Federation University

Contemporary research on older Latin American immigrants emphasises their health issues and mental problems. Most lived experience research has been done in North America and Europe, with relatively few studies in Australia, creating a gap that needs to be addressed. As part of a broad Constructivist Grounded Theory study, the aim of this study was to explore and derive insights from the lived migration experiences of older Latin American immigrants in Australia. Twenty-three Spanish-speaking immigrants aged 60 and above were interviewed. Data analysis was conducted concurrently with data collection using a constant comparative method. Ethical approval was obtained before commencing data collection. The study’s core category was “Preserving culture and values after migration”. This highlights the significance of cultural identity for older Latin American immigrants in Australia, as they prioritise promoting and preserving their traditions to foster a sense of solidarity, helping them enhance their mental health. Language experiences were vital in cultural conservation and integration into the host society. The migration experiences of older Latin American immigrants in Australia involve various aspects, including cultural preservation, identity maintenance, and integration challenges. Recognising and respecting their cultural background, values, traditions, and language within Australia’s multicultural society is crucial for enhancing the effectiveness of services and promoting their mental health and integration within the community.

Purpose In the extant literature on Intimate Partner Violence, control in intimate relationships remains relatively under-explored. In the current study, we explore the utility of insecure attachment styles (i.e., anxious attachment and avoidant attachment), emotion dysregulation, and shame-proneness to predict the perpetration of control in intimate relationships. Further, we explore the direct and indirect association between insecure attachment and control through emotion dysregulation and shame-proneness. We hypothesised all variables would be positive predictors of control in intimate relationships and that high insecure attachment would be related to more emotion dysregulation and shame-proneness, which in turn would relate to more control. Method Participants (N = 328; 67.4% women; Mage = 34.4 years, SD = 10.95) completed an online questionnaire that included measures of attachment, shame-proneness, emotion dysregulation, and controlling behaviors in intimate relationships. Results Hypotheses were partially supported. Higher anxious attachment, avoidant attachment, and emotion dysregulation predicted more control in intimate relationships. Both anxious and avoidant attachment related to higher emotion dysregulation, which in turn related to more perpetration of control in intimate relationships. Interestingly, anxious attachment related to increased shame, which related to less control in intimate relationships. Conclusion By clarifying the role of anxious attachment, avoidant attachment, and emotion dysregulation as critical elements in the perpetration of control in intimate relationships, our study makes valuable contributions to understanding the underlying mechanisms contributing to this significant societal problem. We propose that future research exploring control in intimate relationships seeks to explore the utility of interventions targeting attachment insecurity.

Background Extended Reality (XR) technologies, such as Virtual Reality (VR) and 360°VR are growing rapidly in the scientific literature and sporting practice. These have been used for a range of skills, particularly perceptual-cognitive skills. However, to our knowledge, there is no systematic scoping review on this topic identifying the current state of play of the research area by characteristics such as study type, technology type, or sport investigated, and such a review would help guide the future direction of this area. Therefore, this study aimed to systematically review the extent of XR technology in sport for assessing and training athletes’ and officials’ perceptual-cognitive skills. Methods Electronic databases (SCOPUS, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO) were searched for relevant articles up until January 2024. Studies were included if they used XR technologies to assess or develop sport-specific, higher order perceptual-cognitive skills. Results 57 studies met the inclusion criteria for this review, of which 67% were published from 2020. Most studies conducted quantitative research designs, with 66% of studies adopting a cross-sectional assessment approach and 28% conducting an intervention to assess performance improvements. Decision-making was the most prevalent skill investigated, across 60% of studies. The most common technology was head mounted display (51%) presenting animated environments and the most common sports investigated were football and handball (32% and 19% of studies, respectively). Conclusions This review highlights a significant growth in the research exploring XR technologies in sport for perceptual-cognitive skill development and understanding, with most studies published in the last 4 years. Prominent technology types (e.g. animated HMD), perceptual-cognitive skills (e.g. decision making), study designs (e.g. quantitative assessment), and sports (e.g. football) are identified and discussed along with practical implications and future research. Key Points Extended reality technologies for sports perceptual-cognitive skills is an emerging field, marked by key trends in the types of technology used and the perceptual-cognitive skills being studied. Decision-making is the most commonly studied perceptual-cognitive skill, and these technologies report to have high representativeness and engagement when being used. More research is required to explore the effectiveness of this technology through intervention study designs, and further understand how it can be used and the perceptual-cognitive processes through qualitative research designs.

Background Monitoring training load has the potential to improve sport performance and reduce injuries in athletes. This study examined training load and its association with wellness in artistic gymnastics. Hypotheses Training load and changes in training load (acute:chronic workload ratio [ACWR]) vary throughout 1 season; wellness is inversely correlated with training load and ACWR. Study Design Prospective case series. Level of Evidence Level 3. Methods A total of 30 female collegiate gymnasts from 4 Division I National Collegiate Athletic Association teams participated (mean age, 20 ± 2 years). During 4 months, before daily training, wellness surveys assessed sleep, energy, soreness, and mood (1-10; higher = better). After daily training, training load surveys assessed training duration per event (warm-up, vault, bars, beam, floor, strength and conditioning) and session rating of perceived exertion (RPE; 1-10; 10 = hardest) per event. Coaches reported technical complexity of training per event (1-4; 4 = hardest). Training load was calculated as [duration] × [RPE] × [technical complexity]. ACWR represented a ratio between acute [1-week] and chronic [4-week rolling average] training loads. Results ACWR and weekly training load fluctuated throughout the season (ACWR mean weekly range: 0.68-1.11; training load mean weekly range: 2073-6193 arbitrary units). ACWR and weekly training loads were trichotomized into low, medium, and high groups; positive correlations were observed between each wellness variable and ACWR ( P < 0.01) and between each wellness variable and weekly training load ( P < 0.01). Conclusion Our novel training load monitoring framework for women’s college gymnastics enabled us to characterize training load and its relationship with wellness throughout 1 season. This method should be explored in gymnasts across various ages and competitive levels. Clinical Relevance This study proposes a framework and the initial findings of monitoring training load and wellness in collegiate women’s gymnastics.

Infidelity is any behavior that breaks the implied agreement of exclusivity within a romantic relationship and is a leading cause of divorce. Previous literature has established a relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and infidelity perpetration. As experiencing childhood adversity does not guarantee an individual will engage in infidelity, mechanisms explaining this relationship should be explored. We investigated whether avoidant and anxious attachment styles mediate the relationship between ACEs and cheating frequency. A sample of 584 participants aged 18–82 years ( M = 35.31, SD = 11.68, 67.0% female) was recruited and completed online versions of the Childhood Experiences Survey—17, the Relationship Structures Questionnaire, and frequency of cheating behavior in their current or most recent relationship. After dichotomizing gender and testing assumptions, data from 553 participants were available for analysis. A parallel mediation provided support for the first hypothesis, and partial support for the second. Specifically, ACEs were positively associated with anxious and avoidant attachment styles, but only avoidant attachment was significantly and positively associated with cheating frequency. As such, only avoidant attachment acted in a manner consistent with a mediator in the relationship between ACEs and infidelity. This result suggests a potential link between childhood adversity and the development of both avoidant and anxious attachment styles, but that individuals with an avoidant attachment style are more likely to engage in infidelity. These findings provide insight into the role attachment styles play in infidelity post‐childhood adversity, and have the potential to guide therapeutic interventions for affected individuals.

Context Athletes often face the dual challenge of high training loads with insufficient time to recover. Equally, in any team, sports medicine and performance staff are required to progress training loads in healthy athletes and avoid prolonged reductions in training load in injured athletes. In both cases, the implementation of a well-established psychological technique known as motor imagery (MI) can be used to counteract adverse training adaptations such as excessive fatigue, reduced capacity, diminished performance, and heightened injury susceptibility. Study Design Narrative overview. Level of Evidence Level 5. Results MI has been shown to enhance performance outcomes in a range of contexts including rehabilitation, skill acquisition, return-to-sport protocols, and strength and conditioning. Specific performance outcomes include reduction of strength loss and muscular atrophy, improved training engagement of injured and/or rehabilitating athletes, promotion of recovery, and development of sport-specific skills/game tactics. To achieve improvements in such outcomes, it is recommended that practitioners consider the following factors when implementing MI: individual skill level (ie, more time may be required for novices to obtain benefits), MI ability (ie, athletes with greater capacity to create vivid and controllable mental images of their performance will likely benefit more from MI training), and the perspective employed (ie, an internal perspective may be more beneficial for increasing neurophysiological activity whereas an external perspective may be better for practicing technique-focused movements). Conclusion We provide practical recommendations grounded in established frameworks on how MI can be used to reduce strength loss and fear of reinjury in athletes with acute injury, improve physical qualities in rehabilitating athletes, reduce physical loads in overtrained athletes, and to develop tactical and technical skills in healthy athletes.

Aim This systematic review aims to describe and compare the characteristics of Hospital in the Home (HITH) models of care within Australia. Design A systematic review of peer‐reviewed Australian literature. Data Sources Seven databases were searched in January 2024, followed by citation searching. Articles were included if they were described the HITH model of care and were published between 1994 and 2024. Review Methods Covidence was used to facilitate the removal of duplicates, independent total and abstract screening and full text review. The Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) was used to assess the quality of evidence, and title and abstract screening and full text review were completed by multiple authors. This ensured that all articles met the inclusion criteria and were then assessed, and the final articles were assessed using matrix analysis, and results were presented using narrative synthesis. Results Ten articles met the inclusion criteria, highlighting three models care; the medical model, the nursing model and the brokerage model. Conclusions There is limited research available that includes the model of care and patient outcomes. Future research needs to consider the differences between HITH programs, such as the model of care, admission pathway, utilisation of telehealth and geography of the population. Implications for the Profession This review may assist Australian HITH health professionals to improve the efficacy of the HITH model of care delivered within their health service and increase translatability of future HITH research. Impact This study highlighted for the first time the models of HITH care utilised within Australia. Three models of care are currently utilised within Australia, this knowledge may assist health services seeking to enhance their HITH model of care and policy writers. Reporting Method This review adhered to the EQUATOR guidelines, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analysis. Patient or Public Contribution No patient or public contribution. Trial Registration: Registered with the international prospective register for protocols of systematic reviews in health social care CRD42024500950

Responding to increasing concerns regarding human-induced climate change and shared commitment as environmental educators to support climate action, we crafted this article as a composite piece — an emerging method of inquiry. We are eleven contributors: the Editorial Executive of the Australian Journal of Environmental Education and two colleagues who each respond to prompts concerning our experience of climate change and our practices of climate change education. The responses provide insights regarding how we strive to enact meaningful climate action, education, advocacy and agency. This article presents the reader with various ways environmental educators work through eco-anxiety and engage in active hope when supporting climate change education/agency/action. The following insights emerged, illustrating 1. the significance of embracing diverse perspectives and knowledge systems; 2. Emotions as catalysts for action and activism; 3. the value of fostering collaborative spaces/relationships/communities that empower people; 4. the importance of integrating ethical responses and critical climate literacy in climate change education/research; 5. learning from places and multi-species entanglements; 6. acknowledging tensions. We offer these six insights not as a solution but as a potentially generative heuristic for navigating the complexity and uncertainty of climate change education in contemporary times.

Background Understanding participation in sport is important for sport policy, strategy and management. Most research regarding participation in sport report general trends in participation rates. However, as societies trends in leisure-time activities are changing, we need to also understand the settings of sport participation. The aim of this study was to investigate the settings of sport participation of children and adults across 13 major sports in Victoria, Australia. Methods This study utilised data about sport participation collected in the AusPlay survey from a representative sample of adults and children in Victoria, Australia. For each of the 13 sports, the settings of participation were identified for 2020, 2021 and 2022. Respondents can report participation in a particular activity in more than one setting. Therefore, we use the term “instance of participation” to refer to a person playing a particular sport in a particular setting. We calculated the weighted frequencies and prevalences pertaining to sport participation instances in each setting. Results In 2022 compared to 2020, overall participation was 1.1% higher for children and 1.2% higher for adults. For children and adults, the most popular sport for each year was swimming. In 2022, the next most popular sports for children were Australian football, basketball, gymnastics and soccer, and for adults’ tennis, basketball, golf and Australian football. For children, approximately half of participation took place within a sports club or association setting (56-60%). For adults, approximately one third of participation took place within a sports club or association setting (36%). Much of the adult participation took place in non-organised settings. The largest increases in participation in clubs and associations in 2022 compared to 2020 for children was for, hockey, soccer, gymnastics, and Australian football. The adult participation in sports clubs or associations did not fair as well, with 8 sports decreasing the proportion of participation in this setting. Conclusion As a society, we continue to evolve in how we consume participation in sport, and sport policy, infrastructure and opportunities to play need to be directed towards those particular settings and modes of delivery of sport where and how individuals want to play.

Wildfires, which can cause significant damage to power systems, are mostly inevitable and unpredictable. Fire danger indexes, such as the Forest Fire Danger Index (FFDI) and the Canadian Fire Weather Index (FWI), measure the potential wildfire danger at a given time and location. Thus, by predicting these fire danger indexes in advance, power system operators can obtain valuable insight into the potential wildfire risks and can better be prepared to tackle the wildfires. However, due to dependency on weather conditions, these indexes usually have volatile time series, which make their prediction complex. Taking these facts into account, this paper, unlike previous approaches that predict fire danger indexes based on climatological models, develops a machine learning‐based forecast process to predict these indexes using the relevant weather data and past performance. To do this, first, a volatility analysis approach is presented to analyse the volatility level of the time series data of a fire danger index. Afterwards, an effective machine learning‐based forecast methodology using a new deep feature selection model is proposed to predict fire danger indexes. The developed forecast methodology is tested on the real‐world data of FFDI and FWI and is compared with several popular alternative methods reported in the literature.

Background Nurses' competencies are crucial in providing effective dementia care in healthcare settings for older people. Understanding nurses' current knowledge, attitudes and confidence in this area is essential for developing education programmes for healthcare professionals to improve patient care. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and confidence related to providing dementia care among nurses practicing in geriatric hospital wards and nursing homes in Hanoi, Vietnam. Methods A total of 269 out of 313 (response rate was 86%) full‐time nurses working at six geriatric wards in hospitals and nursing homes in Hanoi were surveyed using three self‐administered questionnaires: the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale (DKAS), Dementia Attitude Scale (DAS) and the Confidence in Dementia Scale (CODE). Multiple regression models were constructed to identify factors associated with dementia care knowledge, attitudes and confidence. Results The overall mean scores of nurse's knowledge, attitudes and confidence were 28.1 ± 8.0, 102.1 ± 13.4 and 28.3 ± 6.4, respectively. A positive correlation was reported between the knowledge and attitude scores and between the attitudes and confidence scores. Greater seniority (β: 0.29; 95% CI: 0.03–0.56) and having learned information through colleagues or experts (β: 3.02; 95% CI: 0.88–5.16) were associated with better dementia knowledge. A higher level of dementia training desirability was associated with increased knowledge (β: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.28–1.20) and favourable attitudes (β: 0.94; 95% CI: 0.15–1.74), whereas frequent exposure to dementia cases was associated with higher confidence (β: 3.56; 95% CI: 1.39–5.73) and more favourable attitudes (β: 3.96; 95% CI: 0.27–7.66). Conclusion Our study highlights deficits in knowledge, low levels of social comfort in nurses' attitudes towards people with dementia and a lack of confidence in providing effective care among nurses practicing in healthcare settings for older adults in Hanoi, Vietnam. With the ageing of the population and with increasing numbers of persons living with dementia, our findings suggest the importance of improving the training of nurses to specifically address these deficits. Implications for Practice Multidisciplinary consultation meetings need to be encouraged in the healthcare workplace setting as well as ensuring the presence of qualified counsellors for care teams working with older adults in non‐hospital settings. Training about non‐cognitive symptoms of dementia and demonstrating effective verbal and non‐verbal communication skills is critical and should be integrated into nurse's educational training.

Alkali‐activated cement (AAC) is an alternative binder with a promising potential to replace ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and mitigate its environmental issues. The use of fiber‐reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforcements with AAC concrete enables the development of corrosion‐resistant, environmentally friendly reinforced concrete structures. Bond behavior is critical in reinforced concrete structures and must be thoroughly studied for such new alternative materials. This study employs pullout tests to investigate the bond behavior between FRP bars and fine‐grained AAC concrete. Three fine‐grained AAC concretes with low to high strength, glass and carbon FRP bars and wrapped, milled, and smooth surface treatments were examined. The effect of bar casting position was also investigated. The compressive strength showed a significant influence on the bond strength. An average bond strength of approximately 18 MPa was observed for both glass and carbon FRP bars when used with 65 MPa concrete. Both the glass and carbon FRP bars with wrapping showed a lower bond strength than their milled FRP bars counterparts. The carbon bars without surface preparation (smooth bars) resulted in a much lower bond strength, around 4 MPa. In terms of casting positions, the bars cast in the middle section of the concrete block showed a higher bond strength than those at the bottom and top.

This chapter addresses the unequal power relations of fostering culturally responsive learning spaces in western settler-colonial education contexts. It examines the pivotal role that educators play in facilitating culturally-safer spaces for First Nations children and their families. The provocation put forward is that Australian government-devised plans, targets, strategies, and schooling mandates have failed to consider the diverse cultural and linguistic needs of First Nations children, families, and communities. This has resulted in the sustained disparity of attendance rates compared to non-Indigenous peers in formal Early Childhood education settings. In this chapter, we explore the apparent disconnect between theoretical understandings developed during pre-service teacher (PST) education and practical applications of in-service pedagogies in such socio-political environments. In doing so, we aim to offer practical strategies that can be taken up during in-service practice in ways that address current inequalities and pivot teaching practices towards facilitating more culturally responsive and safer early childhood learning spaces.

This chapter introduces key concepts such as social justice, inclusion, equity, diversity, and effective learning for all and the implications for teacher education. It provides an outline of how the contributing authors explore, interrogate, and critique educational practices and structures that contribute to educational disadvantage or exclusion, aiming to facilitate inclusive mindsets in the field of teacher education. Critical perspectives of diversity and equity in teacher education are investigated through an array of traditions and methodologies that interrogate educational issues from a political, cultural, structural, and social perspective. Barriers and enablers facing inclusion in teacher education are explored and pedagogical approaches to address equity, diversity and inclusion in teacher education are cultivated and critiqued. Attention is directed towards building the capacities of teacher education stakeholders to understand and respond to teaching and learning contexts through a standpoint of equity and justice.

Taking into consideration the educational principles of equity, diversity and social justice, this chapter seeks to address the importance of preparing preservice teachers for complex work with vulnerable and marginalised young people, focusing on young mothers. Barriers to school completion and the varying contexts experienced by students requires preservice teachers (PSTs) and teacher educators to critically examine dominant and disempowering discourses that can construct students in particular ways. Through restorative justice principles that focus on relationship building and align with trauma informed practices, socially just and equitable learning environments create classrooms that are sensitive to the needs of all students, enhancing their wellbeing and learning experiences. With diverse student populations present in school contexts globally, it is essential that teacher education programs incorporate a range of pedagogical practices, analyse applicable case studies, and enact an ethics of care to deepen preservice teacher skills. Engagement in contextualised experiences in diverse secondary school settings with mentor teachers who are also skilled in trauma sensitive approaches will further enhance preservice teacher understandings.

Teachers with impairments have been described as marginalised in education settings in Australian and international contexts. This marginalisation is attributed to socio-cultural attitudes that impact on access and achievement in education for teachers who identify as having an impairment. As an equity issue, it is important that teachers with impairments are included in the teaching profession, can gain entry to teacher education degrees, can achieve employment in teaching roles, and can access fulfilling work and career progression. Within an inclusive school culture, it is acknowledged that everyone is in, however as will be explored in this chapter, the academic literature on inclusive education primarily focuses on the inclusion of students, and rarely on teachers as part of an inclusive school culture. This chapter will cast light on this topic, by examining the obstacles and benefits associated with the important roles that teachers with impairments can play in contemporary schooling, such as bringing their unique standpoints or funds of knowledge to their work, and acting as accessible school-based adult role models for children and young people.