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WELF 2015: Aboriginal Australians and the Human Services

What you need to do

Please refer to your Course Outline and LearnOnline site for full assessment information.                                                                                                     

Planning your search

Planning your search is key to getting the most out of your search results. The following generic video will help you get started.

 Video Length: (2 min 26 sec)

Step 1: Identify the main concepts in your research question.
 

We have created an example assignment topic below to demonstrate how to identify concepts in your research question. 

Discuss the significance of cultural competency in engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

The main concepts:

  • Cultural competency 
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

 



 

Step 2: List alternative terms for each concept
 
Key concepts Alternative terms
cultural competency cultural inclusion, cultural diversity, ethnic inclusiveness
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander  First Nations, First Peoples, First Australians, Aboriginal Australians, Torres Strait Islander people

Step 3: Connect terms together using AND and OR to form a search

Once you have identified your keywords and found alternative keywords, you need to connect these to put your search together.

Use the following connectors below to indicate how you want the tool to search for your keywords:

  • OR: Combines similar keywords
  • AND: Combines different keywords

Remember to use "quotation marks" to keep phrases together.

Find below an example search using the terms listed in the table above. 

(“cultural competency” OR “cultural inclusion” OR “cultural diversity” OR “ethnic inclusiveness”) AND (Aboriginal OR “Torres Strait Islander” OR “First Nations” OR “First Peoples” OR “First Australians”)

Searching

These example searches show you how to search:

  • Library collection
  • Google Scholar
  • Database (Informit Indigenous Collection)

The search terms listed below are not exhaustive. You will be expected to think of your own concepts based on what is outlined in your course assessment. 

 

Library Collection

Here is a search from the Library Collection using the concepts outlined in the example research question above.

(Aboriginal OR "Torres Strait Islander) AND "cultural competency"

 

Google Scholar

 As Google Scholar will usually locate many results you can add another concept to the search strategy by using the connector AND to focus on an aspect such as “social work”.

 ("cultural competency" OR "cultural inclusion" OR "cultural diversity" OR "ethnic inclusiveness" AND (Aboriginal OR "Torres Strait Islander" OR "First Nations" OR "First Peoples" OR "First Australians") AND ("social work" OR human services")

 

Indigenous Collection

 The Informit Indigenous Collection is a database that provides content on historical and topical issues within Indigenous studies. 

Aboriginal OR "Torres Strait Islander" AND "cultural competency"

Reflective writing

Your journal entry should include a reflective element. If you're not familiar with reflective writing, the video and resources below may assist you to understand what is required (video length: 2 min 15 sec).

  • Reflective writing helps you to look back over your learning experiences.
  • It shows how your knowledge, skills and attitudes are developing.
  • Reflective writing involves more than just describing your learning and development.
  • It's important to evaluate and analyse your learning to show a deeper level of reflection.
  • This can include what, why, and how you are learning, any changes you would like to make, and gaps in your understanding.
  •  You may need to link your reflections to your course readings and theories, and consider how these reflections can help you develop as a professional.
  • The layout of reflective writing can vary - always check your task instructions and feedback form for specific details.
  • You can use more personal language in your reflective writing, however it is still a formal assignment and may require you to reference key theories or ideas in an academic style.
  • Reflective writing is not a linear process. It involves adding, changing, rethinking, refining, restructuring your ideas.

APA Referencing Style