Research and creative output by Avondale staff grew strongly in 2010, generating understandings and practical outcomes of benefit to society and church.
Research at Avondale is focused mainly in three areas of strength: education, health, and society and culture (a field which includes humanities and religious studies). Interdisciplinary research also contributes to these fields; for example, research in science education, business education, science and health, creative writing and health. Numerous projects involve collaboration with university researchers.
This article features a selection of Avondale’s 2010 research and creative output.
Books
Barbara Fisher, Developing a Faith-based Education: A Teacher’s Manual
(David Barlow Publishing), with contributions by Beverly Christian, Dr Jean Carter and Sandra Ludlow. This book, intended for early childhood and primary teachers, develops an understanding of faith-based education and provides curriculum resources for sharing faith development with students. The book will also be published in Spanish for teachers in Latin America.
Carolyn Rickett, coordinator of Avondale’s communication program, co-edited the poetry anthology Wording the World with Judith Beveridge (University of Sydney), author of four award-winning books of poetry and editor of the literary journal Meanjin. The publisher was Puncher and Wattman.The collection features poems by twenty-four prominent Australian poets and fifteen of Avondale’s creative writing students. It also contains poems by Avondale staff members Dr Jane Fernandez, Bruna Tawake and
Carolyn Rickett, and one by Avondale alumna Althea Halliday, a senior English teacher at Barker College, Sydney. Six Australian poets represented in the anthology attended the book launch at Avondale last October.
Jane Fernandez-Goldborough, The Second Skin: a Critique of Violence. The Search for Scapegoats in the Fiction of K.S. Maniam
(Saarbrџcken, Germany: Lambert Academic Publishing). The explosions of violence around the world in the last half-century have called for ongoing assessments of the character and psychology of violence. Dr Fernandez-Goldborough, senior lecturer in English, explores in this book the psychological screens behind which violence is performed in the writings of K. S. Maniam, a novelist of the Indian diaspora in Malaysia.
Jane Fernandez-Goldborough (ed.), Making Sense of Pain: Critical and Interdisciplinary Perspectives (Oxford: Interdisciplinary Press e-book). A collection of essays originally presented as papers at an international conference in Sydney in February 2010.
In addition to editing the collection, Dr Fernandez-Goldborough contributed the introductory essay and the final chapter.
Brad Watson, Finding David (Signs Publishing Company) is a story for teens addressing from a Christian perspective issues such as relationships, resilience and faith. The book is listed as a resource for Encounter, the new Bible curriculum for Adventist secondary schools. Adventist Schools Australia provided a grant of $2000 to produce teachers’ resources and activity sheets for the book.
Barbara Fisher and husband Colin with Barbara's book on faith-based education. Photo credit: Trent McCrow; Poetry anthology 'Wording the World,' and co-editor Carolyn Rickett; Dr Jane Fernandez and her book 'The Second Skin.' Brad Watson with his book Finding David. Photo credit: Colin Chuang
Journals
The Avondale Academic Press publishes three refereed journals: Teach Journal of Christian Education, Christian Spirituality and Science, and The International Journal of New Perspectives on Christianity.
Research in Education
Dr Maria Northcote, Dr Peter Beamish, Associate Professor Daniel Reynaud and Tony Martin, in association with Dr Kevin Gosselin of Texas Tech University, USA, researched key (‘threshold’) concepts in relation to Avondale staff development programs in online learning and teaching. The study resulted in two conference papers and two conference poster presentations with refereed abstracts. Dr Northcote has been in discussion with a senior academic interested in applying the research methodology in an Australian university. Dr Northcote also co-authored with three university researchers a journal article on the use of interactive whiteboards.
Associate Professor Kevin de Berg authored a refereed article and an international conference paper on aspects of the history of chemistry and their implications for learning and teaching. A further article is forthcoming. He co-authored with Rebecca Carruthers, an Avondale Bachelor of Education (Primary) honours student, a refereed article on the use of magnets to teach properties of forces to primary school students. He presented a conference paper on student understandings of solution concentration; and co-authored with Kerry Boddey a conference paper on the impact of Avondale’s chemistry bridging course on nursing students’ confidence in basic chemistry.
Dr Cedric Greive co-authored with Associate Professor de Berg and Dr Peter Morey a paper on the teaching of environmental issues in primary schools, presented at the 41st Australian Science Education Research Association Conference. He also presented a paper at the Sixth International Conference in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education in Taiwan.
Beverly Christian published a refereed article in the Journal of Christian Education on developing in pre-service teachers a nexus between a Christian worldview and the social sciences.
Dr Keith Howson presented a paper on the teaching of business ethics at the 22nd Asia-Pacific Conference on International Accounting Issues, and also at the SDA Business Teachers’ Conference at Andrews University, Michigan, USA. He presented a paper on the application of current technologies in teaching accounting at the 11th World Congress of Accounting Educators and Researchers in Singapore. At the same conference Lyn Daff presented a paper on lessons for accounting educators from the medical world.
Several Avondale staff members published refereed articles in Avondale’s Teach Journal of Christian Education.
Research in Health
Dr Terry Butler co-authored with international research teams five refereed articles in 2009 and 2010, including two papers related to the Adventist Health Study-2, one on religion and health, and one on relationships between vegetarian diet, body weight and type-2 diabetes. Dr Butler also presented a paper on health and Christian faith at the Christian Research National Roundtable, Melbourne.
Dr Athena Sheehan’s collaborative research in midwifery, breastfeeding and neonatal intensive care produced five refereed articles, a book chapter and three conference presentations, two in the United Kingdom and one in South Africa. Dr Sheehan was also invited to participate in a multidisciplinary research workshop in Maryland USA, exploring contextual influences on women’s breastfeeding decisions.
Dr Alison Smedley published three refereed articles in the field of nursing and health education, including one co-authored with Dr Peter Morey, and another co-authored with Dr Morey and Dr Paul Race, Dean of the Faculty of Nursing and Health. Tonia Crawford, a lecturer in the Faculty of Nursing and Health, also authored a refereed article on nurse education.
Dr Darren Morton published two refereed articles in the field of exercise science, including one co-authored with Professor Robin Callister of the University of Newcastle. He also co-authored a paper presented at the 4th Exercise and Sports Science Australia Conference in 2010.
Dr Robyn Pearce co-authored with a team of researchers a refereed article on under-nutrition in adolescent girls. She gave a poster presentation with refereed abstract at the National Conference of the Dietitians Association of Australia, Melbourne, pointing out the high sodium content in selected cheese products. She also co-authored the refereed abstract of a poster presentation at the Australian Health and Medical Conference, Melbourne, reporting the findings of a research team on polyunsaturated fatty acid levels in a cohort of Australian adolescents.
Dr Ewan Ward co-authored with four undergraduate science students a refereed article resulting from a student project on the biological and pathophysiological effects of alcohol consumption – a significant achievement for the students involved: Jodie Beecroft, Amanda Kemp, Sophie Lassila and Daniel Sheedy.
Research in Society and Culture
Associate Professor Robert McIver authored a chapter on the content and setting of the gospel tradition in the book Archaeology in Galilee (Eerdmans Publishing), co-edited by Dr Mark Harding, Dean of the Australian College of Theology, and Professor Alana Nobbs, Head of the Department of Ancient History, Macquarie University. McIver also presented a paper on the gospels at the Society of Biblical Literature Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Dr Steve Thompson published in the Journal of Religious History an article contributing to the debate about which language Jesus spoke, by revealing the impact on the debate of anti-Semitism in nineteenth-century Germany. The article evoked considerable interest among scholars, the journal editor listing it as one of the five most-accessed articles published by the journal in 2010. Dr Thompson also authored two refereed articles on attitudes to alcohol use in the Greco-Roman world.
Dr John Skrzypaszek and Dr Richard Ferret contributed by invitation a well-received chapter on Ellen White, ‘a visionary Seventh-day Adventist,’ in the book In the Land of Larks and Heroes. Australian Reflections on St Mary McKillop (AFT Press). Dr Ross Cole published in a leading journal a review of a recent book about the prophecies of Israel’s restoration in Ezekiel 36-39.
In addition to her books listed above, Dr Jane Fernandez-Goldborough authored a book chapter on the Australian author Richard Flanagan’s best-selling work The Sound of One Hand Clapping (about Slovenian immigrants to Australia); delivered four conference presentations, including one in London and one in Cyprus; had a paper published in full in refereed conference proceedings; and published in a refereed journal a review of Carol Leon’s literary monograph Movement and Belonging (Peter Lang, 2009).
Associate Professor Daniel Reynaud’s research on Australian military history and the Anzac legend in Australian films produced a book chapter and two review articles. He also authored the chapter on Australian and New Zealand war cinema in The Directory of World Cinema, Vol. 3 (Intellect Press, Bristol, and Chicago University Press).
Carolyn Rickett’s research on the therapeutic value of poetry writing workshops for patients with life-threatening illnesses informed a conference presentation co-authored with Associate Professor Jill Gordon (University of Sydney) at the 2nd International Arts and Health Conference, University of Melbourne. Carolyn Rickett also co-authored a conference presentation with Dr Sue Joseph (University of Technology Sydney), interrogating some of the ethical concerns that arise from students drawing on personal trauma in creative writing that is to be formally supervised and examined in educational institutions. The paper was presented at the Australian Association of Writing Programs Conference at RMIT University, Melbourne. A refereed abstract was published in the conference proceedings.
Lyn Daff published a refereed article on communication in the accounting profession and presented two conference papers on Christians in conversation, including one co-authored with marketing lecturer Don Dickins.
Brad Watson co-authored a refereed article on a program to treat uterine prolapse in Nepali women, and delivered a refereed conference paper on Adventist medical missionaries and development in Papua New Guinea.
Dr Drene Somasundram, chaplain on the Sydney campus, presented a conference paper on theological education viewed through the lifeworlds of clergy women.
Research grants
Associate Professor Robert McIver won a grant to fund accommodation and resources for three months’ research in Tџbingen, Germany, enabling him to complete two book manuscripts. The grant was awarded by Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst. McIver is also a member of a six-person team appointed by the Council of Deans of Theology, that was awarded an Australian Learning and Teaching Council grant of $150,000 for research in 2010-2012 on the curriculum design and planning of undergraduate theological degrees.
Dr Darren Morton is a member of a four-person research team awarded a $60,000 grant by the Counties Manukau District Health Board, New Zealand, to research Maori obesity.
Dr Jason Morton, in association with Associate Professor Kevin de Berg and Dr Ewan Ward, has been awarded a Lake Macquarie City Council grant of $13,000 to research the effects of beach cleaning on microfauna, macrofauna, microbial activity and nitrogen chemistry on beaches in the Lake Macquarie region.
Brad Watson has been awarded an Australasian Research Institute grant of $5000 to research the treatment of uterine prolapse among Nepali women. He has also gained an Asian Aid grant of $10,000 to review Asian Aid’s child sponsorship program, in association with Helping Hand India.
PhD completions
Dr Andrew Matthes with his PhD thesis. Photo credit: Ann Stafford
Dr Andrew Matthes of the Faculty of Education and Science completed doctoral research at the University of Newcastle on the relationship between principals’ leadership characteristics and the ability of primary teachers to deal successfully with change. The research showed that teachers deal better with change when principals’ leadership style is people oriented more than task oriented.
Dr Kayle de Waal of the Faculty of Arts and Theology completed doctoral research at the University of Auckland with a thesis entitled ‘Trumpeting God’s mercy: a socio-rhetorical interpretation of the seven trumpets [in Revelation].’ The research will be published as a book by Edwin Mellen Press.
