Education Theses

Research has established the negative association between experiencing adversity in childhood and academic attainment in school. However, less is known about the factors which moderate this relationship. This thesis, comprising of a systematic literature review and an empirical journal article, explores this topic. The systematic literature review identified promotive and protective factors for children who have experienced adversity and their academic outcomes. Findings suggested that factors relating to a child’s cognitive ability and parenting are the most commonly identified, and in some cases, moderate the relationship between adversity and academic attainment. Using data from the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) study, the empirical journal article narrowed this focus by examining factors within the school context. Moderation analysis indicated that factors relating to a young person’s attitudes and beliefs towards learning and school were protective for academic attainment outcomes but no effect was found for relational or school environmental factors. Given the importance of academic attainment for one’s life trajectory, findings from this thesis will guide the understanding of how best to support students to reach their potential in school, in particular those who have experienced adversity.

This thesis explores how individual socioeconomic status (SES), low-income schooling, gender and school-based wellbeing interventions impact children’s anxiety levels, through a systematic literature review and an empirical quantitative study. The research was underpinned by a post-positivism epistemology and was guided by Bronfenbrenner’s PPCT Model and the developmental psychopathology framework. Findings from the systematic literature review were inconsistent as to how effective wellbeing interventions are at reducing the anxiety levels of children attending low-income schools, and also at whether any positive effects arising from engagement with wellbeing interventions are maintained in the long-term. In the empirical study, findings were that being female and reporting greater family affluence are risk factors for experiencing higher levels of anxiety, and wellbeing interventions interacted with socioeconomic status to reduce anxiety development for more affluent children. The research is important for educational psychological practice as it provides information on whether wellbeing interventions are a worthwhile initiative to help reduce the anxiety levels of children in middle childhood and those attending low-income schools, while it also helps to expand our knowledge of the factors which influence the development of anxiety.

The importance of creating positive connections during the preschool to primary school transition is well established with links across home, preschool and primary school environments directly and indirectly impacting children’s transition experience. Transitions are not a static point, but are rather a continuous process that require connections and collaborations before, during, after the transition to primary school happens. However, research in Ireland has shown a lack of continuity and collaboration during the transition from preschool to primary school, which in some cases has resulted in a disconnect in parents’, preschool teachers’, and primary school teachers’ school readiness priorities and expectations. The current thesis explores the preschool to primary school transition through the lens of connectivity which in the context of this research refers to the development of high quality, inclusive transition policies and school bridging and alignment practices that strengthen the relationships between schools and families in order to support children’s adjustment to primary school. Framed by the ecological and dynamic model of transitions, social and cultural capital theory, and the five bridges of school transfer, this thesis aims to explore experiences of connectivity during the preschool to primary school transition through multiple stakeholder perspectives. This included family-school connectivity, as well as preschool-primary school connectivity, bridging practices, and the high-level policies that support continuity and alignment during the transition. Presented over three papers, the current thesis sought to gain a greater understanding of the complex nature of connectivity during the preschool to primary school transitions as well as investigate benefits and challenges of creating continuity and alignment in transition policy and practice in Ireland. Using data collected from the Children’s School Lives (CSL) national longitudinal study of primary school in Ireland, this thesis explores family-school connectivity both qualitatively and quantitatively to gain an in depth understanding of teachers’ and families’ experience of connectivity. This thesis further explores patterns of connections that can impact parent experiences from disadvantaged communities. Combined, the three papers highlight the value of creating consistent policies and practices at the national level to support schools and families as they forge connections to support children’s transition during this crucial developmental period.

This thesis consists of two distinct papers; one investigating children’s social and emotional functioning in the context of the COVID-19 school closures; and the other examining the impact of social and emotional learning (SEL) programmes on teachers’ and children’s self-efficacy. The first paper of this thesis, a narrative systematic literature review, investigates the effectiveness of school-based SEL programmes on children’s and teachers’ self-efficacy. Data were insufficient to ascertain conclusive results, and findings indicate a gap in the research in this area. The second paper of this thesis, a quantitative empirical study, investigates the impact of the COVID-19 school closures on the social and emotional functioning of primary school children. Key findings were that the most impactful predictors of positive social and emotional functioning were spending quality time with parents, having siblings to play with, and playing outside with friends.

Higher education is facing the challenges of a growing and diverse student body and the potential of digital technologies for their learning. Digital fluency has become a major concept in technology enhanced learning (TEL) research, as digitally fluent educators can use TEL at the highest cognitive levels. This thesis contributes to our understanding of TEL, by examining the factors that influence the development of digital fluency among academic staff in institutions of higher education in Ireland and how such fluency can be facilitated and fostered both by the digitally fluent educators and by the academic institutions where they work. This question is examined through the theoretical lenses of innovation theories (Theory of Diffusion of Innovations and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology), Learning Design and Landscapes of Practice. The research takes an explanatory case study approach, drawing on a thematic analysis of eight semi-structured interviews with educators working in higher education in Ireland and of a national policy document, known as the Digital Roadmap (Phase 1). This analysis led to the identification of professional identity and institutional culture as themes to interpret the findings. The research found that enthusiasm, educational qualifications and prior experience of digital technologies were major influences in the development of digital fluency, which was an aspect of the participants’ professional identity. All were willing to help less digitally-proficient colleagues with advice and to present on formal courses. However, none wished to be seen as cheerleaders for technology. Those who developed an interest in TEL to improve their own teaching practice were keen to give informal demonstrations to colleagues but were less likely to be engaged in policy development than those who had developed their career around TEL. Both groups considered that accredited courses and informal learning were effective means of developing digital fluency. Educational technologists were considered to play a valuable role, particularly, when they went beyond guiding academics in institutional systems and enabled and encouraged them to explore other tools. This was considered to be a more sustainable approach as it helped the academics to develop their own fluency. Institutions can help ix with the sustainable development of digital fluency by providing technological and pedagogical support services and in some cases by offering awards. However, interview participants working in the university sector tended to be more sceptical of the value of awards and modest levels of funding than those working in institutes of technology. Institutional leadership can promote a culture of professional development which can be more effective where it draws on reflection on the participants own practice.

This study is an examination of the evolution of teachers’ in-service education and continuous professional development in Ireland between 1945 and 1995. The purpose is to investigate the evolution and development of in-service policy, its goals, construction, participation, implementation and outcomes. The objectives are to deepen educators’ understanding of the current in-service issues by locating them in their broader temporal context and to extend the range of policy options considered by providing a basis for comparison with past situations. Its focus is the professional development policies and implementation strategies adopted by the Department of Education, the development and pursuit of policy positions among teachers, school management organisations and teacher educators, and the transactions between them in the evolution of in-service education and training of primary teachers in the Republic of Ireland. The in-service policy antecedents of the three decades prior to 1950 are explored to identify contemporary policies and practices and examine what foundations and legacies they contributed to primary teachers’ in-service education and training between 1945-1995. There were three separate primary-level level in-service initiatives in the 1950s and 1960s, one by the teachers’ union, the INTO, another by the Catholic Church and a Department of Education revision of Irish language. The breadth and depth of the curriculum reforms required Inspectorates to change approaches to in-service policy and practices. Comprehensive primary curriculum reform commenced in 1967 and its dissemination was planned by the Department around policy decisions on and coordinated implementation of strategically interrelated features including in-service training. An In-service Steering Committee, established in 1970, attempted to coordinate various institutions’ in-service contributions. The Committee advocated teacher centres, which when established from 1972, created an atmosphere of local optimism. In the absence of adequate resources or Steering Committee agreement on an encompassing in-service plan, an insufficiency of activities ensued which was curtailed by the mid-1970s recession. Dissatisfaction with the consequences of budget cuts resulted in a review of in-service education policies in 1980. The report of the Committee on In-service Education was ignored and its main recommendation, a national in-service agency, was deferred. There was an increase in the quantity of short course but this did not address access, course depth or continuity or address emerging in-service priorities or deficiencies. The decade from 1987 witnessed a period analysis, national policy making and deliberative processes involved in achieving an education policy consensus. In the case of in-service education and in-career development, departmental preferences with regard to structure, prioritisation of curriculum implementation and defining which in-service activities were funded, preceded the policy-making processes. The preferred option was solidified by the conditionality of the funding source, the European Structural Fund. The policy process, stimulated by the 1991 OECD contributions, expanded a departmental conceptualisation of curriculum-focused in-service training to school-focused organisational, staff and teacher professional development.

This study explores Irish children’s citizenship as it is lived out in their everyday lives across their homes, schools and communities. We frame this exploration in terms of lived and inclusive approaches to citizenship focusing on participation, difference and social relationships; we also take account of children’s agency and generational orders in the construction of children’s lived citizenship. In doing so we move beyond liberal rights-based models of children’s citizenship, emphasising issues of difference, solidarity and care. Given the historical exclusion of children from citizenship theory and practice, there exists a current a lack of theoretical clarity, in addition to a lacuna of research in the Irish context and in children’s home settings, as well as gaps in our understandings of the emotional and care dimensions of children’s lived citizenship. This study addresses these gaps. The study employs a mixed methodological approach to data collection and analysis. We combine quantitative secondary analysis of data originating from the national longitudinal Growing Up in Ireland study, with an in-depth qualitative photovoice participatory methodology, based across six diverse case study sites, in both primary and secondary schools, working with thirty-five 9 and 13 year olds, and 15 of their teachers and/or parents. Our analysis demonstrates that children’s citizenship operates along a continuum of differently-equal citizenship, influenced by their social contexts, their family, community, peer and school relationships and practices. We argue that children occupy fluid and multiple citizen positions, ranging from less-than to differently-equal, as well as a range of positions in between. A key finding is that the home is a foundational context for citizenship learning and practising; also key is the analysis of care in understanding children’s citizenship, particularly as it highlights the relational and affective aspects of citizenship. This study challenges deficit notions of childhood, exclusionary liberal models of citizenship and future-focused, neo-liberal conceptions of children as solely citizen-workers. Rather children are repositioned as differently-equal, caring and contributing citizens in the here and now. The study notes implications for research, policy and practice concerning children and their citizenship and the centrality of their voices to processes of change.

Educational attainment can be considered one of the overarching goals of the education system. For pupils with moderate to profound intellectual disabilities (MPID), there is a dearth of research on the conceptualisation and assessment of attainment. This doctoral research aimed to address the limited research available in this area. The first paper of this thesis, a systematic literature review, provides an overview of the theoretical frameworks and measures used to assess attainment for pupils with MPID in the research literature. The second paper, a qualitative empirical study, explores how attainment is conceptualised and assessed by seven school staff and two parents, in a special school setting in Ireland. The facilitators and barriers to assessment were also explored. Inductive reflexive thematic analysis (TA) highlighted participants’ understanding of attainment as a holistic concept as well as the importance of time and relationship in the assessment process, and the systemic challenges in accessing therapeutic supports and creating a consistent whole-school approach to assessment. Implications for the role of educational psychologists in supporting pupils with MPID are outlined.

Literature exploring autism in female populations is characterised by its predominant quantitative methodology and child participant focus. First-hand accounts of those whose lives are most impacted by ASD are limited to a number of small scale qualitative studies leaving much unknown as to how autistic women in particular experience their lives. Findings from these studies in conjunction with autistic life writings produced by women on the Autism Spectrum have begun to expand and deepen the narratives surrounding autism. A comprehensive general literature review followed by a state-of -the-art literature review of first person adult female perspectives aims to contextualise the lived experiences of women with ASD. A qualitative methodology was adopted using a constructionist Reflexive Thematic Analysis method and aims to add to the currently limited body of knowledge about female autism as a subjective and socially contextualised experience. Using on-line recruitment, semi-structured interviews with sixteen women who had a diagnosis of ASD were conducted. Two major themes, ‘male-centric view of autism’ and ‘gender-based role expectations’ were developed from discussion of women’s experiences. Combined, these themes served to contextualise the impact of intersecting cultural ideologies on women’s sense of self and psychological wellbeing. Findings are discussed in relation to dominant theoretical conceptualisations of autism, adult psychosocial outcomes and the emerging construction of autism in women in the guise of ‘the female phenotype’. Clinical implications of findings in terms of service provision, assessment and diagnosis are outlined alongside recommendations for further research and the limitations of the study.

One of the key benefits that a virtual world can provide to their users and community is the ability to communicate (via text and audio) and to express emotions (via gestures, facial expressions, etc.) on an interpersonal level. Virtual worlds provide contexts that allow users to interact in a variety of ways, and to express themselves through their individually designed avatars. Virtual environments and collaborative virtual environments have therefore been used in several studies with the aim of helping people with autism to interact, to communicate and to understand social skills. This thesis examines the work of others within the domain of virtual environments and autism, in an effort to understand debates and experiments that have led to some successful outcomes in helping people with autism to interact in a safe and secure environment. The conclusions of the research have been derived through a case study and by embedding a virtual world (Second Life) into a classroom for children on the autism spectrum. The case study group of autism participants consisted of eight 15 to 16 year olds, with 15 typically developing participants between 18 and 21 years of age. The case study lasted over eight sessions and three months, although the researcher was involved with the school for 12 months (to help with virtual world set up and design; designing in-world sessions). During the sessions social tasks were devised (e.g. visiting a coffee shop, fun fair rides, restaurant), with several opportunities for the participants to use the space as they desired.This thesis is offered as an original and substantial contribution to the fields of knowledge of assistive technology, autism and information and communication technology, focusing specifically on the role that a virtual world can play in a classroom for children on the autism spectrum. More specifically, this thesis explores social communication patterns in virtual worlds, visual representation of self through an avatar, and appropriateness of communication interactions in a virtual world used by young people on the autism spectrum. Visual representation of self is discussed by comparison to the typically developing group.Several main areas of innovation are detailed in the research: firstly, the finding that avatar representation for users with autism seems to be led by the body rather than the face; secondly, that the fidelity of the avatar seems to hold limited relevance for this user group; and thirdly, that communication in virtual worlds is expressed almost entirely though text chat and in a way that tends to lend itself to some inappropriate comments, although these tended to be far less than appropriate conversations recorded in the current study.The original and substantial contribution to knowledge of this thesis is an addition to our understanding of ways in which users with autism interact and represent themselves in a virtual world. Future scholars will be able to build on this, to consider the role that avatar customisation and design play in virtual-world interaction for users with autism. In addition, scholars in the fields of interaction will be able to take several findings associated with computer-mediated communication and apply to design related subjects; especially with emerging fields such as touch screen devices. Implications for avatar-mediated interfaces could also be informed by the findings presented in this thesis, especially the role of 3D and 2D avatars for users with autism. Moreover, this thesis presents original findings on preference for communication play in a virtual world that could impact on the role gestures, facial features and text communication in interactive interfaces.

Autism can have implications for educational engagement. This creates a need for appropriate educational support. A growing model of support provision is the concept of a special class setting co-located within a mainstream school. This doctoral thesis aims to investigate the role of a special class setting in supporting the education of pupils with autism in a mainstream school. This is approached through completion of a systematic literature review and an empirical journal article. Through a process of narrative synthesis, systematic literature review results were integrated to establish current understandings on the role of a special class setting. Empirical journal article research then extended such knowledge through completion of case study of a special class setting in a mainstream primary school in Ireland, from a complex dynamic systems perspective. Research findings highlighted the contributory role of a special class setting in facilitating educational support for pupils with autism, and identified areas where further development may enhance support provision. Findings are discussed in respect of implications for practice, policy, and future research.

This thesis embarks on a fully philosophical consideration of the in-school experience during Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in the Irish post-primary context. It holds that initial teacher education, by which I mean the postgraduate preparation of post-primary teachers, requires attention, and in particular requires philosophical consideration. Sociological, economic, and political discussions have dominated ITE development in Ireland, leading to a profound gap in the narrative. My research insists that philosophical perspectives are essential, both to highlight central normative concerns and to make explicit the more latent aspects of our educational work. In Part I, the introduction offers an overview of post-primary initial teacher education in the Republic of Ireland. It sets the scene for an exploration of the in-school experience of student teachers and introduces the key concepts and theorists to be engaged. The second chapter, Methodology, discusses philosophy of education as a distinct and distinctively enriching ‘method’ in the field of educational research and describes my philosophical approach. Part II locates the three central themes of Voice, Risk and Care in school, proceeding from recent policy development and drawing on the work of a central theorist in each chapter discussion. Firstly, in considering mentorship and the emergence of the educator’s voice I turn to the writings of Stanley Cavell on speech, language, and relation. Secondly, risk and the sanitisation of school are problematised in discussion with Gert Biesta’s philosophy of education. And finally, engagement in research during initial teacher education is reconfigured in light of Nel Noddings’ conceptualisation of Care. Each chapter identifies two distinct capabilities of the educator to meaningfully support them as student teachers and throughout their careers. In Part III, the everyday, in its complexity and hope, is recognised as a unifying concern of Cavell, Biesta and Noddings. The Ordinary, in the Cavellian sense, emerges as a fundamental capability of the educator, drawing Voice, Risk and Care together to offer a holistic approach to philosophical analysis of initial teacher education.

This thesis examines the question of how best to support EAL children in schools, teachers’ experiences of the support factor that are most effective and the impact these identified support factors have on reading attainment outcomes for EAL children in Irish primary schools. The systematic literature review aimed to synthesize existing qualitative literature in the area of teachers’ perceptions and experiences of supporting EAL children in their mainstream primary classrooms. The review identified five overarching themes: specific vocabulary instruction; multimodal instruction; peer support; use of translation; and making the child feel valued. The empirical research used secondary data analysis from a large, nationally representative sample of Irish primary school children to examine reading outcomes for EAL children in 2nd Class. Out of the five previous support variables identified, three were deemed possible to analyse based on data availability: receiving learning support, peer support and teacher attitudes to inclusion. A regression analysis found that EAL children had poorer reading outcomes compared to non-EAL children, and teacher attitudes to inclusion was associated with better reading outcomes for all children but did not moderate the EAL-achievement relationship. Perceived peer support was not associated with better reading outcomes and receiving additional support was not found to act as a moderator. Limitations and implications for practice of both studies are discussed.

Though specific studies on the practice of reduced timetables are limited (Timpson, 2019), international literature on school exclusions generally points to ‘a multiplicity of inter-connected drivers’ (ibid.) underpinning these practices. Research consistently highlights how the intersection of social class, gender, and race/ethnicity, combined with the levels of adversity and disadvantage faced by the ‘hardest to reach’ young people is a strong predictor of school exclusion (OECD, 2016; Timpson, 2019; Cole, et al., 2019; Social Finance, 2020). Absent, however, is a detailed consideration of this practice in an Irish context. This research aims to address this gap by examining the nature and use of reduced timetables in post-primary schools in an inner-city community, and in doing so, add to our understanding of practices of school (dis)engagement and social reproduction in the education system for working-class youth. Drawing on an interpretive qualitative study design, this research provides rich data insights into how reduced timetables are operated procedurally, the rationale for their deployment, the supports available during the practice, and the impact on those affected. To ascertain these insights, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven school personnel from the five post-primary schools serving the study area, eleven young people, and ten parents/guardians, who have experience of the practice. Employing Bourdieu’s theories of Social and Cultural Reproduction (1977, 1986, 1990) and Symbolic Violence (1989), and Gramsci’s concept of Hegemony (1971), this study argues that the practice of reduced timetables is just one form of symbolic violence that working-class young people experience in schools, and part of what we term a tripartite of symbolic violence. The practice, it is also argued, may be acting as a mechanism for the ‘deferred elimination’ (Bourdieu & Passeron, 1990) of working-class youth from school, subject to the rationale for the introduction of the reduced timetable and how it was operationalised procedurally. Additionally, this study proposes that Gramscian Marxism and Bourdieusian sociology are both mutually beneficial and complimentary in conceptualising and analysing the impact of the practice. Findings showed that the practice operated on a continuum, from a mechanism to retain students in school who were at risk of further suspensions or expulsion, and a support mechanism for students with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs or family issues, to a disciplinary sanction, or where a school felt unable to cater for the specific needs of a student within their existing resources. Moreover, when schools, or even individual staff, adopted more trauma-informed approaches (Perry & Daniels, 2016) as part of a ‘caring’ school environment, it positively affected the youth participant’s sense of self (Reay, 2010) and belonging in school, and also helped mitigate the impact of the structural intergenerational trauma in their lives. However, when deployed in the absence of broader systemic supports, or as a behaviour management tool, the practice not only resulted in the formation of damaged learner identities (Reay, 2017) and poorer educational outcomes for those students, but also adversely impacted their self-image and placed them at greater risk of environmental harm(s). Finally, despite the introduction of policy guidance for the practice in 2021, this study contends that this ‘hidden’ practice will remain as a mechanism for working-class social reproduction subject to the individual preferences and practices of school leaders in the absence of more robust monitoring and oversight; a situation this research demonstrates not only results in inequitable outcomes for those affected, but also results in considerable injurious repercussions to lives of working class youth and their families.

A systematic literature review of the qualitative research was completed on parents’ experiences of having their children identified as autistic. Informed by bioecological theory, the aim of the research was to ascertain parents’ experiences of having their children identified as autistic and their perceptions of the education system. Since the focus was on parents’ experiences, qualitative methods were appropriate. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a total of seven parents at three points in time. Phase 1 interviews took place in the summer before the children transferred to primary school. Interviews during phases 2 and 3 were carried out during the children’s first and final terms of that school year. Seventeen interviews were completed (phase 1 = 7, phase 2 = 6, phase 3 = 4), and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Parents need understanding and support during their children's identification process and early education. Parents encountered difficulties accessing an assessment and school placement for their children. They reported feeling alone and highlighted the need for accurate information. Parents described parent-professional relationships, relaying their interactions with professionals within the health and education systems. In addition to systemic changes, ways of supporting parents as they navigate the health and education systems for their children were identified. The implications of the findings for the professional practice of educational psychologists are discussed. Particular attention is paid to assessment, consultation, intervention, training, systemic approach, and research.

The imminent redevelopment of Ireland’s national curriculum promises to promote agency by giving teachers the autonomy to make significant decisions regarding the content, sequence and pace of instruction in their classrooms (NCCA, 2020a). While the explicit positioning of teachers as ‘change-agents’ (Fullan, 2016; NCCA, 2009, 2020) is welcome, international studies which focus on the phenomenon of teacher-agency with regard to curriculum reform are only recently beginning to emerge (Biesta et al., 2017; Pantic, 2017a; Priestley et al., 2013; Priestley, Biesta, & Robinson, 2015; Priestley & Drew, 2019a; Pyhältö et al., 2018). A review of this burgeoning pool of empirical investigations reveals a tendency to theorise agency at the level of overarching national curriculum frameworks. A study of teacher agency, which sharpens the focus of investigation to the disciplinary-specifics of curriculum reform, presents the next logical phase for empirical study. This research aims to make a distinct contribution by exploring teachers’ lived experience of a new national language and literacy curriculum in Irish elementary schools. Building on the conceptualisation of Emirbayer and Mische (1998), the current work proposes a definition of agency as ‘teachers’ capacity to critically shape their responsiveness to curriculum change’. Set against the backdrop of the recent introduction of the Primary Language Curriculum - the first of a series of major national curricular reforms - the study draws its conceptual framing from both ‘ecological’ and ‘sociocultural’ approaches to theorising teacher agency (Biesta & Tedder, 2007; Pantic, 2017a; Priestley, Biesta, & Robinson, 2015). It employs an exploratory, sequential, multi-methods design (Morse, 2009, 2010b), which incorporates focus groups with key stakeholders, phenomenological interviews with twelve teachers across four school contexts and a single-site case study of teacher agency for curriculum enactment in a professional learning community. The sequential, multi-methods design aims to move beyond a potentially reductive ‘snapshot’ in time perspective (Sugrue, 2014), as it cumulatively adds colours to the canvas of agency-understanding. This Irish ‘case’ points to the centrality of teachers’ ‘knowledgeability’ (Giddens, 1984) regarding the reform-effort, and highlights the sustained, supported, collaborative and incremental manner in which this needs to be developed in order for vistas of agentic possibilities to be revealed and realised for teachers. The influence of ‘mediating artefacts’ (Vygotsky, 1987) on agency’s dynamic emergence highlights another important contribution. The potential for agency, it is argued, is influenced by the material infrastructure which scaffolds the reform measure. In this regard, existing planning templates were shown to infuse the leaden feet of change with calcified reluctance. The importance of teachers’ ‘existential feelings’ (Ratcliffe, 2005, 2008) in orienting themselves to the particular reform provides a final insight of particular consequence. Arguably the curriculum-reform/agency nexus underestimates the significance of these feeling and in doing so, is in danger of relegating reform to the realm of superficial adoption or, more worryingly, teacher burn-out. Appreciating how the emergence of teachers’ agency can be supported by professionals in the educational arena is the primary focus of this doctoral work. The research will present an Irish perspective on this international phenomenon. In doing so, it offers significant potential to contribute to this gradually burgeoning field of study and to support policy-makers, teachers and learners into the future.

The experience of senior cycle in Ireland has been dominated by the Leaving Certificate Examination despite continued efforts since the 1960s to broaden the education experience beyond a narrow curricular focus on examinations. Since the 1980s, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment has been directly involved in these efforts, producing multiple papers, proposals and initiatives, and yet very little has fundamentally changed. The NCCA is a representative structure, based on a particular partnership model of policy development, and even though it is a policy space where curricular concerns are raised and negotiated by the partners in education, this cannot guarantee agreement on proposals as the recent disputes over junior cycle implementation can attest. In 2017, the NCCA embarked on a review of senior cycle education, designed to gather opinions and viewpoints from all the partners in education, including those not represented on the structures such as students. The NCCA worked with schools, teachers, parents and students along with other stakeholders to gather opinions on the aims and purpose of senior cycle and how it could develop to meet the needs of a diverse and changing society. This study aims to gather the perspectives of those involved in this review at various different levels, including an external policy view, and through a critical realist analysis of these discussions gain some insights into the characteristics and determinants of this partnership form of policy development and shed some light on the overt and covert influences on curricular reform in Ireland in order to better understand the processes at work.

This thesis presents a critical discourse analysis of policies of parental involvement in Irish education from the past decade. It explores three questions: Do discourses of parental involvement and teacher professionalism construct parent-teacher relations in Irish primary education?; What implications do these constructions have for policies and practices of parent-teacher relationships, particularly parent-teacher partnerships, in Irish primary education?; How can these constructions be challenged and/or supported (as appropriate) to enhance parent-teacher relations and parental involvement in Irish primary education? The research is framed theoretically by the contention that discourse has the power to determine what is perceived as being true, acceptable and appropriate in various situations. International and Irish literature reviewed during the research identified traditional, managerial and democratic discourses of teacher professionalism as exerting an influence on the development of parent-teacher relations in Irish education. A critical policy discourse analysis approach was used to explore the research questions at three levels: the individual school level, the systemic/national level and the supra-national level. The Foucauldian-based, document-focussed discourse analysis was augmented by thematic analysis of elite interviews with key policy actors in Irish education. The research findings revealed that discourses of parent-teacher relations are constructed differently at various levels of the education system. While there was evidence of much inter-discursivity at each level, traditional discourses were found to be resilient at school levels, whereas democratic discourses were more apparent at national/systemic levels. Managerial discourses were most readily identified at supra-national levels, but significantly, their influence was found to be increasing at national/systemic levels also. An analysis of the discursive plane of parent teacher relations provides useful insights into how democratic discourses of parent-teacher relations are legitimated in Irish education. Irish teachers were found to be well-placed to promote and engage with democratic parent-teacher partnerships, and such partnerships have the potential to advance activist forms of teacher professionalism. This rather optimistic analysis is, however, tempered by observations from the research that democratic discourses of parental involvement are currently being systematically recontextualised to advance managerial objectives in Irish education. The potential of this as a policy lever makes parental involvement a topic of extreme importance in Ireland. Teachers must counter and ‘re-recontextualise’ parent-teacher relations to protect Irish education and primary teacher professionalism from the excesses and dogma of new managerialism so dominant internationally. This research suggests that teacher action with regard to parental involvement is a matter of urgent importance for Irish education.

The rise of private market-led education is both widespread and normalised for many years in Ireland. Yet there has been limited research examining the interface between school-choice ideology, private or shadow education and education-based, extra-curricular activities (ECAs) in terms of class positioning, power relations and risk. This study examines instrumental music education (IME), in the form of Western art or classical music as an example of active, classed parenting outside of schooling. In Ireland, as a result of a lacuna in policy and provision, IME as an ECA is parent-led and is only accessible through the market. Access and success in IME presupposes the availability of considerable cultural, social and economic capital within a student’s family. Yet the Irish context provides a twist in that performance on a musical instrument can be assessed for public examinations where points can be accrued for entrance to, and course credits in, certain universities and for entry into publicly-funded performance-based courses in higher education music study. Drawing on existing studies of class taste, risk, class distinction, class reproduction, and middle-class parenting styles, the aim of this study is to explore the classed dimensions of parental engagement with IME. It investigates the connection between middle-class child-rearing strategies and mother’s role in managing the social class project in relation to children’s education both in and out of school. The study also examines the relationship between IME engagement, parental cultural tastes, acquired cultural capital and parental motivations in insuring against class risk. Integrating data from three sources, qualitative interviews with parents, together with a body of experiential and observational knowledge, and newly analysed quantitative data from Ireland and Europe, a major contribution of this study will lie in the use of primary research to explore why parents of children involved in IME act on their behalf in terms of cultural education and how this education is linked to social class positioning and risk. Working within this framework, the study has identified how middle-class parents who had field-specific cultural knowledge, time and finance, were favourably positioned to use their multiple capitals to advantage their children’s life choices through the medium of IME. By strategically equipping their children with extra IME skills and knowledge, parents and especially mothers, were acutely aware of both the intrinsic and extrinsic benefits that learning a musical instrument offered in terms of mitigating class risk in an increasingly competitive education market and in a precarious labour market. And although intrinsic, aesthetic and cultural benefits were acknowledged as motivators, the data suggests that parents also recognised and largely prioritised the potential of IME for its transfer value, a vehicle to control and deliver social class and occupational payoffs. Music professionals were also found to play a role in perpetuating this process of classed inequalities. By collectively not opposing the parental-support requirements for IME, professional interest groups of musicians and music educators played a significant role as gatekeepers in maintaining the structural conditions that create barriers to equal access and participation, especially in class terms. The study supports the work of Annette Lareau while providing a new perspective on her work through the lens of IME as an ECA. The research proposes to advance Lareau’s argument that the tools needed for the concerted cultivation of IME in Ireland are dependent on a correct blend of field-specific, middle class musical capitals. The study also found that subtle intra-class differences such as the availability of parental time can significantly impact on a child’s access to, and success in, IME in Ireland.

The issue of the challenges of assessing autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in females is a recurring theme in the ASD research literature. Differing presentations of ASD in females, lower prevalence ratios due to unknown reasons, as well as limitations of standardised assessment instruments used, are some of the reasons described as causing or contributing to these challenges. However, clinicians are rarely asked about their experiences of assessing ASD and, to date, the experiences of psychologists in assessing ASD in girls has yet to be explored. Based on the findings of a Republic of Ireland-wide survey, the experiences of 91 psychologists working in children’s services who were clinically active in autism assessments were explored. Quantitative data was primarily gathered, but qualitative data was also gathered via open-ended questions. Findings indicated that psychologists accessed different training opportunities during professional training and post-qualification. Psychologists had more experience assessing ASD in boys, and psychologists who had completed more assessments with girls, indicated higher levels of confidence in assessing ASD in girls. Findings also indicated that psychologists’ confidence in using clinical judgement during ASD assessments was positively correlated with the number of years’ experience assessing ASD, which has significant implications for assessing ASD in girls. Psychologists also reported that girls were more likely than boys to be sub-threshold on screening instruments and diagnostic assessment measures. Psychologists indicated that there were specific challenges related to assessing autism in girls, and they also identified particular ‘red flags’ for identifying autism in girls, as well as specific assessment practices for over-coming such challenges. Finally, survey data was used to compile information and guidelines that could be used by psychologists to inform assessment practices when assessing ASD in girls, as the majority of psychologists indicated that they would welcome the publication of best practice guidelines in this area.