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Roger Tory Peterson Down Under: an American's influence on Australian birding field guides
Full text linkThe American, Roger Tory Peterson, has been the single most influential figure in the evolution of birding field guides around the world. He was also a major contributor to the awakening of an environmental consciousness among the wider public in the second half of the twentieth century. In Australia, he provided a powerful impetus to the renovation of the field guide genre from the 1960s onward; and his Australian followers, like Peterson himself, were driven by a conviction that field guides are potent contributors to the conservationist cause. This article explores the myriad ways in which Peterson helped shape Australian birding field guides, including an exposition of his personal friendship with one of Australia’s major field guide authors, Graham Pizzey
Micro-Analysis of Victim-Survivors' Stories: Nuancing the Dynamics and Complexities of Sexual Violence During the Genocide Against the Tutsi
Full text linkThe year 2024 marked the thirtieth anniversary of the Genocide against the Tutsi. The genocide was characterized by widespread and brutal use of sexual violence, resulting in long-lasting and multifaceted effects on victim-survivors and their communities. While the representation of sexual violence in Rwandan public discourse has often been limited, advocacy groups and researchers have documented numerous testimonies to ensure the full scope of such violence is acknowledged. Despite these efforts, many relational dynamics and complexities remain underexplored. This article presents the survival stories of two victim-survivors, interviewed in Rwanda in 2015/2016. A micro-analysis of these individual narratives enhances our understanding of the genocide and its aftermath by providing nuanced insights into the prevalence and forms of sexual violence, as well as the relational dynamics that shaped victim-survivors’ experiences. The micro-analysis also expands knowledge of agency and the choices made by victim-survivors during and after the genocide, as well as the profound relational harm sexual violence caused to Rwandan social networks. Furthermore, this article examines the role of apologies and forgiveness in addressing this harm and offers insights into ongoing healing needs for both victim-survivors and Rwandan society. These findings contribute to broader scholarly and policy discussions on sexual violence and its long-term consequences
The mental health impact of climate change on Pacific Islanders: A systematic review focused on sea level rise and extreme weather events
Full text linkObjective: This systematic review investigates the impact of climate change on the mental health of Pacific Island Nations (PINs), with a focus on identifying culturally tailored interventions and appropriate research methodologies to address these impacts.
Method: A systematic review of peer-reviewed literature up to May 18, 2024, was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) protocol and the Population, Interest Area, and Context (PICo) framework. Empirical studies on the impact of climate change on mental health in PINs were evaluated by using the Quality Assessment Tool for Studies with Diverse Designs (QATSDD).
Results: Six studies from the Solomon Islands, Cook Islands, and Tuvalu were identified, indicating significant mental health impacts from sea level rise (SLR) and extreme weather events with compounding and mitigating effects across diverse groups. The Skills for Life Adjustment and Resilience (SOLAR) program was highlighted as a promising culturally adapted intervention.
Conclusion: Climate change significantly impacts mental health, particularly in PIN communities facing SLR and Extreme Weather Events (EWE). Culturally sensitive interventions, local knowledge, and further research are vital to mitigate these effects and support well-being
The launch of the Pacific vector network: connecting Pacific Island Countries and areas to prevent and control vector‑borne diseases
Full text linkThe Pacific Island Health Officers’ Association, the World Health Organization, and the Pacific Community co-organized the launch of the Pacific Vector Network (PVN) to address challenges posed by mosquito-borne diseases, including dengue fever, Zika virus disease, chikungunya, malaria, and lymphatic filariasis. The PVN was created as a new initiative under the Pacific Public Health Surveillance Network (PPHSN). This launch was a critical step in the build-up to PVN as a full-service network of PPHSN in the coming years. The Pacific Island Countries and areas (PIC)-led network comprises vector management leadership, officers, and technical partners dedicated to supporting information-sharing to promote evidence-based collective action and innovation. The setup of a Technical Working Body to ensure governance and to steer forward the work of the network was a key deliverable. This manuscript describes the proceedings and discussions of PIC representatives and several regional partners at the inaugural PVN meeting held 5–7 June 2023 in Hawai’i, USA
The Impact of COVID-19 on Tertiary Statistics Teaching Practices in Australia
Full text linkStatistical literacy, one of the core skills embedded in tertiary psychology education, is best taught using active learning pedagogy. Although a plethora of research has examined how the implementation of emergency online learning (EOL) in response to COVID-19 impacted teaching and learning in general, limited research has considered how this change affected tertiary teaching of psychology statistics specifically. We conducted an exploratory, two-phase, mixed-method study to consider how the implementation of EOL during COVID-19 impacted the teaching of research methods and statistics at tertiary institutions in Australia. A sample of 21 tertiary educators in Australia (52% females, 48% males), aged 26–55 (M = 39.75) completed an online survey, which included quantitative and qualitative items addressing experiences with online teaching and COVID-19 EOL. Of this cohort, we interviewed three educators about their experience in teaching statistics; changes in teaching conditions from 2019 to the present; challenges and advantages of EOL; and student satisfaction, engagement, and performance. Overall, we found that previous experience with online learning was a better indicator of success in EOL than years of teaching in general. Educators also felt underprepared and underresourced from their institutions. Many challenges of EOL were identified, with access to statistical software being the key challenge unique to teaching statistics. Overcoming technological inequities was recommended to improve EOL outcomes in the future
Chief financial officer overconfidence and earnings management
Full text linkThis study explores the relationship between overconfident Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) and earnings management. Through the lens of upper echelons and overconfidence theories, and using a large sample of 14,156 observations of US firms from 1999 to 2021 inclusive, our study finds that overconfident CFOs are positively associated with earnings management. We show that overconfident CFOs use earnings management to reduce earnings volatility, given that a smooth performance can release their financing pressure. In doing this, we rule out another possible explanation of overconfident CFOs engaging in earnings management to pursue high compensation. Our findings pass a series of robustness tests, including entropy balancing, the Difference-in-Differences test based on the propensity score matching sample (PSM-DID), and alternative measures of main variables. Our study provides a new determinant of earnings management that has more explanatory power than CFO demographic traits – i.e. CFO cognitive biases. Our findings nonetheless show the “bright” side of CFO overconfidence, helping investors, regulators, and policymakers understand overconfident CFOs’ financial reporting decisions
Does Reality Television-Style Singing Influence Singing Self-Concept?
Full text linkHypothesis: Due to upward social comparison, we hypothesized that exposure to reality television singing (a technically demanding style of contemporary commercial music singing) would negatively influence singing self-concept compared to hearing amateur singers or plain, unembellished singing by professionals.
Study Design and Methods: A between-subjects, online experiment was used. A sample of 212 individuals (Mage = 33.14; 69.30% female) participated in the study. After completing a background section, participants were randomly allocated into one of the experimental conditions (hearing one of four versions of a well-known song: a control version with piano and no singing, amateur singing, professional plain singing, and professional singing in the style of reality television singing). Participants were then asked to judge the performance they heard and to respond to items concerning their singing self-concept (including singing ability).
Results and Conclusions: A series of ANCOVAs was used to examine the impact of the experimental condition on the participants’ performance judgments and singing self-concept. The amateur singing was judged as the lowest quality. While there was no significant difference by experimental condition regarding possessing good singing ability, the experimental condition did affect people's singing aspirations and perceived ability to sing along with the performers. The pattern of results suggests that exposure to reality television-style singing may have negative impacts on people's singing self-concept via upward social comparison. Self-concept has been identified as an important predictor of musical engagement and participation and plays a role in motivating action. These results encourage music educators, singing voice pedagogues, and community musicians seeking to promote musical and singing participation to be aware of cultural influences on an individual's singing self-concept
Improving rural and remote health workforce retention amid global workforce shortages: a scoping review of evaluated workforce interventions
No full textPurpose – The aim of this study was to conduct a scoping review of a global body of scholarly and industry (grey) literature for evidence of implemented and evaluated interventions to identify best practice workforce retention strategies for organisations providing health services in rural and remote areas.
Design/methodology/approach – A scoping review was conducted of the scholarly and grey literature by two independent researchers. This comprised a search of four scholarly databases, and a Google and website search for grey literature. Quality checks were conducted, and a total of 15 documents were included in the literature review. Using the World Health Organisation’s categories of workforce intervention (regulatory, education, financial incentives, personal and professional support), the documents were analysed to identify effective workforce interventions.
Findings – The literature review found evidence of regulatory impacts as well as organisation-level evaluated workforce interventions for education-to-employment pathways (education), remuneration programs (financial incentives) and working and living conditions (personal and professional support) but seldom provided insight into how successful interventions were implemented or evaluated at the organisational level. Further, there was an absence of scholarship contributing to the development of empirical evidence to inform organisations about designing, implementing and evaluating workforce strategies to improve health workforce retention in rural and remote communities.
Originality/value – Few studies have focused on evidence-based organisation-level interventions to improve rural and remote workforce sustainability. This article offers insights to shape future intervention implementation and evaluation research for rural and remote health workforce sustainability
Income and sex moderate the association between population density and reproduction: A multilevel analysis of life history strategies across 23 nations
Full text linkWhile previous studies guided by evolutionary life history theory have revealed several important socioecological moderators of the influence of population density (PD) on reproduction, absent is an understanding of how individual-level factors such as personal resources and sex differences might interact and play a role. Using data from a large sample of clients (N = 4,432,440) of an online dating company spanning 317 states nested within 23 countries, we contributed a robust multilevel analysis of life history effects by assessing the interaction between state-level PD and individual-level income on offspring quantity, and we further qualified this analysis by sex. Consistent with previous research, PD was negatively correlated with having children. Consistent with our novel hypotheses, this negative relationship was moderated by income such that the link between PD and low fertility became weaker with increasing levels of income and these patterns were stronger for men than for women. These results held despite controlling for a variety of country-level, state-level, and individual-level confounds. Findings are discussed together with theoretical and practical implications for the management of fertility based on evolutionary life history perspectives
Performance metrics that matter: assessing winning and losing teams in women’s Rugby union
Full text linkThe aim of this study was to identify key performance indicators (KPI) that differentiated winning and losing teams, and how KPI may vary in balanced and unbalanced matches in Australian domestic women’s Rugby Union (RU). Four seasons of the Buildcorp Super W competition (2019–2022), round and final matches (n = 47) were analysed by an experienced performance analyst using computerised notational analysis software (Hudl SportsCode) to identify various KPI that occurred throughout a match. Findings showed that winning teams had greater ball-carrying efficiency, quick ruck speed, greater field-based tactics, greater successful conversions, and created more scoring opportunities while losing teams had poorer goal-kicking performance, greater number of rucks lost, and unsuccessful set piece performance. However, in balanced matches, only greater scoring opportunities, possession, and kicking performance discriminated between winning and losing teams. Winning teams in unbalanced matches had greater scoring opportunities, kicking performance, possession, territory, ball-carrying efficiency, and ruck performance, whilst losing teams had a greater number of rucks lost and lineouts lost. These results suggest some performance metrics can differ between balanced and unbalanced matches. Coaches may use these findings to help evaluate match performances based on scoring differential, as well as influence possession-in-territory, and kicking tactics, to increase scoring opportunities