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47th Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (MERGA47)
Get PDFThis paper analyses learners’ common errors in simplifying algebraic problems. 102 Grade 10 learners from three rural schools in South Africa participated in the study. Following a quantitative approach, content analysis of learners’ responses to algebraic tests revealed that while learners commit several errors in algebraic problems, encoding
and transformation errors were the most prominent. These errors are mainly due to the inability to utilise correct methods, misapplication and overlooking algebraic rules, and
failure to provide final answers to problems. The study highlights the need for remedial intervention, which has implications for improving mathematics teaching and learning
A Scoping Review of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Assessment and Diagnosis: Tools, Practices, and Sex Bias
Get PDFObjectives
Accurately diagnosing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is challenging due to the overlap of symptoms with other mental health conditions. This scoping review evaluated the dependability and accuracy of prevalent diagnostic scales and investigates potential obstacles to ADHD assessment diagnosis including potential sex bias.
Method
Following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, 11 widely used diagnostic scales were identified and included. All scales were evaluated based on their psychometric quality and alignment with DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for ADHD.
Results
The Attention Deficit Disorders Evaluation Scale emerged as the most reliable among the 11 scales, with the Symptom Checklist-4 ranking as the least reliable. No single assessment tool was adequate for ADHD diagnosis; additional testing was required for accurate conclusions. The literature revealed sex and age biases in some of the assessments. It was discovered that girls were diagnosed with ADHD less often than boys, yet their likelihood of misdiagnosis was notably lower.
Conclusions
This review emphasizes the necessity of comprehensive, multi-method assessment approaches for accurate ADHD diagnosis, as no single tool demonstrated sufficient diagnostic precision. Effective clinical assessment design must incorporate strong psychometric measures, address sex-based diagnostic disparities, and emphasize the importance of evaluating behavioural changes over time and their functional impact across settings
Cold Whitman [Original Work in 'Previous Owner' Exhibition]
No full textBackground: This research sits within the field of Performance Studies, focusing on the avant-garde theory of Artaud’s ‘Affective Athleticism’ (1938), along with Queer Theory and 19th-century American poets who are part of the Romantic or Transcendentalist tradition - shaped by mediatisation. The central question asks: How can the embodied voice, informed by Artaud’s ‘Affective Athleticism’, manifest affect through a mediatised cold reading of 19th century queer poetry? Theoretically, Artaud’s metaphysics of acting equates virtuosic vocal athleticism with affective transmission. Additionally, the research draws on Harris (2020) who theorise that the reader’s bodily response to poetic voice induces affect when mediated by technology, while Markina (2022) explores tensions between human voice and technological reproduction as emblematic of Modernist fragmentation. Contribution: Cold Whitman is a recorded cold reading of select Walt Whitman poems, performed by researcher David Fenton, interwoven with improvised vocalisations and presented via a listening post with a computer-generated visualiser. The work sits with in the field of other feminist artists who improvise vocalisation such as Carolee Schneemann ‘Interior Scroll’ (1975), Mariana Valencia ‘Jacklean (in rehearsal)’ (2025), Ana Mendieta ‘Imagen de Yagul’ (1973), and Guerrilla Girls, ‘Do Women Have to Be Naked to Get into the Met. Museum?’ (1989). However, this work operates as research the tests the scholarly assertions about affect in mediatised performance, extending Markina and Harris’s assertions into practice-led inquiry. By prioritising improvisation first in response to the poems, Cold Whitman explores real-time affective generation—an area neither scholar has empirically examined. It bridges sound studies, performance, and literary theory as embodied poetic inquiry. Significance: The work translates theory into practice-led testing and was exhibited in the UniSQ community show Previous Owner (March 20–April 29, 2025), alongside nationally recognised artists Michael Schoemaker and Annie Arnold. With an estimated 250 visitors, the exhibition and the comprehensive website archive assist in disseminate the work. ' Cold Whitman' affirms Fenton's contribution to the local and broader Creative Arts’ vibrant artistic community.
References:
• Artaud, A., 2005. Oeuvres complètes. 1,1: Préambule. Adresse au Pape. Adresse au Dalaï-Lama. Correspondance avec Jacques Rivière, Nouv. éd. revue et augm., repr. ed. Gallimard, Paris.
• Guerrilla Girls, 1989. Do Women Have to Be Naked to Get into the Met. Museum? [Performance art/poster campaign]. Performed in public spaces, New York City. Whitney Museum of American Art. Available at: https://whitney.org/collection/works/46923 [Accessed 10 Aug. 2025]
• Harris, M.L., 2020. The Voice Prints of Poetry: Recorded Speech and the Listener’s Body in Victorian and Modernist Verse. PhD thesis, University of Toronto. Available at: https://utoronto.scholaris.ca/items/ac56ad79-1cbc-4489-97c7-d81b0fe9879e
• Markina, I., 2022. For the record: Voice and orality in Guillaume Apollinaire’s “Lettre-Océan”. Modernism/modernity, 7(Cycle 2). Available at: https://doi.org/10.26597/mod.0241(https://modernismmodernity.org/articles/markina-record-voice-orality-apollinaire).
• Mendieta, A., 1973. Imagen de Yagul [Performance art]. Silueta Series, Yagul, Oaxaca, Mexico. Documented in: Smith College Museum of Art, 2013. Performed Invisibility: Ana Mendieta’s Siluetas. [online] Available at: https://scma.smith.edu/blog/performed-invisibility-ana-mendietas-siluetas [Accessed 10 Aug. 2025].citeturn6search32
• Schneemann, C., 1975. Interior Scroll [Performance art]. Performed at Women Here and Now exhibition, East Hampton, NY, August.
• Valencia, M., 2025. Jacklean (in rehearsal) [Performance art]. Performed at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 12–23 March. Available at: https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/5763 [Accessed 10 Aug. 2025
Jisc Webinar 2025
No full textDr. Julie Lindsay and Assoc. Prof. Lisa Jacka presented their "HyFlex Learning and Teaching: A Guide for Educational Innovation" at the JISC Masterclass in April 2025. This guide, available at usq.pressbooks.pub/hyflex/, introduces HyFlex learning, a model focusing on student choice, flat learning, and accessibility to create equivalent experiences. It addresses pedagogical theories, digital-first design, technology integration (including AI's impact), and implementation strategies like fostering a HyFlex mindset and reimagining assessment. Case studies, such as those from Nursing and Education, demonstrate practical applications using tools like Engageli, Padlet, and Google Docs, showcasing how HyFlex enhances student engagement and flexibility
The Close AGN Reference Survey (CARS): Long-term spectral variability study of the changing-look AGN Mrk 1018
Get PDFContext. Changing-look active galactic nuclei (CLAGNs) are accreting supermassive black hole systems that undergo variations in optical spectral type driven by major changes in accretion rate. The CLAGN Mrk 1018 has undergone two transitions, a brightening event in the 1980s and a transition back to a faint state over the course of 2–3 years in the early 2010s.
Aims. We characterize the evolving physical properties of the source's inner accretion flow, particularly during the bright-to-faint transition, as well as the morphological properties of its parsec-scale circumnuclear gas.
Methods. We modeled archival X-ray spectra from XMM-Newton, Chandra, Suzaku, and Swift using physically motivated models to characterize X-ray spectral variations and tracked the Fe Kα line flux. We also quantified Mrk 1018's long-term multiwavelength spectral variability from optical/UV to the X-rays.
Results. Over the duration of the bright-to-faint transition, the UV and hard X-ray flux fell by differing factors, roughly 24 and 8, respectively. The soft X-ray excess faded and was not detected by 2021. In the faint state, when the Eddington ratio drops to log(Lbol/LEdd)≲−1.7, the hot X-ray corona photon index shows a “softer-when-fainter” trend that is similar to what is seen in some black hole X-ray binaries and samples of low-luminosity AGNs. Finally, the Fe Kα line flux has dropped by only half the factor of the drop in the X-ray continuum.
Conclusions. The transition from the bright state to the faint state is consistent with the inner accretion flow transitioning from a geometrically thin disk to an ADAF-dominated state, with the warm corona disintegrating or becoming energetically negligible, while the X-ray-emitting hot flow becomes energetically dominant. Meanwhile, narrow Fe Kα emission has not yet fully responded to the drop in its driving continuum, likely because its emitter extends up to roughly 10 pc
IABA Asia-Pacific/ASAL 2025
No full textRobbie Arnott’s novels, Flames (2018) and The Rain Heron (2020) offer a vividly magical reimagining of the Australian landscape, with a strong focus on the waterways of lutruwita (Tasmania). Like traditional fairy tales, these works offer ‘potent cocktails of beauty, horror, marvels, violence, and magic’ (Tatar 2010, p. 55). In this paper, we argue that Arnott’s novels are part of an emerging tide of fairy tales that figure the natural world as the source and site of fairy-tale wonder. These ecological fairy tales build on the Carter generation’s feminist revisionary work, with their strong focus on reconsiderations of gender and sexuality, by challenging the ways that the natural world has been flattened and ignored in earlier fairy-tale works.
Through an examination of the ways in which water and its creatures embody, express, inhabit, and inhibit wonder in Flames and The Rain Heron, this paper reveals how Arnott’s ecological fairy tales–like the mirror owned by Snow White’s mother–reflect and refract the natural world, figuring it as self and other, companion and habitat, threat and haven. We argue that, just as Angela Carter and her peers recognised that we desperately needed new stories about complex, queer, strong and strange women, Arnott (and his peers) recognise and respond to the contemporary need for new stories that lift us up beyond the fear of, or for, the natural world. Stories that will support us in imagining, and creating, new futures
3rd Vietnam Symposium on Advances in Offshore Engineering, VSOE 2024
No full textThis paper presents an overview of the recent developments in pile foundation engineering within the Vietnamese context. The review focus is on the three key directions: (i) The development for analyzing bi-directional static load tests, using data specific to the unique geotechnical conditions prevalent in Vietnam. It aims to refine and advance existing techniques, tailoring them to the distinct characteristics of the region. (ii) An exploration of the load-bearing characteristics between super-long large bored piles and barrette piles. It seeks to understand the performance and behavior of these two foundation types by focusing on their distinctive features and influencing factors. (iii) An investigation into the transformative potential of machine learning in shaping the landscape of pile foundation engineering, as well as the framework for constructing valuable research in machine learning techniques, as furnished by real-world field data derived from the diverse terrains of Vietnam. In essence, this paper seeks to provide researchers and practitioners with a roadmap for appreciating the potential of machine learning in enhancing the efficacy and precision of pile foundation studies
Exploring Maternal Health, Lifestyle, and Socioeconomic Influences on Childhood Obesity in Australia
Get PDFBackground and objective; Childhood obesity has become a significant public health challenge, with its prevalence rising globally. Obesity is defined as a body mass index at or above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex. This study aimed to group maternal characteristics during pregnancy and assess their association with childhood obesity from ages 2 to 15 years.
Methods: Data from 4,060 mothers in the B cohort (wave 1, children aged 0–1 year) of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) were analysed to examine maternal characteristics during pregnancy and their association with childhood obesity across waves 2 to 8 (ages 2–15). Latent class analysis (LCA) was employed to identify distinct clusters of maternal health, lifestyle, and dietary factors as exposure variables. Associations between these clusters and childhood obesity, defined using WHO BMI ≥95th percentile, were assessed using Chi-square tests and multinomial logistic regression were employed to examine the identified clusters impact on childhood obesity by adjusting maternal factors (employment., education, income,) and child-specific factors (physical activity, diet, energy drink consumption).
Results: Five clusters emerged: (1) Health Issues with High Mental Health, Medical Needs, and Substance Use, (2) Healthiest Profile with Minimal Dietary Exclusions and Low Medical Risks, (3) Moderate Health Risks with High Smoking Prevalence, (4) Nutritional Exclusions and High Incidence of Other Birth Types, and (5) Severe Health Risks with High Obesity and Medical Dependency. Cluster 5 exhibited the highest risk of childhood obesity, followed by Clusters 3, 4, and 1. Cluster 2 consistently showed the lowest obesity risk. Socioeconomic and child factors mediated the obesity risks in Clusters 1 and 4, with risks persisting for Cluster 3, particularly in later childhood.
Conclusion: This study highlights the utility of LCA in identifying maternal factors influencing childhood obesity and underscores the importance of promoting maternal health, lifestyle, and dietary improvements to mitigate obesity risks in children. Targeted interventions addressing high-risk maternal profiles could be instrumental in reducing childhood obesity prevalence
Midwifery and nursing honours programs in Australia and New Zealand: A scoping review of contemporary challenges and opportunities
Get PDFProblem
Contemporary resources that identify the challenges and experiences of Midwifery and Nursing honours students and providers within Australia and New Zealand are lacking.
Background
The establishment and development of accredited, tertiary education for Midwifery and Nursing has enhanced professionalism and opportunity. However, the progression from registration pathway programs to Higher Degrees by Research remain limited.
Aim
To undertake a scoping review of Australian and New Zealand honours programs and synthesise student and provider perspectives.
Methods
A scoping review was undertaken. Publicly available grey literature and relevant database searched. English language, peer-reviewed publications were identified from the past 10-years.
Findings
Within Australia, 16 universities, and 2 in New Zealand, offer a Midwifery and/or Nursing honours program. Within Australia, the majority of programs were offered in both Midwifery and Nursing streams, however only Nursing in New Zealand. Four studies met inclusion criteria and described strengths and challenges of the current offerings.
Discussion
Challenges included: logistical issues related to low/decreasing enrolments and resource. Students identified burdens associated with student driven research and balancing the multiple demands of clinical roles. Opportunities were seen in terms of providers professional interactions between academic and clinical sites. Students viewed honours programs as an opportunity to actively partake in research and determine their commitment to further research training including Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
Conclusion
Progressing the professional status of both Midwifery and Nursing is based on discrete professional research and evidence. Honours programs provide a research focused degree to prepare nurses and midwives, but challenges are present
Exploration of Roles and Contribution of Spiritual Care Practitioners in Mental Health: An Australian Study
Get PDFMental health is inherently multidimensional, requiring a holistic approach to intervention that integrates various aspects of an individual’s well-being. Spirituality, a vital component of mental health, remains under addressed in Australian mental healthcare. Spiritual care practitioners may play a key role in addressing spiritual needs in mental healthcare; however, their roles and contributions in this context remain unexplored in the extant literature. Bridging this gap, this study explores the potential role of spiritual care practitioners within mental health context. Using a qualitative research approach, this study engaged eight experienced spiritual care practitioners working in various mental health settings across Australia (n = 8). Through reflexive thematic analysis, the study identified and examined the practitioners’ perspectives on their roles and contributions. The findings were summarised in three overarching themes: (1) Core values; (2) Unique contributions in mental health; and (3) Spiritual care practitioners in the mental health system. The study’s findings suggest that by employing a person-centred approach, spiritual care practitioners can play a crucial role in mental health assessments and interventions. Their contributions include providing insights rooted in clients’ unique spiritual beliefs, aiding in the discernment between spiritual experiences and psychopathological symptoms, advocating for clients’ spiritual needs, and supporting the education of mental health professionals. The study also highlights the need for professional recognition of spiritual care practitioners and their greater integration within the mental health system