Learning, Society and Religious Education (Theses)

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Pure notions! An ethnographic research of social class mobility from Limerick City’s regeneration communities
(2025-04) Lowe, Helen
Growing up in poverty and experiencing social exclusion within marginalised communities can significantly hinder educational and professional success. This research explores the journeys of individuals who have overcome these challenges in Limerick's most disadvantaged housing estates. By analysing their personal narratives, the study aims to understand how they navigated poverty and deprivation to achieve upward social mobility. The investigation examines the interplay of social factors that facilitated successful mobility for individuals from four specific locations: Ballinacurra Weston (my childhood home), Southill, St. Mary's Park, and Moyross, which are all characterised by persistent disadvantage and poverty despite Regeneration policies implemented since 2007. Firstly, the research looks to identify the 'pull factors' that enabled individuals to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and disadvantage. Secondly, the study investigates the impact of upward mobility on participants' social class identity. This involves the identification of shared markers of working-class identity and an examination into how these markers were affected by a shift in socioeconomic status by drawing on Bourdieu's concept of Habitus Clivé. In summary, the research focuses on understanding how individuals navigated the complexities of social structures and their own evolving identities within the context of social class. The research employs a qualitative ethnographic approach, allowing for a flexible research process that adapts to emerging themes and issues raised by participants. The primary data source for the thesis was twelve in-depth ethnographic interviews. Furthermore, to gain a broader societal perspective on class, a digital ethnography was conducted using X (formerly Twitter) records from 2018-2022, focusing on narratives surrounding social class issues and problems in modern Ireland. The findings from this digital ethnography informed the interview questions and supported the interview data, ensuring validity and robust research. To further enhance the research, I leveraged my insider perspective by incorporating autoethnographic methods, through reflections, journaling, and the creation of vignettes. Through these processes I brought my personal experiences of upward mobility to bear on the data, providing unique insights into the lived reality of class mobility. The complex and multifaceted nature of social class necessitated an interdisciplinary theoretical framework. Therefore, this study combines Bourdieu's concepts of capital, habitus, and field with Chetty's research on neighbourhood effects, and Sen's Capability Approach. This approach facilitates novel interpretations and methodologies that a single theoretical perspective cannot provide, enabling a deeper understanding of social class and its impact on working-class individuals’ lives. Findings revealed the crucial interplay of strong family values, supportive communities, and accessible education. These structures often complemented each other, highlighting the importance of interconnected support systems. However, despite achieving upward mobility, participants experienced a ‘displaced sense of identity’ as they struggled to reconcile their working-class roots with their new social standing. Therefore, this research emphasises the need to empower marginalised individuals through community-based initiatives, equitable education, and support systems that foster resilience, a sense of social justice, and personal agency. It contributes to a deeper understanding of the complex factors shaping social class mobility and its enduring impact on individual identity.
Is a picture worth a thousand words? A case study led investigation into the use of picture books to support the teaching of disciplinary literacy in the primary school setting
(2025-01) Lawrance, Lorraine
This study sought to explore the stance of curricular reform and teacher planning in relation to the burgeoning area of disciplinary literacy (DL) in the Irish primary setting. At the centre of this research is the recognition that picturebooks have the capacity to play a central role in teaching and learning across the curriculum in primary schools with this research deciphering whether picturebooks may aid disciplinary literacy learning and the teaching of the specific language associated with the various disciplines. With the introduction of disciplinary literacy in the Primary Language Curriculum (NCCA 2019), and the subsequent disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, teachers are now starting to explore how this approach can be integrated into daily planning and practice. This renewed focus, supported by the DES, saw the facilitation of a nationwide PDST webinar on disciplinary literacy in 2023. This qualitative piece of research used semi-structured interview, open-ended questionnaire, nationwide survey and a professional learning community model to engage key educational stakeholders, practitioners and librarians in discourse in relation to disciplinary literacy, the use of picturebooks in the primary classroom and in teachers’ planning and preparation for teaching and learning (TPPTL). The Irish curricula is currently in a period of drastic reform, with the Primary Curriculum Framework (NCCA 2023) laying the foundations of what is yet to come- this research considers the most up-to-date expectations from the National Council for Curriculum Design and Assessment (NCCA) in relation to DL, at the cusp of the dissemination and transfer into practice of a remodelled, learning outcome-based curricula. Considering the teacher as ‘agentic’ and ‘the curriculum maker’, as suggested by policy-makers, this research thoroughly explores the position of disciplinary literacy in the Irish primary setting by liaising with teachers and key educational stakeholders to identify the ways in which educators may plan for disciplinary literacy in a meaningful and purposeful way. As the INTO in their Primary Curriculum Review and Development (INTO 2022, p.3) publication propose-“The input of teachers cannot be underestimated as their contributions are based on real-life situations and lived experiences in a school context and we must ensure that the voice of the teacher continues to resonate in any updated curriculum.” The study's conceptual framework, informed by Vygotsky, Bronfenbrenner, and theories of academic and cultural literacies, addresses four key areas: curricular reform, preparation for teaching and learning, disciplinary literacy, and the use of picturebooks. The research underscores the need for further exploration into how picturebooks can be effectively integrated into curricula to support DL. It also highlights the necessity for ongoing professional development to help teachers adapt to and implement DL principles amidst evolving curricular demands. This study contributes valuable insights into the interplay between curricular reform and teacher agency, offering a foundation for future research in this critical area of education.
The spiritual identity of primary school educators in Ireland and their perceptions of spirituality in schools: interpretative phenomenological analysis
(2025-04) Guiney, Jayne
Research on spirituality has become increasingly common within academic literature. National and international policy document attest to its value as a complex existential phenomenon. As the body of scholarly research on the spirituality of the child expands, it reveals a gap in the existing literature. This research thesis offers insight into the largely absent voice of the educator on the topic of their own spiritual identity and their perceptions of spirituality in Irish primary school classrooms. The current study is contextualised within an increasingly diverse Irish society and is influenced by its rich spiritual history. It addresses the need for insight and clarity surrounding conceptualisations of spirituality and is undertaken with a sample group of ten primary school educators. These educators have diverse experiences and career trajectories and are employed in schools of diverse patronage throughout the Republic of Ireland (RoI). Grounded within the interpretivist paradigm, this research employs semi-structured interviews to facilitate the gathering of rich, complex experiential data. Following rigorous engagement with Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith et al. 2022), the findings of this research highlight that spirituality is a multi-faceted, encompassing and contested concept. While there are many commonalities in the conceptualisations presented in this original research, findings indicate that educators experience considerable uncertainty relating to the concept of spirituality as well as in their personal spiritual identities and the spiritual development of children in Rol primary schools. The findings illuminate new insights in to the dynamic, nuanced, diverse spiritual identities of educators which are shaped by personal beliefs, values, priorities and other socio-cultural influences. This research reveals that 90% of participants have spiritual beliefs which manifest in pluriform ways. The study contributes to contemporary conceptualisations of the complex, contested relationship between spirituality and religion. It highlights that the navigation of personal spiritual beliefs in RoI primary schools can be a sensitive issue as educators attempt to reconcile their identity with the characteristic spirit of their school. While 70% of participants believe that spirituality should be addressed in schools as part of the child’s holistic development, not all research participants agree. Further, the research reveals participants’ uncertainty as to how to address spirituality within high-pressure classrooms and the issue requires careful consideration from a human rights perspective. The study offers several recommendations for key stakeholders including policymakers, Initial Teacher Education (ITE) providers and educational researchers.
Policy actors’ experiences of the decisionmaking processes in Irish primary educational policymaking 1990-2023: a continuum from a ‘cosy consensus’ to a ‘fight in the ditch’
(2025-03-21) Sweeney, Luke
This research investigated the mechanisms by which decisions are made surrounding Irish primary educational policymaking. Policymaking can be viewed as a complicated and complex process abundant with change, tension and opposing perspectives (Anderson 2003; Bell and Stevenson 2015; Luetjens and Mintrom 2016). This research aimed to identify the policy actors involved in educational policy design and examine the appearance, influence and extent of this involvement (Ball 2016). A further aim of this research was to contribute rich insight into the mechanisms of policymaking thus positively contributing to future policy formulation (Lingard 2013). Data-collection for this research was completed through the use of open-ended interviews, documents and a methodological journal in accordance with the qualitative constructivist grounded theory research design and social constructivism paradigm (Charmaz 2014). A combination of initial sampling and theoretical sampling was used to recruit a research sample of fourteen participants with a range of policymaking experiences. The research data was analysed through the use of initial, focussed and theoretical coding as well as the use of analytic memos (Charmaz 2014). The findings of this research indicate that educational policymaking is innately shaped by political, economic and societal influences. Furthermore, the findings highlight the multitude of policy actors involved in policymaking processes and the differentials of power that exist between policy actors. Finally, consultation is presented as a celebrated and flawed construct. This research presents eight conclusions arising from the findings, spotlighting the influential and side-lined voices in the policymaking space as well as the challenges associated with the involvement of numerous policy actors in policymaking. A number of recommendations for improving policymaking processes in Irish education are advanced. The accumulation of these recommendations enabled the construction of the conceptual framework for this research which proposes potential improvements to Irish educational policymaking at primary level.
Exploring the relationships between psychological wellbeing, religiosity and religious coping amongst adolescents at Senior Cycle level in Irish post-primary schools: an empirical enquiry
(2023-09-29) Mannion, Lydia
Recent years have witnessed an increase in the discourse surrounding mental health and wellbeing worldwide (Chandra & Chand, 2018), while mental health-related issues amongst adolescents have risen steadily in prevalence (OECD, 2021). International research purports the potential of religion to influence student wellbeing, positively or negatively (Wong, Rew & Slaikeu, 2006); however, the relationship between religion and wellbeing amongst students attending post-primary schools in Ireland has not previously been investigated. The current study aims to address this gap in the literature, by empirically exploring the relationships between psychological wellbeing (PWB), religiosity and religious coping amongst students at Senior Cycle level in Irish post-primary schools. This research employed a cross-sectional design and a mixed-methods approach to data collection. Convenience sampling was used to recruit a sample of post-primary school students (N=110) aged between 15 and 19 years for the quantitative aspect of the study. Participants completed online questionnaires measuring their PWB, religiosity and religious coping. Additionally, some participants (N=7) completed online, semi-structured interviews on their perceptions regarding the relationship between mental wellbeing and religion. Correlation, comparative and regression analyses were used to analyse the quantitative data, while reflexive thematic analysis from the critical realist perspective was employed to analyse the qualitative data. The results revealed a complex relationship between PWB and religion. Religiosity was not significantly correlated with PWB; however, religious beliefs were a predictor of enhanced PWB amongst theist participants only. Notably, the use of positive religious coping methods were associated with a range of benefits for students’ PWB. Conversely, greater adoption of negative religious coping mechanisms were linked to lower levels of overall PWB. A number of potential implications for policy, practice and future research within the fields of education and psychology arise from the results of this study.
How do school networks operate to support DEIS schools? A case study analysis of two Transforming Education through Dialogue (TED) Project facilitated school networks
(2022-04-06) Bourke, Ruth
This research sought to understand two networks of DEIS schools, PLUS and OSCAILT, from members’ perspectives including their evolution, how they operate to support members and how learning and knowledge creation take place within and beyond the networks. A qualitative, instrumental case study research design (Stake 1995) was adopted involving primary data collection through focus groups, individual interviews and surveys and secondary analysis of relevant documents. A Conceptual Framework to understand PLUS and OSCAILT is presented, informed by policy, practice and theory. This encompasses influential policy developments and draws on school network literature to establish the practice base and key elements in the analysis of school networks. Social capital theory and Communities of Practice (CoPs) are adopted as theoretical lenses to illuminate how the networks operate at the individual and collective level and the way in which learning occurs. Given the DEIS school context, the Framework draws on the theory of Bourdieu on economic, cultural and social capital to highlight social class and other differentials in educational outcomes in Ireland and address the persistence and perpetuation of inequality in education through social reproduction and the ideology of meritocracy. Four key propositions are proffered based on the research findings. Firstly, the networks enhance bridging, bonding and linking social capital of members. Secondly, the networks are Communities of Practice that enhance learning, professional development growth and leadership skills of members. Additionally, the networks support key policy areas for schools including wellbeing, DEIS plans and School Self-Evaluation. Finally, the challenges of networking as experienced by participants and limitations of these particular networks are explored. Essentially, PLUS and OSCAILT have been found to support DEIS schools to respond to intractable social issues by building professional capital, supporting wellbeing, connecting network priorities to those of key stakeholders and building lateral capacity for systemic change.
What is the experience of navigating a new life in Ireland for international protection applicants and refugees and what role does education play?
(2022-04-01) Murphy, Margaret
This research is political in nature. It analyses the system of reception for international protection applicants and refugees in Ireland, investigates the nature of life within Direct Provision and explores the ways in which people attempt to create new lives for themselves. It also examines the opportunities and spaces which enable people to make an entry into a host society often through engagement with education. The study attempts to theorise the role of the State in the marginalisation of international protection applicants Lynch reminds us that research is a political tool, ‘be it by default, by design, or by recognition’ (Lynch 2000:73) and this thesis attempts to uncover the intersection of people’s daily lives with international protection policy andpractice. State responses to this group can be located within successive responses to immigration aimed at defending State sovereignty, controlling borders and preventing participation in Irish society by some migrants. In order to understand this phenomenon, this study draws upon the ideas of Giorgio Agamben and Hannah Arendt and their theories of power, governance and biopolitics to examine and interpret the Direct Provision system. This study also considers experiences of accessing and engaging with further and higher education which are contextualised by experiences of flight from a home country and arrival elsewhere. Education is an important factor in resettlement, adaptation ad acculturation for newly-arrived families and individuals. This is a qualitative research project which employs an emancipatory approach, prioritising the voice of the person who is seeking refuge and engaging in a phenomenological analysis of their stories. These stories communicate an experience of social exclusion and inequality. However, the purpose of the study is to also contest narratives of helpless and passive victims, and in their place, to explore resilience and resistance as participants cope with their experiences of seeking international protection and try to regain control over their futures. The findings reveal Direct Provision is a profoundly punitive system but also demonstrate the resolute nature of its residents and their determination to bring about change. Their personal narratives show that societal norms, as well as dominant political and media discourses are regularly challenged.
Education in West Africa as a contested space between global politics and local cultures: an exploration through critical discourse analysis
(2020-12-17) Adenusi, Tayo
This research contributes to the discourse on resolving some of the challenges facing contemporary education-formal schooling across West Africa, particularly the challenge of resentment toward formal schooling in the region. Applying Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as a methodological framework, this research explores the nature of the challenge of resentment toward formal schooling at a macro level in West Africa. It focuses specifically on two identified elements that may be contributing to this formidability of this challenge in the region, namely, the dominant perception of pre-colonial indigenous cultures and knowledge systems in contemporary discourse on education, and global education policies and strategies being issued by agencies such as UNESCO, UNDP, and the World Bank. This research argues that contemporary education-formal schooling across West Africa is a contested space between global politics and local cultures. It also highlights, among other things, the contentions which exist within and between decolonisation on the one hand, and globalisation on the other, by first, highlighting the dominant discourse within each of the two strands of knowledge systems, and the principles that underpin them. Second, it highlights the form of power and injustices these dominant discourse reproduce and legitimise within each of the epistemic communities. This research concludes by arguing that a resolution to the formidable challenge of resentment facing formal schooling across West Africa can be found through a critical understanding that highlights the misconceptions and fabrications in the ideologies that underpin discourse within both strands of knowledge systems. Bringing such critical understanding to bear in a dialogic relation between global politics and local cultures can potentially play an important role in resolving the challenge of resentment toward formal schooling in the region.
Experiences of post-primary school communities transitioning to a settings-base for mental health and wellbeing promotion: the impact of policy on context, competition and care
(2020-12-11) Slattery, Maryanne Lowney
This multi-case case study explores the experiences of post-primary school communities as they transition to a mental health and wellbeing promotion model. The research study includes the voices of students, principals, teachers, career guidance counsellors and parents/guardians across a sample of eight post-primary schools in a region of Ireland operating under the aegis of an Education and Training Board. The research examines the impact of educational policy on the operational context of post-primary schooling. The study examines a range of educational policies using policy theories outlined by Ball (2008) and a variant of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological frame as a visual mapping tool. The study tracks policy trajectories from policy as text, to interpretation, to enactment and argues that the political economic and social context of our education system must be explored in order to fully appreciate how meaningful mental health and wellbeing promotion can be achieved. The study explores the consequences of class-based schooling in Ireland and the challenges this presents for schools, particularly DEIS designated schools, as they transition. The mixed methods research approach employed in this study allows for a triangulation of qualitative and quantitative data gathered using an amalgam of qualitative interviews, focus groups and quantitative surveys. Data analysis was conducted using grounded theory and the constant comparison methods of analysis which yielded major thematic trends for further analysis and exploration. This research study argues that contemporary capitalism and its impact on educational reform and governance, has greatly impacted the Irish system. This study finds that the marketisation of the education system, within a class-based schooling model, has developed an intense competition between many schools. This intense interschool competition stratifies the student cohort into those that are valued and less valued by the education system. The author argues that to view education and educational provision purely from the viewpoint of the market, and the citizen as a customer, loses sight of the social and emotional needs of a population and supports the Rational Economic Actor model of the citizen. This research study explores meso (policy as interpretation) and micro (policy as effects) level examples of the failure of neoliberal and new managerial market values to accommodate care in our post-primary schooling system. The author argues that the post-primary system which culminates in a product-orientated, competition-based assessment challenges a school’s ability to be a settings-base for meaningful mental health promotion. This research study contributes to existing knowledge by tracking the influence of the market model on the operational context of Irish post-primary schools in terms of stratification. The study demonstrates the challenge this creates for meaningful mental health promotion particularly in DEIS schools. The recent positive developments in terms of universal school supports for mental health promotion are recognised and the experiences, attitudes and opinions of stakeholders are explored. In terms of the Health Promoting School (HPS) Framework (1995), this study argues that supports for students at risk are inadequate and that the importance of care must supersede the importance of competition if we are to improve adolescent mental health and wellbeing outcomes in society.
"I want them to have a good education" : The "New Irish" parents and the primary school system
(2020-02-07) Connaughton, Claire
Just over one in 10 primary school age children in Ireland are first-generation immigrants (Department of Education and Skills [DES] 2018a). An even larger number of Irish primary school pupils have at least one immigrant parent (DES 2018; Central Statistics Office 2017). However, surprisingly little is known about the experiences of these “new Irish” parents (Roder et al. 2014, p.15) as they navigate the Irish primary school system. In extending the work of Cotter and Kolawole (2015) and Martin et al. (2018), this small-scale study employed semi-structured interviews to explore the lived realities of a small ethnically diverse group of immigrant parents. Some key people, including migrant rights advocates and ethnic minority community representatives, also shared their perspectives. This study used Bourdieu’s theoretical framework to understand how immigrant parents learn how to “do school” in Ireland (Hickes 2002, p.217). An examination of the personal narratives provided some insight into how immigrant parents view and enact their role in their children's education. The qualitative findings also reveal the value which immigrant parents place on education and the high aspirations they hold for their children. Several obstacles to immigrant parent involvement were also identified. The results may help provide a better understanding of how immigrant parent-school partnerships can be supported in the Irish primary school context. Key words: immigrant parents; parent-school relationships; parental involvement; ethnic capital
Human rights education: reflections on theory and practice
(Centre for Global Education, 2012) Dolan, Anne
Public housing in Limerick City: a profile of tenants and estates
(Limerick City Council, 2005) McCafferty, Des; Canny, Angela
Income poverty is both pervasive and profound among LCC tenant households. Certain groups and areas show a particularly high risk of poverty. Spatial concentration of the poor is exacerbated by estate-specific problems. Need for a multi-agency response.
Educational disadvantage in Limerick: the socio-economic and spatial context
(Mary Immaculate College, 2007) Canny, Angela; McCafferty, Des
Relationship between educational and social disadvantage particularly strong in Limerick urban area. As well as economic restructuring, this may be due to the spatial concentration of social disadvantage, and the depth of the problem in certain areas The strength of the relationship suggests a strong inter-generational (cycle of disadvantage) effect.
The challenges that face the primary school teacher in coping with grief and loss in a multicultural setting
(Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, 2017) McGloughlin, Carmelita
Death is a fact of life. The primary school teacher is often at the forefront of the child’s life and therefore has to be able to help a child who has suffered a bereavement to cope with this loss. During my teaching years, my years of supervising/mentoring students on school placement and my years of facilitating bereavement support groups, I became aware of the fact that, often, people are not comfortable talking about death, dying, grief and loss. Thanatology, or death education, focuses on the human and emotional aspects of death. Whereas there is a general agreement amongst parents and educators that there is a place for death education in our schools, there are conflicting attitudes regarding the type of approaches which should be applied and their relevance and appropriateness to the age and developmental stage of the child. Research has shown that teachers do not feel adequately prepared to cope with grief and loss in the classroom. This study investigates the question of grief and loss from the perspective of the primary school teacher and attempts to assess what key initiatives are required to improve the preparation of the teacher to face the challenges posed by these issues when they arise in a school setting. This research aims to address this situation, initiate meaningful discussion and identify possible solutions. Few studies have examined the cultural differences that impact on the teacher’s or child’s understanding of grief and loss. Death education in Ireland cannot be considered without taking into account the possible cultural and religious differences within the now culturally diverse classroom. The study considers the impact of the growing multicultural school environment and how that also impacts on the challenges to, and responses of, the teacher. The findings are expected to provide some new insights into how Initial Teacher Education and Continuous Professional Development could encompass new approaches to improve the preparation of teachers and develop their capability of dealing with grief and loss in the multicultural classroom.
An ethnography exploring how hegemony and power mediate agency and structure among a group of 6th year Irish girls in a middle-class Post-Primary school
(Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, 2014) Doran Hamilton, Miriam
This is an ethnographic study of a culture-sharing group of 6th year girls. Facing the high stakes Leaving Certificate examinations while on the cusp of adulthood, this study contributes to the agency-structure debate from a feminist perspective. It is widely acknowledged that schools are sites of social and cultural reproduction with hegemony evident in visible and invisible ways. This ethnography describes how a group of girls navigate this territory in school. It explores the effects of the personal, group and institutional habitus which mediate the girls’ everyday interactions. The girls’ peer interactions and contextual experiences serve as an explanatory framework which references how power is shared, wielded and resisted among the myriad of relationships within the school. The school life of the girls is consequently explored at an individual and group level. Reflexivity and ethics are at the core of this ethnography conducted over one year in the field from September 2012 to September 2013. The research design is framed as a feminist reflexive ethnography and bound as a case study. Methods and analysis follow ethnographic techniques. The data gathered includes prolonged observation, ethnographic group and focus group interviews as well as in-depth one to one interviews. Data analysis is through grounded theory methods. This thesis defends the position of the teacher-researcher whilst acknowledging that the potential of the teacher-researcher is punctuated by dilemmas requiring careful consideration. This responsibility is enabled by an ethics of care and trust which is combined with a professional espoused and enacted code of ethics. The role of the key informant, critical friends and confirming voice of the girls are triangulated to challenge researcher bias or assumption and to assist with interpretation and understanding of the data. This study finds that social class continues to impact educational experience in significant ways, from personal to social to academic experience. The working class girls resisted the dominant discourses and were alienated from their peers and from elements of their own education. The middle class majority are the symbolic oppressors and are also the oppressed, as they collude in a conformity which impacts their own adolescent experience. Conscious agentive conformity is identified as ‘doxic’. These girls’ stories unveil how their agency is both enabled and sometimes constrained by the institution, peer-group and their own personal habitus. Therefore, contributions to the agency-structure debate through an examination of hegemony and social class illuminate further the positionality of the ‘girl’ in school and the school as a relatively powerless agent. The unveiling of these personal and collective lived experiences is enabled through the methodological approach which facilitates a shift from teacher to researcher. This study makes a contribution to the insider-outsider debate. It highlights the transition from teacher to researcher and asserts that this is a challenging but worthwhile shift, for the transformational and epistemological opportunities it can provide.
A critical (auto) ethnographic study of deaf people's experience of education and culture in Ireland.
(Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, 2013) O'Connell, Noel P.
At the heart of this thesis is the methodological and theoretical framework in which to conduct a study of deaf people’s experience of education and culture in Ireland. Methodologically, the research design is critical auto-ethnography which allows this researcher to self-reflexively engage in the research process to explore key issues and themes in deaf education arising from the narratives of the research participants’ educational experiences. The postmodern theoretical framework is located in the study to portray a diversity of perspectives including that of the researched and the researcher. Since the 1950s many deaf people in Ireland faced barriers to education. They also faced internal and external pressure to change their ways of knowing and understanding of the world to become ‘normal’ and more acceptable to non-deaf people. To date, the majority of the literature devoted to deaf education has been written from the dominant non-deaf perspective detailing the education system and discussing teaching methodology. While understanding these issues is important, it does not closely reflect the experiences of deaf people with the way they define their own culture. Traditionally, they have not been adequately included as subjects in educational research. In particular, it has been charged that deaf people are frequently excluded from studies concerning education and where they are included in such studies they tend to be under-represented. To begin filling that void, twenty deaf people and the auto-ethnographic researcher participated in a qualitative study of the experience of education and culture. Engaging in critical auto-ethnography is a postmodern construct and a useful form of inquiry in which I study and write about lived experience. In the process I become the observer and observed, the narrator and narrated, insider and outsider. The study sought to answer questions articulated in the literature on deaf education: what are the key issues that remain a bone of contention to deaf people? What have deaf people to say about their educational experiences? In presenting their narratives, this research represents an epistemological shift in the way deaf people are commonly understood by society and educators. It is a shift that calls into question the dominant notions about them that engender marginalisation and exclusion. The study offers a space for reconsidering the views of deaf people differently and therefore re-thinking deaf education. Its purpose is three-fold: (1) to confront common assumptions about deaf people and their culture; (2) to locate a counter-narrative that provides a framework for sociological and cultural understanding of deaf people; and (3) to offer alternative perspectives of deaf education that have historically been excluded. Deaf education in Ireland has become an increasingly polarized field: one where a divide exists between the diverse perspectives on how deaf children should be taught in school. Recent research has intensified the importance of Irish Sign Language in education and school curriculum drawing attention to the educational shortfall in deaf school-leavers. This cultural polarization in the Cabra schools for deaf children provides a rich site for exploring pedagogical practices that might inform policy and improve educational achievement for all deaf children. Findings reveal that Irish Sign Language represents a key cultural resource for ‘unlocking the curriculum’ that created barriers to education.
Male primary teachers' understandings of masculinities and their impact on their lives
(Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, 2016) O'Keeffe, Suzanne
Ireland has a long history of heroic male teacher ranging from the 1916 revolutionist, Pádraig Pearse, to literary giants such as The Master, Bryan MacMahon and Teacher Man, Frank McCourt. The charismatic male teacher trend is globally replicated across culture and religion. Yet, we know little about the everyday realities of male teachers in contemporary Irish schools. As the number of female entrants to teacher education colleges continues to rise against a static number of male entrants, there is a cause for concern regarding the under-representation of men in primary schools. Furthermore, this gender trend comes at a time when the needs and interests of pupils have never been more diverse and challenging. Mindful of the changes that have taken place in Irish society in recent years, especially with regard to a more diverse pupil population, the lack of diversity within the teaching population must be considered in relation to male primary teachers. This research focuses on the lives of 11 male primary teachers. The aim of this study is to explore how issues of masculinities are navigated and negotiated on a daily basis. Inspired by feminism and poststructuralism, the research design consists of three interconnected yet distinct phases of interviews. J. Spradley’s (1979) ethnographic interview is used to guide informal interviews during Phase One. The Long Interview, as described by McCracken (1989), is used as a framework for formal interviews during Phase Two and Phase Three. A voice-centred relational method of data analysis is employed in this study. This research places strong emphasis on reciprocity and is designed to maximise collaboration, interaction and reflexivity. Most importantly, participants form an integral part of the editorial board of this study. This study is significant as it connects the voices of Irish male teachers to individual daily experiences. It provides for the first time a platform for male teachers’ voices to be heard. The study is unique as it identifies a niche in international research consumption for an Irish perspective on masculinities, as the majority of research undertaken in this area ‘is Anglo-centred’ (Haywood & Mac an Ghaill, 2013: 6). Ironically, this study is further enhanced as it is carried out by a female researcher. This study establishes male teachers’ understandings of masculinities and how they impact on their daily lives. It encourages new ways of thinking about men who teach young children and intends to serve as a catalyst to further explore masculinities in contemporary Irish primary schools.
Being teachers, being women, being human: critically re-storying teacher praxis in selected DEIS schools in Ireland, 2013-2015
(Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, 2016) Kelly, Mary B.
A growing body of recent literature on teaching has developed a focus on teachers’ perspectives and on life in schools, (Clandinin, 1986; Clandinin and Connelly, 1995; Freeman and Schmidt, 2000; Jalongo and Isenberg with Gerbracht, 1995; Kubler LaBoskey, 2002; Ladson-‐Billings, 2009; Lyons, 2010; Nias, 1989; and Nieto, 2003, 2005). These studies take teachers’ accounts of teaching as the focal point and investigate teacher knowledge in order to help us understand how teachers think and understand what they do. Within some studies tensions between the ‘official’ and ‘unofficial’ discourses of schooling are troubled (Burke, 2007; Deegan 2007; Keating, 1998; Nieto, 2005). These studies demonstrate the privileging of ‘structural matters’ over ‘reflectivity, constructivism and diversity’ (Deegan, 2007:185). This body of scholarship exposes a gap in our current knowledge about the ‘ideological, moral and emotional dimensions of teaching and teacher education’ (ibid: 185, 186). This gap relates to ‘substantive attitudes, values, beliefs, habits, assumptions, [and] ways of doing things’ (Fullan and Hargreaves, 1992:219). This study contributes to addressing those gaps by critically re-‐storying teachers lives in selected DEIS1 schools in Ireland. Two classical epistemological pillars support the study, one Interpretive, drawing on Pragmatism and Phenomenology, the other Critical. Feminist, Critical and Post-‐Critical perspectives on pedagogy create the contemporary theoretical platform. The study adopts a Feminist Emancipatory and Narrative Inquiry stance. The Narrative Inquiry methodology supports the critical investigation of teacher praxis troubling how teachers story their lives. Nine teachers, engaged in the inquiry over a seventeen-‐month period between 2013 and 2015, five secondary teachers and four primary teachers. The study inquires into the ‘contextual relationality’ of being teachers in DEIS schools through constructions of self, students, school and pedagogy. The thesis contributes epistemological insights into the ideological, emotional, moral and spiritual dimensions of teaching. It demonstrates how inscriptions of gender identity, biography, culture and experience intersect with the contextual realities of teaching in DEIS schools. It also demonstrates the humanity of teachers, the demands and challenges teaching poses for them and the implications of these demands for teacher and student wellbeing. The study demonstrates the ‘contextual relationality’ of being teachers, women, and human. Consequently, it contributes to understanding the complexity of the relationship between teacher awareness and the possibilities for transformative pedagogical practice in DEIS schools.
North-South educational partnership, a critical analysis: an Ireland, Uganda, Lesotho and Zambia case study
(Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, 2016) Baily, Fiona
The term ‘partnership’ has emerged to dominate development aid discourse. It is a term which suggests movement towards effective development relations based on powerfully appealing yet contested ideas of symmetry and equity. In this Irish context, Irish Aid’s recent funding of partnerships involving higher education and research institutions across their programme African countries and Ireland have sought to effectively contribute towards poverty reduction goals and support equitable development relations. The extent to which these partnerships transform exisiting disempowering aid relations and enhance aid effectiveness is both deeply contested and crucially important in ensuring their success. This doctoral study was concerned with critiquing the nature and implications of such partnerships, asking the question: ‘To what extent, if any, do partnerships between Irish, Ugandan, Lesothan and Zambian teacher education institutions demonstrate equitable development relations and attain teacher education development goals? I argue that this study was timely, relevant and generative in addressing both the under-theorisation and lack of indepth empirical case study examinations of teacher education-focused development aid funded partnerships. In doing so, I adopted a complex adaptive system’s analytical framework, as a means of addressing the relative dearth of theoretical and conceptual analysis. A case study methodology was employed , incorporating two Irish Aid supported partnerships involving Irish, Zambian, Ugandan and Lesothan educational institutions. Qualitative methods including semi-structured interviews conducted with 52 respondents and an extensive analysis of documentary data were adopted. Findings support an understanding of partnerships as complex and adaptive social systems whereby asymmetrical structures emerge from the interdependent relationships of adaptive actors, acting in accordance with their own incentives and capacities and holding varying positions of power and influence. This requires a clear identification of agendas and outcomes for all partners, an understanding of power relations as fluid and shifting and a multi-centred framework of collaborative governance.
An examination of adult access in higher education in Ireland: policy and practice
(Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, 2013) Brosnan, Geraldine
The rationale for this study is to examine the under-researched relationship between national policy and higher education practice in relation to contemporary access initiatives for adult learners in Ireland. This study involves researching the theme of adult access provision in four diverse third-level providers in Ireland and will examine institutional responses, as well as student perspectives, on national access policies and aims to answer the following overarching research question, given the nature of higher education, why and in what way do Irish higher education institutions provide access for adult learners and, to what extent, if any, has such access made an impact on the working practices and values of higher education professionals? The research findings in this study will make a contribution to the field of access to higher education for adults in an Irish context, where there is a dearth of literature. The literature draws mainly from the area of the politics of education, evaluative studies on higher education and access. Key policy documents at national, supra-national and international levels were also reviewed. From this review, two divergent models of higher education organisations were identified: the traditional collegial model, which focuses on the endogenous environment, and the new public management (NPM) model, which is more exogenously driven. Access is one of the areas within higher education that is at the nexus of this theoretical debate. One overarching theoretical model which provides a way of conceptualising adult access initiatives within the complex endogenous and exogenous higher education landscape is Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS). This study draws on CAS as an analytical framework. In terms of methodology, this study adopts a mainly qualitative approach in the constructivist and interpretivist epistemological tradition, using a mixed methods case study approach. As part of the study, fieldwork involving a sample of 77 participants was undertaken. Selected using purposive sampling, 37 semi-structured interviews with staff and institutional managers were conducted and 40 students participated in eight focus groups with an average of five participants across four diverse higher education institutions in Ireland. A number of additional qualitative and quantitative data collection methods were used, including institutional documentation review. Key findings focus on the significant impact of government policies on access and show that there has been change in many areas of practice at meso level and also, as a consequence, at micro level. Specifically, all institutions have engaged in extensive environmental planning and have developed a wide range of organisational policies, processes and structures for the implementation of adult access. In addition, all institutions have responded to national policy recommendations by either adapting, or re-structuring, existing curricula and learning opportunities locally for greater adult access and a range of new partnerships have evolved. These findings suggest that adult access initiatives have resulted in a degree of change at the level of the institution, although there was also some evidence of continuity of existing practices.

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