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In this Special Issue, we commemorate 40 years of publishing research in the Journal of Language & Social Psychology (JLSP). We first provide a brief glimpse of the history of the field of language and social psychology and the emergence of JLSP within it. This is then developed further by exploring the themes—and the relationships between them—arising over the four decades of the journal, by means of a Leximancer analysis of the titles and abstracts of all research articles since the journal’s inception. We describe our data-driven rationale for the topics selected for the Anniversary Issue and provide an overview of the articles that follow this Prologue; we highlight their unique features and contributions to the advancement of the field of language and social psychology.

Objective To quantitatively assess the factors associated with non-beneficial treatments (NBTs) in hospital admissions at the end of life.Conclusions This paper presents the first statistical modelling results to assess the factors associated with NBT in hospital, beyond an intensive care setting. Our findings highlight potential areas for intervention to reduce the likelihood of NBTs.

Objective To increase knowledge of how doctors perceive futile treatments and scarcity of resources at the end of life. In particular, their perceptions about whether and how resource limitations influence end-of-life decision making. This study builds on previous work that found some doctors include resource limitations in their understanding of the concept of futility. Setting Three tertiary hospitals in metropolitan Brisbane, Australia. Design Qualitative study using in-depth, semistructured, face-to-face interviews. Ninety-six doctors were interviewed in 11 medical specialties. Transcripts of the interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Results Doctors’ perceptions of whether resource limitations were relevant to their practice varied, and doctors were more comfortable with explicit rather than implicit rationing. Several doctors incorporated resource limitations into their definition of futility. For some, availability of resources was one factor of many in assessing futility, secondary to patient considerations, but a few doctors indicated that the concept of futility concealed rationing. Doctors experienced moral distress due to the resource implications of providing futile treatment and the lack of administrative supports for bedside rationing. Conclusions Doctors’ ability to distinguish between futility and rationing would be enhanced through regulatory support for explicit rationing and strategies to support doctors’ role in rationing at the bedside. Medical policies should address the distinction between resource limitations and futility to promote legitimacy in end-of-life decision making.

Objective: There is substantial evidence that refugees' employment experiences are marred by a range of hurdles as they settle in their host country. This study investigated the relationship between a range of independent variables such as, demographic factors, acculturation, acculturative stress, and resilience and the dependent variable that is the employment status of former refugees. Method: Questionnaire data were gathered from 169 participants from the Ethiopian, Congolese, and Myanmar communities settled in Brisbane, Australia. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to investigate the factors that predicted employment status. Results: Resilience and demographic variables such as age, education, gender, and country of origin were not associated with being employed. Length of stay and English proficiency increased the likelihood of being employed. Surprisingly, an increase in acculturation was associated with the likelihood of being unemployed, while an increase in acculturative stress was associated with the likelihood of being employed. Conclusions: These findings indicate that unemployed participants perceived themselves to be acculturated and integrated, while those who were employed reported more acculturative stress. Furthermore, employment despite its positive impact can also be stressful. The study has practical and theoretical implications for stakeholders involved in the employment of refugees.

Intergroup communication, given its interdisciplinary roots in communication and social psychology, has been eclectic in methodology. Earlier approaches tended to be quantitative and experimental. In the early 21st century, the full range of qualitative approaches—thematic analysis and grounded theory, discourse analysis, conversation analysis, and others—have come to prominence. A key issue has been how to reconcile the broad-brush aspects of surveys, tightly-controlled contexts in experiments, and very limited numbers of participants in qualitative research. In the past decade or so, rapid improvements to the capabilities of computational technologies have brought forth a new generation of computational methods for communication research. Broadly known as visual text analytics, these methods provide communication scholars new ways to model, visualize, and analyze intergroup communication processes. They also allow larger scale in the detailed analysis of texts and discourse. In spite of their great interest to intergroup communication, these new visual text analytic methods also present challenges. In presenting several newer visual text analytic methods, we articulate some ways to approach the tools to achieve maximum research benefit. In the past decade or so, rapid improvements to the capabilities of computational technologies have brought forth a new generation of computational methods for communication research. Broadly known as visual text analytics, these methods provide communication scholars new ways to model, visualize, and analyze intergroup communication processes. They also allow larger scale in the detailed analysis of texts and discourse. In spite of their great interest to intergroup communication, these new visual text analytic methods also present challenges. In presenting several newer visual text analytic methods, we articulate some ways to approach the tools to achieve maximum research benefit.

Taking a truly global perspective, this textbook presents concepts, theories and applications from the field of intercultural communication in a lively and easy-to-follow style. Covering all the essential topics, from immigration to intercultural conflict to the impact of mass media and technology, this cutting edge new edition features: A student-friendly structure with enhanced signposting to guide students through the book. Expanded coverage of ethics, digital communication and social media. A brand new set of international case studies to tie theory to real-world practices, including the European refugee crisis, Chinese food culture and Barbie dolls and beauty. A suite of student-friendly learning features, including ‘Do it!’ activity boxes, chapter summaries and applications of key theories in ‘Theory Corner’. Links to further reading and SAGE Video to help understanding. A host of online resources to reinforce students' learning, including multiple choice quizzes, discussion questions and exercises. Introducing Intercultural Communication is the ideal guide to becoming a critical consumer of information and an effective global citizen. It should be required reading for students in media and communications, business and management, linguistics and beyond.

In contemporary Western society, the concept of risk is mostly linked related to negative or undesirable outcomes and used to explain unusual or abnormal events that have harmful consequences. Working in a poststructuralist framework, in this article we examine how risk shapes interactions between midwives and pregnant women in the context of public hospitals in Australia. We draw on data from an observational study of clinical encounters in three Australian hospitals between October 2014 and July 2015. The research teams recorded 83 health encounters and in this paper we draw on data from the recordings of 10 clinical consultations between 8 midwives and 10 pregnant women at various stages of gestation. We used these data to explore how a discourse of risk was mobilised through rhetorical strategies and practices of ‘hunting’ for the abnormal and attempts to control the body. Our findings demonstrate how a discourse of pregnancy and birth as risky operates within public hospital midwifery consultations. We found that in the midwifery consultations we recorded, pregnancy was constructed as a period of vulnerability and unpredictability. It was normalised through discursive practices of hunting for the abnormal and rhetorical strategies of attempting to control the body. Within this discourse, midwives occupied conflicting positions. They asserted that women, with the right support, were capable of spontaneous and intervention-free (pregnancy and) birth. Yet, they acted to enable medical professionals to assess a woman’s ability to give birth (un)assisted, or the potential for an adverse event. The women, while positioned as passive within the public health system, were positioned as active in surveilling themselves and responsible for taking steps to mitigate against adverse events.

Objectives To estimate the incidence, duration and cost of futile treatment for end-of-life hospital admissions. Design Retrospective multicentre cohort study involving a clinical audit of hospital admissions. Setting Three Australian public-sector tertiary hospitals. Participants Adult patients who died while admitted to one of the study hospitals over a 6-month period in 2012. Main outcome measures Incidences of futile treatment among end-of-life admissions; length of stay in both ward and intensive care settings for the duration that patients received futile treatments; health system costs associated with futile treatments; monetary valuation of bed days associated with futile treatment. Results The incidence rate of futile treatment in end-of-life admissions was 12.1% across the three study hospitals (range 6.0%–19.6%). For admissions involving futile treatment, the mean length of stay following the onset of futile treatment was 15 days, with 5.25 of these days in the intensive care unit. The cost associated with futile bed days was estimated to be $AA12.4 million for the three study hospitals using health system costs, and $A988 000 when using a decision maker’s willingness to pay for bed days. This was extrapolated to an annual national health system cost of $A153.1 million and a decision maker’s willingness to pay of $A12.3 million. Conclusions The incidence rate and cost of futile treatment in end-of-life admissions varied between hospitals. The overall impact was substantial in terms of both the bed days and cost incurred. An increased awareness of these economic costs may generate support for interventions designed to reduce futile treatments. We did not include emotional hardship or pain and suffering, which represent additional costs.

The study had two goals: First, a 20-item “Refugee Parent-Child Relational Communication Scale” was developed for parents from refugee backgrounds. Former refugee parents from Ethiopia, Congo and Burma (N=221) completed this and other questionnaires measuring demographics, acculturation and acculturative stress. Exploratory factor analysis indicated three factors: “Engagement”, “Hope and Aspirations” and “Dissonance”. The sub-scales were internally consistent. Second, this newly-developed scale was used to explore whether the parents’ communication and relations with their children were associated with demographics, acculturation and acculturative stress. Results of multiple regressions indicated that mothers and parents with higher acculturation were more engaged with their children and also encouraged their children to aspire for higher goals in life. Though parents with higher acculturative stress were also developing aspirations and hopes in their children; they reported strained relations with their children. Parents from the Congo scored higher on dissonance, indicating some problematic communication with their children.

Objective - Futile treatment, which by definition cannot benefit a patient, is undesirable. This research investigated why doctors believe that treatment which they consider to be futile is sometimes provided at the end of a patient’s life. Design - Semi-structured in-depth interviews. Setting - Three large tertiary public hospitals in Brisbane, Australia. Participants - 96 doctors from emergency, intensive care, palliative care, oncology, renal medicine, internal medicine, respiratory medicine, surgery, cardiology, geriatric medicine, and medical administration departments. Participants were recruited using purposive maximum variation sampling. Results - Doctors attributed the provision of futile treatment to a wide range of inter-related factors. One was the characteristics of treating doctors, including their orientation towards curative treatment, discomfort or inexperience with death and dying, concerns about legal risk, and poor communication skills. Secondly, the attributes of the patient and family, including their requests or demands for further treatment, prognostic uncertainty, and lack of information about patient wishes. Thirdly, there were hospital factors including a high degree of specialisation, the availability of routine tests and interventions, and organisational barriers to diverting a patient from a curative to a palliative pathway. Doctors nominated family or patient request and doctors being locked into a curative role as the main reasons for futile care. Conclusions - Doctors believe that a range of factors contribute to the provision of futile treatment. A combination of strategies is necessary to reduce futile treatment, including better training for doctors who treat patients at the end of life, educating the community about the limits of medicine and the need to plan for death and dying, and structural reform at the hospital level.

Free to Read Objective(s) To describe how doctors define and use the terms “futility” and “futile treatment” in end-of-life care. Design, Setting, Participants A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with 96 doctors across a range of specialties who treat adults at the end of life. Doctors were recruited from three large Australian teaching hospitals and were interviewed from May to July 2013. Results Doctors’ conceptions of futility focused on the quality and chance of patient benefit. Aspects of benefit included physiological effect, weighing benefits and burdens, and quantity and quality of life. Quality and length of life were linked, but many doctors discussed instances when benefit was determined by quality of life alone. Most doctors described the assessment of chance of success in achieving patient benefit as a subjective exercise. Despite a broad conceptual consensus about what futility means, doctors noted variability in how the concept was applied in clinical decision-making. Over half the doctors also identified treatment that is futile but nevertheless justified, such as short-term treatment as part of supporting the family of a dying person. Conclusions There is an overwhelming preference for a qualitative approach to assessing futility, which brings with it variation in clinical decision-making. “Patient benefit” is at the heart of doctors’ definitions of futility. Determining patient benefit requires discussions with patients and families about their values and goals as well as the burdens and benefits of further treatment.

This is the finalreport of the ARC linkage research project Refugees’ employment aspirations and inter-generational communication about future occupational pathways.The project was based in South-eastQueensland and was conducted overthree years (2013, 2014, and 2015). The lead chief investigator was Dr Aparna Hebbani from the University of Queensland. The project had three overall aims. Aim 1: To investigate the employment experiences of recently arrived refugees. Aims2 and 3: Toinvestigate refugees’ aspirations for themselves and their children’s educational and occupational futures. Specifically, this study focused on the experiences of refugeesettlersfrom Burma, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ethiopia, which are among the top ten source countries for offshore humanitarian entrants (DIBP, 2013).

Full Text, Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy in Organisational Psychology (PhD OrgPsych), School of Applied Psychology, Griffith Health, Understanding the psychological relationship between the individual and the organisation, and its effects on behaviour, continues to have strong theoretical and practical relevance for identification researchers (van Knippenberg & Sleebos, 2006). Indeed, it has been argued that an organisation can not be fully understood without understanding the identity dynamics that arise from the interactions between the organisation, its social environment, and the individual psychology of its members (Ashforth & Mael, 1989; Haslam, 2014; Hodgkinson, 2013; Tajfel, 1981). The goal of this thesis project was to undertake an indepth exploration of employee identifications in one organisation undergoing large-scale change. The first major aim was to illuminate the particular identities that were most salient for participants as they reflected on their experience of the changes. The second aim was to conduct an indepth exploration of those identities, to shed light on their origins and core features, and to understand why they were evoked during change. A third aim was to explore the relationship between the identities, and participants' perceptions and responses to change. Finally, a key aim was to illuminate any features of the organisational and social context that were related to the presence, development and effects of salient identities. The guiding methodology was interpretive qualitative research, chosen for its acute sensitivity to identity processes and associated contextual features (Yin, 2009). The advantage of this approach is that it allowed for indepth exploration of the nature, sources and effects of employee identifications, including contextual aspects involved in shaping and sustaining important identities.

Parents’ communication with their children is considered salient for their normal development and socialisation. Parents, from a refugee background, who enter Australia on humanitarian grounds, have the added responsibility of using communication to facilitate the acculturation of their children. Communication can be adaptive or maladaptive and can also include messages of hope, aspiration and support. The parents’ communication can be effected by their own acculturation process and challenges. In spite of the significance of these parents’ communication with their children, there has not been any attempt to measure their communication patterns with a valid scale. The present study developed a scale to measure the parents, from a refugee background, perception of their communication with their children. The impact of demographic variables, acculturation and acculturative stress on communication was also investigated. Items were generated by the research team after consulting literature and experts. Former refugees from Congo, Ethiopia and Burma were invited to participate in the study. Data were collected with the assistance of Access Community Services Ltd. a refugee settlement non-government organisation in Brisbane, Australia, and is part of a larger ARC Linkage project (LP12020076). Parents (N= 148), who had at least one child in school, participated in the study and completed a battery of questionnaires in their own respective language. Exploratory factor analysis identified a 20- item “Refugee Parents’ Communication Scale” with three factors. Engagement (factor1) measured the parent-child relationship evident by spending time together, common interests and mutual respect. Hopes/Aspirations (factor 2), reflected parents communication with their children about educational and employment goals of these youngsters. Dissonance (factor 3) was associated with parent-child conflict and perceived negative influence of living in Australia. A series of MANOVAS were condu

People with dementia living in residential care often face the dual disadvantage of increasing difficulty with communication and reduced opportunities for conversation. Social interaction is central to wellbeing of residents with dementia, so it is important that care staff have the skills to engage in conversation with them. We studied conversations in 20 care staff–resident dyads, to examine conversation structure and content, patterns of engagement within conversations, including the topics around which engagement occurred, and communication behaviours by care staff that appeared to facilitate (or impede) participation by residents. The transcripts were analysed using Discursis, a computational information visualisation tool that allows interactive visual inspection, in context, of the contributions by each speaker, the turn-taking dynamics, and the content recurring within and between speakers. We present case examples (a) where care staff did most of the talking, initiated topics and were responsible for most recurrence of content; (b) where talk was more evenly shared between partners, with some topics initiated and/or elaborated by participants with dementia; and (c) where participants with dementia talked most, with care staff supporting the conversation. We identified accommodative strategies used by care staff, such as reflecting back the other person's responses to sustain engagement. We also noted care staff behaviours that impeded communication, such as not listening attentively and not allowing sufficient time for responses. The results from this study highlight aspects of social communication within the aged care context and suggest ways in which rewarding interactions between staff and residents with dementia might be encouraged.

In this study, 3531 Queensland women, who had recently given birth, completed a questionnaire that included questions about their participation in decision making during pregnancy, their ratings of client centred care and perceived quality of care. These data tested a version of Street’s (2001) linguistic model of patient participation in care (LMOPPC), adapted to the maternity context. We investigated how age and education influenced women’s perceptions of their participation and quality of care. Hierarchical multiple regressions revealed that women’s perceived ability to make decisions, and the extent of client-centred communication with maternity care providers were the most influential predictors of participation and perceived quality of care. Participation in care predicted perceived quality of care, but the influence of client-centred communication by a care provider and a woman’s confidence in decision making were stronger predictors of perceived quality of care. Age and education level were not important predictors. These findings extend and support the use of LMOPPC in the maternity context.

Treatment that will not provide significant net benefit at the end of a person’s life (called futile treatment) is considered by many people to represent a major problem in the health sector, as it can waste resources and raise significant ethical issues. Medical treatment at the end of life involves a complex negotiation that implicates intergroup communication between health professionals, patients, and families, as well as between groups of health professionals. This study, framed by intergroup language theory, analyzed data from a larger project on futile treatment, in order to examine the intergroup language associated with futile treatment. Hospital doctors (N = 96) were interviewed about their understanding of treatment given to adult patients at the end of life that they considered futile. We conducted a discourse analysis on doctors’ descriptions of futile treatment provided by themselves and their in-group and out-group colleagues. Results pointed to an intergroup context, with patients, families, and colleagues as out-groups. In their descriptions, doctors justified their own decisions using the language of logic, ethics, and respect. Patients and families, however, were characterized in terms of wishing and wanting, as were outgroup colleagues. In addition, out-group doctors were described in strongly negative intergroup language.

Background Miscommunication in the healthcare sector can be life-threatening. The rising number of migrant patients and foreign-trained staff means that communication errors between a healthcare practitioner and patient when one or both are speaking a second language are increasingly likely. However, there is limited research that addresses this issue systematically. This protocol outlines a hospital-based study examining interactions between healthcare practitioners and their patients who either share or do not share a first language. Of particular interest are the nature and efficacy of communication in language-discordant conversations, and the degree to which risk is communicated. Our aim is to understand language barriers and miscommunication that may occur in healthcare settings between patients and healthcare practitioners, especially where at least one of the speakers is using a second (weaker) language. Methods/Design Eighty individual interactions between patients and practitioners who speak either English or Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese) as their first language will be video recorded in a range of in- and out-patient departments at three hospitals in the Metro South area of Brisbane, Australia. All participants will complete a language background questionnaire. Patients will also complete a short survey rating the effectiveness of the interaction. Recordings will be transcribed and submitted to both quantitative and qualitative analyses to determine elements of the language used that might be particularly problematic and the extent to which language concordance and discordance impacts on the quality of the patient-practitioner consultation. Discussion Understanding the role that language plays in creating barriers to healthcare is critical for healthcare systems that are experiencing an increasing range of culturally and linguistically diverse populations both amongst patients and practitioners. The

Full Text, Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), School of Applied Psychology, Griffith Health, People form impressions quickly and easily using stereotypical beliefs as well as information the social context provides. These impressions inform beliefs, and guide emotional reactions and behavioural responses to others. Research has examined the nature of beliefs based on the amount and type of food others consume, and has shown that people more favourably judge others who eat low fat foods in small amounts. Research in an independent tradition has examined beliefs based on physical activity levels, and shown that people more favourably judge exercisers. Both the diet- and exercise-based literatures have shown that beliefs are associated with gender roles as well as attractiveness and body-size ideals, and thus differ for women and men. However, previous researchers have not systematically examined these separate yet interrelated beliefs in combination, including how these variables in combination affect emotional responses and behavioural tendencies. It is important to establish the social consequences, particularly given society’s emphasis on healthy living. Thus, the studies in this thesis examined beliefs, emotional responses, and behavioural tendencies involving others, based on the dietary and activity behaviours of normal-weight women and men, in combination. In addition, presentation of body-size information was varied in explicitness through the use of verbal information and photographs. To extend previous research I utilised a unifying social psychological theoretical frame, the Stereotype Content Model (SCM) and its extension the Behaviours from Intergroup Affect and Stereotype (BIAS) model.

Effective communication between healthcare professionals and patients is critical to patients’ health outcomes. The doctor/patient dialogue has been extensively researched from different perspectives, with findings emphasising a range of behaviours that lead to effective communication. Much research involves self-reports, however, so that behavioural engagement cannot be disentangled from patients’ ratings of effectiveness. In this study we used a highly efficient and time economic automated computer visualisation measurement technique called Discursis to analyse conversational behaviour in consultations. Discursis automatically builds an internal language model from a transcript, mines the transcript for its conceptual content, and generates an interactive visual account of the discourse. The resultant visual account of the whole consultation can be analysed for patterns of engagement between interactants. The findings from this study show that Discursis is effective at highlighting a range of consultation techniques, including communication accommodation, engagement and repetition.

People have a tendency to view media reports of intergroup conflicts as biased against their own group (hostile media perception). However, limited research has been conducted investigating how group membership of the perceiver and group membership of the media source combine to influence perceptions of bias. Muslims and Christians in Indonesia (N = 212) read an article describing inter-religious conflict. The article was attributed either to a Muslim newspaper, a Christian newspaper, or an unidentified newspaper. Results indicated the hostile media perception only among high identifiers. There was also some evidence for the predicted role of newspaper religion in influencing perceptions of bias: the article was seen to be biased in favor of Muslims when attributed to a Muslim newspaper, biased in favor of Christians when attributed to a Christian newspaper, and intermediate when the newspaper was not identified. The effect of newspaper religion was mediated by prior beliefs of bias. Results are discussed in terms of heuristic explanations of bias perceptions in the media.

Queensland Centre for Mothers & Babies The Queensland Centre for Mothers & Babies is an outcome of the most recent state review of maternity care (‘Re-birthing’, Hirst, 2005), and is working towards consumer- focused maternity care that is integrated, evidence-based and provides optimal choices for women. Evidence-based strategies to enhance informed decision-making for maternity care consumers include: 1. Facility-level reporting of maternity care performance from a consumer perspective 2. Birthplace - an online interactive search directory of all 61 birthing facilities 3. Consumer decision-aids available online and in print (from care providers) to support informed and individualised maternity care decision-making...

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating role of culture in the relationship between boundary permeability and cooperation and work group identification. In addition, the levels of boundary permeability of Australians and Singaporeans are compared. Design/methodology/approach - Survey questionnaires were administered to 134 employees (87 Singaporeans and 47 Australians) working in multinational corporations in both Australia and Singapore. Hierarchical moderated regression was used to test whether culture moderated the relationship between boundary permeability and cooperation and workgroup identification. Findings - Results indicated that workplace boundary permeability was marginally and positively related to cooperation but not to workgroup identification. Further analysis revealed that culture moderated the relationships between workplace boundary permeability and cooperation and workgroup identification. Specifically, a stronger positive relationship was found between boundary permeability and these outcomes for Singaporeans as opposed to Australians. Research limitations/implications - Limitations include the relatively small sample size of both cultural groups; the behavioral measure used to assess cooperation; and the self-reported nature of the data. Practical implications - The findings of this study have important practical implications for managers working in multinational corporations who seek to promote cooperation and workgroup identification among culturally diverse employees. Originality/value - Guided by social identity and cross-cultural theories, this study highlights the role of culture in predicting the attitudinal consequences of boundary permeability.

Objective. The Effective Consumer Scale (EC-17) comprises 17 items measuring the main skills and behaviors people need to effectively manage their healthcare. We tested the responsiveness of the EC-17. Methods. Participants, in 2 waves of a 6-week Arthritis Self-Management Program (ASMP) from Arthritis Ireland, received a questionnaire at the first and last week of the weekly ASMP. The questionnaire included the EC-17 and 10 other measures for arthritis. Deficits, mean change, and standard deviations were calculated at baseline and Week 6. The EC-17 scores were compared to the Arthritis Self-Efficacy (ASE) and Patient Activation Measure (PAM) scales. Results were presented at OMERACT 9. Results. There is some overlap between the EC-17 and the ASE and PAM; however, most items of greatest deficit in the EC-17 are not covered by those scales. In 327 participants representing both intervention waves (2006 and 2007), the EC-17 was more efficient than the ASE but less efficient than the PAM for detecting improvements after the ASMP, and was moderately correlated with the PAM. Conclusion. The EC-17 appears to measure different skills and attributes than the ASE and PAM. Discussions with participants at OMERACT 9 agreed that it is worthwhile to measure the skills and attributes of an effective consumer, and supported the development of an intervention (such as proposed online decision aids) that would include education in the categories in the EC-17.

Affective variables can help understand differences in student performance. This paper presents student expectations as an affective variable that has so far received little research attention. Students have expectations from educational providers, the fulfilment of which can create a positive learning environment leading to better performance. This study investigates students' expectations from programs, the sources of these expectations and the outcomes of unmet expectations. A questionnaire was administered to learners of English as an additional language (n=65) in Brisbane, Australia. Factor analyses were conducted, and the results indicated that expectations are affected by levels of competitiveness, the educational and cultural gap between the home country and Australia, future orientation, and social value in the homeland. Unmet expectations affect performance, emotions, learning behaviour and cause rebelliousness. Followup interviews of teachers (n=10) at the same institutions were conducted to validate the results of the study. Students are likely to exhibit poorer performance and experience negative affective outcomes, thus hindering learning, if expectations are unmet. They may consider changing institutions and providing negative recommendations to prospective students. This research extends the understanding of affective variables in second language acquisition and has practical implications for educational providers.

Although there is a tradition of examining generalized discrimination against multiple targets, recent studies have tended to consider race and homosexuality as separate targets without considering their relationship with each other. Recent studies have also argued for a moral dimension in attitudes to homosexuality, but this has not yet been explicitly modeled as an explanation for patterns of social attitudes. In a questionnaire study of practicing Australian Christians (N = 143), we examined the relationship of religious orientation and ideology (intrinsic, extrinsic, fundamentalism, orthodoxy, and quest) with four attitude targets (Aboriginal Australians, women, homosexual persons, and abortion). Using structural equation modeling (SEM), we develop a two-factor model, incorporating group and moral orientation factors, which completely mediates the relationships between the religiosity variables and the social attitudes. Religiosity variables exhibit different patterns of correlation with the two factors. The two-factor model provides a useful framework for further exploration of socially and politically contested attitudes.

Objective: To identify service providers’ and community organisations’ perceptions of the resources available to support people with mental illness and the unmet needs of this client group in rural Queensland. Design: An exploratory study was undertaken involving focus group interviews across the study sites. Setting: Five regional towns in rural Queensland. Participants: Ten to 14 members were recruited for each of the five focus groups. The groups represented a diverse mix of participants including health and community service providers and representatives from community organisations. Results: Participants identified gaps in services in relation to health, employment and education, housing and accommodation, transport and social inclusion and health promotion. Inter-service communication and inappropriate funding models were themes affecting service delivery. Conclusions: Specific service issues of housing and transport were identified to be particularly problematic for people with mental illness across all towns. Intersectoral communication and funding models require further research.