NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Towards an inclusive, critical feminist pedagogy.
No full textFor as long as I have been involved in adult education, this has overlapped with a commitment to feminism; in fact, my first paid job in adult education (after ten years working as a nurse) was to set up a consciousness-raising women’s group in North Dublin in the 1990s. This was one of hundreds of women’s group that emerged across the Island of Ireland from the 1970s onwards. Bríd Connolly (2001, p, 1) described these as spaces for “women to see themselves as active participants in Irish society, women who might otherwise, through socialisation, perceive themselves as operating within the private sphere only”. Women’s participation in Irish society had been severely curtailed up to this time, in the main by a deeply sexist, church-state coalition that culturally and legally carved out a post-colonial ‘Irishness’ where the ideal for a woman was to be married, a homemaker and largely silent (Fitzsimons and Kennedy, 2021)
Female subjectivity and agency in cultural time: a politicised space where women can florish.
No full textThis thesis considers the significance of agency for women, specifically for those who have been intersectionally disadvantaged. The research is positioned within a feminist poststructural framework, with a particular focus on language and how meanings construct individuals in ways that are socially and culturally specific. A QQI level three module, called Intercultural Awareness, was utilised for context where a politicised analysis was carried out on the level of understanding of the culturally constructed discourses that are shaping the subjectivities of the women within this group.
Using a critical qualitative approach to research, seven participants took part in semi-structured, one-to-one interviews along with a focus group. This small study has no claims to universal generalisations, instead the findings critique whether the women within this specific group consider themselves to having more choice and agency in recent years. What the research reveals is that freedom and choice are predominantly illusory. In this era of neoliberal understanding, the individual is constructed into a capitalist subject by their dependency to the market-defined model of the self. Hence, a significant site of political struggle that warrants consideration is the mind, where power and control are not only exercised in the market, but in a hidden and insidious way by controlling the means of consciousness. The poststructural framework does not claim to an understanding of the world in all its complexities, but what it does offer is an altered epistemological stance which disrupts the gender status quo to some extent and allows for an exploration into the possibility of a different kind of agency
Cui Bono?
No full textThe central idea of this research was to consider how a Freirean approach might be applied in the context of digitised learning environments in a way that encourages educators to adopt a critical approach toward the positioning of technology in contemporary classrooms. It is my assertion that privacy violations constitute a serious risk as adult education institutions become increasingly technologically focused. Digital pedagogy, as an evolving academic discipline must present solutions that enable enhanced technology-mediated teaching and learning while ensuring digital privacy for both educators and learners.
The proper implementation of technology is dependent on user confidence. If technology is perceived as some sort of secretive monitoring or surveillance tool, the academic community may never fully accept it. By promoting awareness and developing proficiency in digital privacy skills we can have the best of both worlds
Curiosity-Driven, Inquiry-Based Science Projects Bridge Face-to-Face and Online Learning Formats During COVID-19: A Teachers
No full textThe mass closure of schools as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic paralyzed many children’s education. Teachers across the globe did their best to engage students
and help support their learning through online educational formats. However, teachers and parents indicated that students' struggled with these approaches. This
study aims to build on successes some science teachers had using curiosity as a starting point in inquiry-based science projects that bridged face-to-face and online
learning formats. This year-long qualitative, participatory action research study brings together fourteen teachers (seven elementary and seven secondary) and four university faculty using an online community of inquiry framework. This work is in its early stages. Through two cycles of planning, implementation and reflection, the community of inquiry will ultimately develop a model for best practices and resources that respond to the educational challenges faced during the pandemic and help prepare teachers for future crises. These materials will be shared with other teachers as open education resources, that are freely accessible, digital, re-mixable and revisable. This work will also contribute to theory regarding best practices for curiosity-driven, inquiry-based science education in blended learning spaces
Marx on the Reciprocal Interconnections between the Soil and the Human Body: Ireland and Its Colonialised Metabolic Rifts
No full textMarx’s writings on Ireland are widely known, but less appreciated is theircentrality to the formation of his ecological thought. We show how Marx’s understand-ing of metabolic rift evolved in line with his writings on colonial Ireland, revealing a con-cept more holistic than the“classic”metabolic rift of the soil. We recover and extendthis concept to thecorporealmetabolic rift, showing how both are inherent in Marx’svarious writings on Ireland. Whilst the rift of the soil concerns the extraction and con-sumption of organic soil constituents, the corporeal rift describes processes of depopula-tion, and their effects on demography and family formation. These“rifted”processesare interconnected such that depleted soil impacts on the health of those who consumefood grown on those“rifted”soils. We argue that the presence of these rifts substanti-ates Ireland’s inability to sustain itself both economically and organically, which deter-mined its persistent post-Famine underdevelopment
Comparative genomic study of the Penicillium genus elucidates a diverse pangenome and 15 lateral gene transfer events
No full textThe Penicillia are known to produce a wide range natural products—some with devastating outcome for the agricultural industry and others with unexploited potential in different applications. However, a large-scale overview of
the biosynthetic potential of different species has been lacking. In this study, we sequenced 93 Penicillium isolates
and, together with eleven published genomes that hold similar assembly characteristics, we established a species
phylogeny as well as defining a Penicillium pangenome. A total of 5612 genes were shared between≥98 isolates corresponding to approximately half of the average number of genes a Penicillium genome holds. We further identified
15 lateral gene transfer events that have occurred in this collection of Penicillium isolates, which might have played
an important role, such as niche adaption, in the evolution of these fungi. The comprehensive characterization of the
genomic diversity in the Penicillium genus supersedes single-reference genomes, which do not necessarily capture
the entire genetic variation
Recombinant production, characterization and industrial application testing of a novel acidic exo/endo-chitinase from Rasamsonia emersonii
No full textAn acid-active exo/endo-chitinase; comprising a GH18 catalytic domain and substrate insertion domain; originating from
the thermophilic flamentous fungus Rasamsonia emersonii, was expressed in Pichia pastoris. In silico analysis including
phylogenetic analysis, and recombinant production, purifcation, biochemical characterisation, and industrial application testing, was carried out. The expressed protein was identifed by SDS-PAGE as a smear from 56.3 to 125.1 kDa, which sharpens
into bands at 46.0 kDa, 48.4 kDa and a smear above 60 kDa when treated with PNGase F. The acid-active chitinase was
primarily a chitobiosidase but displayed some endo-chitinase and acetyl-glucosamidase activity. The enzyme was optimally
active at 50 °C, and markedly low pH of 2.8. As far as the authors are aware, this is the lowest pH optima reported for any
fungal chitinase. The acid-active chitinase likely plays a role in chitin degradation for cell uptake in its native environment,
perhaps in conjunction with a chitin deacetylase. Comparative studies with other R. emersonii chitinases indicate that they
may play a synergistic role in this. The acid-active chitinase displayed some efcacy against non-treated substrates; fungal
chitin and chitin from shrimp. Thus, it may be suited to industrial chitin hydrolysis reactions for extraction of glucosamine
and chitobiose at low pH
Countering racial discrimination in algorithmic lending: A case for model-agnostic interpretation methods
No full textIn respect to racial discrimination in lending, we introduce global Shapley value and Shapley–Lorenz
explainable AI methods to attain algorithmic justice. Using 157,269 loan applications during 2017 in
New York, we confirm that these methods, consistent with the parameters of a logistic regression
model, reveal prima facie evidence of racial discrimination. We show, critically, that these explainable
AI methods can enable a financial institution to select an opaque creditworthiness model which blends
out-of-sample performance with ethical considerations
Sharing Stories at Maynooth University Library
No full textA recent addition to the foyer of Maynooth
University Library has caught the attention
of staff, students, libraries, and the media.
Elaine Bean, Senior Library Assistant at
Maynooth University provides an insight
into the success of Maynooth University
Library’s Short Story Dispenser
Empirical research and available data on assistive technology for persons with disabilities in Malawi: A review
No full textEmpirical research and data are necessary for policy, planning and provision of services for persons with
disabilities. Research data may be available but still not used by researchers and policy makers. The aim of
this study is to explore existing empirical research and sources of data on Assistive Technology (AT) in
Malawi in order to facilitate the development of an AT policy and Assistive Product List (APL). A two-stage
process using a scoping review methodology was adopted to identify (1) empirical research on AT in
Malawi and (2) sources of existing data on AT in Malawi. Following a narrative synthesis, 12 heterogenous
studies that reported on the use, availability, sources and knowledge about AT in Malawi were identified.
Identified studies suggest that there is high unmet need for AT and services in Malawi. Five major sources
of data on disability and AT were Identified. Only 2 out of the 12 studies had used existing sources of data.
The high unmet need for AT and services in Malawi have substantial implications for persons with
disabilities. Developing mechanisms that will improve the use of existing data on AT in all countries is
pivotal for the efficient and effective development of AT ecosystems