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Why teach phonemic awareness in an explicit and systematic manner? The effect of the implementation of the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness curriculum on literacy development
No full textThe purpose of this study is to investigate why a systematic approach to the teaching of phonemic awareness is beneficial to young learners. Within this study, the effect an explicit and systematic phonemic awareness program, namely, the Heggerty (2020) Phonemic Awareness Curriculum, has on the literacy growth of novice readers.
The currently available literature was reviewed through a number of keys lenses. These being the role of literacy education and it’s place in the Irish education system, the role of phonemic awareness in literacy development and an exploration of phonemic awareness teaching approaches.
A mixed-methods approach with a strong leaning towards qualitative was used in order to explore emerging codes and themes through the use of 6 semi-structured interviews. Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis was then utilised to uncover these emerging codes and subsequently identify codes. Quantitative research took the form of the pre- and post- Heggerty phonemic awareness assessments conducted within the classroom.
Three key findings emerged throughout the research process. The first of these findings being that structured phonemic awareness instruction promotes the improvement of children’s performance in reading and spelling. The second finding was that the recognition of the significance of informed phonemic awareness instruction is paramount for successful implementation to occur, and the third and final finding presented station teaching as a facilitator of meaningful phonemic awareness application.
In terms of recommendations, within the conclusion, it was noted that a more formal approach to the teaching of phonemic awareness is needed by educators in Ireland if literacy achievement is to be strengthened. Further CPD and mandatory webinars for early primary educators would ensure that teachers have the most up-to-date literacy content knowledge and skills. Future study in the form of a longitudinal study would enable more detailed findings to emerge, with the use of a control group using a different method of phonemic awareness instruction.N
An bhfuil athbhreithniú le déanamh ar Thrialacha Caighdeánaithe na dTeangacha do bhunscoileanna DEIS Tuaithe Gaeltachta, ina bhfuil an Polasaí Oideachais Gaeltachta i bhfeidhm ón bhliain 2017?
No full textIs í príomhsprioc an taighde seo ná tochailt a dhéanamh ar na táscairí ar fad a théann i dtionchar ar dhearadh thrialacha caighdeánaithe na dteangacha a dhéantar le daltaí bunscoile Gaeltachta DEIS Tuaithe in Éirinn. Faoi scáth an Pholasaí Oideachais Gaeltachta agus an Scéim Aitheantais mar Scoil sa Ghaeltacht, tá éabhlóidiú tugtha faoi deara ar chruth an tseomra ranga, agus ar inniúlachtaí teanga an dalta bunscoile Gaeltachta Tuaithe. Agus na Critéir Theanga-Bhunaithe á gcur i gcrích ag scoileanna Gaeltachta, tá dea-thionchar mhóraidhmeanna na tréimhse lántumtha agus saibhrithe teanga le sonrú ar scileanna labhartha na ndaltaí óga.
Agus rath an pholasaí le moladh go hard na spéire, tá ceisteanna ardaithe, áfach, maidir le measúnú na dteangacha sa bhunscoil Ghaeltachta. Tuairiscíonn sonraí an taighde seo go bhfuil éagsúlacht ilchineálach teangacha i measc dhaonra an cheantair Ghaeltachta atá faoi imscrúdú agus gur daltaí dátheangacha agus cainteoirí dúchais den chuid is mó atá ag freastal ar scoileanna Gaeltachta na linne seo. Anuas air sin, aibhsítear sa taighde go bhfuil easnaimh i measúnú caighdeánaithe na dteangacha mar atá siad deartha i láthair na huaire nach réitíonn go fabhrach le hinniúlachtaí teanga na ndaltaí bunscoile Gaeltachta.
Is ábhar spéise agus, go deimhin, ábhar conspóide reatha iad na trialacha caighdeánaithe go háirithe nuair a shroichtear an tríú téarma den scoilbhliain, tráth ina ndéantar na trialacha a riaradh i mbunscoileanna fud fad na tíre. Trí thuras an taighde seo, aibhsíodh go bhfuil a mbuntáistí ag na trialacha caighdeánaithe agus go bhfuil feidhm dhlisteanach acu nuair a úsáidtear a dtorthaí i dteannta le modhanna eile measúnaithe, d’fhonn pictiúr críochnúil d’ábaltachtaí an dalta a chruthú. Ar an drochuair, d’aibhsigh torthaí an taighde imní i measc oidí ranga de thoradh ar ardleibhéil ionchais ó phobail scoile, a chuireann teorainn ar shaoirse sa teagasc don chleachtóir gníomhaíoch. (Ó Bréacháin, 2023)
Daingnítear sa taighde go láidir go bhfuil athbhreithniú ag teastáil ar chruth, ar chomhdhéanamh, ar fheidhm agus ar úsáid thrialacha caighdeánaithe na dteangacha Gaeilge agus Béarla a dhéantar i Scoileanna Gaeltachta DEIS Tuaithe. Is follas go ndéanfaí iniúchadh cruinn ar inniúlachtaí teanga na ndaltaí seo, stór focal agus saibhriú teanga an chainteora dúchais agus dátheangach Gaeltachta san áireamh, d’fhonn barr maitheasa ár dteanga dhúchais a sheachadadh go dtí an chéad ghlúin eile.N
What are primary school leaders’ perceptions of the benefits and challenges associated with gender in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education?
No full textThis study investigates the perceptions of school leaders in relation to the challenges and benefits of gender if any in its impact on teaching STEM education. By combining both quantitative and qualitative methods and applying a pragmatic approach, this research explores school leaders’ perceptions of the challenges and benefits associated with gender in STEM education.
The study’s conceptual framework is grounded in Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1989), which was adjusted to illustrate the complexity associated with how perceptions can impact pupils’ learning if any. The study applied a mixed methods approach, incorporating quantitative surveys and qualitative semi-structured interviews, with various school educators in STEM education directed at primary school leaders.
The research findings revealed that school leaders’ gender does not impact a pupil in relation to STEM education, but more a reflection on the school leaders practice and implementation of STEM in subject areas. The results of the study indicated that more government funding was necessary to effectively teach and implement STEM education and to provide adequate resources. The need for continuous professional development opportunities and to equip school leaders who trained at various different stages with the necessary upskilling to properly implement STEM education in their school environments. The need for stereotypes to be eradicated around the topic of STEM education.
This study provides valuable insights for policymakers, school leaders seeking to transform gender in STEM education especially stereotypes and the utilisation of STEM education necessary for the global economy.N
Investigating mentorship challenges student teachers face during school placement
No full textMentoring is very important in the training of student teachers. According to Ani et al. (2021) effective mentoring improves the quality of student teachers during school placement. However, Salagi (2018) reported that in Malawi, effective mentorship trainings generally fail to take place due to lack of funding. As a result, mentors are unaware of their responsibilities as mentors and the quality of teachers produced in teacher training colleges is poor (Mwanza, 2016). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate and understand mentorship challenges student teachers face during school placement. This study was important because the student teachers reach out to thousands of learners in Malawi after graduation. Therefore, they can have adverse effects on learner achievement if they are not mentored properly.
The study was guided by the question that focused on challenges student teachers face during school placement and how they could be mitigated.
The study was by guided an interpretive paradigm. An interpretive paradigm is a researcher’s perspective of the world they live in or want to live in (Kivunja and Kuyini 2017). Based on this paradigmatic point of view, the researcher used a qualitative research design to investigate mentorship challenges student teachers faced during school placement. Drawing from a variety of research methodologies under qualitative design, a case study was the main methodology that was used. The case study was selected because it strives to generate context-dependent knowledge (Gretschel, Ramugondo, and Galvaan, (2023). Additionally, within the case study, semi-structured questions were used during face-to-face focus group discussions with student teachers and interviews with class teachers, mentors, and the head-teachers. The technique was selected because it gives room for the researcher to modify the questions and probe for more information (Wahyuni, 2012). Additionally, some of the data was collected using lesson observation and document analysis.
The study found that student teachers had challenges to present lessons systematically, handle disruptive learners and lacked content knowledge which led to some subjects not being taught. Furthermore, the study found that student teachers were being assessed without following the guidelines as required by the curriculum.
Inconclusion, the study reveals that there is a need for total collaboration by all stakeholders in supporting student teachers with the aim of improving the quality of teachers produced as highlighted in the IPTE curriculum (MIE 2017a).N
Listening to the experiences of students from refugee backgrounds in Irish post primary schools: implications for schools
Full text linkThis study sought to gain an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of
refugee youth regarding their education in Ireland. By listening to the
experiences of the young people, the study aimed to identify supportive and
hindering factors within education. This article draws on data from a qualitative
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis study which explored the experiences
of education for refugee youth. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in
2021 with nine post primary school students in the Republic of Ireland, all of
whom were of first generation refugee or asylum seeker status. While several
broad themes were identified within the research, the theme considered in this
article is the young people’s perceptions of ‘How does school work?’. Issues
pertaining to school policy, practices, and concerns around flexibility, the impact
of varied supports, and the role of teachers are explored. The findings highlight
teachers’ limited understanding of these students’ experiences and also the value
of sustaining first languages while adapting to life in Ireland. The findings
extend the limited empirical literature on educational experiences of refugee
youth from their own perspective and have implications for practice,
professional learning and policy in the Irish context.Ye
“I feel I should put that work in”: discourses of effortfulness and essentialism among post-Brexit applicants for Irish citizenship
Full text linkThis article explores the post-Brexit increase in applications for Irish passports through descent, and in so doing, seeks to develop a social/political psychology of diasporic citizenship. It draws on a focus group and 10 individual interviews, all conducted in 2018–19; participants were all based in England and had applied, or were in the process of applying, for Irish passports through descent in the aftermath of Brexit. Analysis, using perspectives from discursive psychology, attended to both rhetoric and narratives of citizenship in participants' talk about the application process and identification with Ireland and Irishness. Participants draw on discourses of both effortfulness and essentialism in working up claims to Irish identity, with effortfulness in acquiring transnational knowledge being particularly central in rhetorically legitimizing less secure claims. The analysis thus builds on previous political psychological work highlighting the centrality of “effortfulness” to contemporary constructions of citizenship, particularly in the United Kingdom (Anderson & Gibson, 2020; Gibson, 2009). It is furthermore suggested that explicitly labeled “noneffortfulness” can act as a rhetorical marker of belonging. The implications of these findings for concepts of diasporic citizenship and debates around jus soli versus jus sanguinis citizenship in both Ireland and Britain are discussed.Ye
What are the attitudes and practices of teachers teaching music in Ennis primary schools?
No full textA new primary school curriculum is currently being devised in Ireland and this will have a significant medium and long-term impact on teaching and learning in schools. Considering these upcoming developments, this study examined the practices and attitudes of teachers teaching music in primary schools in Ennis, Co. Clare and explores the factors that affect the implementation of the music curriculum. A comprehensive review of literature related to the subject matter was undertaken, which guided the subsequent phases of data collection. A mixed-methods, explanatory sequential design was used in this research to gather both quantitative and qualitative data. A questionnaire was first distributed to teachers in the Ennis area and the data was analysed. This information was used to develop interview questions and subsequently, purposive sampling was used to select 6 interviewees from the questionnaire respondents. Several themes emerged from the information gathered, including teacher confidence, teacher education, autonomy, time pressure and an unbalanced curriculum. Recommendations arising from these findings are presented. It is hoped that the findings from this research can be used to aid policy makers, school leaders and teachers to enhance the teaching of music.N
Curating accessible music concerts for young children in the community
No full textVery young children have a natural predisposition towards music and, despite their age, are capable of focused listening, understanding, and engaging with music in meaningful ways. Between birth and six years however, youngsters are often excluded from music events. When these experiences are carefully curated, they can provide a beneficial and transformative experience for both child and parent.
This study examined designing accessible music events for the under sixes in the community in collaboration with parents. It sought to understand how best to actively engage young children so that they can profit from such rich musical experiences and to explore if such concerts are valuable to families and the community in the future. This was a qualitative research project, which included initial focus groups, two music concerts designed in collaboration with parents, followed by in-depth interviews.
Results show that the majority of respondents placed great value in music and were invested in finding quality music activities for their offspring. Overall parents felt that the provision of music events and activities for this age group was inadequate in their area. Some of the barriers encountered by respondents were lack of availability, cost, lack of information, poor facilities, and fear of disturbing others. Feedback regarding the concerts was very positive, and according to parents, these events have a beneficial part to play in the future.N
An examination of what constitutes high-quality early years pedagogy: a policy and practice perspective
No full textThis qualitative interpretivist study explores ECCE managers perspectives on what constitutes
high-quality pedagogy in early childhood education and care. A comprehensive review of
national and international policy and contemporary literature pertaining to high-quality
pedagogy (NCCA 2009; Moss 2016; Government of Ireland 2018; French 2019; O Sullivan et.
al, 2023) and furthermore child participation as a feature of childhood (Hart 1992; Shier 2001;
and Lundy 2007). Interviews with 6 ECCE managers from across Ireland provide a bird’s eye
view of ground level practice in a world that is drive by policy focused on the vision of highquality.
These interviews illuminated a clearer image of ECCE practice. The findings which
resulted indicated that the provision of high-quality pedagogy lied within the realms of four
concrete areas: the learning environment, materials, activities, and interactions. Furthering
this, the study uncovered the importance of the image of the child as an individual with a
voice and the implications this image has on practice. The findings suggest that there is a clear
correlation between policy vision and ground level practice which offers hope for the sector.
Rounding off with the important message that children are capable and willing to participate
they just need to be given a voice that is heard.N
Changes in Irish primary school teachers' attitudes to digital technology post-Covid
No full textThe Covid-19 pandemic caused massive disrup/on across the world impac/ng daily life in an
unprecedented way no more so than the educa/onal sector. School closures were announced in March
2020 in an effort to stop the spread of the virus and ‘fla8en the curve’. Irish primary school teachers found
themselves at this /me naviga/ng and nego/a/ng their way through an ever-changing landscape of
teaching remotely, something for which they were not trained or prepared for. This sudden shiY in
pedagogical prac/ce forced teachers to use Digital Technology in ways which would’ve been unfamiliar to
many so that teaching and learning could con/nue uninterrupted for thousands of pupils. This research
aims to gauge how teachers’ experiences (both posi/ve and nega/ve) of digital technology has been
changed by the Covid-19 pandemic. This research study will inves/gate if teachers’ experiences of remote
learning over the two lockdowns (March 2020 – June 2020 & January 2021 – March 2021) has made them
be8er prac//oners of digital learning or have they returned to more ‘tradi/onal’ methods of lesson
delivery and not embedding digital technology as much as they had previous to Covid-19. The study will
also aim to gauge the a^tudes of Irish primary school teachers to Digital Technology and assess if the
sudden shiY to remote learning has had a posi/ve or nega/ve impact on these a^tudes. This research
aims to find out if remote learning had a posi/ve impact on teachers’ a^tudes and implementa/on of
digital learning or if remote learning had a nega/ve impact on these a^tudes. Findings from both a survey
taken by Irish primary school teachers and interviews conducted with teachers show that a^tudes to
Digital Technology are more posi/ve now than before the start of the pandemic. The findings also show
that Digital Technology is also being used more in classrooms than before the Covid-19 pandemic.N