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Constructing a rich curriculum for all: One school's enactment of curricular justice
No full textIn this paper, we report on one Australian high school's involvement in a project designed to engage teachers in the principles of curricular justice. However, as curriculum and pedagogy are inextricably linked, it is impossible to discuss the ‘what’ of teaching without explaining the ‘how’ or the ‘enactment’ of curricular content. We contend that achieving ‘curricular justice’ is predicated upon all young people having access to the breadth and depth of differing knowledges and skills that will enable them to thrive in a democratic society. A ‘socially just curriculum’ does not narrow such opportunities and pathways based upon preconceived notions of what certain groups of students might be capable of or the futures they might be destined for. The principles of social justice underpinning this paper draw on the works of scholars such as Raewyn Connell (1993) and Nancy Fraser (1997). Regarding curricular content, we have utilised a combination of Michael Young's ideas about ‘powerful’ curriculum situated within the context of Gonzalez et al.'s (2005) ‘funds of knowledge’ approach used to bridge the gaps between students' lives and new horizons of knowledge. This ‘knowledge+’ strategy sits at the heart of this research. The government high school chosen for this paper to exemplify the project serves a high-poverty community and has struggled with academic engagement in lower secondary disciplines drawn from the formal Australian Curriculum. Prevailing schooling attitudes towards the Australian Curriculum tend to regard it as somewhat inflexible; however, that is not the reality. Within the parameters of core content and skills, school discipline leaders have the freedom to determine teacher autonomy within their schools. Teaching workloads, along with social trends that de-professionalise teachers, have encouraged subject heads to become more prescriptive of content and pedagogy. This project wanted to change that so that participants had the freedom to experiment as curriculum workers using concepts of ‘powerful knowledge’ and ‘funds of knowledge’, to create a ‘knowledge+ curriculum’ which would be inherently culturally responsive, extended curricular reach and hence a socially just curriculum
Developmental pathways from childhood conduct problems to adolescent psychological distress: a structural equation modelling approach with peer problems as a mediator
No full textBackground: The developmental pathways linking early conduct problems (CP) to later psychological distress (PSYD) remains insufficiently understood, particularly mediating role of peer problems (PP). This study examines how CP influence adolescent PSYD directly and indirectly through PP using longitudinal data from an Australian cohort.
Methods: Data were drawn from Waves 6–8 (ages 10–15) and Wave 9C2 (ages 17–18) of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC), including 1850 participants with complete data. CP and PP were assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), while PSYD was measured via the Kessler PSYD Scale (K10). Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with Weighted Least Squares Mean and Variance Adjusted (WLSMV) estimation tested direct and indirect pathways, with PP as a mediator.
Results: Adolescents with persistent or severe CP and PP were more likely to report severe PSYD at ages 17–18. SEM showed that PP significantly mediated the relationship between CP and PSYD, with direct effects of CP largely nonsignificant. The strongest indirect effect was observed for severe CP at Wave 8 (= 0.147, p = 0.004), followed by borderline CP at Wave 8 (= 0.107, p = 0.006), severe CP at Wave 7 (= 0.094, p = 0.004), and borderline CP at Wave 6 (= 0.027, p = 0.006). PP also showed strong temporal stability across waves.
Conclusions: Findings underscore the role of PP in the developmental trajectory from early CP to later PSYD, highlighting the need for early intervention targeting behavioural and peer-related difficulties
Synergistic Band and Defect Engineering Realize High‐Efficiency CuAgSe‐Alloyed Lead‐Free GeTe Thermoelectrics
No full textLead-free GeTe is a promising thermoelectric material; however, its performance is hindered by intrinsically high carrier concentrations arising from Ge vacancies and relatively high lattice thermal conductivity. Here, a synergistic alloying strategy combining band engineering and defect modulation is proposed to simultaneously optimize electronic and phonon transport in CuAgSe-alloyed GeTe. The delocalized Cu ions substantially enhance carrier mobility, while CuAgSe alloying induces band flattening and convergence that increase the effective mass and synergistically boost electrical transport. Furthermore, the introduction of hierarchical structural defects—including point defects, planar vacancies, and Cu-rich nanoprecipitates—intensifies phonon scattering over multiple length scales, leading to a strong suppression of lattice thermal conductivity. Consequently, a peak zT of 2.02 at 603 K and an average zT of 1.22 (303–803 K) are achieved. A seven-pair device exhibits a conversion efficiency of 6.02% at a temperature difference of 382 K. This work demonstrates an effective co-optimization pathway toward high-performance, lead-free GeTe-based thermoelectrics
Digital Dislocation During Times of Universities in Managerial Crisis
No full textThe massification of universities globally brings with it an explosion of EdTech and digital architecture that manage learning and administrative operations in what are now highly complex and bureaucratic environments. Baked into these systems is managerialized digital structural violence which manifests in the way these systems are deployed, not necessarily the system itself. Using the metaphor of bones painfully dislocated from their corresponding joints, digital dislocation painfully separates and distances members of the university community from each other. These systems are deployed in the guise of “efficiency,” but instead create virtual barriers that act as panopticons to academic work, make administrative work inaccessible to academics which causes conflict, and tricks students into thinking they are consumers, not learners. These digital structures obscure human interactions between students, academics, and administrators. The problem is that these relationships lubricate the work of academics and administrators. More concerningly, students are dislocated from the academics charged with educating and facilitating their learning experiences. This digital dislocation is misaligned to the purpose and custodianship of universities as rightful places of knowledge creation and dissemination. This chapter is a call for action to university managers. It is within their power to introduce faceless digital ways of working which are homogenous and unresponsive to individualized needs and values, or not. Just as they hold power to develop ways of working within systems that result in digital structural violence, they also hold the power to choose alternative states that privilege the human connections that hold the university community together
Effects of martial arts-based training on force, respiratory pressure production, neuromuscular activation, and spinal compression during heavy load carriage
No full textPhysically demanding occupations, including military and emergency services, require personnel to undertake tasks such as heavy load carriage, which frequently result in back pain and injury. Respiratory pressures (transdiaphragmatic and intra-abdominal) are associated with spinal support, force production, and stability, yet few training interventions have targeted these mechanisms directly. Traditional martial arts are linked with enhanced control of respiratory pressures and related neuromuscular activation, offering a novel approach to training. This PhD project investigated martial arts-based training to better understand and target these mechanisms, and explore their potential occupational relevance. The first two studies developed and validated methodology for assessing striking performance and spinal compression. Study 1 demonstrated the validity and reliability of the Impulse Block Method to measure velocity and initial momentum of palm strikes. Study 2 established ultrasonographic measurement of inter-transverse process distances as a reliable method to quantify lumbar spinal compression during load carriage. Study 3 assessed acute responses to a novel training method (Neuropotency Training), which integrates multimodal biofeedback and specialised instruction to accelerate the learning and application of martial arts-based principles. Compared to controls, Neuropotency Training resulted in higher respiratory pressures and activation of abdominal muscles during exercises. Study 4 implemented a 12-week intervention, where the Neuropotency Training group showed decreased load carriage-related spinal compression, increased force production and stabilisation, and higher respiratory pressures and associated neuromuscular activation during select exercises, compared with traditional training and control groups. Collectively, these findings provide new evidence on how martial arts-based breath-control training influences respiratory pressures, neuromuscular activation, force production, and spinal mechanics. A key contribution of this work was the implementation and evaluation of a novel multimodal biofeedback method (Neuropotency Training), which enabled participants to rapidly acquire principles of breath control and motor control that traditionally require years of martial arts practice to develop. These adaptations have potential for translation to reduce heavy load carriage-related back pain and injury, and improve physical performance in military, emergency services, and other physically demanding occupations
Use of Citizen Science to Determine Prey Partitioning Between Two Coastal Raptors
No full textIn order to effectively conserve a species, it is often important to understand the ecological niche it occupies, and the resources required to sustain it. For predators, prey is typically the most important resource, and predators either outcompete for or partition resources to secure long-term food security. Raptors have been shown to utilise both strategies. However, demonstrating competition and prey partitioning between raptors is difficult. Traditional diet collection methods can be prohibitively time-consuming over large spatial areas and biased towards breeding individuals and nest sites. Use of citizen science, in particular images and videos recorded from social media, potentially overcomes these issues. This theory was tested by investigating the dietary breadth, diversity, overlap and competition between two Australian raptors, the Eastern Osprey (Pandion haliaetus cristatus) and White-bellied Sea-Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) (WBSE), in New South Wales and Queensland (Australia). These raptors were suspected of occupying the same realised niche and partitioning the fish in their diets to reduce direct competition and conflict. The fish component of both raptor diets was shown to be moderately broad and diverse, with greater evenness in the diet of WBSE, and an Eastern Osprey preference for mullet (Mugilidae). There was a moderate dietary overlap, with Morisita's Index values of between 0.59 and 0.61. Competition between the raptors was assessed to be low due to the high abundance of shared prey, and limited overlap in other prey. Prey partitioning appeared to be determined by resource availability. Highly abundant prey is shared, whilst less abundant prey is partitioned according to hunting style, with WBSE swooping to collect fish from the water surface, and Eastern Osprey diving to access deeper dwelling fish. This study represents the first attempt to study a complex dietary relationship in raptor prey partitioning using diets sourced from social media. The data provided adequate detail to demonstrate dietary partitioning and identify potential causes
Axial load transfer mechanisms of rock bolts with modified surface profiles for various geotechnical conditions
No full textFully grouted rock bolts, anchored using resin or cementitious grout, are widely used in mining and civil engineering to transfer loads from unstable rock to more competent strata, preventing further deformation. The surface geometry of rock bolts, including rib profile shape, height, angle of wrap, and rib spacing, significantly affects load transfer efficiency. This study aims to enhance bond resistance by optimizing rib spacing and introducing grooves along the bolt. A comprehensive experimental and numerical investigation was conducted, including 56 small-scale and 12 large-scale pull-out tests. Small-scale tests utilized steel sleeves with varying rib spacings and grooves to evaluate axial bond resistance. Large-scale tests extended the analysis to rock bolts embedded in concrete of different strengths (20, 40, and 60 MPa), simulating weak to medium-strength host rock conditions. Results indicated that increasing rib spacing and adding grooves generally improved bond resistance. However, in low-strength concrete, failure shifted from the rock bolt-grout interface to the grout-concrete interface, reducing ultimate bond resistance. Numerical modelling provided deeper insights into axial load transfer mechanisms. Variables such as borehole diameter, grout strength, resin properties, and seismic conditions were analysed. Sensitivity analyses revealed that larger borehole diameters improved bond performance, particularly for bolts with modified ribs and grooves. Increasing borehole diameter from 36 mm to 50 mm enhanced ultimate bond resistance by up to 35%. Large-scale simulations highlighted the crucial role of host rock strength and encapsulation length in bond performance. In weak concrete (20 MPa), optimised rock bolts exhibited lower axial bond resistance than standard designs in a 36 mm borehole. However, increasing borehole diameter enhanced bond resistance by increasing the surface area for axial load transfer. Simulations also demonstrated that grooves improved stress distribution within the grout. Under seismic loads, rock bolts with grooves exhibited superior pull-out resistance, confirming that geometric optimisation enhances load-bearing capacity under real-world conditions