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The influence of host-tourist interaction on visitor perception of long-term ethnic tourism outcomes: Considering a complexity of physical settings
No full textDespite extensive research into the influences of host-tourist interaction on tourist experiences, limited research investigates the interaction between ethnic hosts and domestic tourists. Cultural distance exists between two parties in the ethnic tourism context, which is characterized by “exotic” culture, leading to interaction difficulties. This study examines the relationship between physical settings, content, and difficulties based on the Coordinated Management of Meaning theory, and interaction quality. Subsequently, the host-tourist interaction influences tourist perceptions of ethnic tourism outcomes. A survey was conducted among domestic tourists visiting Vietnam's Central Highlands (N = 438). Using both formative and reflective constructs, the results highlight the complexity of how four physical settings (private houses, tours, tourist attraction facilities, and public spaces) influence the content of interaction, difficulties, and interaction quality when considering the distinct nature of each setting. Further, interaction quality was found to positively influence tourists' attitudes, behaviours, and perceptions of long-term ethnic tourism outcomes
Differential changes in the taxonomic and functional composition of herbivorous fishes from shallow to mesophotic coral ecosystems at the Coral Sea Marine Park, Australia
No full textMesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs: 30–150 m) are characterized by environmental conditions and biological assemblages that are distinct from those of shallow reefs ( 81°) orientations. These results show that the response of herbivorous fishes to depth is not homogenous and varies among functional groups, and may be related to changes in resource availability, slope orientation and predation from shallow reefs to MCEs
Palynological pairing of archaeological rock shelter and swamp deposits on the Arnhem Plateau: Holocene ecological changes at Nawarla Gabarnmang and Swamp 7, Northern Territory
No full textNawarla Gabarnmang is a rock shelter complex in Jawoyn Country, on the Arnhem Plateau in the central north of the Northern Territory, Australia. The site has been examined archaeologically, geomorphologically and for its rich and well-preserved rock art gallery. This paper introduces palaeoecology into this research, seeking to situate the site’s sedimentary sequences in ecological space. Palynological analysis of excavated sediments from the rock shelter was paired with a sediment core collected from a nearby swamp. Each of these sequences effectively registered Holocene vegetation change from its nearby environment. Nawarla Gabarnmang’s palynology provides insights into the ecosystem structure and composition of the central Arnhem Plateau’s rocky country. Swamp 7 expands the picture into a more regional understanding of drainage basin woodlands, as well as monsoonal forest and wetland plant communities. The charcoal from the swamp sequence also signals a long history of landscape burning. Through the pollen and associated charcoal records, we explore at nested spatial scales Holocene Indigenous landscape practices for this central part of the Arnhem Land plateau, focusing on fire, habitat change and maintenance. Environmental–climate controls, notably variations in moisture as determined by characteristics of the Holocene Australian monsoon, are also examined. This study enables a valuable comparison between palaeoecological change on the Arnhem Plateau and surrounding coastal lowlands
Beyond silos – health workforce policy needs more strategic approach: research
No full textWorkforce challenges are one of the key health policy challenges facing governments and health services around Australia. Our new research suggests there is significant room to improve the development of coherent health workforce policies.
In Queensland alone, our analysis found 275 health workforce policies – governing everything from nurse workloads and industrial awards to medical student placements and allied health careers.
But quantity isn’t everything. The bigger issue is that these policies often operate in silos, with little coordination and no clear mechanism to track whether they’re addressing system-wide challenges
Public social spending, government effectiveness, and economic growth: an empirical investigation
No full textThis paper reports the results of an empirical investigation into the relationships between public social spending, government effectiveness, and economic growth. Using panel data covering 132 developed and developing countries over the 2008 to 2019 period, we find significant and complementary relationships among the variables through fixed effects, system GMM, and instrumental variable estimation. All three components of public social spending, including social security benefits, education expenditure, and health expenditure, have a significant and positive impact on subsequent economic growth. Government effectiveness has a direct growth-enhancing effect as well as a mediating and positive effect on the association between public social expenditures and economic growth. Thus, governments accelerate the positive impact of public social spending on economic growth. These relationships hold for countries at all income levels, while the channels predicting a positive social spending–growth relationship are stronger in high-income countries than lower-income countries. To stimulate inclusive growth, governments must actively design and implement social spending policies. These, however, should be complemented by concomitant efforts to strengthen the quality of public institutions, which exerts a substantial impact on the social spending–growth relationship
Barramundi (Lates calcarifer) from Iraq: a new record for the Arabian Gulf, with a highlight on it genetic origins and description of two skeletal deformities
No full textThe natural distribution of Lates calcarifer (barramundi or Asian sea bass), ranges from western India, around Sri Lanka to the Bay of Bengal, and through the whole of Southeast Asia to Papua New Guinea and northern Australia. It is not known to be native to the Arabian Gulf, although the species has recently been introduced for aquaculture production in Iran. In 2019, 12 adult barramundi were caught from freshwater in the Shatt al-Arab River, its estuary and marine waters bordering Iraq. This is the first wild-capture record of this species for Iraq’s inland waters and the northern Arabian Gulf. The specimens were morphologically described, while genetic structure analyses indicated that the specimens likely originated from Australian and Thailand genetic stocks and thus probably were aquaculture escapees from farmed populations. Among the L. calcarifer collected from the freshwater environment on the Shatt al-Arab River, one specimen exhibited saddleback syndrome, and another showed abnormality in the left operculum. The results are interesting and useful in reminding people to prevent aquaculture escapees. The aim of this study was to morphologically describe the specimens and undertake a genetic analysis to determine the likely provenance of the fish
Prevalence of university non-continuation and mental health conditions, and effect of mental health conditions on non-continuation: a systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textBackground:
University non-continuation, also termed as university dropout in literature, is a concern for institutions. Elevated stress levels, mental distress, and psychiatric issues affect academic performance and thus may contribute to non-continuation. There is a lack of systematic reviews exploring the link between mental health and university non-continuation.
Aim:
This systematic review aims to bridge this gap, by investigating the prevalence of non-continuation and mental health conditions among university students, and the impact of mental health on university non-continuation.
Methods:
Following PRISMA guidelines this review synthesized data from 67 studies, utilising both narrative synthesis and meta-analytic techniques.
Results:
The results revealed that the included studies reported a range of university non-continuation rates (5.9% to 43.6%) with a pooled prevalence of 17.9%, 95% CI [14.2%, 22.3%]. The prevalence of mental health concerns among students varied widely (2.2% to 83.6%), with a pooled prevalence of 26.3%, 95% CI [16.0%, 40.0%]. Depression, OR = 1.143 (95% CI [1.086, 1.203] p<.001), stress, OR = 1.413 (95% CI [1.106, 1.805], p=.006), and other mental health conditions, OR = 1.266 (95% CI [1.133, 1.414], p<.001), were associated with higher non-continuation.
Conclusion:
Some mental health conditions elevate non-continuation risks, and addressing mental health may enhance student retention in higher education
The Impact of COVID-19 on Tertiary Statistics Teaching Practices in Australia
No full textStatistical 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
I did my part! How can I further minimize emerging adult learners’ burnout in an online learning environment?
No full textEmerging adults are a crucial group in our society, and research indicates that they rarely consider themselves adults because their cognitive, social, and emotional capacities are undergoing transitionary changes, affecting how they learn. Prior studies have not considered sufficiently the characteristics and needs of emerging adult learners in an online environment. This study aims to address this gap in the literature by examining the psychological needs and academic burnout of emerging adult online learners during the Covid-19 pandemic. Through self-determination theory (SDT) and Stimuli-Organism-Response (S-O-R) theory, the key arguments and constructs include the effects of structural and social bonds on emerging adult learners’ psychological needs, the effect of psychological needs on academic burnout, and the moderating roles of mindfulness. A valid sample of 294 collected through the survey was the basis of the analysis. PLS-SEM was used to analyse and test the hypotheses. Findings indicate that structural and social bonds affect psychological needs at varying strengths, which is generally consistent with prior findings but with different groups of learners. The moderating roles of mindfulness, however, were mixed. The model robustness further highlights the predictive analysis, which complements the exploratory perspective. This study contributes to the literature by identifying the predictors that fulfill the basic psychological needs of emerging adult learners and examining the effect of this fulfilment on the burnout during the online learning. In addition, this study implies how online trainers and educational institutions can build an optimal environment to reduce the burnout and then improve the learning effectiveness for emerging adult learners. Limitations, and agenda for future research were further discussed to conclude the study
Fear of missing out and beyond: Unveiling theoretical dimensions in post-pandemic festival events and community engagement dynamics
No full textThis study unveils a framework, proposing that fear of missing out is fundamental to residents' support for hosting festival events. Unlike traditional definitions, we redefine FOMO as the fear of missing out on the same festival event others attend, especially relevant in the post-pandemic resurgence of physical festivals. Using FOMO as the moderator, data analysis via partial least squares of structural equation modelling from 243 respondents provided nuanced findings on how community benefits, individual benefits, new opportunities and social costs impact intention to support through dimensions of the theory of planned behaviour. This study broadens theoretical understanding by exploring community engagement dynamics through smaller-scale festivals. At the same time, this study emphasises predictive and explanatory modelling, which bridges the gap between theory and practice, enriching our understanding of residents' perspectives and advocating for a more inclusive theoretical framework in the context of post-pandemic festival events