Academic literature on the topic 'Irish schooling system'

Because of differences between and within second-level schools in the length of the curriculum offered to pupils, and because of the differing usage of extra tutoring outside of schools by pupils themselves, entrants to universities show considerable diversity in the quantity of second-level schooling they have received. This paper analyses first-year students in University College, Cork, in 1989 to examine this diversity and its links with social class and with patterns of faculty enrolment within the university. It concludes that inequalities in the quantity of second-level schooling received parallel other inequalities in the Irish education system and so intensify the inegalitarian nature of that system.

The move to integrated schooling for students with disabilities, begun in the 1960s, initially focused on meeting ‘special needs’ within the mainstream, without consideration of overall system change. Recent policy documents promote respect for diversity but integration remains weighted towards ‘accommodating’ minority needs within an increasingly strained old discourse of normality that serves the interests of the dominant majority and informs school policy and practice in Ireland. An exploratory research project called ‘Hidden Voices’ aimed to register for the first time how young Irish people with disabilities read their experience of mainstream second level schooling. This paper presents findings on two interrelated aspects of their experience – mobility and peer relations. It will emerge that constructs of normality that inform schools’ built environment profoundly distort the school experience, social and academic, of students with disabilities. A new paradigm of normality is called for.

During a post-independence phase (1922-mid-sixties), Irish secondary schooling was characterised by low participation rates, elitism, and careerist perceptions of students. Phase two (1967-mid 1980s) saw participation rates expand dramatically as Ireland became more open and industrialised, and policymakers focused on relationships between education, human capital and economic development. During this phase, the Irish Times began to include careers and examinations information. With school completion rates continuing to increase from the mid-1980s (phase three), the two main daily newspapers realised that the growing need for information about access to an increasingly complex and highly-prized higher education system, which was dependent on academic achievement, afforded an opportunity to boost sales and advertising. In response, examinations’ coverage reached a level recently described as ‘exceptional by a team of researchers from the Oxford University Centre for Educational Assessment and Queen’s University Belfast.

In the Republic of Ireland nearly all primary schools are state-funded but the vast majority of these schools are owned and managed by religious bodies. There is no system of state-run schools. This paper discusses the protection of freedom of religion within this unique system of schooling. In particular, it examines the notion of ‘the integrated curriculum’ whereby all schools in receipt of state funding are legally obliged to ensure that a religious spirit informs and vivifies the whole work of the school. The paper identifies the international human rights standards relevant to the teaching of religion in schools. Through empirical evidence based on interviews with parents, teachers and pupils, an assessment is made of how far Irish law and practice respect these standards. The outcome of this evaluation of the use of religious bodies in non-state service provision is discussed.

As a prelude to the paper it should be stated that its genesis originates in conference presentations delivered on two separate occasions to two separate audiences. The first was to a mixed group of teacher educators, Roman Catholic priests and nuns, as well as others from diverse religious traditions, at a one-day conference on religion and pluralism held in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. The expressed focus for this conference was ‘inter-faith’ but with the addition of a secular dimension. The second presentation was to an international group largely comprised of comparative education scholars in Glasgow, Scotland. Although the two presentations were broadly similar in content the Dublin paper had a distinct orientation. Given that the publicly-funded Irish school system was characterised by a strong involvement of religion (Department of Education and Skills, 2017) – in particular, that of the Roman Catholic Church, the dominant tradition in that country – the Dublin presentation pursued an approach which sought to widen the educational agenda. Specifically, it focused upon the continuing discussion concerning the role of secularity in school systems where confessional approaches to religion were sanctioned by the central state. On the other hand, the Glasgow presentation was more ‘academic’ in tone, seeking to re-position secularity and religion in a non-oppositional relationship which was, in turn, argued to be functional for 21st education systems.

Since the formation of the Irish State, the participation and attainment in education of members of the Irish Traveller community have been low. In terms of school-related factors, research points to Travellers perceiving the curriculum as irrelevant, experiencing problematic relationships with peers and teachers, a strong sense of not belonging, and low teacher expectations. This paper draws on the findings of a wider study which explored how an intercultural approach to education was conceptualised and enacted, with particular reference to Travellers, in one urban DEIS (disadvantaged) post-primary school in the West of Ireland (St. Greg’s) with a highly diverse student population. Located in the interpretivist/constructivist paradigm, and informed by critical race theory, an in-depth qualitative case study research design was employed. Data collection involved twenty-eight semi-structured interviews with teacher and student participants, including Traveller and “other” minority ethnic students, as well as White settled Irish students. Data analysis involved several coding stages, and the development of categories. In this paper, we examine one of the categories, the participants’ perceptions of the school as being a school “for the Travellers and the Blacks” and its “reputation” in this regard, as well as the factors impacting the “choice” of the school by different groups of students. Both teacher and student participants were aware of the school’s negative reputation and how this was associated with the socio-demographic composition of its student population. Regarded as the school “for the Travellers and the Blacks”, it was seen as a “tough” school and one in which academic expectations were low. Choosing St. Greg’s was perceived as being related to having a family history of attending the school, not being able to access other schools, and the school providing supports and “freebies”. The findings are discussed in the context of previous research, focusing in particular on critical issues of school socio-demographics, reputation, and choice. The paper concludes with observations about the problematic nature of Ireland’s increasingly segregated schooling system and recommendations about how the education system might better work to include and support Traveller and other minority ethnic students in post-primary education.

Private supplementary tutoring (PT; often referred to in Ireland as “grinds”) can be defined as education outside the formal schooling system where a tutor teaches a particular subject(s) in exchange for financial gain. While PT has long been popular in East Asian countries, its provision has become a widespread phenomenon both internationally and at all levels of the Irish education system in recent years, no more so than for the subject of mathematics. However, few empirical studies have been conducted thus far on its impact. In this paper, the authors sought to investigate mathematics teachers’ perceptions of the impact of the grinds culture on the subject at the secondary level in Ireland. The data was gathered using an online survey designed by the authors and circulated to secondary mathematics teachers in November 2020. The findings from responding teachers ( n = 305) revealed mixed views, with both positive and negative impacts identified. Many teachers acknowledged the benefits of one-to-one support that grinds can provide and the resulting increase in students’ confidence in the subject. However, teachers also determined that grinds can cause some students to disengage in class and to be less responsible for their own individual work ethics.

Coimriú Tá an córas tumoideachais in Éirinn imithe ó neart go neart le leathchéad bliain anuas. Is mór an t-éileamh atá ar an gcineál scolaíochta seo ar fud na tíre, ag leibhéal na bunscoile ach go háirithe. Cé go bhfuil sé tugtha le fios le fada an lá go mbaineann raidhse buntáistí leis an gcóras tumoideachais, is fada an tuiscint againn gur córas casta é le cur i bhfeidhm go rathúil agus maítear go bhfuil dúshláin ar leith le sárú fós sa chóras in Éirinn ar mhaithe leis an tairbhe is fearr a bhaint as. De réir na litríochta, ceann de na gnéithe is dúshlánaí atá roimh mhúinteoirí agus dhaltaí tumoideachais is ea sealbhú na gramadaí agus úsáid chruinn an dara teanga (T2) i measc daltaí. In ainneoin go moltar aiseolas ceartaitheach (AC) a úsáid go córasach sa rang tumoideachais chun botúin ghramadaí na ndaltaí a cheartú, tuairiscítear go mbíonn mearbhall ar mhúinteoirí tumoideachais maidir le conas agus cathain botúin ghramadaí a cheartú, go háirithe le linn theagasc ábharbhunaithe. Ach, is fíorbheag taighde atá curtha i gcrích sa ghort seo i gcomhthéacs na hÉireann. Sa pháipéar reatha, tabharfar léargas ar thaighde cáilíochtúil a rinne iniúchadh ar dhearcthaí múinteoirí agus daltaí maidir le húsáid chórasach AC i suíomhanna tumoideachais lán-Ghaeilge. Bailíodh sonraí taighde ó mhúinteoirí (n=8) trí agallaimh leathstruchtúrtha, ó dhaltaí Rang 5 trí ghrúpaí fócais (n=31) agus bhailigh na taighdeoirí tuilleadh sonraí trí sheisiúin bhreathnóireachta sna seomraí ranga le linn idirghabháil an taighde. Cuirfear na torthaí cáilíochtúla ba shuntasaí i láthair sa pháipéar seo agus pléifear a n-impleachtaí i dtaobh an teagaisc agus an taighde amach anseo. Cuireann an taighde faoi chaibidil le corpas litríochta an ghoirt agus tacóidh sé le múinteoirí agus le daltaí botúin ghramadaí a thapú mar dheiseanna foghlama d’fhonn ardchaighdeán sealbhaithe T2 a chur chun cinn. Abstract Immersion education in Ireland has experienced considerable growth over the past number of decades and strong demand currently exists for this type of schooling on the island. While the literature generously celebrates the benefits associated with immersion education, it is understood that it is a complex and multifaceted system which presents many challenges in its effective implementation. It has been acknowledged that one of the greatest challenges, facing both immersion teachers and students, is the accurate acquisition of the students’ second language. Although a growing body of international research presents oral corrective feedback (CF) as a successful pedagogical approach to enhance L2 accuracy among students, it is well documented that teachers remain uncertain of how or when to correct students’ linguistic errors, during content lessons in particular. Given the paucity of research that exists in this field in Ireland, CF warrants further attention within the Irish language immersion context. In light of this, the current paper explores the prominent qualitative findings which emerged from a research study that investigated teachers’ and students’ perspectives of CF when implemented in a systematic manner in the Irish immersion classroom. To unpack participants’ perspectives, qualitative data were gathered from eight immersion teachers through semi-structured interviews and focus groups with eight Grade 5 class groupings (n=31). Researchers also engaged in regular observation routines in the participating classrooms, which generated further research data. The most significant research findings that emerged from the study are explored in the current paper and stemming from these findings, implications for future research, practice and policy are discussed. It is intended that the current study and paper will contribute to research in Ireland and further afield while also supporting teachers with implementation of CF in a systematic manner in immersion classrooms.

The aim of this paper is to advance scholarship on the governance of religious difference and its relationship to social reproduction, inclusion and exclusion, with specific reference to parenting, schooling and childhood. Rather ask ‘how does the state and religion govern religious pursuits?’, the focus of this paper is ‘how might parents’ and children's religious expressions be already implicated, or caught up in, the ordering and coordination of complex social systems?’ Drawing on Foucault's concept of governmentality, it analyses how the political rationalities of freedom of choice and diversity are deployed through media discourse. The paper traces an iterative process of producing a symbolically ‘new’ national space, which re-legitimises state (and more ‘discerning’ school patron) power in a marketised, global age. It argues that ‘Irish’ parents are evaluated in this imagined space in terms of their capacity to combine consumption and religious practices responsibly and authentically. In its implicit citation and elision of generational, classed and racialised hierarchies, the mediated, moral governance of responsible religious and ethical subjects, expressions and practices becomes clear. The paper concludes by noting the potential contribution of governmentality thinking to contemporary debates on religious and secular governance.

When children only see their friends in little squares via Google Meet or Zoom, can teachers really address concepts like the importance of teamwork or how to manage conflict? This is a learning phenomenon during the COVID-19 pandemic and the era after it. This study aims to see the role of parents as children's learning companions in terms of mentors and motivators when online education takes place. This research using photovoice within phenomenological methodology and have been doing with thematic analysis and collecting data through interviews and observations. The participants were eight parents and one female teacher as a homeroom teacher. The research findings show that although there are many obstacles in online learning for children, learning during the COVID-19 pandemic can still run by involving the role of parents and teachers as pillars of education for preschool-age children. For further research, it is hoped that the findings will be a way in solving learning problems for children. Keywords: early childhood education, parents’ role, online learning References: Adedoyin, O. B., & Soykan, E. (2020). Covid-19 pandemic and online learning: The challenges and opportunities. In Interactive Learning Environments. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2020.1813180 Aras, S. (2016). Free play in early childhood education: A phenomenological study. Early Child Development and Care, 186(7). https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2015.1083558 Arkorful, V. (2021). The role of e-learning, advantages and disadvantages of its adoption in higher The role of e-learning, the advantages and disadvantages of its adoption in Higher Education . International Journal of Education and Research, 2(December 2014). Atiles, J. T., Almodóvar, M., Chavarría Vargas, A., Dias, M. J. A., & Zúñiga León, I. M. (2021). 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Pasifikus Christa Wijaya & Indra Yohanes Kiling (2021) Studying at Home: Experience of Parents and Their Young Children in an Underdeveloped Area of Indonesia, Journal of Research in Childhood Education, DOI: 10.1080/02568543.2021.1977436 Buheji, M., Hassani, A., Ebrahim, A., da Costa Cunha, K., Jahrami, H., Baloshi, M., & Hubail, S. (2020). Children and Coping During COVID-19: A Scoping Review of Bio-Psycho-Social Factors. International Journal of Applied Psychology, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.5923/j.ijap.20201001.02 Celik, M. Y. (2021). The dual role of nurses as mothers during the pandemic period: Qualitative study. Early Child Development and Care. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2021.1917561 Coulter, M., Britton, Ú., MacNamara, Á., Manninen, M., McGrane, B., & Belton, S. (2021). PE at Home: Keeping the ‘E’ in PE while home-schooling during a pandemic. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2021.1963425 Creswell, J. W. (2015). 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Children’s changing behaviours and routines, challenges and opportunities for parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Education 3-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2021.1921822 Giannini, S., Jenkins, R., & Saavedra, J. (2021). Mission: Recovering Education 2021. In UNICEF, UNESCO, and World Bank. Goodhart, F. W., Hsu, J., Baek, J. H., Coleman, A. L., Maresca, F. M., & Miller, M. B. (2006). A view through a different lens: Photovoice as a tool for student advocacy. Journal of American College Health, 55(1). https://doi.org/10.3200/JACH.55.1.53-56 Gong, S., Wang, X., Wang, Y., Qu, Y., Tang, C., Yu, Q., & Jiang, L. (2019). A descriptive qualitative study of home care experiences in parents of children with tracheostomies. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2018.12.005 Hamaidi, D. A., Arouri, Y. M., Noufa, R. K., & Aldrou, I. T. (2021). Parents’ Perceptions of Their Children’s Experiences with Distance Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic. 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Parents’ Emotion Management for Personal Well-Being When Challenged by Their Online Work and Their Children’s Online School. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.751153 Houston, S. (2017). Towards a critical ecology of child development in social work: Aligning the theories of Bronfenbrenner and Bourdieu. Families, Relationships and Societies, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1332/204674315X14281321359847 Ihmeideh, F., AlFlasi, M., Al-Maadadi, F., Coughlin, C., & Al-Thani, T. (2020). Perspectives of family–school relationships in Qatar based on Epstein’s model of six types of parent involvement. Early Years, 40(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2018.1438374 Iruka, I. U., DeKraai, M., Walther, J., Sheridan, S. M., & Abdel-Monem, T. (2020). Examining how rural ecological contexts influence children’s early learning opportunities. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2019.09.005 Jiles, T. (2015). Knock, knock, may I come in? An integrative perspective on professional development concerns for home visits conducted by teachers. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/1463949114567274 Kartini, K. (2021). Analisis Pembelajaran Online Anak Usia Dini Masa Pandemi COVID -19 Kota dan Perdalaman. Jurnal Obsesi : Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.31004/obsesi.v6i2.880 Kurniati, E., Nur Alfaeni, D. K., & Andriani, F. (2020). Analisis Peran Orang Tua dalam Mendampingi Anak di Masa Pandemi Covid-19. Jurnal Obsesi : Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.31004/obsesi.v5i1.541 La Paro, K. M., & Gloeckler, L. (2016). The Context of Child Care for Toddlers: The “Experience Expectable Environment”. Early Childhood Education Journal, 44(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-015-0699-0 Lau, E. Y. H., & Lee, K. (2021). Parents’ Views on Young Children’s Distance Learning and Screen Time During COVID-19 Class Suspension in Hong Kong. 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Galczyk (2021) Preschool Parents’ Views of Distance Learning during COVID-19, Early Education and Development, 32:7, 923-939, DOI: 10.1080/10409289.2021.1930936 Muhdi, Nurkolis, & Yuliejantiningsih, Y. (2020). The Implementation of Online Learning in Early Childhood Education During the Covid-19 Pandemic. JPUD - Jurnal Pendidikan Usia Dini, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.21009/jpud.142.04 Ortlipp, M. (2015). Keeping and Using Reflective Journals in the Qualitative Research Process. The Qualitative Report. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2008.1579 Paat, Y. F. (2013). Working with Immigrant Children and Their Families: An Application of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 23(8). https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2013.800007 Plowman, L., Stephen, C., & McPake, J. (2010). Supporting young children’s learning with technology at home and in preschool. 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John Fitzpatrick was the third Roman Catholic bishop of Boston. A Boston native and the son of Irish immigrants, he attended public schools, including the prestigious Boston Latin School. He enjoyed acceptance by the best of Boston society but seemed to fear causing offense to the Yankees while serving his struggling Irish immigrant flock, many of whom came to America in the wake of the Potato Famine. Although he privately supported efforts by others in the diocese, such as Father McElroy and the Sisters of Notre Dame, to open parochial schools, he took no action himself to establish a system of parochial schools as an alternative to the Protestant-run public schools. As such, the development of Catholic schooling was neglected in Boston during these years.

Even though Cardinal O’Connell believed that Catholic schooling was the only adequate answer to the education of Catholic youth, he did not come close to fully implementing this conviction. Events in Boston largely took schooling out of O’Connell’s hands. By the 1910s, Irish Catholics had taken over the Boston public schools. Simultaneously, Irish politicians took over the city and a majority of Irish Catholics now controlled the Boston School Committee, appointing an Irish Catholic educator as the city’s school superintendent. By at least the 1920s, the public and parochial schools had taken giant steps toward one another in theory and practice under the leadership of the Catholics who presided over both systems. Though Cardinal O’Connell and his circle continued to preach the need for Catholic children to attend parochial schools, parents, most of whom had attended public schools themselves, knew that the public schools would not undermine their children’s faith.

Benedict Fenwick, the second Roman Catholic bishop of Boston, had a rocky relationship both with the continued influx of Irish peasants and the Boston establishment. His priority was to lay the groundwork for Catholic higher education in Boston rather than establishing a parochial school system. Given that the Boston public schools presented a clear challenge to the faith of the Roman Catholic newcomers, one might expect that there would be a concerted counter-effort to provide a Catholic school alternative. However, the overall parochial school effort in Boston was much less than would have been expected. The major reasons for this “failure” were (1) the nature of the Catholic newcomers, who were overwhelmingly destitute Irish immigrants with no tradition of schooling in their homeland; (2) Bishop Fenwick’s background and personal characteristics; and (3) the policies adopted by the Boston establishment that controlled the public schools.

The general patterns established during the period 1922–67 regarding the political and administrative arrangements relating to the Irish education system began to break down after following the introduction of free second-level education in 1967 and a subsequent great increase in attendance at second-level schools. In 1965, The OECD-sponsored Investment in Education report contributed greatly to portraying the economic, social, and geographic inequalities of opportunity in Ireland at the time. In particular, it drew attention to the fact that one-third of all children left full-time education upon completion of primary schooling and only 59 per cent of all 15-year-old children were in school. What was less clear in the public mind at the time was that levels of provision had been even bleaker on the establishment of the State and had not changed substantially over the succeeding four decades. That reality constitutes the background to considerations in this chapter. It opens by elaborating on the various types of primary, second-level, and continuation schools that existed across the nation. The overall patterns of access to and attendance at secondary school are then detailed. A very general exposition of the economic and social conditions in the country that influenced the existence of these patterns follows.