used to analyze intimate partner violence diversity by identifying variables significantly associated with different script tracks. Qualitative thematic analysis using official police administrative data from Queensland, Australia, was used to develop an intimate partner violence protoscript (n = 40), followed by quantitative hierarchical cluster analysis and cross-tabulations to examine diversity within scripts. Four diverse script tracks were identified: "escalating jealousy," "persistently possessive," "controlling victim agency," and "enduring argument." Intimate partner diversity exists with divisions based on statistically significant variables. Implications for situational crime prevention and the use of mixed methods for strengthening crime script analysis are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnographic practice in contentious and high-risk spaces raises important ethical and methodological questions. When working with grassroots activists who actively avoid forms of surveillance, the boundary between consensual observation and potentially harmful documentation becomes difficult to discern. This article aims not only to identify the gaps in qualitative research methodologies for scholars working with grassroots activists, but also to think of practical ways in which researchers should mitigate concerns both for participants and themselves. Based on fieldwork in Australia, the author explores the ethical, methodological, and emotional dilemmas of conducting research with activists as a militant ethnographer. The article argues that activist-centred project designs must consider the challenges between the researcher's mandate to collect data and their responsibility to uphold security culture both in and outside activist spaces. Reflexive research ethics, further, should be a part of ongoing research engagement to address the emotional tensions overlooked in standardized ethical protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Effective primary healthcare services have been identified by the World Health Organization as the most equitable approach to enhancing universal healthcare. Robust models of mentoring for registered nurses (RNs) transitioning to primary healthcare roles have yet to be described in the Australian context. A robust mentoring model can support RNs to fulfill their potential, bridging the gap between theory and practice. In 2015, the peak body for nurses in primary health care (PHC) began developing a transition to practice program, including embedded mentoring to support newly graduated and more experienced registered and enrolled nurses. This quality improvement study reports the experiences and perspectives of nurses participating as mentors in two separate offerings of the program delivered between 2019 and 2021. Method: A two-phase concurrent mixed methods evaluation utilized data from pre- and post online surveys and post program meetings. Quantitative items underwent descriptive analyses. Thematic analysis of free-text responses and comments was conducted independently by two researchers. Mentors voluntarily provided self-report data and were informed that data is routinely collected to support continuous quality improvement processes for all programs. An Information Sheet informed mentors of data usage, confidentiality, and options to withdraw without penalty from the program at any time. Results: Seventy-nine mentors were recruited to support two groups of nurses (N = 111). Mentor self-rated overall satisfaction with program participation was 86.67% (very or extremely satisfied). Mentors described being "witness to mentee growth," "having facilitated access to learning" and receiving "unexpected benefits" including personal and professional growth and enhanced enthusiasm for their role in PHC. Conclusion: The embedded mentoring reported in this article combined a focus on skills acquisition and professional identity with the provision of a range of resources and support activities. Sustainable mentoring programs will be an important mechanism for supporting the expanding roles required of nurses working in primary health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population health data, collected worldwide in an effort to monitor mortality and morbidity of mothers and babies, namely, perinatal data, are mandated at a federal level within Australia. The data are used to monitor patterns in midwifery, obstetric and neonatal practice, health outcomes, used for research purposes, funding allocation and education. Accuracy in perinatal data is most often reported via quantitative validation studies of perinatal data collections both internationally and in Australia. These studies report varying levels of accuracy and suggest researchers need to be more aware of the quality of data they use. This article presents findings regarding issues of concern identified by midwives relating to their perceptions of how technology affects the accuracy of perinatal data records. Perinatal data records are perceived to be more complete when completed electronically. However, issues regarding system functionality, the inconsistent use of terminology, lack of data standards and the absence of clear, written records contribute to midwives’ perceptions of the negative influence of technology on the quality of perinatal data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, informed by more-than-human and biosecurity literatures, I attend a neglected nonhuman considered a serious agricultural pest: the fruit fly. In addressing what it takes to live without fruit flies, biosecurity is theorised as ongoing, enacted achievement sustained (or not) by everyday and eventful interactions of heterogeneous spaces, strategies, and participants--human and nonhuman. Relations of fruits, flies, and people are explored through one vital attempt to biosecure life: Australia's Fruit Fly Exclusion Zone (FFEZ), a tristate pest-free area established to protect commercial horticulture from the fruit fly. Fruit flies become problematised as their appetites and mobilities confound fruit production and marketing, and affdiated biosecurity controls. Making fruit safe enrolls policy and agricultural sectors, but also more dispersed agents (travellers, residents, trees) and management sites (primarily off-farm). Since its introduction, the FFEZ's ongoing biosecuring normalised, with only occasional outbreak events. However, recent unprecedented outbreaks evoke questions about the FFEZ's future status. In such eventful times, it is worth reflecting on what kinds of living are possible in biosecurity zones--for flies, for resident human communities, and for agrifood networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper arises from our concern for the level of teaching of engineering drawing at tertiary institutions in Australia. Little attention is paid to teaching hand-drawing and tolerancing. Teaching of engineering drawing is usually limited to computer-aided design (CAD) using AutoCAD or one of the solid-modelling packages. As a result, many engineering graduates have difficulties in understanding how views are produced in different projection angles, are unable to produce engineering drawings of professional quality, or read engineering drawings, and unable to select fits and limits or surface roughness. In the Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering at the Queensland University of Technology new approaches to teaching engineering drawing have been introduced. In this paper the results of these innovative approaches are examined through surveys and other research methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A prerequisite for meaningful environmental legislation is that it he based upon an adequate scientific understanding of the natural system to which It is applied. In 2003, the Australian Commonwealth and Queensland State governments introduced a Reef Water Quality Protection Plan. which aimed to "improve" water quality in river catchments adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef (GRR) and in nearby coastal waters. The Plan was introduced in the absence of any substantive evidence for regional degradation of GRR water quality. This paper reviews the available data regarding nutrient contents En the Tully River, north Queensland, which is cited as the best (available) evidence for human-related changes in nutrient export from (GBR) catchment [1]. It is shown that the claim of human-related nutrient enrichment in the Tully River, and regionally, is without substance. No detectable trends in GBR water quality have occurred since systematic measurements were first started in the 1980s. Environmental policies that are based on mischievous claims of chimerical damage to the Great Barrier Reef damage the reputation of science as a tool for disinterested analysis, and provoke widespread cynicism in the community regarding the integrity of contemporary environmental politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychiatric applications have predominated in Australian telemedicine in recent years. This paper describes the development of the first telemedicine system for an integrated mental health service based at a teaching hospital. Much effort was devoted to training and education for staff. Within about six weeks of the system being installed, over 80% of all clinical administrative staff, from all the mental health disciplines of the integrated service, had completed a formal training programme. Applications within the service included direct clinical work and the use of videoconferencing in preference to standard telephony over short distances. Applications external to the service, over distances of thousands of kilometres, included clinical supervision and teaching. Evaluation is continuing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Australian Electricity Market Operator generates one-day ahead electricity demand forecasts for the National Electricity Market in Australia and updates these forecasts over time until the time of dispatch. Despite the fact that these forecasts play a crucial role in the decision-making process of market participants, little attention has been paid to their evaluation and interpretation. Using half-hourly data from 2011 to 2015 for New South Wales and Queensland, it is shown that the official half-hourly demand forecasts do not satisfy the econometric properties required of rational forecasts. Instead there is a relationship between forecasts and forecast horizon similar to a term structure model of interest rates. To study the term structure of demand forecasts, a factor analysis that uses a small set of latent factors to explain the common variation among multiple observables is implemented. A three-factor model is identified with the factors admitting interpretation as the level, slope and curvature of the term structure of forecasts. The validity of the model is reinforced by assessing the economic value of demand forecasts. It is demonstrated that simple adjustments to long-horizon electricity demand forecasts based on the three estimated factors can enhance the informational content of the official forecasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective : Children and adolescents in care experience higher rates of mental illness. No studies have looked at differences in treatment effect amongst age groups for children/young people in care accessing mental health services. This study aims to determine if age is associated with outcomes for children and adolescents in care receiving treatment from a specialist mental health service in Queensland, Australia. Method : This 5-year retrospective cohort study consisted of a sample of 1338 children and adolescents in care aged 0–17 with pre- and post-treatment data. The Children's Global Assessment Scale (CGAS) and the Health of the Nations Outcome Scale for Children and Adolescents (HoNOSCA) were used to assess functioning and mental health outcomes. Results : Data analysis revealed significant differences between the age groups. Age 0–4 also showed significantly greater improvement on a number of domains when compared with older age groups, including overactivity and attention, scholastic and language skills, emotional symptoms, peer relationships, and family life and relationships. Conclusion : This study demonstrated positive outcomes for all ages, yet better outcomes for the younger age groups in a cohort of children and adolescents in care attending a specialist mental health service. It highlights the importance of providing mental health interventions to children/young people in care, particularly age 0–4. Further, it calls for validated measures for young children to be utilised across mental health services to aid research in this area and optimise outcomes for this vulnerable population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Care staff in residential aged care facilities (nursing homes) in Australia are obligated, under the Australian National Framework for Action on Dementia 2015–2019, to support residents to exercise choice and make decisions. Research indicates, however, that care staff are often given little guidance regarding which residents' decisions should be supported or how to make decisions on their behalf. This lack of guidance can result in a denial of residents' rights and inconsistent treatment by staff, placing residents' wellbeing at risk. Through providing an analysis of the responses of staff at RACFs in Victoria and Queensland to two case scenarios, this study seeks to provide some understanding of the difficulties staff face in supporting residents' self-determination and their own need for greater organisational support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study identifies the first crime script for unsolved stranger sexual offenses against women. The purpose is to better understand the crime-commission process of solved and unsolved stranger sexual offenses and identify potential points of intervention for prevention purposes. Crime script analysis was performed on 542 solved (n = 265) and unsolved (n = 277) cases based on police data in Queensland, Australia, followed by a comparison between solved and unsolved crime scripts. Results showed that unsolved offenses tended to be associated with the following factors: the offender fleeing/desisting, using minimal force, less intrusive sexual outcomes, and less verbal engagement with the victim. In these cases, there was a lack of information regarding forensic evidence, behavioral clues, and eyewitness leads. This highlights the relevance of focusing on situational crime prevention and policing strategies that may deter stranger sexual crimes at the earliest stages of the script. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Determine the prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Australia in 2017 using MS-specific disease-modifying therapy (DMT) prescription data and estimate the change in prevalence from 2010. Methods: DMT prescriptions were extracted from Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) data for January–December 2017. Percentages of people with MS using DMTs (DMT penetrance) were calculated using data from the Australian MS Longitudinal Study. Prevalence was estimated by dividing the total number of monthly prescriptions by 12 (except alemtuzumab), adjusted for DMT penetrance and Australian population estimates. Prevalences in Australian states/territories were age-standardised to the Australian population. Comparisons with 2010 prevalence data were performed using Poisson regression. Results: Overall DMT penetrance was 64%, and the number of people with MS in Australia in 2017 was 25,607 (95% confidence interval (CI): 24,874–26,478), a significant increase of 4324 people since 2010 (p < 0.001). The prevalence increased significantly from 95.6/100,000 (2010) to 103.7/100,000 (2017), with estimates highest in Tasmania in 2017 (138.7/100,000; 95% CI: 137.2–140.1) and lowest in Queensland (74.6/100,000; 95% CI: 73.5–75.6). From 2010 to 2017 using the median latitudes for each state/territory, the overall latitudinal variation in MS prevalence was an increase of 3.0% per degree-latitude. Conclusion: Consistent with global trends, Australia's MS prevalence has increased; this probably reflecting decreased mortality, increased longevity and increased incidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth mental health in Australia is concerning with 25% of young people reported as experiencing mental health issues in a 12-month period. Meanwhile, Australian schools march forward with academic improvement agendas. Survey research conducted among primary and secondary school teachers, most drawn from the Australian state of Queensland, revealed that although teachers value student well-being initiatives, they are experiencing very real tensions dealing with student mental health concerns and performance targets, which is complicated by a lack of confidence in the efficacy of well-being programs in schools. These findings raise concerns about the need for government authorities, school leaders, and teacher education providers to further investigate the need for balance between school performance improvement agendas and student well-being concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Circular Economy proposes a sustainable economic model that encourages businesses and governments to work towards the goal of conserving natural resources and reducing waste. This model largely relies on government policies that encourage waste reduction and help businesses creating markets to re-purpose that waste profitably. Design-led innovation offers methods to drive required business model transformation and is recognized as one of the key enablers in the transition to a Circular Economy. It is evident globally that metropolitan cities and countries with high innovation indices are better able to transition to a Circular Economy by applying design-led innovation. Although more populous states and densely populated cities in Australia have started to initiate Circular Economy practices, it is unclear if similar initiatives could be developed in regional economies in Australia and if design-led innovation has a role to play in their acceptance and development. This study is an exploration into two regional areas in the state of Queensland: the Sunshine Coast and North Queensland. The qualitative study explores the views of waste managers of local councils, small-scale applications of the Circular Economy on two university campuses and an experiment to introduce a street of business owners to Circular Economy practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to consider the collaboration between mental health services and police in Queensland.Conclusion: Queensland has developed a number of initiatives for intervention and response to incidents involving police and persons with mental illness. Future research should focus on identifying interventions that promote effective resolution of incidents involving police. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated a parent-delivered social and emotional skills intervention—the Secret Agent Society (SAS) for children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (HF-ASD). The study was a pre–post follow-up design with an 8-week baseline period and 6-week follow-up period. Participants were 38 parents and 41 children recruited from regional/rural Queensland and metropolitan Brisbane, Australia. Child participants completed measures of social skills and emotion management, and parents completed measures related to child behavioral problems, parent self-efficacy, child anxiety, and parent emotional distress at pre-intervention, post intervention, and 6-week follow-up. Analyses of outcomes were conducted with a series of repeated-measures MANOVAs and one-way ANOVAs at post intervention and 6-week follow-up. There were significant improvements in child social skills reported by parents with gains maintained at 6-week follow-up with large effect sizes. Parent self-efficacy, child behavior, and child anxiety levels also improved significantly. In addition, outcomes from the SAS self-directed program were compared with the original clinic-based program conducted by Beaumont and Sofronoff. Results indicated greater changes in social skills outcomes in the clinic-based program and no difference between groups on emotional management strategies. The limitations of the study and clinical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to inform planning for similar events, our aim was to describe planning undertaken by Brisbane Mental Health Services for the 2014 G20 Summit and the impact of the Summit on service use.Methods: We analysed routinely collected service data comparing presentations and discharges for the same time period in two consecutive years.Results: While presentations to mental health services increased from the previous year across a five-month period (including the month of G20), the week of the G20 Summit showed little change.Conclusions: Our findings will be useful to other services that prepare for major events, such as G20. Our experience shows that, with detailed planning and extra resources, the G20 Summit passed without any major mental health incidents or major increase for mental health presentations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent amendments to youth justice legislation in Queensland include opening Children's Court proceedings, removing the Principle of Detention as a Last Resort, facilitating transfers of 17 year-old offenders to adult prisons, instigating new bail offences, and introducing mandatory boot camp orders. This article examines the context of these changes including the inadequacies of the public policy process, and the impassioned political rhetoric imbued with simplistic slogans. This is a case study of regressive youth justice policy and the article reflects on the many causes underlying the reactive winding back of reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internet has become important in political communication in Australia. Using Habermas's ideal types, it is argued that political blogs can be viewed as public spheres that might provide scope for the expansion of deliberative democratic discussion. This hypothesis is explored through analysis of the group political blog Pineapple Party Time. It is evident that the bloggers and those who commented on their posts were highly knowledgeable about and interested in politics. From an examination of these posts and the comments on them, Pineapple Party Time did act as a public sphere to some degree, and did provide for the deliberative discussion essential for a democracy, but it was largely restricted to Crikey readers. For a deliberative public sphere and democratic discussion to function to any extent, the public sphere must be open to all citizens, who need to have the access and knowledge to engage in deliberative discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers how a range of personal characteristics (media scepticism, political interest, need for cognition and media gratifications) influence the political information choices of Australians. Data collection was conducted in Brisbane via a postal survey during March and April 2008. The data revealed that the characteristics associated with information quality have very little influence on media use patterns, indicating that use of the media appears to occur simply as a consequence of other everyday life practices, rather than as an information-seeking activity. People regularly use media they do not trust to find out about politics, calling into question the previously assumed centrality of trust to information choices. If convenience trumps credibility in information selection, the importance of media literacy is heightened. The findings also emphasise the need for more holistic contexts for media research, which consider the broader social contexts and practices in which media-oriented behaviours occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article advocates an approach to supporting students who experience difficulties in learning, irrespective of nosology, particularly in the key areas of literacy and numeracy. In the state of Queensland, Australia, a distinction has been made between students' experiencing learning difficulties and those who have learning disabilities (LD). However, government priorities for improved achievement in literacy and numeracy have focused schools on the performance of all low-achieving students, without regard to diagnostic category. Many are now mobilizing a schoolwide effort that combines resources into a unified plan, using a three-wave approach. The first wave is high-quality classroom teaching, the second is early intervention, and the third is ongoing support for those students who have persistent difficulties, using adapted instruction and intensive tutoring. A further theme is the promise of neuropsychological advances for giving meaning to the underlying impairments of some students--who do have LD--that justifies the provision of adaptations to sustain their learning throughout their schooling and beyond. Throughout this article, the different yet converging understandings of LD in Australia and the United States are tracked, with suggestions made for future research that avoid the problems of operationalizing the definition of LD proposed by Keogh in 1982. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The playing of team games in Australian schools has long been based on the assumption that it promotes positive social learning, and this is particularly so in elite, independent schools. Yet, in a rapidly globalizing world, both sport and education are undergoing significant changes in meaning and function. Within this context, there is increasing tension between the ideal of sport as an educational medium and the reality of sport as a commercial commodity. This article draws on research conducted on rugby union football at an elite, independent school in Brisbane, Australia. It examines how tensions between the function of rugby as an educational medium and the influence of rugby as an emergent commercialized sport were manifested in struggle over game style and tactics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]