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Item Open Access An Inquiry Into How New Zealand Catholic Primary School Principals Perceive Their Role As Faith Leaders(Australian Catholic University, 2026-01-06)This study explores the ways in which Aotearoa New Zealand Catholic primary school principals [ANZCPSP] perceive, enact and meet their responsibilities in their role as a faith leader. The study arose from concerns that there were insufficient numbers of people with suitable preparation and depth of faith formation to enact faith leadership, and that variable understandings and expressions of faith leadership were apparent from the researcher’s experience. From these concerns the researcher pursued four research sub-questions: 1. In what ways do ANZCPSP understand their role as a faith leader? 2. How have ANZCPSP enacted their faith leadership role? 3. In what ways have ANZCPSP been prepared for their faith leadership role? 4. What are the challenges for ANZCPSP in meeting their faith leadership responsibilities? The research method incorporated an interpretivist and symbolic interactionist perspective to data gathered from unstructured interviews with 10 Catholic primary school principals in one diocese of Aotearoa New Zealand. Through employing the common characteristics of grounded theory and specific aspects of systematic and emerging grounded theory, the research questions were explored. A constant comparative method of data analysis, relative to grounded theory, was applied to break open the data allowing the core themes of the study to emerge. A synthesis of research findings with associated literature identified new understandings to inform practice and scholarship in the field of faith leadership. The study established Catholic school leadership as a multifaceted and complex process with faith central to its enactment. However, the study demonstrated that there is an absence of a shared, clear, and concise interpretation of the characteristics and criteria for the effective enactment of faith leadership. While principals recognise their role as the face of the Church and the school as a place of Church in the changing religious context of many families, their understanding falls short of the wider understanding of the Church’s mission. In addition, the study highlighted a gap in the intentional, ongoing faith formation for principals, leading to a limited understanding of the mission of Catholic schools. Notwithstanding, leaders with experience in the role of director of religious studies were more prepared for faith leadership responsibilities exercised within the role of principal. Within the context of the Catholic school within the life of the parish, the study identified disconnection and limited collaboration toward mission goals between principals and parish priests. Recommendations from the study underscored the necessity of generating a faith leadership framework for principals and generating and resourcing of a faith formation framework for teachers and principals. As well, an examination of the mission of Catholic schools due to the changed socio-religious context is advocated to support a shared vision for mission by principals, parish priests, and Catholic education office leaders. Finally, the study recommends opportunities for leadership formation and support of directors of religious studies with leadership potential. Limitations of the study recognised the positionality of the researcher, the subjective interpretation of data, and the generalisability of results. Future research was recommended to incorporate wider subject populations and attention to the formation needs of younger Catholic teachers, the faith needs of Catholic school families, and preparation of seminarians and parish priests as pastors to Catholic school communities. The research underlined the important role the principal as faith leader holds in Catholic schools in leading and advancing the mission of the Church. The ability of the principal to engage in this mission is impacted by several factors, all of which are founded in formation and processes of recruitment and empowerment of teachers for mission, engaging parents in the faith journey of their children, and maintaining an effective relationship with the parish priest.Item Open Access Denis Edwards's Theology of the Natural World : A Practical Theological Response To The Ecological Cry of The Great Barrier Reef(Australian Catholic University, 2024)Accelerating ecological degradation and climate disruption are reshaping Earth’s most vulnerable ecosystems. Among them, the Great Barrier Reef now stands at a critical ecological threshold, marked by unprecedented bleaching events, species loss and ongoing anthropogenic pressure. This crisis intensifies the moral and theological urgency for renewed ecological vision and action. Within the Christian tradition, the community of faith is called to sustain hope in the Cosmic Creator who neither abandons humankind nor the wider community of creation to which it belongs but accompanies all life within an emergent and evolving cosmos. This thesis pursues two central aims. First, it offers an ecotheological interpretation of the Reef’s lamentive ecological cry, its profound suffering, as well as the diminishment of its extraordinary relational abundance. Second, it examines how Roman Catholic ecotheological praxis may contribute to re-imagining an inclusive, ecologically just and flourishing future for the Reef. To address the first aim, the thesis develops an Ecotheological Spiral methodology that stages dialogical encounters between ecological analysis and theological reflection. Drawing on current ecological science and guided by Denis Edwards’s trinitarian theology of the natural world, the Spiral discloses the Reef’s habitats, plants and animals as singers of distinctive laments and creational hymns that together form a Reefal Hymnal. This hymnal emerges from, and gestures toward, a triune Reefal Composer: the divine, reefal Communion-in-Love who is limitlessly life-giving and nurturing. The Composer’s character is unfolded in three theological movements – deep empathy, deep relationality and deep abundance – each illuminating aspects of the Creator’s presence within the Reef’s beauty, complexity and vulnerability, and revealing the theological significance of ecological suffering. In its second aim, the thesis explores how this Reefal Hymnal might shape Roman Catholic ecopraxis. By integrating lament, praise and contemplative attention with moral discernment, pastoral accompaniment, prophetic advocacy and liturgical solidarity, the thesis proposes an ecopraxis oriented toward ecological conversion and hope. Such a praxis invites the human community, kin to the Reef in their shared stardust origins, into renewed communion with the more-than-human world, participating in the healing, justice and flourishing that the Reef so urgently requires, and that Christian discipleship demands in this time of ecological reckoning.Item Restricted Co-Operative Spaces : An ecological perspective examining participation, health, and wellbeing in intergenerational interactions(Australian Catholic University, 2026-01-05)Background: Young people and older adults are identified as two particularly vulnerable groups experiencing loneliness and associated impacts on health, wellbeing, and healthy ageing. Intergenerational programs are initiatives which enable mutual learning, growth, and experience sharing between two or more generations. Current gaps in intergenerational research highlight a need to examine conceptualisation, measurement, and perceived impacts of intergenerational programs on individual and collective participation, health, and wellbeing outcomes. Aim: This program of research, interchangeably referred to as the ‘Co-Operative Spaces’ project, aimed to identify key barriers, enablers, and the role of facilitation in fostering a coordinated individual-environment-task fit, ultimately informing the design and sustainability of future intergenerational living and learning environments. Methods: Three studies comprised this thesis: a systematic review of systematic reviews, qualitative investigation of youth (12-19 years) and older adult’s (50 years and over) perspectives and experiences, and qualitative exploration of the perspectives and experiences of current and prospective program facilitators. Results: Systematic review findings from 34 identified systematic reviews found no consensus regarding conceptualisation and measurement of health and wellbeing outcomes in intergenerational interactions. Focus groups or interviews with youth (n = 21) and older adults (n = 23) identified perceived and experienced participation, health, and wellbeing outcomes related to social, emotional, intellectual, occupational, physical, environmental and community domains. Key enablers perceived and experienced by youth and older adults that influence development of a coordinated individual-environment-task fit included effective facilitation, shared interests, and intentional co-design. Barriers identified included existing social and cultural segregation, concerns for safety, and challenges integrating shared spaces. Qualitative interviews with current facilitators (n = 3) and focus groups with prospective facilitators (n = 15) identified that facilitators play a critical role in program success through ‘artful facilitation’ and ‘community support’. Facilitators highlighted challenges to sustainability, resource allocation, and stakeholder buy-in, alongside opportunities for co-design and policy integration. Conclusion: This thesis contributes to understanding of conceptualisation and measurement of participation, health, and wellbeing outcomes in intergenerational programs. It presents evidence on barriers and enablers perceived and experienced to influence a coordinated individual-environment-task fit in intergenerational programs involving youth, older adults, and facilitators. The importance of reciprocity, interconnectedness, and community-based participatory action research is emphasised as crucial to the design, implementation and evaluation of intergenerational programs.Item Restricted Understanding The Experiences Of Older Adults While Using Interactive Surfaces To Encourage Activity Participation(Australian Catholic University, 2025-01)With mixed reality (MR) technologies becoming a popular tool in the promotion of healthy ageing, there is a need to know more about the facilitators and barriers to using these technologies in older participants. Participation is an important component of healthy ageing, where staying physically and cognitively active through meaningful activities offers benefits like reducing obesity, lowering risk of cardiovascular disease, maintaining cognitive health and enhancing emotional well-being, ultimately leading to a better quality of life. Despite the importance of staying active, many older adults fail to meet recommended activity levels, raising concerns about the long-term implications on their independence and quality of life. Most of the current research on MR technology use among older adults has concentrated on its application in clinical settings and has mainly investigated the effectiveness of MR-based applications on health outcomes instead of focusing on user experience. There remains a need for more research that aim to understand the perspective of older adult users to ascertain the feasibility and user experience with MR-based applications for these individuals. To fill this research gap, a systematic review was conducted to understand the UX aspect of older adults’ use of MR applications. Two studies were then conducted to understand the different aspects of UX of older adults using MR applications, using a MR-based digital interactive experience known as the EDNA Playboards. To explore the factors influencing older adults’ participation in activities, this thesis first utilised the Family of Participation-Related Constructs (fPRC) model, discussed in Chapter 1, which highlighted that participation in an activity is not just about being present (i.e., attendance), but also requires the attendee’s involvement. This leads to the importance of assessing internal and external factors that may be barriers and facilitators to engaging in activities during older adulthood. In relation to MR applications, understanding the older adults’ user experience (UX) helps address any barriers that may impede older adults’ participation, attendance and involvement in engaging in such technology facilitated activities, while also supporting facilitators in running these activities effectively. The Components of User Experience (CUE), detailed in Chapter 2, offers a structured method for assessing the usability (instrumental qualities), emotion reactions, and aesthetics (non-instrumental qualities) of MR applications, components that form a comprehensive view of UX that goes beyond usability. The systematic review (Chapter 4), which aimed to comprehend the existing research results regarding the user experience (UX) of MR applications for older adults, analysed recent experimental research on the instrumental, emotional, and non-instrumental facets of user experience among healthy older adults concerning MR applications. The review analysed studies from January 2010 to July 2021 and identified 15 eligible studies, all of which were found to assess instrumental quality, with most also examining emotional responses of the older adult participants. However, only six explored the aesthetic qualities of the MR applications. All studies aimed to improve health domains, such as cognitive or physical training. Overall, the systematic review highlighted that the instrumental quality of MR applications was the focus within user experience research, with substantially fewer studies addressing the non-instrumental aspects. To address some of the gaps identified in the systematic review, two empirical studies were conducted to investigate the experiences of older adults using a surface computing based digital interactive system. The first of these studies was carried out with a group of older adults living in a retirement village (Chapter 6), while the second involved people living in an aged care facility (Chapter 7). The EDNA Playboards system was designed to foster physical and social engagement as well as cognitive stimulation. The studies focused on the participants’ engagement and UX with the digital interactive system, and utilised a mixed-methods research design where participants completed a questionnaire after their involvement in a semi-structured interview. Empirical Study 1 (Chapter 6) involved eleven residents (mean age ± standard deviation: 78 ± 7.94 years; six males and five females) from a retirement village in Australia. Both quantitative and qualitative results indicated an overall positive experience with the EDNA Playboards system. Participants noted social and cognitive benefits from their interaction with the system. They emphasised their preference for clear objectives, suitable levels of challenge, additional time for familiarisation, and recognisable audiovisual effects instead of digital ones. These findings offer important insights for game designers creating interactive systems that cater to older adults. Empirical Study 2 (Chapter 7), involved ten residents (mean age ± standard deviation: 86.6 ± 4.7 years; four males and six females) from an aged care facility in Australia. Participants engaged with EDNA Playboards in one-hour sessions, playing in groups of three or four. While also designed as a mixed method research, this study did not include quantitative analysis as the participants did not return the questionnaires post-game session. Nevertheless, the qualitative analysis suggested an overall favourable UX, with participants appreciating the cognitive challenge and the opportunity for social interaction. They indicated a desire for straightforward instructions, a slow introduction process to prevent any feelings of being overwhelmed, and clearly defined gameplay goals. Although they found the visual components to be a unique and welcomed part of the interactive experience, the audio elements were perceived as confusing. These insights were valuable for creating MR interactive experiences specifically designed for older adults. As exploratory studies into the use of EDNA Playboards, the findings of this thesis were limited by the small sample size, single-site recruitment, and a single MR session, restricting generalisability. However, the results and discussion offer valuable preliminary insights into the feasibility of MR systems like EDNA Playboards in retirement villages and aged care settings and identify potential modifications to enhance older adults’ experiences prior to larger scale studies and broader implementation.Item Open Access Indigenous people's perspectives on sharing health data for service delivery purposes : An inquiry using Indigenous methodologies(Elsevier Ltd, 2025-11-27)Background With healthcare's accelerating digital transformation and expanding data-sharing capabilities, it is essential to uphold Indigenous Data Sovereignty (IDSov)—which affirms Indigenous ownership and authority over health data relating to Indigenous communities. Indigenous Data Governance (IDGov) provides the mechanisms through which IDSov is enacted, ensuring Indigenous Peoples lead decisions about how data are collected, accessed, and used. Our research investigates a local enactment of IDGov, discussing how custodial stewardship is enacted in data-sharing arrangements between an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled health organisation and a government birthing facility. The research aimed to understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service users' and health workers' perspectives on how/whether to share data between services. Methods Led by a community-controlled organisation, the study used Indigenous methodologies, including ‘yarning’—a traditional knowledge-sharing practice. An Aboriginal researcher conducted yarns with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander staff and perinatal service users. Collaborative analysis was undertaken using an adapted ‘Thought Ritual’, an Indigenous analytical framework. Findings Analysis identified four domains: 1) Power and Control in Data Sharing—Data sharing can shift power dynamics, affecting sovereignty and community control, 2) Safety Concerns—Participants cited legal, cultural, and psychosocial risks tied to stigma and systemic racism, 3) Ability to Do My Job—Limited data access can hinder effective service delivery, and 4) Not Everything Should Be Shared—There is a clear preference for consent-based, selective data sharing. Interpretation Honouring Indigenous perspectives in data-sharing arrangements is an ethical obligation. In perinatal settings, upholding custodial stewardship helps safeguard sovereignty, safety, and equitable outcomes.
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