Browsing by Author "Beamish, Peter"
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Item 2017 Global Church Member Survey – South Pacific Division(2017-01-01) Williams, Anthony; McIver, Rob; Morton, Lindsay; Petrie, Kevin; de Waal, Kayle; Tasker, David; Beamish, PeterItem A Multimodal Intervention for Improving the Mental Health and Emotional Well-being of College Students(2020-03-01) Przybylko, Geraldine; Renfrew, Melanie; Beamish, Peter; Kent, Lillian; Herman, Wendi; Craig, Bevan; Hinze, Jason; Morton, DarrenThis study examined the effectiveness of a 10-week multimodal intervention for improving the mental health and emotional well-being of college students when included as a mandatory component of the students’ course of study. A total of 67 students (20.9 ± 5.4 years, 30 male/37 female) participated in the intervention that introduced a variety of evidence-based strategies for improving mental health and emotional well-being from the Lifestyle Medicine and Positive Psychology literature. Significant reductions were recorded in symptoms of depression (−28%, P < .05), anxiety (−31%, P < .05), and stress (−28%, P < .01), whereas significant improvements were observed in mental health (18%, P < .01), vitality (14%, P < .01) and overall life satisfaction (8%, P < .05). Effect sizes were larger than those reported by studies that have examined the individual effectiveness of the strategies incorporated into the intervention, suggesting a compounding effect. Stratified analyses indicated that participants with the lowest measures of mental health and emotional well-being at baseline experienced the greatest benefits. The findings of the study suggest that meaningful improvements in the mental health and emotional well-being of college students can be achieved, and potentially magnified, by utilizing a multidisciplinary approach involving evidence-based strategies from Lifestyle Medicine and Positive Psychology.
Item A Study of the Membership of the South Pacific Division(2016-01-01) Williams, Anthony; McIver, Rob; Morton, Lindsay; Petrie, Kevin; de Waal, Kayle; Tasker, David; Beamish, PeterItem A Web- and Mobile App–Based Mental Health Promotion Intervention Comparing Email, Short Message Service, and Videoconferencing Support for a Healthy Cohort: Randomized Comparative Study(2020-01-06) Craig, Bevan; Przybylko, Geraldine; Beamish, Peter; Hinze, Jason; Morton, Jason K.; Morton, Darren; Renfrew, MelanieBackground: The rapid increase in mental health disorders has prompted a call for greater focus on mental health promotion and primary prevention. Web- and mobile app–based interventions present a scalable opportunity. Little is known about the influence of human support on the outcomes of these interventions.
Objective: This study aimed to compare the influence of 3 modes of human support on the outcomes (ie, mental health, vitality, depression, anxiety, stress, life satisfaction, and flourishing) of a 10-week, Web- and mobile app–based, lifestyle-focused mental health promotion intervention among a healthy adult cohort.
Methods: Participants were recruited voluntarily using a combination of online and offline advertising. They were randomized, unblinded into 3 groups differentiated by human support mode: Group 1 (n=201): standard—fully automated emails (S); Group 2 (n=202): standard plus personalized SMS (S+pSMS); and Group 3 (n=202): standard plus weekly videoconferencing support (S+VCS), hosted by 1 trained facilitator. Participants accessed the intervention, including the questionnaire, on a Web-based learning management system or through a mobile app. The questionnaire, administered at pre- and postintervention, contained self-reported measures of mental well-being, including the “mental health” and “vitality” subscales from the Short Form Health Survey-36, Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21, Diener Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), and Diener Flourishing Scale.
Results: Of 605 potential participants, 458 (S: n=157, S+pSMS: n=163, and S+VCS: n=138) entered the study by completing registration and the preintervention questionnaire. At post intervention, 320 out of 458 participants (69.9%; S: n=103, S+pSMS: n=114, and S+VCS: n=103) completed the questionnaire. Significant within-group improvements were recorded from pre- to postintervention in all groups and in every outcome measure (P≤.001). No significant between-group differences were observed for outcomes in any measure: mental health (P=.77), vitality (P=.65), depression (P=.93), anxiety (P=.25), stress (P.57), SWLS (P=.65), and Flourishing Scale (P=.99). Adherence was not significantly different between groups for mean videos watched (P=.42) and practical activity engagement (P=.71). Participation in videoconference support sessions (VCSSs) was low; 37 out of 103 (35.9%) participants did not attend any VCSSs, and only 19 out of 103 (18.4%) attended 7 or more out of 10 sessions. Stratification within the S+VCS group revealed that those who attended 7 or more VCSSs experienced significantly greater improvements in the domains of mental health (P=.006; d=0.71), vitality (P=.005; d=0.73), depression (P=.04; d=0.54), and life satisfaction (P=.046; d=0.50) compared with participants who attended less than 7.
Conclusions: A Web- and mobile app–based mental health promotion intervention enhanced domains of mental well-being among a healthy cohort, irrespective of human support. Low attendance at VCSSs hindered the ability to make meaningful between-group comparisons. Supplementing the intervention with VCSSs might improve outcomes when attendance is optimized.
Publication Are Christian Schools Really Christian? Perceptions of Final Year Pre-service Teachers in Australia(Avondale Academic Press, 2018-11-01) Beamish, Peter; Christian, BeverlyFinal year pre-service teachers at a private provider of Christian higher education were surveyed to discover their perceptions of the special character of a wide spectrum of Australian Christian faith-based schools. They each completed an eight week placement, spread over two sessions, in a Christian school. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected through open-ended written responses and a questionnaire. The results indicated that a special Christian character was visible to the preservice teachers, with evidence that Christian worldview alignments in the areas of school culture, relationships, service and discipleship in Christian schools is easier to identify than in the learning and teaching aspects of schools’ operations.
Item Are Christian Schools Really Christian? Perceptions of Final-year Pre-service Teachers in Australia(2017-01-01) Beamish, Peter; Christian, BeverlyItem Bumpy Moments and Joyful Breakthroughs: The Place of Threshold Concepts in Academic Staff Development Programs About Online Learning and Teaching(2011-12-01) Gosselin, Kevin P.; Martin, Tony; Beamish, Peter; Reynaud, Daniel; Northcote, Maria T.In this article the authors address the situation in higher education of academic staff facing what they conceptualise as “bumpy moments and joyful breakthroughs” as they work through the process of becoming teachers in online learning environments. The article comes from a research project, which gathered and analysed data from systematic observations and questionnaires. The authors base their study on the known fact that while many academics have grounded experience in on-campus teaching and learning situations they do not necessarily have the skills required today for extending learning through on-line environments. The authors discover that when academics start teaching in online environments, or at least start facing the fact that there are requirements to do so, and they begin to explore this environment both personally and theoretically, “they encounter threshold concepts that can unsettle their most deeply held personal and pedagogical beliefs about what it means to teach and learn, and what it means to be an effective teacher and learner”. This paper gives an account of the research into these new conditions for educators and offers a set of recommendations “to inform the design of a multi-strategy academic staff learning program, which facilitated the development of online teaching skills”. [From Introduction to issue of ACCESS].
Publication Caffeine Consumption Among Students Attending Christian Schools in Australia and its Relationship to Classroom Behaviour and Academic Performance(Avondale Academic Press, 2016-11-01) Guest, Jade; Grant, Ross; Greive, Cedric; Morey, Peter; Beamish, PeterItem Can the Use of Web 2.0 Tools Help Deliver 21st Century Learning?(2014-10-01) McLeod, Bobby; Beamish, PeterIt has long been recognized that people need to be literate to function optimally within society. The 21st century has seen technology increase the complexity of environments, so that a literate person must now possess a wide range of abilities, competencies, and literacies. These have often been referred to as “21st-century skills” and while many of them are not new, the extent to which individual success depends on having such skills is new. The current study seeks to explore ways in which technology can be used to increase literacy and enhance 21st century skills in students.
1193 students attending Sahmyook University in Seoul, South Korea were placed in small groups and asked to make a movie in English. This constructivist, real-world, group-based project required students to collaboratively negotiated their way through a variety of language, technical and social challenges using a wiki. We can conclude from this study that collaborative projects, supported by web 2.0 tools, can deliver worthwhile learning.
Students reported that the project; was interesting and rewarding, improved their relationships with classmates, encouraged teamwork, improved English skills, facilitated positive attitudes and the development of ICT skills. Students experienced improved technical, collaborative, leadership, critical thinking and problem solving skills that enhanced knowledge and contributed to their personal 21st century skill set.
Publication Critical Reflection - Impact and Implementation Considerations in Early Childhood Education and Care(Avondale Academic Press, 2021-04-01) Beamish, Peter; Williams, Debra GayeThe National Quality Standard (NQS) is the benchmark for quality in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) within Australia. The Australian Government positioned reflective practice at the core of the NQS (ACECQA, 2013) in order to raise standards and inform future planning and decision making (COAG, 2009; Kennedy, 2011). Critical reflection was identified as foundational to good practice with educators expected to engage in a 'lively culture of professional inquiry' (DEEWR, 2009, p. 13) with reflection ensuring a way of continued improvement to raise standards. This paper reports on a research study that explored the impact and implementation of critical reflection as part of the NQS in ECEC. This research identified that critical reflection positively impacts ECEC operations and also positively impacts the learning environment of ECEC centres.
Item Databases and Student Learning: A Multilevel Analysis of the Use of Databases in the Classroom(1998-08-01) Beamish, PeterThis study investigated the use of computerised databases to enhance student learning in the secondary school classroom, and included student factors and classroom processes that influenced their success. Students worked through a course in which they used computers and database management software to solve problems requiring them to work with information. Based on a constructivist pedagogy the course aimed to help students construct knowledge, develop skills in information processing, develop higher order thinking skills, and develop positive attitudes to computers.
Data were collected from 541 students in 25 classrooms at 12 schools in New South wales using a series of tests, questionnaires and classroom variables. Multilevel regression analysis was used to test hypothesized causal model linking presage, process and product variables.
Students successfully learned to use databases during the course, acquiring content knowledge of the databases and increasing their information processing skills. Students reported positive attitudes to computers and these attitudes directly influenced their achievement. The latter served to emphasise the importance of developing appropriate attitudes in computer classroom learning activities.
A number of other factors were found to influence the success of database activities. Gender and student approaches to learning influenced both cognitive and attitudinal outcomes directly. Students' previous computer experiences were found to influence approaches to learning, information processing ability, and attitudes to computers.
Several classroom contextual variables were also found to be important, including peer interaction, time on task and the type of database software used. Other teaching methods were of interest because of their negative or lack of influence on learning outcomes. The use of a heuristic was found to have a negative effect, while direct instruction of strategies and teacher modelling of strategies failed to affect learning outcomes.
Overall, most students used databases to collect and analyse data successfully. Most teachers were pleasantly surprised at the level of work completed by their students during the database course.
Item Factors Predicting Alcohol Consumption in Adolescents Attending a Faith-Based School System in Australia: A Multigroup Structural Equation Analysis(2019-08-21) Price, Kevin; Rankin, Paul; Butler, Terry; Gane, Barry; Beamish, Peter; Kent, Lillian; Morey, Peter; Morton, Darren; Craig, BevanStructural equation modeling was used to explore the direct and indirect association of childhood experiences, attitudes, subjective norms, and intentions on the alcohol consumption of adolescents attending faith-based Seventh-day Adventist schools in Australia. Data were collected on 1,266 adolescents and the structural model developed explained 48% of the variance for alcohol consumption. Intentions had the highest degree of association with Alcohol Consumption Status (ACS) (b.0.52). Attitudes were more strongly associated to ACS (btotal . 0.36) than subjective norms (btotal . 0.17). Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) were associated with every variable in the model and had a combined direct and indirect association with ACS of btotal . 0.14.
Multigroup analysis found significant pathway differences in the model for gender and age with regards to the association of intentions, attitudes, ACEs, and Childhood Family Dynamics with alcohol consumption status. The study fills a gap in the alcohol literature by presenting a model describing the complex network of factors that predict alcohol consumption in a low-ACS population. The outcomes of the study highlight the importance of early intervention for children and their families to delay or minimize alcohol consumption in adolescents.
Item Factors Predicting the Mental Health of Adolescents Attending a Faith-based Australian School System: A Multi-group Structural Equation Analysis(2020-07-03) Price, Kevin; Rankin, Paul; Butler, Terry; Bogacs, Paul; Gane, Barry; Beamish, Peter; Kent, Lillian; Morey, Peter; Morton, Darren; Craig, BevanBackground: Adolescents attending Seventh-day Adventist schools (Adventist) in Australia tend to experience good health and exhibit better health behaviors than national norms, however few studies have investigated factors predicting their mental health.
Aims: The aim of this study was to explore the complex network of factors that predict the mental health status (MHS) of adolescents attending Adventist schools in Australia.
Methods: A survey instrument was used to collect data from 1527 secondary school students attending Adventist schools across Australia. Structural equation modeling was employed to examine concomitantly the direct and indirect effects of childhood experiences, present attitudes and selected health behaviors on MHS.
Results: Childhood family dynamics had the strongest association with MHS (βtotal = 0.33) followed by a sense of meaning and purpose (βtotal = 0.27), perceived social misfit status (βtotal = –0.19), and school academic performance (βtotal = 0.18). Multi-group analysis found significant pathway differences in the model for gender with regards to the association of meaning and purpose, physical activity and sleep quantity with MHS.
Conclusions: The outcomes of the study highlight the importance of early positive childhood family dynamics and the discovery of meaning and purpose during adolescence to promote positive mental health among adolescents.
Publication Flourish: The Impact of an Intergenerational Program on Third-grade Students’ Social and Emotional Wellbeing with Application to the PERMA Framework(Avondale Academic Press, 2020-07-01) Morey, Peter; Beamish, Peter; Gray, AngelaIntergenerational programs are increasingly being recognised as a means of promoting wellbeing through connecting communities, promoting caring relationships, and combating loneliness and isolation. While existing research provides evidence of the positive benefits of intergenerational programs for the elderly, there is limited research on the impact that these programs have on children’s wellbeing. The aim of this study was to measure the impact of the intergenerational program, ‘Flourish’, on student social and emotional wellbeing.
Publication Human Touch in the Primary School Setting(Avondale Academic Press, 2019-12-01) Beamish, Peter; Thompson, AndreaNo touch policies in schools have created a dilemma for teachers. To investigate student, teacher, and parent attitudes to touch at school, ten Pre-Kindy students, seven K-6 students, four teachers and four parents at a small faith-based school were interviewed using a semi-structured interview style. Analysis of the responses indicated the majority of the participants in this study supported the use of ‘healthy’ physical contact, between teachers and students. Students, parents and teachers were mindful of appropriate ways to touch, arena of safety issues, and that touch may not be for everyone, all concepts which informed a proposition for policy review in schools to optimise student development and wellbeing.
Publication Increasing Life Effectiveness(Avondale Academic Press, 2009-01-01) Robinson, Tony; Low, David; Beamish, PeterThe iPod, more than any other device, is indicative of the times in which we live. It provides entertainment and information at the click of a wheel, whenever, and wherever we want it. The iPod is tool of choice for many of the current generation of youth who fill their days with electronic devices, computer games, Youtube, Myspace, Facebook and talking to friends on MSN. These youth have been referred to as the iGeneration, or Google Generation; whatever you choose to call them, they are the young people in our schools.
Life is not simple for many of these students. They
are growing up in a world vastly different to that
of their parents. Today’s world features “cultural
pluralism, increased anxiety about personal and
environmental risks, precarious employment,
rampant consumerism, the information deluge,
greater individualisation and increased instability in
families” (Hughes, 2007).
Within this quickly changing world, there is a
need for students to develop the capacity to cope
with their ever-changing environment. They need
to be resilient. Outdoor education activities have
been proposed as one way of increasing a person’s
resilience through increasing ‘Life Effectiveness’
skills. These skills equip students to handle the
demands of life and impact a person’s capacity to
adapt, survive, and thrive (Neill, 2008). They will
enhance a person’s resilience and their sense of
wellbeing.
Item Investigating the Qualitative and Quantitative indicators of Growth in the Missions and Conference of the Papau New Guinea Union Mission of the SDA Church(2019-01-01) Gungadoo, Hensley; Puni, Erika; Beamish, Peter; de Waal, Kayle B.Item Investigating the Status of Six Church Plants on Seventh-day Adventist School Campuses(2018-01-01) Puni, Erika; Hinze, Jason; Beamish, Peter; de Waal, KaylePublication Mindset, Perseverance, and Learning(Avondale Academic Press, 2018-11-01) Beamish, Peter; Ryan, Alysia209 junior school students, ranging from year four to year six, and their nine teachers participated in this study that explored how the psychological factors of growth mindset: the belief in one’s ability to learn and succeed, selfcontrol: the ability to resist temptation and remain focused on a goal, and grit: applying passion and perseverance for long term goals, impact junior school students’ academic achievement. This study found that growth mindset, selfcontrol and grit can all play a part in helping students to achieve academically in primary schools. The two factors, grit and growth mindset were found to have a direct, significant influence on academic achievement. Grittier students were more likely to outperform their peers in academic achievement. Students with a higher growth mindset were also more likely to outperform their peers. Growth mindset had a significant positive relationship with grit. Although the present study did not find a significant difference in grit based on gender, the structured equation model indicated that boys had a significant direct link to grit, but girls compensated through the significant indirect link to grit via self-control. The present study found a highly positive correlation between self-control and grit. Students with higher levels of self-control were more likely to exhibit higher levels of grit.
Publication Podcasting in the Classroom: A Case Study(Avondale Academic Press, 2008-01-01) Brown, Joshua; Beamish, PeterThe world is changing. Many students now fi ll
their world with mobile phones, text messaging,
MP3 players and computers that they use for
social networking. They have really become the
iPod generation. Due to the ubiquitous nature
of iPods, and other mp3 players, digital music
is everywhere and podcasting has become a
mainstream activity of the web 2.0 age.