Current Projects

The academic staff at St Mary’s are currently involved in various projects that have a research focus to them, some of which are funded, while others are being conducted, regardless of funding. Below you will find reference to some of the current funded projects, secured through the submission of successful research proposals.

Research And Development Of Irish Language Framework For Irish-Medium Primary Schools

Funded by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment (CCEA) and the Department of Education, this project involves Dr Seán Mac Corraidh and Dr Thomas Rogan. The project includes research into local and international practices in immersion education to inform the development of an Irish language framework for Irish-medium primary schools. It aims: to identify linguistic standards in listening, understanding and talking, reading and writing in years 1-7 of a representative sample of Irish-medium primary schools; to develop an language framework, in collaboration with CCEA and practitioners, which will set out key competencies in listening, understanding and talking, reading and writing; and to support the implementation of the language framework in Irish-medium schools by assisting in providing focused support for literacy coordinators. For further details, please contact Seán Mac Corraidh.

Student Hopes – Achievement, Research, Equity And Diversity (SHARED)

Funded by the SCoTENS Shared Island Initiative, this project involves Julie Hamilton, in collaboration with Marino Institute of Education Dublin. The project explores how teacher educators can prepare and support student teachers to negotiate and engage with the challenges of educational underachievement while on their school placement. It also seeks to make them aware of their potential to change and influence educational trajectories and impact positively on educational outcomes through positive and active social justice underpinned pedagogy. For further details, please contact Julie Hamilton.

An Exploration Of The Professional Learning Of Teachers, Early Years Educators And Further Education Tutors Through Master In Education Study In Ireland, North And South

Funded by the International Professional Development Association in Ireland, this project involves Dr Martin Hagan, in collaboration with Maynooth University Kildare. It seeks to provide answers to what the role of Master in Education (MEd) study is, in relation to teacher professional learning in Ireland. The research objectives are: to identify the profile of teachers engaging in MEd study in Ireland North and South; to understand participants’ motivation for studying at master’s level; to explore the challenges experienced; to understand the extent to which MEd study influences professional identity; and to understand the extent to which MEd study influences their professional practice. For further details, please contact Martin Hagan.

Developing Teacher And Leadership Capacity In Irish-Medium Education: An Analysis Of Immersion-Specific Competences

Funded by SCoTENS, this project involved Dr Gabrielle Nig Uidhir, in collaboration with Mary Immaculate College. Its associated research questions were: What are the distinctive professional competences that are considered essential for Irish-medium teachers? How are the identified immersion-specific competences manifested in Irish-medium classrooms? For further details, please contact Gabrielle Nig Uidhir.

Previous Projects

The academic staff at St Mary’s have had previous involvement in various projects that have had a research focus to them, some of which received funding, while others were conducted, regardless of funding. Below you will find reference to some of the previous funded projects, secured through the submission of successful research proposals.

Value Orientations Of Teacher Educators In Physical Education: Investigating Beliefs, Curricula And Programming In Two Jurisdictions

Funded by SCoTENS, this project involved Ciaran Walsh and Dr Elaine McLaughlin, in collaboration with the Institute of Education at Dublin City University, Marino Institute of Education, Stranmillis University College and Maynooth University. Its associated research questions were: Are the value orientations of physical education teacher educators (PETEs) displayed in their professional practices and programmes of study? To what extent are these values and practices compatible with those found within their respective national curricula for physical education? Can a shared understanding of these value orientations help PETEs to foster deeper understanding of curriculum texts and, in turn, support their practice with pre-service teachers? For further details, please contact Ciaran Walsh.

Determining Student Teachers’ Engagement With, And Application Of, Educational Research To Enhance Professional Practice In Two North And South Teacher Education Institutions

Funded by SCoTENS, this project involved Dr Claire Connolly and Dr Martin Hagan, in collaboration with Marino Institute of Education. Its associated research questions were: How do student teachers engage with, and in, educational research during their teacher education programmes? How do student teachers apply their research knowledge and experience during professional placement? How can teacher education programmes best support students to apply their research during professional placement? For further details, please contact Claire Connolly.

An Exploration Of The Use Of Children’s Literature In Early Reading Within A Balanced Literacy Framework In The North And South Of Ireland

Funded by SCoTENS, this project involved Dr Geraldine Magennis-Clarke, in collaboration with Dublin City University. It related to the presence of children’s literature within educational policy in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. In particular, it focused on the place, profile and prevalence given to children’s literature as a key component in the teaching of reading in the early years. It explored the potential of rich and varied children’s literature to promote deep and meaningful literacy learning. Plans included the interrogation of the extent to which Irish teachers are encouraged to use children’s literature in the teaching of early reading. Potentially, outcomes from the research could help identify aspects of policy that might be developed more fulsomely and thus lead to bespoke, future professional development for those teaching reading in the early years across the island of Ireland. Its associated research questions were: What is the place and prominence of children’s literature in policy relating to the teaching of early reading within a balanced literacy frame in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland? How does literacy policy north and south compare to research-based best practice in the use of children’s literature in teaching early reading? What improvements could be made to policy and practice in this area? For further details, please contact Geraldine Magennis-Clarke.

Loyalist And Republican Perspectives On Educational Underachievement In Northern Ireland

Funded by the Northern Ireland Office and the Department of Foreign Affairs, this project involved Professor Peter Finn, in collaboration with Stranmillis University College. The project also involved loyalist community activists, including former prisoners, and members of Coiste Na nlarchimí, which is a coordinating body for groups and projects providing services to republican ex-prisoners and their families. The project produced a report that offered a brief introduction and an overview of the context of community division in Northern Ireland. It included a discussion of educational underachievement within working-class communities and outlined the ongoing work to promote greater educational aspiration and address the underlying causes of educational disadvantage, including the Northern Ireland Executive’s programme of tackling paramilitarism. It offered a theoretical framework for the study grounded in the work of the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu. The report referred to the project’s methodology that set out the research design and ethical considerations, as well as the procedures that were followed by the research team. The results from the research took the form of an analysis of the qualitative findings, whilst highlighting several emerging themes. A critical discussion of the findings, towards the end of the report, was accompanied by tentative conclusions leading to the identification of key challenges and recommendations for further research related to this area.

Gender Awareness And Implementation Strategies In STEM Education

Funded by Erasmus+, this project involved Joe Hughes and Dr Catherine Quinn, in collaboration with numerous European universities. The project saw a need for research within gender issues in science education and a change within teacher education and training. Eight project partner institutions planned to revise and strengthen the professional profile of the teaching profession, with an aim of fostering equity and inclusion in science education. The project’s main objective was to raise and share good science education practices for gender balance through innovative workshops involving different educational professionals. For further details, please contact Joe Hughes.

Where To Now? Human Rights Education On This Island, These Islands And Beyond

Funded by SCoTENS, this project involved Dr Gerard McCann, in collaboration with Dublin City University. The project took the form of a series of research-informed lectures that explored the role of teachers and teacher educators in advancing human rights. The researchers referred to human rights frameworks providing legislative and ethical structures, which have shaped societal responses to many of the greatest challenges faced by individuals, organisations and institutions across the island of Ireland and beyond. Each lecture considered education’s role in promoting human rights and also explored the role of teachers and teacher educators in advancing human rights. Building upon the recognised position of human rights within the education systems North and South, the series considered how human rights education can play a role in strengthening human rights frameworks and contributing towards meeting myriad local, national and global challenges. Its associated research questions were: What role can human rights education take in facing the challenges faced by communities in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland? What role can human rights education play in tackling inequality and discrimination and strengthening the pursuit of a just and equitable peace across the island of Ireland, and throughout these islands? What role can human rights education play in tackling the escalating global issues with which we are now faced? For further details, please contact Gerard McCann.

Teachers’ Pedagogical Work And Well-Being

Funded by SCoTENS, this project involved Paddy Tally and Dr Elaine McLaughlin, in collaboration with the University of Limerick. The project focused specifically on teacher well-being. The researchers were especially interested in exploring how pedagogical well-being is manifested in challenging educational contexts and identified a school in Northern Ireland as well as one in the Republic of Ireland. It was intended that the framing research question examined what good pedagogical well-being looks like in practice, in other words, how did teachers conceptualize their own pedagogical well-being? Two schools were invited to participate in the project. The teachers in the schools were invited to complete a survey on well-being related to the project. There was also the opportunity for follow-up interviews with up to four teachers in each school. The survey and follow-up interviews sought to elicit the teachers’ perceptions and experiences of pedagogical well-being and their overall sense of well-being. It was intended that the project would adopt a mixed-methods approach. The intention was to capture information on what contributes to teacher effectiveness, especially in terms of pedagogy, notwithstanding the challenging and difficult contexts in which teachers can work. By inviting teachers to articulate these understandings, it was anticipated that the research could offer insights and perspectives which could be instructive for teachers who are newly qualified and who may be taking up posts of responsibility as teachers in challenging schools. For further details, please contact Paddy Tally.

Case Study Research To Examine Initial Teacher Education Students' Perceptions Of The Orange Order

Funded by Erasmus+ and forming an integral part of a larger project on border education, this project involved Dr Tracey McKay, in collaboration with the Museum of Orange Heritage Belfast. The project conducted workshops with students, leading to case study research that sought to examine the perceptions of the Orange Order held by students of initial teacher education. The research explored the students’ perceptions of the opportunities and challenges of crossing borders and collective memory in the context of contributing to a shared society through educational engagement and learning about/engaging with others and otherness. It involved students completing a questionnaire to explore their present knowledge, understanding, perceptions of and attitudes towards the Orange Order. It also investigated their perceptions and feelings about crossing traditional cultural borders to participate in a learning programme intended to raise awareness about the Orange Order, its history and heritage. For further details, please contact Tracey McKay.

Research For Irish-Medium Key Stage 3 Text Books

Funded by the Department of Education and the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment, this project involved Dr Gabrielle Nig Uidhir, Dr Seán Mac Corraidh and Padaí de Bléine. The purpose of the research was to analyse language attainment in pupils at the start and end of Key Stage 3, to provide a baseline of language acquisition, and to make recommendations to writers of text books in the context of Irish-medium education. A mixed-methods approach was applied to the research to maximise the opportunity to create new knowledge and to facilitate a comparative database to be used in a future phase of the project. However, a significant element of the project was grounded in the principles of qualitative research. A detailed, systematic qualitative analysis of the pupils’ language was carried out in order to provide reliable evidence and meaningful insights into the language acquired by pupils through Key Stage 3. The discussion of findings and interpretation of outcomes was considered within the context of immersion pedagogies, professional practices in Irish-medium schools and theories underpinning second language acquisition, prior to the formulation of recommendations. For further details, please contact Gabrielle Nig Uidhir.

Teacher Educator Professional Learning: Shaping The Conversation Of Teacher Education

Funded by SCoTENS, this project involved Ciaran Walsh, in collaboration with Mary Immaculate College Limerick, the University of Limerick, Ulster University and St Patrick’s College Drumcondra. The purpose of the research was to examine the professional learning experiences of individual teacher educators, within a community of learners, related to the area of communication. It also planned to determine how this professional learning influenced their pedagogical practices with pre-service teachers. Its associated research questions were: What are physical education teacher educator experiences of professional learning focused on communication? How do physical education teacher educators perceive the influence of this professional learning on their pedagogical approaches with pre-service teachers? The research combined collaborative self-study methodology, alongside photo elicitation visual methodologies. For further details, please contact Ciaran Walsh.

Meeting The Needs Of Children With Special Educational Needs In Multi-Grade Classrooms

Funded by SCoTENS, this project involved Dr Gabrielle Nig Uidhir, in collaboration with St Angela’s College Sligo. The researchers investigated how mainstream teachers met the needs of children with special educational needs in multi-grade classrooms. At the time, current educational legislation and policy supported the inclusion of children with special educational needs in mainstream schools. Also at the time, the policy in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland facilitated schools to be flexible in designing inclusive responses for children with special educational needs. However, despite the support in place in mainstream schools, teachers indicated that the inclusion of children with special educational needs was an issue which they found challenging, particularly in multi-grade classrooms. This research identified good practice, as well as challenges, with regards to the inclusion of children with special educational needs in mainstream, multi-grade classrooms in primary schools. The objectives identified examples of good practice with regards to the inclusion of children with special educational needs in multi-grade classrooms, identified the challenges that teachers encountered when teaching children with special educational needs in multi-grade classrooms, and established how teachers addressed these challenges. For further details, please contact Gabrielle Nig Uidhir.

STEM Teacher Training Innovation For Gender Balance

Funded by Erasmus+, this project involved Joe Hughes and Dr Catherine Quinn, in collaboration with universities and science centres from seven other European countries. It aimed to foster quality improvements, innovation excellence and internationalisation in teacher training for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) teachers. This was achieved through enhanced transnational cooperation between schools, science centres, teacher training organisations and policy makers. The main objective of the project was to raise and share good science education practices for gender balance through innovative teacher training modules. The partners implemented and designed an innovative modular teacher training programme in a toolkit format, so that it would be easily applied and disseminated by all the partners, associated partners and target groups. The project involved collaboration with local schools and undergraduate teachers to produce relevant resources to address gender diversity and balance in the classroom to support career choice. Its associated aims were: to develop, test and publish an innovative professional development programme for teachers; to train educational agents at an institutional level; and to disseminate the toolkit at a European level. The quality of the project’s activities and results were monitored by evaluating the project using summative as well as formative assessments and providing feedback to the project partners. This was achieved through research via an independent evaluation of the activities and a project quality evaluation. For further details, please contact Joe Hughes.

Border Education: Space, Memory And Reflections On Transculturality

Funded by Erasmus+, this project involved Dr Angela Vaupel and Dr Tracey McKay, in collaboration with several other European HEIs. Recognising the close interrelationships between social change and paradigm shifts, the project aimed to contribute to the discussion and interpretation of conceptual change in the study of borders by linking it to memory narratives and by adapting the discourse for applied educational environments. Research focused on the representations of borders in national educational frameworks, Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes and cultural media. It focused on the collection of relevant data that ultimately led to an evaluation of existing, and the development of new, approaches regarding the understanding of education on borders that may challenge more traditional, mainly spatial, conceptions. The project approach was multidisciplinary but anchored in ITE and, by extension to the general field of education and the social sciences, adopted a bottom-up approach. This meant that student and in-service teachers, curricula and textbooks, as well as the collection of border related life stories and memories were included in and formed the basis of analysis. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were employed for project data collection including: a survey in the form of a computer assisted questionnaire targeted at students on their perceptions of and experience with borders; the establishment of focus groups consisting of students, staff and in-service teachers; and individual case studies by project members. For further details, please contact Angela Vaupel.

Anailís ar mhúnlaí soláthair gaelscolaíochta (Analysis Of Models Of Provision In Irish-Medium Education)

Funded by the North South Standing Committee on Irish-medium Education, this project involved Dr Gabrielle Nig Uidhir, in collaboration with St Patrick’s College Drumcondra and Mary Immaculate College Limerick. It aimed to analyse models of provision in Irish-medium education. As part of this research, provision models of Irish-medium education were analysed at both primary and post-primary levels and distinctions were made between the different types of provision. The international context was discussed and a profile of Irish-medium provision across the country was created. Questions on creating and administrating the provision, as well as questions on the growth and development of the provision, were included. For further details, please contact Gabrielle Nig Uidhir.

Dyslexia In Ireland: Views Regarding The Provision For Pupils Since The Publication Of The Task Force Reports North And South 2002

Funded by SCoTENS, this project involved Dr Donna Hazzard, in collaboration with St Patrick’s College Drumcondra, St Angela’s College Sligo and Stranmillis University College. The project team consulted with members of the Dyslexia Task Force groups, North and South, and ascertained their views and perspectives on the provision of support for pupils with dyslexia ten years on. The team consulted also with key stakeholders, North and South, to ascertain their views and perspectives on the provision of support for pupils with dyslexia. The research aimed to clarify present policy in the area of dyslexia support, North and South, and to identify strategic policy which informs good practice. For further details, please contact Donna Hazzard.

Assessment In Teacher Education North And South

Funded by SCoTENS, this project involved Dr Geraldine Magennis-Clarke, in collaboration with University College Cork. The aims of the project were to: explore the nature and conduct of school-based work assessments within initial teacher education degree courses drawn from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland; investigate the links between various school-based assessment techniques and subsequent planning, teaching and learning at degree and post-graduate diploma level; examine the extent to which these various methods of assessment of the school-based work element are found to be satisfactory by stake-holders and end-users; and situate and critically discuss the findings with reference to current thinking, including formative assessment. For further details, please contact Geraldine Magennis-Clarke.

Perception, Attitude, Movement - Identity Needs Action

Funded by Comenius under the framework of the European Union’s Lifelong Learning Programme, this project involved Dr Tracey McKay and Dr Angela Vaupel, in collaboration with several other European HEIs. It involved research with partner schools using quantitative and qualitative surveys, as well as an examination and comparison of the curricula of the participating countries concerning Europe. The gathered data showed whether or not there was a connection between actual teaching of European issues in the classroom and syllabi goals. Based on the research results, a multilingual tool kit was developed to help students to learn more about daily life in Europe. The key objective behind the toolkit was to help students develop critical inter-cultural understanding as a step towards more active European citizenship. The toolkit consisted of a workbook for students, a manual for teachers with lesson plans for various themes with learning objectives, teaching strategies/ approaches and methods, two interactive DVD resources, and an e-based communication platform to encourage dialogue between participating students. For further details, please contact Tracey McKay.

Directors Of Teaching Practice Research Group: Continuing Professional Development For Teaching Practice Supervisors

Funded by SCoTENS, this project involved Dr Claire Connolly, in collaboration with Froebel College Dublin, Stranmillis University College, St Patrick’s College Drumcondra, Marino College of Education Dublin, the Church of Ireland College of Education and Mary Immaculate College Limerick. It aimed to consider a number of important aspects of supervision and to develop an outline programme of continuing professional development (CPD) for any party involved in the supervision of student teachers in schools. Its associated research questions were: What expectations are supervisors bringing to the supervision of students? How do we set standard expectations? What means have we for developing a more coherent, consistent approach? Can we develop a programme of CPD in this area? For further details, please contact Claire Connolly.

‘Lift Off’ Literacy Programme For The Irish-Medium School

Funded by SCoTENS, this project involved Dr Gabrielle Nig Uidhir, in collaboration with the Monaghan Education Centre. This project’s main aim was to redevelop the ‘Lift Off’ literacy programme to support the literacy development of Irish-medium pupils. It also aimed to: explore the training needs for teachers and classroom assistants to organise, plan and carry out this programme in Irish; assess the outcomes of the programme; and produce resources and information to support the implementation of this programme on a wider scale in the future. The research posed questions that explored the appropriateness of this programme for the Irish-medium context, addressed the important issue of resources in the Irish-medium school, examined the management challenges for implementing this programme, considered the outcomes of the programme in comparison to a control group, and considered the potential for professional development for teachers and student teachers that this programme would require. The research methods employed to achieve the aims included: consultation and planning with reading recovery tutors; redeveloping the structure and activities of the existing model in Irish; collecting reading and levelling suitable texts in Irish in cooperation with teachers; observation and recording of teaching sessions; and a focus group with pupils to ensure that the pupils’ voice was considered. For further details, please contact Gabrielle Nig Uidhir.

English As An Additional Language In Undergraduate Teacher Education Programmes In Ireland

Funded by SCoTENS, this project involved Dr Martin Hagan, in collaboration with Marino Institute of Education Dublin. The main focus of the project was to carry out a comparative study of the provision for English as an additional language (EAL) in pre-service and continuing professional development courses in Ireland, north and south. This project had a focus specifically on how two teacher education institutions were meeting the needs of student and practising teachers in EAL. The significant actions associated with the project included: a literature review of the field; a comparison of the educational contexts in each jurisdiction; a review of the official policy context; an identification of the opportunities available for professional development for teachers in schools; a determination as to how EAL is structured into courses at the initial teacher education phase, in these two colleges; a survey of attitudes to EAL and views on personal competence among BEd students in the final year of their degree programme in both institutions; and a seminar to disseminate findings of the project. For further details, please contact Martin Hagan.

The Literature Of “The Troubles” Project: Teaching The Literature Of Conflict And Reconciliation On A Cross-Community Basis

Funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, this project involved Dr Brian Hanratty. The project was associated with post-primary schools throughout Northern Ireland, with a focus on Key Stage 4 pupils. The methodology involved an exploration, using a dialogical method of education, of key texts incorporating a mixture of poems, short stories and excerpts from novels. Examples of these key texts included poems from Seamus Heaney such as ‘The Toome Road’ and ‘The Other Side’, James Simmons’ poems ‘Claudy’ and ‘Lament For A Dead Policeman’, David Park’s short story ‘Killing A Brit’, or excerpts from Robert McLiam Wilson’s ‘Eureka Street’. Following the teaching element of the project, qualitative research was conducted to determine whether a positive change had occurred in attitudes and perceptions towards those from the other side of the cross-community divide within Northern Ireland, resulting from the pupils’ engagement with the literature. For further details, please contact Brian Hanratty.

Social Justice Education In Initial Teacher Education: A Cross Border Perspective

Funded by SCoTENS, this project involved Dr Martin Hagan, in collaboration with University College Dublin, Queen’s University Belfast and Stranmillis University College. The main objectives of the research project were: to map the existing provision and approaches towards social justice, diversity and development education in HEIs that offer courses in teacher education in Ireland (North and South); to involve policy makers to connect academic and policy perspectives on these issues; and to survey student teachers on their attitudes towards social justice, development education and diversity issues. For further details, please contact Martin Hagan.

Pupils’, Teachers’ And Students’ Attitudes Towards The Concepts Pertaining To The Global Dimension In Education

Funded by the Department for International Development, this research project involved Dr Tracey McKay and Teresa Cash, as part of a larger scale project that aimed to prepare teachers to effectively implement the global dimension in education. The aims of the research project were to determine teachers’, pupils’ and students’ current knowledge of, attitudes towards, and practice in the eight concepts of the global dimension in education. The design of the research provided an account of the current situation in a sample of schools and a HEI relating to the incorporation of the global dimension within formal education. The sample included students of initial teacher education, primary and post-primary teachers, Key Stage 4/A-level pupils, and Key Stage 2 pupils. The research methods included questionnaires with students, focus groups with students, focus groups with primary pupils, questionnaires with post-primary pupils, and questionnaires with primary and post-primary teachers. The methodological approach incorporated image-based research instruments, accompanied by literature on examples of good practice in embedding the global dimension within formal education. For further details, please contact Teresa Cash.