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Measuring resilience using Strong Souls in the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children: Evaluating psychometric properties using a Rasch measurement approach
No full textPurpose
Rigorously evaluated psychometric instruments are necessary to measure constructs relevant to wellbeing, such as resilience. The availability of high-quality instruments for use with Aboriginal young people in Australia is growing but remains limited. This study used data from the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC) to psychometrically evaluate the Resilience subscale from the social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) instrument, Strong Souls, for a nationwide sample of Aboriginal adolescents, using alternative psychometric methods to previous research.
Methods
Using a Rasch measurement approach, cross-sectional data from Wave 9 of LSIC were used to ascertain the psychometric properties of the Resilience subscale from Strong Souls. Using the responses from 516 Aboriginal young people (age 11.5 to 13 years) to the 12-item scale, Rasch techniques were applied to determine item independence, response category adequacy, differential item functioning (DIF), person and item reliability, item fit and unidimensionality. Two versions of the instrument were evaluated: the full 12-item version, as completed by participants, and an 8-item version, as recommended for use by previous research based on different psychometric methods.
Main findings
Both versions of the instrument met several Rasch model requirements for reliable measurement, including demonstrations of unidimensionality (first off factor construct < 2), item independence (all items Q3∗ < 0.30), and item fit statistics within an acceptable range (0.60 < X < 1.40). However, both instrument versions displayed less adequate person separation (PSI) and reliability (PRI) statistics (12-item scale: PSI = 1.18, PRI = 0.58; 8-item scale: PSI = 0.71, PRI = 0.33).
Principal conclusions
Using a Rasch measurement approach to psychometrically evaluate the Strong Souls Resilience subscale in a sample of Aboriginal young people from LSIC, this study provided novel evidence of the functioning of this popular instrument from an alternative psychometric perspective. With mixed results regarding meeting Rasch recommendations, these findings provide a strong evidence base for psychometric strengths as well as opportunities to improve the robustness of this instrument, and ultimately offer a tool that can more accurately inform services, policy and practice to effectively support resilience and wellbeing in Aboriginal young people
Defining the Role of a Parental and Infant Care Pharmacist
No full textThe interest in pharmacists providing specialist care and services is a result of the evolving nature of community pharmacy. This qualitative study aimed to conceptualise the need and scope of the proposed role of a parental and infant care pharmacist specialist. Results alluded to gaps in current service provision and pharmacists having a potential role to specialise. Accessibility of pharmacists emerged as an overarching theme to improve access, several barriers were identified to service implementation and highlights further steps to facilitate role development
Three Essays on Earthquakes and Preferences in Labour, Responsibility and Security
No full textThis thesis examines the impact of earthquakes on parental preferences, labour supply, and neighbourhood security in 90 countries using a Difference-in-Differences (DiD) approach with World Values Survey data from 1995 to 2021. Findings reveal that earthquakes increase the demand for responsible children by 0.011 units, reduce labour supply preferences by 0.025 units, and decrease neighbourhood security by 0.272 units. Key factors include economic uncertainty and law enforcement dynamics. The results emphasize the need for resilience-focused policies in post-disaster recovery to enhance social and economic stability
Transmedia learning as a learning model for Work-integrated Learning: a public relations case study
Get PDFTransmedia learning is an approach to learning that offers agility and adaptability for learners, creating a learning environment that deepens knowledge and enhances co-learning opportunities. This study defined what transmedia learning is within the higher education context and sought to understand if it is a way of learning that offers greater connection for work integrated learning students. This PhD presents a unique insight into how transmedia learning can be used for work integrated learning and contributes to the theoretical understanding of what transmedia learning is, adding to a limited body of academic literature
Effectiveness and economic viability of native seed pelleting in large-scale seedling production for revegetation
No full textRevegetation efforts in the context of ecological restoration require large numbers of nursery grown seedlings across a wide range of native species. Automated seeding production lines in nurseries struggle to handle low quality small-seeded species, often resulting in under or over-seeding which increases production costs by requiring manual sorting or thinning. A combination of seed processing and testing can improve seed quality, while seed pelleting can increase and standardise seed size, shape and weight, allowing for more homogenous seed delivery. In this study, we tested the effect of seed pelleting on seeding consistency and seed-to-seedling conversion rates for ten small-seeded Australian native species belonging to the Myrtaceae family. A break-even model was developed using seed and seedling production parameters and costs to explore the economic viability and benefits of seed pelleting for large-scale nursery seedling production. More than one million seedlings were produced for this study in a commercial native plant nursery and used in Eucalyptus woodland revegetation projects in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. Our results showed that seed delivery consistency was significantly improved in nine out of ten species, and seed-to-seedling conversion rates increased in eight species. The break-even analysis indicated that, on average, seed pelleting becomes economically viable for production targets above 38,287 seedlings. Given the average seedling production target of 100,985 seedlings per species, this could yield an average saving of $1459 per species. The enhanced efficiency in large-scale seedling production allows for more cost-effective revegetation and can help redirect resources to include a wider range of challenging native species that so far have been underutilised in restoration due to logistical constraints
Grades or Work Experience? Student Perceptions of the Relative Importance of Grades & Practice-Based Experience on Graduate Employment
No full textAccent, Access, and Agency: A Conversation with Professor Sender Dovchin on Language and Injustice
No full textDeterminants of Bangladeshi Banking Inefficiency: Do Non-Performing Loans and BASEL III Affect Banking Inefficiency?
No full textInvestigating the Theoretical Possibility of Dengue Fever in Ancient Egypt
No full textDengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral disease primarily transmitted by Aedes aegypti, has become a growing global health concern, with dramatic increases in incidence in recent years. Although no direct evidence of dengue exists from ancient Egypt, this study investigates the theoretical possibility of its presence in that historical context. The approach integrates palaeoclimatic data, modern entomological and vector ecology studies, molecular clock analyses, and the interpretation of ancient Egyptian medical papyri. Special attention is given to the term temyt, described in association with dermatological and neurological symptoms in children and linked to the demon nesyt, as reinterpreted by scholars such as Bruno Halioua and Pascal Hannequin. These sources are critically re-evaluated alongside modern clinical symptomatology of dengue. Findings suggest that environmental and climatic conditions in ancient Egypt – particularly in regions like the Fayum– could have supported Aedes populations, and that certain disease descriptions may reflect empirical observations of vectorborne illnesses. While the evidence remains circumstantial and speculative, it opens new interpretative avenues regarding ancient Egyptian understandings of febrile, eruptive childhood diseases. The study concludes that dengue or dengue-like syndromes cannot be ruled out and that future interdisciplinary research, including palaeogenetic and archaeoviral approaches, may help clarify the presence of arboviral diseases in antiquity
Geographically informed graph neural networks
No full textGraph neural networks (GNNs) have been introduced to spatial statistical tasks due to their mechanisms of simulating spatial interactions and processes among geographical neighbours using graph structures. However, previous methods ignore quantifying differences in attributes among adjacent spatial characteristics. Considering this spatial characteristic by fitting the spatial statistic trinity (SST) framework may help improve models’ accuracy and robustness. Thus, we introduce the geographically informed graph neural network (GIGNN) by considering the additional geospatial feature: closer geographical entities may interact less when spatial disparities are captured. When setting up the model, GIGNN leverages differences of attributes by spatial stratified heterogeneity, quantifies connections between geographical entities, and inherits k-order neighbour attribute aggregation and message-passing mechanisms from GNNs. GIGNN is applied to an urbanization analysis study in the Greater Perth Area, Australia, showing higher accuracy than the existing machine learning models and other GNNs in simulation and prediction accuracy. GIGNN achieved an accuracy of 84.1% for simulation and an accuracy of 81% for prediction. Incorporating spatial characteristics into GNNs enhances simulation and prediction accuracy in geoscientific applications, highlighting the importance of spatially aware models in solving complex problems by capturing geographical data dependencies