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This study explored second year undergraduates' academic motivators and blockers at multiple ecological system levels. A total of 47 second year undergraduate students from Engineering, Nursing and Psychology in an Australian city university took part in participant-led interviews regarding their academic experience beyond their foundational semester. Using an ecological system approach as the overarching theoretical framework, Tinto's model of student retention/persistence and Self-Determination Theory (SDT) were merged within this framework to identify potential motivators and blockers across individual, microsystem, mesosystem and macrosystem levels. Results revealed that academic motivators and blockers existed at multiple ecological levels and wielded direct as well as indirect impacts on student persistence. Cohort and context-specific challenges were also identified and this demonstrated the need to better understand the contributions of an ecological approach to student persistence experience.

University participation has increased in many countries in recent years in response to the requirement for a strong knowledge economy. While this has provided additional access opportunities, not all students enter university with the same transferrable social capital. To counter this, educational institutions could play a strategic role in the development of networks and connections that provide students with valuable information, support and a sense of belonging. This research project explored the development of social capital, and its impact upon university life satisfaction and wellbeing, within an Australian university course undertaken by all first-year students regardless of programme or discipline. A survey of students was conducted three times over one semester. The results suggested that peer-level social capital indicators of trust, social support and relatedness changed over the semester, while other social capital indicators begin high and remain stable. Bridging social capital and peer social support predicted university life satisfaction. The relationship between social capital and wellbeing was found to be more complex. In a competitive, global tertiary environment, institutions could maximise the satisfaction and success of increasingly diverse student cohorts through strategies that facilitate social capital development.

Background: Trio exome sequencing can be used to investigate congenital abnormalities identified on pregnancy ultrasound, but its use in an Australian context has not been assessed. Aims: Assess clinical outcomes and changes in management after expedited genomic testing in the prenatal period to guide the development of a model for widespread implementation. Materials and methods: Forty‐three prospective referrals for whole exome sequencing, including 40 trios (parents and pregnancy), two singletons and one duo were assessed in a tertiary hospital setting with access to a state‐wide pathology laboratory. Diagnostic yield, turn‐around time (TAT), gestational age at reporting, pregnancy outcome, change in management and future pregnancy status were assessed for each family. Results: A clinically significant genomic diagnosis was made in 15/43 pregnancies (35%), with an average TAT of 12 days. Gestational age at time of report ranged from 16 + 5 to 31 + 6 weeks (median 21 + 3 weeks). Molecular diagnoses included neuromuscular and skeletal disorders, RASopathies and a range of other rare Mendelian disorders. The majority of families actively used the results in pregnancy decision making as well as in management of future pregnancies. Conclusions: Rapid second trimester prenatal genomic testing can be successfully delivered to investigate structural abnormalities in pregnancy, providing crucial guidance for current and future pregnancy management. The time‐sensitive nature of this testing requires close laboratory and clinical collaboration to ensure appropriate referral and result communication. We found the establishment of a prenatal coordinator role and dedicated reporting team to be important facilitators. We propose this as a model for genomic testing in other prenatal services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students entering English-medium universities frequently struggle to cope with the language demands of their degree programmes, despite having met the English language entry conditions stipulated by their receiving institutions. This can have significant repercussions for the teaching-learning process, for the student experience and for universities' reputations. Most universities, therefore, have in place some form of in-sessional English language support to develop students' language proficiency. Such provision tends to be centralised and to offer English for general academic purposes rather than language development that responds in a more nuanced way to the particular literacy needs of students' disciplines. In this article we report on an alternative, decentralised model of language support, implemented in a School of Nursing and Midwifery, and which seeks to develop students' competency in the language skills required for their Nursing studies and professional practice. Results to date have been encouraging and provide further evidence that such tailored provision offers a potentially fruitful language development strategy.

This paper explores the cultural conceptualisation of children's social identity and status through memorialisation, based on the study of children's grave markers and plots in five South Australian cemeteries (from colonisation to the present), with an age range from infant (including stillborn) to 20 years. The idea of childness, the differing conception of being or being labelled a child, was used as a measure to identify the degree of variation in child identity realised by child-only and family grave markers, showing both change and continuity in the representation of children through family choices of form, style, wording, motif, spatial arrangement and grave furniture. Archaeological evidence of childness was observed through representations of smallness, innocence, domesticity, play, temporality and the distinct emotional nature of the parent-child relationship. Notably in the latter period of study, within the context of lower child mortality, revised understandings of child identity and status were observed representing the social re-evaluation of prenatally deceased and stillborn children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored cyberbullying, coping resources and coping styles in a sample of 107 10- to 12-year-old Australian primary school students. Approximately 13% of participants reported experiencing single episodes of cyberbullying victimisation, while almost half of the participants (48.6%) reported being repeatedly cyberbullied. Technological responses employed by cyberbullying victims included blocking, deleting, and changing passwords. Those who reported a single episode of cyberbullying had higher levels of self-esteem compared to the never cyberbullied or repeatedly cyberbullied groups, but there were no significant differences in attachment, locus of control, and coping styles. These findings have important implications for teachers, parents, school psychologists, and researchers in terms of defining and operationalising cyberbullying, and developing cyberbullying interventions for primary school children.

Near-peer teaching is used within higher education because of its efficacy for both student teachers and learners. Our purpose in this paper is to highlight the possibilities of applying near-peer teaching pedagogies in outdoor and environmental higher education contexts. We begin by reviewing its use in the higher education sector, mainly focusing on health and medical education where it is regularly used. We then employ a qualitative methodology to examine the initial experience of near-peer teaching, in which third-year university undergraduate students teach first-year students in the field during a higher education outdoor environmental education programme in Australia. Both sets of students (teachers and learners) report valuing the experience for its authentic preparation for future outdoor environmental education, explicit outdoor environmental education curriculum and pedagogy content, and role in inducting first-year students into the community of professional practice within the programme. We also highlight distinct elements of the programme that contribute to the success of this unique near-peer teaching and learning experience and further discuss the limitations as a useful signpost for extending near-peer experiences across outdoor environmental education, and higher education more broadly.

Online youth-focused health programs often include parent modules—that equip parents with skills to assist their child in improving their health—alongside youth-specific content. BRAVE Self-Help, an evidence-based program designed for children and teenagers with early signs of anxiety, is a popular Australian program that includes six parent modules. Despite its popularity and proven efficacy, BRAVE Self-Help shares the same challenge as many online self-help programs—that of low participant engagement. Using parents registered in BRAVE Self-Help as 'information rich' participants, we explored (a) factors that influenced parent engagement in online health programs, and (b) their recommendations for enhancing parent engagement. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 parents registered in BRAVE Self-Help. Data were analysed through reflexive thematic analysis. Social-, family- and program-related factors drove parents' program engagement and recommendations. Social sub-themes related to the benefits of professional and community support in promoting more engagement. Family sub-themes included difficulties with program engagement due to competing priorities, perceptions that condition severity influenced engagement, and feelings that previously-acquired health knowledge reduced motivation to engage. Program sub-themes included perceived usefulness and ease-of-use. Program designers could target support systems, include flexible delivery options, and use iterative design processes to enhance parent engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can now be cured with well-tolerated direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy. However, a potential barrier to HCV elimination is the emergence of resistance-associated substitutions (RASs) that reduce the efficacy of antiviral drugs, but real-world studies assessing the clinical impact of RASs are limited. Here, an analysis of the impact of RASs on retreatment outcomes for different salvage regimens in patients nationally who failed first-line DAA therapy is reported. Methods We collected data from 363 Australian patients who failed first-line DAA therapy, including: age, sex, fibrosis stage, HCV genotype, NS3/NS5A/NS5B RASs, details of failed first-line regimen, subsequent salvage regimens, and treatment outcome. Results Of 240 patients who were initially retreated as per protocol, 210 (87.5%) achieved sustained virologic response (SVR) and 30 (12.5%) relapsed or did not respond. The SVR rate for salvage regimens that included sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir was 94.3% (n = 140), sofosbuvir/velpatasvir 75.0% (n = 52), elbasvir/grazoprevir 81.6% (n = 38), and glecaprevir/pibrentasvir 84.6% (n = 13). NS5A RASs were present in 71.0% (n = 210) of patients who achieved SVR and in 66.7% (n = 30) of patients who subsequently relapsed. NS3 RASs were detected in 20 patients (20%) in the SVR group and 1 patient in the relapse group. NS5B RASs were observed in only 3 patients. Cirrhosis was a predictor of relapse after retreatment, as was previous treatment with sofosbuvir/velpatasvir. Conclusions In our cohort, the SVR rate for sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir was higher than with other salvage regimens. The presence of NS5A, NS5B, or NS3 RASs did not appear to negatively influence retreatment outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the current study was to explore employment, latent and manifest benefits (LAMB), wellbeing, and quality of life (QoL) in military spouses. Australian military spouses (286 females, 3 males, mean age = 29.07, SD = 6.19, age range: 19-50) were contacted through social networking to complete an online questionnaire. Results confirmed that unemployed spouses had reduced access to LAMB, higher levels of distress, and poorer QoL than spouses who were employed. Furthermore, the relationship between employment and wellbeing, and employment and QoL was partially mediated by access to LAMB. Financial income was found to be the most important contributor to wellbeing, and status was found to be the most important contributor of QoL. Overall, findings have implications for military outcomes such as retention and readiness, as spouse employment is a significant factor of their wellbeing and QoL which can, in turn, affect the military member.

Few studies have examined the effectiveness of interventions to improve mental health in the unemployed. Current evidence points to interventions improving mental health but having little, if any, impact on reemployment. In the Australian context, psychological services continue to be delivered yet little is known about their effectiveness. This study examined the effectiveness of psychological services for 783 unemployed individuals. It was hypothesized that psychological intervention would improve the symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress and general psychological distress; that individual one-on-one interventions would be more effective than other interventions; and that improvements in mental health would be associated with reemployment. Results highlighted that psychological intervention was effective at improving mental health; that tailored individual interventions were not significantly more effective than other types of interventions and that improvements in depression, anxiety and stress were associated with reemployment.

It is important to understand the factors that can contribute to quality of life in retirees. Accessing latent benefits, which are generally associated with paid employment, has been shown to increase quality of life. It is proposed that meaningful leisure may act as a substitute for paid employment in retirees. A sample of 123 male and female participants living in 8 different retirement villages in Queensland, Australia, were assessed using the Latent and Manifest Benefits Scale, the World Health Organisation Quality of Life scale and the Meaningful Leisure Activity Questionnaire to examine the role of meaningful leisure activity on access to latent benefits and perceived quality of life. Results showed that during retirement, access to the five latent benefits of time structure, shared experiences, identity, collective purpose and enforced activity is positively related to quality of life. Results demonstrated that only collective purpose mediated the relationship between meaningful leisure and quality of life. Further, meaningful leisure was positively related to quality of life. The implications of these results are discussed.

As schools start investigating and investing in the idea of 1:1 iPads and tablets, are there any lessons that can be learnt from recent 1:1 laptop deployments? In Australia, since 2008, 1:1 laptops have been introduced into every secondary school. This study reports on a survey designed to investigate frequency and type of laptop use, and the alignment of teacher and student perceptions of that use. Data was obtained from 14 secondary schools from the Catholic Education Office Sydney, involving responses from 1245 Grade 10 science students and 47 science teachers. As part of the analysis, bubble graphs are used to visually represent a teacher's alignment/misalignment with their students' self-reported practices. Results show student and teacher perceptions of use were usually relatively aligned though sometimes very contrasting. The alignment was measured with the use of a "Misalignment Index". Three distinct types of teacher/student alignment or misalignment emerge from a graphical analysis of the data. Of the teachers and students sampled, some 30% of teachers were highly aligned, 55% had medium alignment and 15% were badly misaligned with their respective students. Potential uses of the Misalignment Index and analysis tools are discussed. (Contains 5 figures.)

The latent and manifest benefits (LAMB) scale (Muller, Creed, Waters & Machin, 2005) was designed to measure the latent and manifest benefits of employment and provide a single scale to test Jahoda's (1981) and Fryer's (1986) theories of unemployment. Since its publication in 2005 there have been 13 studies that have used the scale with 5692 participants in Australian and German samples. This article reviews the use and findings of the LAMB scale and recommends future directions in LAMB research. (Contains 1 table.)

The popular construction of rural places as "white" spaces has significant repercussions for ethnic, Indigenous and "other" groups who do not always fit within prescribed dominant processes. This paper provides new insights for rural scholarship through an engagement with Indigenous specific experiences of governance and decision making in rural and remote areas. Drawing on powerful Yolngu metaphors from northeast Arnhem Land, Australia, it makes Yolngu law and perspectives visible. Like the cycad nut that has poison within its flesh, so have government impositions on Indigenous people in remote areas. This paper is written to leach the poison out, to let it be cleansed. (Contains 6 figures.)

In this paper we suggest that learning about natural history experientially can be thought of as a type of reading, where understanding is developed by using particular skills, processes and content. In our experience, teaching and learning natural history involves the generation of knowledge and understanding through relating direct personal observations of aspects of the natural world to broader cultural and conservation issues. We therefore argue that teaching Australian natural history that reflects the particular social, cultural and environmental circumstances of the place in which it is undertaken requires pedagogical research and informed debate. In this paper we highlight this neglected aspect of pedagogical research within Australian outdoor and environmental education and discuss our experiences of teaching natural history to undergraduate students to stimulate discussion and challenge researchers-educators to develop practices that are informed by the natural history of this continent. (Contains 5 endnotes.)

A survey was conducted among 692 Australian 13-to 16-year-olds to examine aspects of their Internet use and, in particular, their exposure to inappropriate material and behaviors online and their online safety practices. Significant differences were found in the amount of exposure to inappropriate material or behaviors online according to sex and frequency of usage, with males and more frequent Internet users showing greater exposure. No differences were found according to whether blocking or filtering software was installed. Significant differences in online safety practices were also found, with younger participants (13-to 14-year-olds) and those participants whose parents had not discussed Internet safety with them being less safety conscious. (Contains 3 tables and 1 note.)

Video is a widely used resource in teaching at all levels of education, yet research regarding its pedagogic development and use is inconsistent, dependent on outdated learning theories, and inapplicable to the current cohort of students. This study aimed to determine the key multimedia design features, from the student perspective, related to learning from the popular science video, Dr Karl's "Falling Cats". The goal was to compare factors arising from three focus groups, each comprised of low, moderate, or highly interested students, with those outlined by current multimedia research. Overall, students' preferences coincided with research in the areas of context, tone, colours, sound, and onscreen text. Participants in the moderate and high interest groups were more accommodating to complex aspects of the film that overwhelmed some novices, consistent with the literature. Although the design of "Falling Cats" was largely based on intuitive choices, it adheres closely to research based principles; this is identified as one of the keys to its success. (Contains 6 figures, 1 table and 1 endnote.)

Hypothesized that students who continue full-time study after high school have higher levels of career maturity, psychological well-being, and academic achievement while at school. Surveyed 254 Australian seniors and 132 of these students 9 months after graduation. Found that students who proceeded to full-time further study scored higher in all three categories than those who proceeded to full-time employment. (KK)