Ron Brooker | Western Sydney University (original) (raw)
Papers by Ron Brooker
Conference of the International Speech Communication Association, 2002
... As can be seen in Figure 1, Non-Musicians' performance improved as the stimuli became le... more ... As can be seen in Figure 1, Non-Musicians' performance improved as the stimuli became less speech-like, from Speech to Filtered Speech to Music; while for both the Musician groups the functions were relatively flat. A significant interaction between APPs vs Musicians and ...
Acknowledgement The Whitlam Institute within the University of Western Sydney, with various partn... more Acknowledgement The Whitlam Institute within the University of Western Sydney, with various partners, including the Foundation for Young Australians, has been examining questions of young people and the future of Australian democracy — and the particular question of political participation by young people — for several years. The Youth Federal Election Voting Intentions Update follows on from a statistical and graphical analysis of Newspoll Quarterly Data 1996-2010, published by the Whitlam Institute in June 2011. Many thanks are due to Dr Brooker for conducting the following analysis of Newspoll quarterly data from the Election Poll in 2010 to March 2013. This update was only possible due to the generous support of Newspoll by the way of the provision of the data from relevant quarterly surveys for the period 2010-2013. We are particularly indebted to Martin O'Shannessy, CEO at Newspoll, for his enthusiastic support and advice. Foreword The Youth Federal Election Voting Intenti...
This report overviews the various strategies recommended for the education of gifted and talented... more This report overviews the various strategies recommended for the education of gifted and talented students in New South Wales and then describes a case study evaluation of the acceleration program in music performance (APMP) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and its associated Conservatorium High School. Along with examination results, interviews, self-description questionnaires, coping scales and survey measures were employed to gather data from the students, their teachers, their parents and the school principal. Results of the study show that acceleration was a very appropriate intervention and that the outcomes in all cases were quite successful. The blend of real acceleration benefits and candidates' social and intellectual maturity has avoided the often cited adjustment and attitudinal problems of many educational strategies for the gifted and talented.
Teaching and Learning in Medicine, 2020
Abstract Phenomenon: Correctional health services can provide quality learning experiences for me... more Abstract Phenomenon: Correctional health services can provide quality learning experiences for medical students and graduate medical trainees, including through motivating learners to work with people involved with the justice system, and promoting understanding of the social determinants of health. Approach: We conducted 38 semi-structured interviews to examine the views of learners and educators on how to promote high quality clinical learning in correctional settings, with a focus on the Australian context. Participants included medical students; general practitioners who had undertaken graduate trainee placements; clinical staff involved in teaching and clinical supervision; and graduate program medical educators and university teachers from Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Data were analyzed thematically. Findings: Clinical placements in correctional settings provided learning about the health of people involved in the justice system, but also beneficial clinical learning for working with a wide range of patients with complex health needs. Valued learnings included managing complex consultations, mental health and substance use disorders, and overcoming anxiety related to interacting with people in prison. Learner concerns included limited patient contact time, apprehension prior to placements, and stress related to experiences during the placements. This apprehension and stress could be mitigated by orientation and debriefing, and by appreciating healthcare professionals in correctional settings as advocates for their patients. Clinical supervision was perceived to be demanding in this context. Independent patient interaction was not usually possible for students and there could be short windows of time in which to provide direct patient care, making pauses for teaching difficult. Insights: Clinical placements in correctional health services provide experiential learning of direct relevance to medical student, and potentially to general practice trainee, curricula which is valuable even when learners do not have particular interest in correctional health. Furthermore, these placements may increase the capacity of the medical workforce to provide skilled care to other underserved populations. High quality learner and clinical supervisor experiences, and program scale and sustainability, require enhanced learning support systems through partnerships between correctional health services and education institutions. Required supports for learners include orientation to security arrangements, debriefing sessions which assist learners to distill their learning and to reflect on challenging experiences, and alternative learning opportunities for when direct patient consultations are not accessible. Supervisor teaching supports include shared teaching approaches in the correctional health clinics and added student support from university-based staff.
Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 2018
ISSUE ADDRESSED Housing renewal is a common urban housing and development strategy internationall... more ISSUE ADDRESSED Housing renewal is a common urban housing and development strategy internationally. An intended result is increased social inclusion and well-being of residents through public housing de-concentration. In this study, we examined challenges encountered during the process of housing renewal from the perspectives of community-based staff and volunteers. METHODS We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with housing and community workers, service managers and community volunteers who were working with residents experiencing housing renewal in an outer metropolitan estate in New South Wales. We analysed the data thematically. RESULTS Seventeen participants were interviewed in a mix of individual and group interviews. Housing workers uncovered substantial resident health and social support needs during housing assessments. Promoting access to services and supporting the mental health and social connectedness of residents into the future were seen as key goals and challenges. However, lack of clarity on which services and community resources would exist in the new neighbourhood at the completion of the renewal project made this more difficult, particularly when supporting the social housing residents who were remaining in the changing community. CONCLUSIONS Supporting the mental health and well-being of residents experiencing housing renewal is an important role of community-based workers, volunteers and service providers. This includes facilitating access to health care and other services and promoting social connectedness in the emerging community. Increased clarity on what community resources and services will be available subsequent to redevelopment will assist in these aims. SO WHAT?: Early knowledge of what community resources and services will be in place long term in communities undergoing housing renewal will allow staff and volunteers to better support the health and well-being of residents.
International Journal of Integrated Care, 2015
BMC medical education, Jan 2, 2018
One of the purposes of undergraduate medical education is to assist students to consider their fu... more One of the purposes of undergraduate medical education is to assist students to consider their future career paths in medicine, alongside the needs of the societies in which they will serve. Amongst the most medically underserved groups of society are people in prison and those with a history of incarceration. In this study we examined the experiences of medical students undertaking General Practice placements in a prison health service. We used the theoretical framework of the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) to explore the potential of these placements to influence the career choices of medical students. Questionnaire and interview data were collected from final year students, comprising pre and post placement questionnaire free text responses and post placement semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis, with reference to concepts from the SCCT Interest Model to further develop the findings. Clinical education delivered in a prison setti...
Psychology of Music
The relationship between processing of speech and music was explored here via the linguistic vehi... more The relationship between processing of speech and music was explored here via the linguistic vehicle of lexical tone. People with amusia have been found to be impaired on linguistic tasks; we examined whether absolute pitch (AP) possessors have an advantage on linguistic tasks. Participants were 3 groups of monolingual Australian-English speakers: non-AP musicians (musically-trained individuals who did not possess AP), AP musicians (musically-trained individuals who were AP possessors), and non-musicians (no musical training). Perceptual discrimination was tested in an AX same–different task for lexical tones presented in three contexts: normal Thai speech, low-pass filtered speech tones, and violin, with processing level manipulated via variation of the interstimulus interval (ISI). Non-musicians showed attenuated pitch discrimination of tones in speech, suggesting speech specialisation. On the other hand, all musicians showed greater accuracy, faster reaction times and less variat...
Research Studies in Music Education, 2002
... was expressed by two respondents who pointed to the difficulty of using criteria when a ... b... more ... was expressed by two respondents who pointed to the difficulty of using criteria when a ... be possible to have common criteria such as accuracy, communication, dynamic contrast, intonation ... needs to be placed in examiner training on nurturing complementary aspects of holistic ...
British Journal of General Practice, 2014
Camera phones have become ubiquitous in the digital age. Patients are beginning to bring images r... more Camera phones have become ubiquitous in the digital age. Patients are beginning to bring images recorded on their mobile phones to share with their GP during medical consultations. To explore GP perceptions about the effect of patient-initiated camera phone images on the consultation. An interview study of GPs based in rural and urban locations in Australia. Semi-structured telephone interviews with nine GPs about their experiences with patient-initiated camera phone images. GPs described how patient-initiated camera phone photos and videos contributed to the diagnostic process, management and continuity of care. These images gave GPs in the study additional insight into the patient's world. Potential harm resulting from inappropriate use of camera phones by patients was also identified. Patient-initiated camera phone images can empower patients by illustrating their narratives, thus contributing to improved communication in general practice. Potential harm could result from inappropriate use of these images. GPs shown images on patients' camera phones should make the most of this opportunity for improved understanding of the patient's world. There are however, potential medicolegal implications such as informed consent, protection of patient and doctor privacy, and the risk of misdiagnosis.
International Journal of Nursing Studies, 1997
In 1994 the Department of Health commissioned project work and reviews to inform the development ... more In 1994 the Department of Health commissioned project work and reviews to inform the development of a National Strategy to enhance the capacity of the NHS workforce to contribute to Research and Development. This paper reports one aspect of this review: a preliminary study mapping the difficulties experienced by clinicians and managers who sought to develop their research skills. A range of professionals were included in the sample, all of whom had applied for funding to undertake research education or training through a variety of schemes offering differing levels of support. There was a remarkable degree of consistency between the professional groups in terms of their level of training, success in achieving funding and their perception of the difficulties they faced in pursuing funding for research training--which they ranked in the same order of importance. However, two major significant differences arose: nurses and therapists rated their managers as less helpful, and they felt that completing application forms for research training was a skill that they lacked. The ranking of areas of difficulty, and the additional comments made by all respondents highlight issues that need to be addressed within a coherent strategic framework to reduce the difficulties experienced by those professionals wishing to pursue funding for research training.
... As can be seen in Figure 1, Non-Musicians' performance improved as the stimuli became le... more ... As can be seen in Figure 1, Non-Musicians' performance improved as the stimuli became less speech-like, from Speech to Filtered Speech to Music; while for both the Musician groups the functions were relatively flat. A significant interaction between APPs vs Musicians and ...
Conference of the International Speech Communication Association, 2002
... As can be seen in Figure 1, Non-Musicians' performance improved as the stimuli became le... more ... As can be seen in Figure 1, Non-Musicians' performance improved as the stimuli became less speech-like, from Speech to Filtered Speech to Music; while for both the Musician groups the functions were relatively flat. A significant interaction between APPs vs Musicians and ...
Acknowledgement The Whitlam Institute within the University of Western Sydney, with various partn... more Acknowledgement The Whitlam Institute within the University of Western Sydney, with various partners, including the Foundation for Young Australians, has been examining questions of young people and the future of Australian democracy — and the particular question of political participation by young people — for several years. The Youth Federal Election Voting Intentions Update follows on from a statistical and graphical analysis of Newspoll Quarterly Data 1996-2010, published by the Whitlam Institute in June 2011. Many thanks are due to Dr Brooker for conducting the following analysis of Newspoll quarterly data from the Election Poll in 2010 to March 2013. This update was only possible due to the generous support of Newspoll by the way of the provision of the data from relevant quarterly surveys for the period 2010-2013. We are particularly indebted to Martin O'Shannessy, CEO at Newspoll, for his enthusiastic support and advice. Foreword The Youth Federal Election Voting Intenti...
This report overviews the various strategies recommended for the education of gifted and talented... more This report overviews the various strategies recommended for the education of gifted and talented students in New South Wales and then describes a case study evaluation of the acceleration program in music performance (APMP) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and its associated Conservatorium High School. Along with examination results, interviews, self-description questionnaires, coping scales and survey measures were employed to gather data from the students, their teachers, their parents and the school principal. Results of the study show that acceleration was a very appropriate intervention and that the outcomes in all cases were quite successful. The blend of real acceleration benefits and candidates' social and intellectual maturity has avoided the often cited adjustment and attitudinal problems of many educational strategies for the gifted and talented.
Teaching and Learning in Medicine, 2020
Abstract Phenomenon: Correctional health services can provide quality learning experiences for me... more Abstract Phenomenon: Correctional health services can provide quality learning experiences for medical students and graduate medical trainees, including through motivating learners to work with people involved with the justice system, and promoting understanding of the social determinants of health. Approach: We conducted 38 semi-structured interviews to examine the views of learners and educators on how to promote high quality clinical learning in correctional settings, with a focus on the Australian context. Participants included medical students; general practitioners who had undertaken graduate trainee placements; clinical staff involved in teaching and clinical supervision; and graduate program medical educators and university teachers from Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Data were analyzed thematically. Findings: Clinical placements in correctional settings provided learning about the health of people involved in the justice system, but also beneficial clinical learning for working with a wide range of patients with complex health needs. Valued learnings included managing complex consultations, mental health and substance use disorders, and overcoming anxiety related to interacting with people in prison. Learner concerns included limited patient contact time, apprehension prior to placements, and stress related to experiences during the placements. This apprehension and stress could be mitigated by orientation and debriefing, and by appreciating healthcare professionals in correctional settings as advocates for their patients. Clinical supervision was perceived to be demanding in this context. Independent patient interaction was not usually possible for students and there could be short windows of time in which to provide direct patient care, making pauses for teaching difficult. Insights: Clinical placements in correctional health services provide experiential learning of direct relevance to medical student, and potentially to general practice trainee, curricula which is valuable even when learners do not have particular interest in correctional health. Furthermore, these placements may increase the capacity of the medical workforce to provide skilled care to other underserved populations. High quality learner and clinical supervisor experiences, and program scale and sustainability, require enhanced learning support systems through partnerships between correctional health services and education institutions. Required supports for learners include orientation to security arrangements, debriefing sessions which assist learners to distill their learning and to reflect on challenging experiences, and alternative learning opportunities for when direct patient consultations are not accessible. Supervisor teaching supports include shared teaching approaches in the correctional health clinics and added student support from university-based staff.
Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 2018
ISSUE ADDRESSED Housing renewal is a common urban housing and development strategy internationall... more ISSUE ADDRESSED Housing renewal is a common urban housing and development strategy internationally. An intended result is increased social inclusion and well-being of residents through public housing de-concentration. In this study, we examined challenges encountered during the process of housing renewal from the perspectives of community-based staff and volunteers. METHODS We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with housing and community workers, service managers and community volunteers who were working with residents experiencing housing renewal in an outer metropolitan estate in New South Wales. We analysed the data thematically. RESULTS Seventeen participants were interviewed in a mix of individual and group interviews. Housing workers uncovered substantial resident health and social support needs during housing assessments. Promoting access to services and supporting the mental health and social connectedness of residents into the future were seen as key goals and challenges. However, lack of clarity on which services and community resources would exist in the new neighbourhood at the completion of the renewal project made this more difficult, particularly when supporting the social housing residents who were remaining in the changing community. CONCLUSIONS Supporting the mental health and well-being of residents experiencing housing renewal is an important role of community-based workers, volunteers and service providers. This includes facilitating access to health care and other services and promoting social connectedness in the emerging community. Increased clarity on what community resources and services will be available subsequent to redevelopment will assist in these aims. SO WHAT?: Early knowledge of what community resources and services will be in place long term in communities undergoing housing renewal will allow staff and volunteers to better support the health and well-being of residents.
International Journal of Integrated Care, 2015
BMC medical education, Jan 2, 2018
One of the purposes of undergraduate medical education is to assist students to consider their fu... more One of the purposes of undergraduate medical education is to assist students to consider their future career paths in medicine, alongside the needs of the societies in which they will serve. Amongst the most medically underserved groups of society are people in prison and those with a history of incarceration. In this study we examined the experiences of medical students undertaking General Practice placements in a prison health service. We used the theoretical framework of the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) to explore the potential of these placements to influence the career choices of medical students. Questionnaire and interview data were collected from final year students, comprising pre and post placement questionnaire free text responses and post placement semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis, with reference to concepts from the SCCT Interest Model to further develop the findings. Clinical education delivered in a prison setti...
Psychology of Music
The relationship between processing of speech and music was explored here via the linguistic vehi... more The relationship between processing of speech and music was explored here via the linguistic vehicle of lexical tone. People with amusia have been found to be impaired on linguistic tasks; we examined whether absolute pitch (AP) possessors have an advantage on linguistic tasks. Participants were 3 groups of monolingual Australian-English speakers: non-AP musicians (musically-trained individuals who did not possess AP), AP musicians (musically-trained individuals who were AP possessors), and non-musicians (no musical training). Perceptual discrimination was tested in an AX same–different task for lexical tones presented in three contexts: normal Thai speech, low-pass filtered speech tones, and violin, with processing level manipulated via variation of the interstimulus interval (ISI). Non-musicians showed attenuated pitch discrimination of tones in speech, suggesting speech specialisation. On the other hand, all musicians showed greater accuracy, faster reaction times and less variat...
Research Studies in Music Education, 2002
... was expressed by two respondents who pointed to the difficulty of using criteria when a ... b... more ... was expressed by two respondents who pointed to the difficulty of using criteria when a ... be possible to have common criteria such as accuracy, communication, dynamic contrast, intonation ... needs to be placed in examiner training on nurturing complementary aspects of holistic ...
British Journal of General Practice, 2014
Camera phones have become ubiquitous in the digital age. Patients are beginning to bring images r... more Camera phones have become ubiquitous in the digital age. Patients are beginning to bring images recorded on their mobile phones to share with their GP during medical consultations. To explore GP perceptions about the effect of patient-initiated camera phone images on the consultation. An interview study of GPs based in rural and urban locations in Australia. Semi-structured telephone interviews with nine GPs about their experiences with patient-initiated camera phone images. GPs described how patient-initiated camera phone photos and videos contributed to the diagnostic process, management and continuity of care. These images gave GPs in the study additional insight into the patient's world. Potential harm resulting from inappropriate use of camera phones by patients was also identified. Patient-initiated camera phone images can empower patients by illustrating their narratives, thus contributing to improved communication in general practice. Potential harm could result from inappropriate use of these images. GPs shown images on patients' camera phones should make the most of this opportunity for improved understanding of the patient's world. There are however, potential medicolegal implications such as informed consent, protection of patient and doctor privacy, and the risk of misdiagnosis.
International Journal of Nursing Studies, 1997
In 1994 the Department of Health commissioned project work and reviews to inform the development ... more In 1994 the Department of Health commissioned project work and reviews to inform the development of a National Strategy to enhance the capacity of the NHS workforce to contribute to Research and Development. This paper reports one aspect of this review: a preliminary study mapping the difficulties experienced by clinicians and managers who sought to develop their research skills. A range of professionals were included in the sample, all of whom had applied for funding to undertake research education or training through a variety of schemes offering differing levels of support. There was a remarkable degree of consistency between the professional groups in terms of their level of training, success in achieving funding and their perception of the difficulties they faced in pursuing funding for research training--which they ranked in the same order of importance. However, two major significant differences arose: nurses and therapists rated their managers as less helpful, and they felt that completing application forms for research training was a skill that they lacked. The ranking of areas of difficulty, and the additional comments made by all respondents highlight issues that need to be addressed within a coherent strategic framework to reduce the difficulties experienced by those professionals wishing to pursue funding for research training.
... As can be seen in Figure 1, Non-Musicians' performance improved as the stimuli became le... more ... As can be seen in Figure 1, Non-Musicians' performance improved as the stimuli became less speech-like, from Speech to Filtered Speech to Music; while for both the Musician groups the functions were relatively flat. A significant interaction between APPs vs Musicians and ...