This paper describes several common types of research studies in special education transition lit... more This paper describes several common types of research studies in special education transition literature and the threats to their validity. It then describes how the evidential base may be broadened, how diverse sources of evidence can be combined to strengthen causal inferences, and the role of judgment within quasi-experimentation. The paper discusses issues internal to studies and to the methods used in conducting the studies, and discusses issues arising when attempts are made to use the results of the study with other groups or in other places. Threats to internal and external validity are examined. True experimental design is outlined, and then types of quasi-experimental designs are described, including one-group posttest-only design, one-group pretest-posttest design, comparison-group pretest-posttest design, prematched control group design, natural experiments, longitudinal research, cross-sectional research, case-study and single-subject designs, and meta-analysis. Technic...
Working in partnership with a community agency in a socially disadvantaged area of Melbourne, thi... more Working in partnership with a community agency in a socially disadvantaged area of Melbourne, this research used an appreciative inquiry approach incorporating action research principles. Year 10 school students designed and successfully undertook community-building projects as part of a school subject, but with student control. Participants had previously reported a sense of alienation from their neighbourhoods and were in danger of disengaging from school. However, through the process of appreciating their identity and successfully creating community projects, the participants reported feelings of positive identity affirmation and being able to make a difference in their communities. Participants began a social transformation process of developing new positive narratives for an improved sense of community connectedness.
Desalination as a method of ensuring a rainfall independent source of potable water has become an... more Desalination as a method of ensuring a rainfall independent source of potable water has become an increasingly favourable option for Australian governments, particularly over the last decade or so. This is especially true for metropolitan areas. The social acceptability of new sources of water, however, impacts on the readiness with which publics accept changed or augmented water supplies. Researchers at Deakin University, Victoria University and Murdoch University, with funding from the National Centre of Excellence in Desalination Australia (NCEDA), have conducted a study of public attitudes to desalination in Australia. This report outlines the results of the 18 month project, which comprises three sections. The cornerstone of the project is a national survey (n=3077), conducted by Datacol Research. The second component of the study consists of focus groups in the vicinity of three existing or developing desalination plants: Wonthaggi (Victoria), Port Stanvac (South Australia), a...
The mission of the Australian Water Recycling Centre of Excellence is to enhance management and u... more The mission of the Australian Water Recycling Centre of Excellence is to enhance management and use of water recycling through industry partnerships, build capacity and capability within the recycled water industry, and promote water recycling as a socially, environmentally and economically sustainable option for future water security. The Australian Government has provided $20 million to the Centre through its National Urban Water and Desalination Plan to support applied research and development projects which meet water recycling challenges for Australia’s irrigation, urban development, food processing, heavy industry and water utility sectors. This funding has levered an additional $40 million investment from more than 80 private and public organisations, in Australia and overseas.
Sense of community is a concept in community psychology that is usually associated with supportiv... more Sense of community is a concept in community psychology that is usually associated with supportive environment and positive outcomes. However, the very nature of sense of community necessitates acts of social comparison to determine who can and cannot be accepted as members. This paper explores the dynamics of sense of community, drawing on theories of whiteness and moral exclusion to understand the ways in which – formally and informally – some immigrants and refugees are treated in Australia. There is clear evidence that the positive elements of sense of community can also be used in ways that work to exclude, stigmatise, as well as vilify the newcomers. This paper will draw upon the knowledgebase in areas of immigration, race, and oppression, together with the political stance inherent in the field to encourage community (and other) psychologists to actively enter into the public and private debates about the place of immigrants and refugees.
Immigrants to a new land face significant acculturation issues. Although definitions of accultura... more Immigrants to a new land face significant acculturation issues. Although definitions of acculturation reflect a mutual change, most research and positioning considers this to be, mostly, a one-way process. It is also perceived as a process that seems to have an end point, and is reasonably comparable across all members of a group. In the current research, the position of 13 Latin American immigrant women, with an average of 32 years in Australia, is considered. Data from interviews indicated that acculturation is still an ongoing process for these women, with many barriers imposed. English language proficiency is seen as a key element for them to integrate, but they still face issues of overt and covert discrimination on grounds of accent and skin colour and expectations of assimilation. The challenges of acculturation are compounded for the women as they were often excluded from the original decisions to emigrate, had to establish a new household and life – but did not have the nec...
Adolescence is considered a time of change, and, to some extent, upheaval. Psychological Sense of... more Adolescence is considered a time of change, and, to some extent, upheaval. Psychological Sense of Community has been utilised as a framework for understanding adolescents’ experiences in their neighbourhoods. The present study explored the experiences of 10 adolescents from two urban schools in eastern Australia, a specialist setting for students with a mild intellectual disability, and a mainstream school. Using a modified version of Photovoice, participants were actively engaged in taking photographs about their day-to-day lives in their neighbourhoods. The photographs were supplemented by individual semi-structured interviews and small group discussions. The role of neighbourhood, including factors the participants considered important in their neighbourhoods, as well as other aspects of their lives were discussed with similarities found between the two groups. Both groups of participants were involved in community activities although participants with a disability required more ...
This study investigated how a local disability organization in Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia, ha... more This study investigated how a local disability organization in Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia, has functioned as an empowering setting for its members. This article discusses, in particular, the context specific features that have enabled members of this organization to resist the pervasive stigmatization commonly imposed upon people with disabilities. The research data was collected through interviews with 18 members of the organization and analyzed using the method of constructivist grounded theory. The findings suggest that this organization exists as an empowering setting because it functions as a mindset changer, an alternative resource center, and fosters supportive and courageous allies. Through this empowerment, members can challenge the normalized stigmatization and promote more emancipatory identities, particularly in a rural context where some socio-cultural aspects may further complicate the disadvantages of people with disabilities. Implications for future research and disability interventions are discussed.
In reading and evaluating research articles and their findings, we must become acquainted with th... more In reading and evaluating research articles and their findings, we must become acquainted with the factors that contribute to the results or that can hide the true reasons from the findings. We must be aware of how the research was carried out -- the methods used, whether these methods were appropriate to the research questions addressed, who the subjects were, and the implications of the research findings. Although most transition studies are conducted using quasi-experimental designs, the reader should be aware of the various types of studies that can be constructed and the implication of using each of these types of studies in their professional activities.
This paper describes several common types of research studies in special education transition lit... more This paper describes several common types of research studies in special education transition literature and the threats to their validity. It then describes how the evidential base may be broadened, how diverse sources of evidence can be combined to strengthen causal inferences, and the role of judgment within quasi-experimentation. The paper discusses issues internal to studies and to the methods used in conducting the studies, and discusses issues arising when attempts are made to use the results of the study with other groups or in other places. Threats to internal and external validity are examined. True experimental design is outlined, and then types of quasi-experimental designs are described, including one-group posttest-only design, one-group pretest-posttest design, comparison-group pretest-posttest design, prematched control group design, natural experiments, longitudinal research, cross-sectional research, case-study and single-subject designs, and meta-analysis. Technic...
Working in partnership with a community agency in a socially disadvantaged area of Melbourne, thi... more Working in partnership with a community agency in a socially disadvantaged area of Melbourne, this research used an appreciative inquiry approach incorporating action research principles. Year 10 school students designed and successfully undertook community-building projects as part of a school subject, but with student control. Participants had previously reported a sense of alienation from their neighbourhoods and were in danger of disengaging from school. However, through the process of appreciating their identity and successfully creating community projects, the participants reported feelings of positive identity affirmation and being able to make a difference in their communities. Participants began a social transformation process of developing new positive narratives for an improved sense of community connectedness.
Desalination as a method of ensuring a rainfall independent source of potable water has become an... more Desalination as a method of ensuring a rainfall independent source of potable water has become an increasingly favourable option for Australian governments, particularly over the last decade or so. This is especially true for metropolitan areas. The social acceptability of new sources of water, however, impacts on the readiness with which publics accept changed or augmented water supplies. Researchers at Deakin University, Victoria University and Murdoch University, with funding from the National Centre of Excellence in Desalination Australia (NCEDA), have conducted a study of public attitudes to desalination in Australia. This report outlines the results of the 18 month project, which comprises three sections. The cornerstone of the project is a national survey (n=3077), conducted by Datacol Research. The second component of the study consists of focus groups in the vicinity of three existing or developing desalination plants: Wonthaggi (Victoria), Port Stanvac (South Australia), a...
The mission of the Australian Water Recycling Centre of Excellence is to enhance management and u... more The mission of the Australian Water Recycling Centre of Excellence is to enhance management and use of water recycling through industry partnerships, build capacity and capability within the recycled water industry, and promote water recycling as a socially, environmentally and economically sustainable option for future water security. The Australian Government has provided $20 million to the Centre through its National Urban Water and Desalination Plan to support applied research and development projects which meet water recycling challenges for Australia’s irrigation, urban development, food processing, heavy industry and water utility sectors. This funding has levered an additional $40 million investment from more than 80 private and public organisations, in Australia and overseas.
Sense of community is a concept in community psychology that is usually associated with supportiv... more Sense of community is a concept in community psychology that is usually associated with supportive environment and positive outcomes. However, the very nature of sense of community necessitates acts of social comparison to determine who can and cannot be accepted as members. This paper explores the dynamics of sense of community, drawing on theories of whiteness and moral exclusion to understand the ways in which – formally and informally – some immigrants and refugees are treated in Australia. There is clear evidence that the positive elements of sense of community can also be used in ways that work to exclude, stigmatise, as well as vilify the newcomers. This paper will draw upon the knowledgebase in areas of immigration, race, and oppression, together with the political stance inherent in the field to encourage community (and other) psychologists to actively enter into the public and private debates about the place of immigrants and refugees.
Immigrants to a new land face significant acculturation issues. Although definitions of accultura... more Immigrants to a new land face significant acculturation issues. Although definitions of acculturation reflect a mutual change, most research and positioning considers this to be, mostly, a one-way process. It is also perceived as a process that seems to have an end point, and is reasonably comparable across all members of a group. In the current research, the position of 13 Latin American immigrant women, with an average of 32 years in Australia, is considered. Data from interviews indicated that acculturation is still an ongoing process for these women, with many barriers imposed. English language proficiency is seen as a key element for them to integrate, but they still face issues of overt and covert discrimination on grounds of accent and skin colour and expectations of assimilation. The challenges of acculturation are compounded for the women as they were often excluded from the original decisions to emigrate, had to establish a new household and life – but did not have the nec...
Adolescence is considered a time of change, and, to some extent, upheaval. Psychological Sense of... more Adolescence is considered a time of change, and, to some extent, upheaval. Psychological Sense of Community has been utilised as a framework for understanding adolescents’ experiences in their neighbourhoods. The present study explored the experiences of 10 adolescents from two urban schools in eastern Australia, a specialist setting for students with a mild intellectual disability, and a mainstream school. Using a modified version of Photovoice, participants were actively engaged in taking photographs about their day-to-day lives in their neighbourhoods. The photographs were supplemented by individual semi-structured interviews and small group discussions. The role of neighbourhood, including factors the participants considered important in their neighbourhoods, as well as other aspects of their lives were discussed with similarities found between the two groups. Both groups of participants were involved in community activities although participants with a disability required more ...
This study investigated how a local disability organization in Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia, ha... more This study investigated how a local disability organization in Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia, has functioned as an empowering setting for its members. This article discusses, in particular, the context specific features that have enabled members of this organization to resist the pervasive stigmatization commonly imposed upon people with disabilities. The research data was collected through interviews with 18 members of the organization and analyzed using the method of constructivist grounded theory. The findings suggest that this organization exists as an empowering setting because it functions as a mindset changer, an alternative resource center, and fosters supportive and courageous allies. Through this empowerment, members can challenge the normalized stigmatization and promote more emancipatory identities, particularly in a rural context where some socio-cultural aspects may further complicate the disadvantages of people with disabilities. Implications for future research and disability interventions are discussed.
In reading and evaluating research articles and their findings, we must become acquainted with th... more In reading and evaluating research articles and their findings, we must become acquainted with the factors that contribute to the results or that can hide the true reasons from the findings. We must be aware of how the research was carried out -- the methods used, whether these methods were appropriate to the research questions addressed, who the subjects were, and the implications of the research findings. Although most transition studies are conducted using quasi-experimental designs, the reader should be aware of the various types of studies that can be constructed and the implication of using each of these types of studies in their professional activities.
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Papers by Adrian Fisher