Welcome to the Mary Immaculate College Research Repository and Digital Archive

Here you can access the digital archive collections, and published and unpublished works of faculty and researchers at Mary Immaculate College.

Collections

Browse research at MIRR under the following headings or use the search box for a more focused search.

To View Internal Collections:

You must register as a new user.

Communities in DSpace

Select a community to browse its collections.

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5

Recent Submissions

  • Thumbnail Image
    Item type: Item ,
    The role of physical activity and outdoor play in the socio-emotional development of children in Ireland
    (2025-12-19) Hilliard, Emma
    Aims Physical activity and outdoor play is thought to have a number of benefits for healthy growth and development, both physically and psychologically. Recent decades have reported a decrease in active outdoor play for children. Meanwhile, a substantial number of children are presenting with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. This research aimed to examine physical activity and outdoor play in middle childhood. It investigated whether children who spent more time engaged in these activities reported better socio-emotional outcomes both concurrently and longitudinally and whether children’s socio-emotional development varied according to their involvement in structured versus unstructured outdoor play. Method The first study involved longitudinal analysis of secondary data from the child cohort of the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) national longitudinal study of children in Ireland to explore if time spent in physical activity play, exercise and sport at 9 years of age was related to socio-emotional development at 9 years old, 13 years old and 17-18 years old. The second study involved 108 participants aged between eight and ten years old who were recruited through primary schools. Parents of these children completed measures including a questionnaire on their child’s involvement in physical activity and outdoor play, socio-emotional development and an optional time use diary. Results Regression analyses indicated that time spent in physical activity and outdoor play at nine years old was significantly associated with peer relationship problems in middle childhood and early adolescence. While individual, family and environmental factors were significant predictors of other aspects of socio-emotional development, time spent in physical activity and outdoor play was not. No statistically significant difference was noted between time spent in structured physical activity and time spent in unstructured active outdoor play in terms of their impact on socio-emotional development. Conclusion The findings from this study provide valuable information about patterns of physical activity and outdoor play in middle childhood and tentatively support an association between these activities and peer relationships in middle childhood and early adolescence. They further highlight the importance of adopting a holistic bioecological approach to understanding socio-emotional development. The implications of these findings for schools, policy and practice are outlined.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item type: Item ,
    Lough Feeagh, Mayo, geophysical survey report
    (Hydromaster, 2023-03-30) B Smith
    Hydromaster were contracted by Mary Immaculate College to carry out a geophysical survey in Lough Feeagh, County Mayo. The following report details operations completed and results from the survey. The survey vessel was mobilised on 28/01/2023 and the 27/03/2023 in Lough Feeagh, with survey work commencing on 28/01/2023 and being completed on the 27/03/2023. The purpose of the survey was to investigate the nature of the lake floor and the sediment below, using the Innomar SES-2000 Sub-bottom Profiler.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item type: Item ,
    Being, becoming and beyond SPHE in children and young people's lives
    (The SPHE Network, 2023-11-11) Morrissey, Barry (ed); Collins, Bernie (ed); Nohilly, Margaret (ed); Knox, Paul (ed); O'Sullivan, Carol (ed)
    This publication captures the breadth and depth of ideas shared during the conference, with a select number of chapters published to enlighten SPHE discourses. Dr Brighid Golden explores how we engage students as active citizens and conceptualises a ‘framework for action’ that schools and teachers can utilise. Dr Gerard Farrelly examines Restorative Practice (RP) as a way of being and argues that SPHE is the vehicle through which RP skills can be fostered. Dr Mia Treacy and Dr Margaret Nohilly provide us with empirical data from the mandated reporting experiences of Designated Liaison Persons in the Irish context, and highlight concerns around a reported lack of confidence. Ellen Corby and Oonagh O’Brien present a study exploring the use of participatory exercises in aiding young people’s understanding of the complexities of sexual wellbeing and relationships. Finally, Rebecca Conlon and Hannah Dolan explore the sensitive issue of bereavement in the primary school classroom, and offer some valuable advice on how to approach it. This broad cross-section of topics illustrates clearly the range of areas covered by SPHE.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item type: Item ,
    Is hope enough? Navigating the complexities and competing pressures of action and global justice in education
    (The Centre for Global Education, 2024) Golden, Brighid; Donnelly, Vicky
    Global citizenship education (GCE) aspires to meet complex and contested global challenges within systems built on violence, exploitation and extractivism. This article comments on the silence surrounding the toll that this can take on educators working to meet the impossible task of making the world fairer, more just, more equitable, and sustainable for all. While the goals of GCE are themselves challenging and problematic, the content involved can also give rise to trauma. This article discusses the challenge of engaging with ‘difficult knowledge’ as an educator aiming to facilitate a space which honours the complexities inherent in global justice, while also being mindful of the psychological safety of all those involved in the learning space. The ‘call to action’ is often proposed as a mitigating factor to address the potential harm inherent in GCE. While recognising the possible transformative impact which engaging in action can have, it is crucial to also comment on the contradiction of seeking to build a ‘fair’, ‘just’ or ‘sustainable’ world within the neoliberal and capitalist societies which have themselves given rise to existential threats. Yet, we find hope in examples of GCE practitioners engaging with these multiple challenges in their daily practice, and in the development of frameworks and pedagogies that open educational spaces to consider and build as yet unimagined alternatives.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item type: Item ,
    Global citizenship education: curious teachers, critical classrooms
    (The DICE Project, 2023) Golden, Brighid (ed)
    Curious Teachers, Critical Classrooms is a text book for everything you need to know to teach global citizenship education (GCE) in primary schools. It is written in an accessible manner with an awareness of the busy timetables and schedules of student and classroom teachers alike. It includes chapters which explore a variety of justice issues to develop your knowledge and awareness around GCE topics, as well as chapters which will take you through a variety of common teaching methodologies. The book also includes a glossary of key terminology in this field, a variety of practical appendices with lesson ideas, and a resource directory.