On-going MPhil / PhD research projects
Patricia Orr
The 17 year follow-up of the Dublin Child Development Study
Kalis Pope
Young people's experiences of crime
Siobhan Keegan
An Ecological Study of the Impact of Early Childhood Educational Experiences at Age Four and Age Seven on Outcomes at Age Sixteen
Mary Kilkenny
Leaving care/homelessness: the continued exclusion of those most vulnerable
Cathy Kelleher
Minority Stress and Health: Implications for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Young People
Jan Pettersen
ICT in the early years - a study into the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in Irish pre-school settings
Sylvia Hoare
Reintegrating Young Adult Ex-Prisoners: The Role and Significance of the Community Context
Tara Lehane
Training to Work in Partnership with Parents in Early Years Services
Amanda Moynihan
Death of the Academic
Jackie Bourke
Not Seen or Heard - Children in the 21st Century Ireland: Has Media Coverage Impacted on Childrens Loss of Freedom to Play Outside
Katherine Collins
Return on Investment and Recognition of Prior Learning in Company and Organisation Training and Development
Rachel Kiersey
Reading the rhetoric: A critical discourse analysis of Irish early childhood education and care policy post ratification of the UNCRC
Siobhan Bradley
Insider Outsider Perspectives on a Rights Based Approach to Policy Making in Early Childhood Care and Education
Bernie O'Donoghue
Documenting a process for developing framework for a rights based approach to the development of Social Policy for Early Childhood Care and Education
Helen Lynch
Indoor and outdoor learning environments for infants under 2: spaces, places and objects within
Maria Lahiff
Reducing Youth Offending: The Role, requirements and Context of Parental Responsibility
Cathrina Murphy
Transferring knowledge and life experience between generations: The potential of community based intergenerational projects.
Darach Murphy
Why do some men talk and others do not?
Siobhan Harkin
Strategic Alliances in Irish Higher Education – A Policy Analysis
Martin Quigley
Policy-Making and Criminal Justice in Ireland: Exploring the drivers of change in the area of prisoner reintegration
Kalis Pope, PhD candidate
An Investigation into the Experiences of Victimisation among Irish Youth
Supervisor: Dr. Kevin Lalor
Background
This project aims to investigate the experiences of victimisation among Irish youth. It is the first empirical investigation into youth victimisation in Ireland and is one of three research projects that were established under the Youth Crime Research Project: Young People's Experiences of Crime at DIT. The study of victims, or victimology, is still a relatively new discipline. Victimology emerged from the seminal works of Hans von Hentig and Benjamin Mendelsohn during the 1940s and 1950s. Though some theorists have proposed expanding victimology to incorporate the study of victims of, for example, discrimination or environmental disasters, the study of victims of crime remains the primary focus of victimology. Victim surveys are of particular interest to this study and were first introduced to the field approximately forty years ago. These surveys have helped to illuminate the 'dark figure' of crime through ascertaining individual's experiences of victimisation, while simultaneously collecting pertinent information regarding their own level of criminality and faith in the criminal justice system. A common failure among the majority of victim surveys, however, is that they do not investigate the experiences of young people. This project seeks to address this deficiency and other areas that have been neglected in previous research.
The primary objectives of this project are:
1) To analyse both the nature and extent of youth victimisation, through carrying out a victim survey
2) To investigate correlations between victimisation risk factors and deviant behaviour, as well as associations between victims and offenders
3) To explore the roles parenting and routine activities/lifestyle choices play in determining risks of youth victimisation
Project Outcome
Recent British research has shown that young people are six times more likely than adults to have property stolen, three times more likely to have their property vandalised and one and a half times as likely to be the victims of violence. The need for more research on youth victimisation is clear. This research will be instrumental in the future development of a nationwide self-report survey of youth experiences of crime in Ireland. It will also facilitate the implementation of intervention/victim support programmes designed specifically for young people.
Contact:
Tel.: 01-402-3472
Fax: 01-402-3499
E-Mail: kalis.pope@dit.ie
Patricia Orr, M. Phil. candidate
The 17 year Follow-up of the Dublin Child Development Study
Supervisor: Dr. Dorit W. Deering
The Dublin Child Development Study, the first and only substantial Irish longitudinal investigation of children’s adaptive functioning, began in 1986 as a joint collaboration between Trinity College, Harvard University and the Dublin Institute of Technology. To date, seven data-collection stages have been completed , the last being in 1996 when the participants were 10 years old.
Primary objectives
To establish the developmental status and competence of 17 year old Dublin adolescents (n=96 mother/infant dyads) from a predominantly lower socio-economic background.
To examine whether early child competence predicts developmental status and adaptive functioning at 17 years of age.
To establish whether antecedent and/or concurrent socio-contextual factors moderate the predicted link between early and later competence.
Implications of the project
The findings will facilitate the identification of opportunities for early intervention and prevention which will guide future policy and service provision.
Contact:
Email: patricia.orr@dit.ie
Siobhan Keegan, PhD candidate
An Ecological Study of the Impact of Early Childhood Educational Experiences at Age Four and Age Seven on Outcomes at Age Sixteen
Supervisor: Dr. N Hayes
Advisory Supervisor: Professor Francis Douglas
Background
This study focuses on a longitudinal sample of Irish children at four, seven and sixteen-years of age. The sample was drawn from the larger IEA Preprimary Project database , which consisted of children in designated disadvantaged (DD) and non-designated disadvantaged (NDD) preschools and schools from across the country. The study aimed to identify and analyse the factors in an early educational setting that have an impact on children’s development as measured at age 7 and age 16, while taking into account the dynamic effect of their ecological context on developmental outcomes. A longitudinal design was used to ascertain how and why children develop in the contexts of home and school in Ireland. While the tracking of children through the developmental trajectory is not a new research phenomenon, such tracking had not been possible in a large Irish school sample. To date, no other Irish researcher has tracked an extensive school sample from the age of four through to sixteen, thus there is a paucity of research findings on the long-term educational outcomes of attending school in Ireland.
Moreover, the fact that the sample was divided between designated disadvantaged and non-designated disadvantaged schools allowed for inferences to be made about the impact of disadvantage on developmental outcomes. The relative impact of disadvantage on developmental outcomes in an early educational context has already been demonstrated by large scale studies such as the Perry Preschool Project, Abecedarian Project (Campbell et al., 2002). In some cases, life effects have been demonstrated through to the age of forty (Schweinhart, 2005).
The research question is four-pronged: what are the experience factors at age 4 that impact on development at age 7, what is the impact of these factors on developmental outcomes at age 7, what are the experience factors at age 4 and age 7 that impact on developmental outcomes at age 16 and what is the impact of these factors on developmental outcomes at the age of 16? Developmental outcomes at age 16 were classified along the lines of academic achievement, school-connectedness and adolescent resilience. The inclusion of a measure of academic achievement was designed to maintain a continuation of the language and cognitive developmental outcome variables that were obtained at ages 4 and 7. A measure of resilience should be considered as a way of incorporating the dynamic aspect of adolescent development into a quantitative study of educational development. The research is due for completion in mid 2007 and may result in some related research publications.
CONTACT DETAILS
Tel: 01-402 4268
Fax: 01-402 4263
Email: siobhan.keegan@dit.ie
Mary Kilkenny, Dip. App. Soc. Stud., B.A. M.A.
Leaving Care and Homelessness: The Continued Exclusion of those most Vulnerable
Supervisor: Dr. Mairead Seymour
There are a number of structural inequalities that exclude homeless young people from full participation in society. Among these inequalities are an inadequate supply of social, supported or transitional housing, an inaccessible private rental sector, an inadequate supply of and/or continuing access to drug and alcohol treatment programmes. These issues are compounded for young people leaving care by a combination of scarce aftercare facilities, limited family and/or community support.
Previous research in the Republic of Ireland (Kelleher et al., 2000) suggests that young people leaving state care are at high risk of experiencing homelessness, committing crime and being imprisoned. Research findings highlight that one-third of young people leaving health board care and over half of those released from detention schools experienced homelessness or periods in a detention centre during the six months after leaving the institution (Kelleher et al., 2000:12)
This study focuses on the relationship between leaving care, homelessness, crime and imprisonment. The proposed topics for inclusion in the study include
Pathways to care and risk of homelessness
The experience of care
Aftercare and the transition to the community
Homeless Profile
Crime and homelessness
Imprisonment and homelessness
The study adopts a qualitative research methodology and intends to undertake in-depth interviews with young people with a history of care between the ages of 18-21 year olds in Dublin.
Cathy Kelleher, PhD candidate
Minority Stress and Health: Implications for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Young People
Supervisor: Dr Katie Baird
Background
The incidence of suicide and parasuicide in Ireland has risen dramatically, particularly among young males (East Cavan Project, 2002; National Suicide Review Group, 2000). Although a number of socio-cultural factors have been linked to this phenomenon (Kelleher, 1998), the issue of sexuality has not yet been investigated as a mediating factor. Over the last ten years, however, international research has paid considerable attention to mental health issues among people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered (GLBT) (e.g. Remefedi, 1994; 2002). The construct of minority stress has been used to understand the complex relationship between sexual orientation and mental health (Brooks, 1981; Meyer, 1995). Minority stress refers to the stigma, prejudice and discrimination that persons of non-heterosexual orientation experience living in a heterosexist society.
Objectives:
This study aims to explore minority stress processes for young people who are GLBT in Ireland. It will seek to clarify the relationship between mental health and sexual orientation and to reveal resiliency factors that mediate against ill health. Specifically the project will investigate the following:
To what extent is sexual orientation linked to depression, suicide and parasuicide in Ireland?
How is minority stress experienced by GLBT community in Ireland?
Where are heterosexism and minority stress most felt?
What resiliency factors can be identified?
Methodology:
A mixed methodological approach will be used.
The Workplace Heterosexist Experiences Questionnaire (WHEQ) (Waldo, 1999) will be adapted (with the author's permission). This will yield quantitative data about the most common experiences of prejudice and the degree to which heterosexism is encountered by young people in Ireland.
Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with participants recruited through community resources for GLBT individuals. These interviews will focus on the processes involved in the experience of minority stress, as well as ways of coping.
A participatory research strategy, Photovoice (Wang & Burris, 1996), will be used to allow participants to visually identify and represent the conditions of their lives. Photovoice will also allow the reader/observer/policy maker to perceive life through the eyes of the informer.
The study has considerable health implications for young Irish people who are GLBT and for the professionals and policy makers charged with responding to the crisis that currently exists.
References:
Brooks, V. R. (1981). Minority stress and lesbian women. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
Kelleher, M. (1998). Youth suicide trends in the Republic of Ireland. British Journal of Psychiatry, 173, 196-197.
Meyer, I. H. (1995). Minority stress and mental health in gay men. Journal of Health and Social Behaviour, 7, 9-25.
National Suicide Review Group (2000). Annual report. Dublin: National Suicide Review Group.
Remafedi, G. (1994). Death by Denial: Studies of Suicide in Gay and Lesbian Teenagers, Boston: Alyson Publications Inc.
Remafedi, G. (2002). Suicidality in a venue-based sample of young men who have sex with men. Journal of Adolescent Health, 31(4): 305-10.
The East Cavan Project (2002). A North Eastern Health Board/Community Initiative in Suicide Prevention among Young Men, Cavan: North Eastern Health Board.
Waldo, C. R. (1999). Working in a majority context: A structural model of heterosexism as minority stress in the workplace. Journal of Counselling Psychology, 46, 218-232.
Wang, C & Burris, M.A. (1996). Empowerment through Photovoice: Portraits of Participation. Health Education Quarterly, 21 (2), 171-186.
Contact:
cathy.kelleher@dit.ie
Tel.: 01-4024265
Jan Pettersen, M Phil candidate
ICT in the early years - a study into the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in Irish pre-school settings
Supervisor: Dr. Ann Marie Halpenny
Advisory Supervisor: Ms. Anne Fitzpatrick
Description of the research:
The primary aim of the research project is to study pedagogy and practice in the use of ICT in early years settings.
Secondary aims include the promotion of equality and inclusive practice in the use of ICT, young children's opportunity to learn about and with information and communications technology in Ireland and the support for professional development for staff within the area of ICT
Sample:
The sample will be drawn from private, voluntary and community early childhood services in the greater Dublin area.
Methodology:
A multi-method approach involving observations, observations and in-depth interviews with staff and Children will be used in the study.
Outcomes:
The concept of introducing ICT to young children in a pre-school environment is still relatively new and perhaps because of this, no research has been carried out on the subject of ICT, in its broadest definition, to date in Ireland. From this point of view, the project will stand alone as an important insight into an emerging area within Early Childhood Education (ECE), which is attributed increasing value and validity.
Contact Details:
Email: jan.pettersen@dit.ie
Phone: + 353 1 4024278
Sylvia Hoare, PhD candidate
Reintegrating Young Adult Ex-Prisoners: The Role and Significance of the Community Context
Supervisor: Dr. Mairead Seymour
Backround
Reintegration as it is most commonly referred to in criminological literature describes the process which occurs throughout and/or after a custodial sentence 'to facilitate the offender's return to "normal" community living' (Josi and Sechrest, 1999:54). Previous studies on reintegration have focused only on preparing individuals for release while in custody (Barton and Butts, 1990; Fagan, 1990; Goodstein and Sontheimer, 1997). This study is original because it aims to explore the significance and role of the community when reintegrating young adult ex-prisoners.
The importance of examining the community context of reintegration is highlighted by research suggesting a sizeable proportion of repeat committals to Irish prisons come from a small number of geographical communities (O'Mahony, 1997; NESF, 2002). Furthermore, the significance of the community context is brought to the fore by new provisions introduced under the Children Act, 2001 which will result in young people being placed in custody for shorter periods of time and therefore spending longer periods in the community. It is within this context that the study sets out to examine the impact of the community on re-offending and reintegration amongst young adult offenders.
Principal Objectives
1. To explore the meaning of community from the ex-prisoner's perspective, in order to gain an in-depth understanding of the context for reintegration.
2. To examine the impact of community factors on the successful reintegration of ex-prisoners.
3. To investigate the relationship between supports and/or barriers to reintegration in the community and the likelihood of desistance and persistence with offending.
Methodolgy
The emerging 'convict perspective' (Richards and Ross, 2001), in criminological discourse allows problems to be conceptualised and solutions to be identified from the prisoner's viewpoint and therefore seeks to 'give voice to the men and women who live behind prison walls' (Richard and Jones, 2004:201). Harding highlights the importance of meeting with offenders in their own community, describing how 'as you walk through the wind canyon between the tower blocks of an estate you begin to understand his territory, his perspectives a little better' (2000:140).
A qualitative methodology using semi-structured interviews of young adult male and female ex-prisoners aged between 16 and 21 in their own communities, will enable observations to be made 'in a more natural open-ended way' (Punch, 1998:185). Jorgensen (2003:24) argues that the methodology of observation is appropriate 'when the meanings people use to define and interact with their ordinary environment are central issues'. To this end the structural and physical features of the community will be observed and recorded so as to understand its meaning and significance for those attempting reintegration.
Rationale
At an international level, the reintegration of offenders is widely acknowledged to be one of the most under-researched areas within the study of criminology (Cavender and Knapper, 1992; Josi and Sechrest, 1999; Meisel, 2001).
In Ireland, the dearth of empirical research on Irish criminal justice has been identified as hindering the effective development of the system (Burke et al., 1981, O'Sullivan, 1996, O'Mahony, 2000) and has resulted in policy development in a 'research vacuum' (O'Sullivan, 1996:5). The National Economic and Social Forum highlighted in their 2002 Reintegration of Prisoners report, the urgent need for research to inform reintegration policy and practice in the Republic of Ireland in order to more effectively meet the needs of prisoners on their release from custody.
This study will address the identified gap. Firstly it will provide a detailed account of the profile of young adult ex-prisoners and the communities to which they return. Secondly, it will provide an in-depth analysis of the facilitators and that which impedes successful reintegration from the prisoner's perspective. Essentially, it will make a scholarly contribution to this otherwise neglected area of criminological discourse.
Contact details
Email: sylviaehoare@eircom.net
Tara Lehane, MPhil candidate
Training to work in partnership with parents in early years services
Supervisor: Anne Fitzpatrick
Context
International research has consistently found that good parent-staff relationships in early years services benefit children, parents and staff. For successful partnership, practitioners need professional training. The training of early years practitioners is a growing area in Ireland with a rapid increase in training at levels 5 through to 8.
Aims
The aim of this study is to investigate partnership with parents in early childhood services in Ireland from a training perspective. The project will investigate current Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) training provision through course content and the readiness of graduates to cope with the challenges of successful parental involvement. An attempt will be made to identify aspects of best practice through examination of international research and practice as well as a survey of the views of parents.
Sample
The sample of educational institutions will be across Ireland with some investigation into international training models.
Methodology
Investigation into training will be through surveys and interviews of course providers and graduating students. The views of parents will be explored through focus groups.
Results
The study aims to produce baseline data on a) types and levels of training for working with parents offered in Irish early education training programmes, b) graduate readiness and c) parental experience of partnership. It is hoped that through these investigations an overview of models of best practice and recommendations for future training programmes will be produced.
Contacts:
tara.lehane@student.dit.ie
Tel: 402 3472
Amanda Moynihan, PhD candidate
Death of The Academic: Institutional type and the impact of changes in Higher Education on the Irish Faculty
Supervisor: Professor Ellen Hazelkorn
Whether or not institutional type is a significant factor in the impact of changes in Higher Education on the
Irish faculty is the main question addressed in this research. The Irish academic profession is thought to be
experiencing similar changing conditions as those being reported across Europe. The dominant discourse includes increased accountability, increased workload, more pressure to be research active, increased managerial control over teaching and research, less scope for collegial participation in governance and a decline in faculty morale. The changes in conditions have been attributed to massification, diversification, globalisation and to wider socio-cultural trends characteristic of postmodernism whereby faculty function within performative systems of accountability in an environment characterised by a ‘plurality and multi-vocality’ that is not comparable, not measurable by the same yardstick and resists consensus or the imposition of an elaborate pattern.
This research is being conducted in the context of the Strategic Review of Irish Higher Education and the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes which are both examining the conditions of academic employment, and the need to increase productivity and assess performance in response to calls for more accountability and transparency. To date, there has been an absence of reliable, independent information on the Irish academic profession. While the changes in higher education continue to accelerate, the lack of information about their impact on the Irish faculty and the influence of institutional type on that impact indicate a gap in strategic planning which this study aims to fill.
Contact:
amanda_moynihan@hotmail.com
Jackie Bourke, PhD candidate
Shrinking worlds – how do children perceive their independent spatial mobility in an urban context?
Supervisors: Professor Nóirín Hayes and Dr. Brian O’Neill
The aim of this study is to explore how children living in an urban area perceive their independent spatial mobility. While there is considerable research on children and the loss of independent spatial mobility, there is a lack of literature on how children themselves perceive their independent spatial mobility. The lack of information on how children see their play freedoms has restricted understandings of ‘the complexity of children’s mobility’ and therefore limited possibilities of addressing the issue of the loss of freedom (Mikkelsen and Christensen 2009: 58). This study seeks to address that gap in our knowledge and to shed some light on how children living in a contemporary, recently regenerated urban area perceive their independent spatial mobility in order to make recommendations on how future urban development might more effectively meet the needs of children.
Contact:
Kate Collins, PhD candidate
Return on Investment and Recognition of Prior Learning in Company and Organisation Training and Development
Supervisor: Dr Anne Murphy
The primary research question for this study is: Is there a return on investment for companies and organisation that
use RPL in training programmes? The study will focus on companies and organisations organisations that incorporate
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in some (or all) training programmes. Investigation will have to include those
responsible for training, those undergoing training, specific company case studies, relevant company documentation,
and extant and ongoing studies in RPL. This question rests on a backdrop of lifelong learning, labour market skills
needs and the skills’ agenda, and workforce development. Investigations of training effectiveness and return on training
investment are not new, but the specific focus on recognition of prior learning has not yet been addressed. There are
already incidences of the use of the concept of RPL, especially in adult education and continuing professional education at third level to provide greater access to education for those who may not possess the formal course entry requirements. However, there may be the potential for RPL at industry level, where some work has already begun in industry/company specific training programmes. This opens the way for training providers, evaluators, mentors, whether they are in-house, or from outside such third-level institutions or private providers.
Contact:
Tel: 01-4024268
Email: katherine.collins@student.dit.ie
Rachel Kiersey, PhD Candidate
Reading the Rhetoric: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Irish Early Childhood Education & Care Policy post ratification of the UNCRC (Working Title)
Supervisors: Professor Nóirín Hayes & Dr Brian O’Neill
This PhD research project is a strand of a wider IRCHSS funded project on Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in Ireland: Early Childhood Education & Care in Ireland: Towards a Rights Based Policy Approach, which aims to respond to the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) research need in the Irish context and contribute to the knowledge base of a rights-based approach to ECEC policy making, knowledge and practice.
This research strand is concerned with investigating the language of ECEC policy texts through a critical discourse analysis (CDA) methodology to explore how language figures ‘as an element in social processes’ (Fairclough, 2001, p. 229) in early childhood education and care policy in Ireland .
Consequently this study uses a children’s rights lens to examine how language is used in Irish ECEC policy texts . The aim of the research design then, is to find ‘ways into texts’ (Pennycook, 2008) through a critical discourse analysis, with considerable emphasis on linguistic textual analysis, in order to locate Irish ECEC policy, particularly its approach to ‘rights’, in terms of language and ideology.
References
Fairclough, N. (2001). 'The discourse of New Labour: Critical discourse analysis' In Wetherell, M., Taylor, S. & Yates, S. J. (Eds.), Discourse as Data: a guide for analysis (pp. 229 -266 ). London : Sage.
Pennycook, A. (2008). 'Ways into Texts'. [online]. Retrieved 14th August, 2008, from http://www.education.uts.edu.au/ostaff/staff/publications/Ways_into_texts_final.pdf
Contact:
Siobhan Bradley, PhD candidate
Insiders & Outsiders: The Politics of Policy Making in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) – Exploring Rights Based Perspectives
Supervisor: Dr. Annmarie Halpenny
In considering the design of a rights-based policy approach, this thesis aims to consider the social and cultural influences on early childhood policy formation as well as the consultation mechanisms and policy making structures and processes which influence policy formation. Analysis of policy making structures is particularly pertinent in the area of ECEC policy, given the myriad stakeholders and the area’s importance across multiple policy domains, including economic, employment, education, family and child policy. Informed by political and policy modelling, this research hierarchically maps key actors ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ the Irish policy making process and seeks to gather important empirical data on how those involved think about, construct and practice ECEC policy.The research pays particular attention to actor perspectives of children’s rights and their interpretation of rights-based policy development in ECEC.
Contact Details: siobhan.bradley@dit.ie; Tel: (01) 4024175
Bernie O’Donoghue Hynes, PhD candidate
A Rights Based Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care in Ireland (working title)
Supervisor: Professor Noirin Hayes
Project Outline
This research project is one of three strands of the “ECEC Policy in Ireland : Towards a Rights-Based Policy Approach” project funded by IRCHSS and managed by DIT CSER. In this strand of the research, the policy process is reviewed in order to identify critical points of influence or engagement (Press and Skattebol, 2007) that can facilitate the introduction of a more rights based approach to ECEC policy development in Ireland . In an attempt to move past the rhetoric to the realities for children, the policy implementation phase is focused on. Within this field, there is an increasing awareness of the potential influencing policy tool design and selection can have on realising more equitable outcomes for target populations, including children (Peters, 2002; Rathgeb Smith and Ingram, 2002; Salamon, 2002).
This mixed methods research project develops a bricolage that combines a theoretical multi-level policy analysis which looks beyond the stated policy goals to meanings and assumptions within policy design, with a normative review of empirical data on the Community Childcare Subvention Scheme (CCSS) that focuses down to the level of the individual using Policy Design Theory (PDT). The research attempts to provide a broader frame for understanding and explaining policy and informing proposed actions for change (Becker and Bryman, 2004).
Research focusing on policy tool design and selection in the area of ECEC in Ireland has not been undertaken to date so the research aims to explain the pattern behind ECEC tool selection in Ireland and provide recommendations on how a shift in policy tool design in Ireland could result in a more rights based approach to ECEC service delivery in Ireland .
Contacts:
Bernie.odonoghue@dit.ie
Room 323, DIT 40-45 Mountjoy Square Dublin 1.
Helen Lynch, PhD candidate
Indoor and outdoor learning environments for infants under 2: spaces, places and objects within
Supervisor: Professor Noirin Hayes
Outline of project
The aim of this study is to identify and describe the interactions of children under two within the home environments in order to increase our understanding of learning and development in the home. The emphasis is on the physical environments indoors and out.
Research questions
1. What is the developmental sequence of the child in relation to his/her interaction with the physical environment in the home
2. What are the attributes/affordances of the physical environments that match/support this developmental progression
3. What are the environmental and curriculum implications for provision of child care in typical home environments?
Research design
To carry out a sequential analysis over time of the child in the natural home environment, engaging in typical play sessions with usual objects (indoors and outdoors). A qualitative ethnographic approach, using grounded theory to produce substantive descriptions is to be used.
Contact details: h.lynch@ucc.ie
Maria Lahiff, PhD Candidate
Reducing Youth Offending: The role and context of parental responsibility
Supervisor: Dr. Mairéad Seymour
Background to Study
Rhetoric, discussion and debate of the juvenile justice system has emphasised parental responsibility without equal acknowledgement of the supports required to prevent youth offending or the social context in which it occurs .
Irish parents are increasingly being held responsible for their children’s offending and anti-social behaviour. Recent court orders have been introduced via the Children Act 2001 that hold parents directly accountable for their children’s actions. On the one hand these laws have been welcomed for being tough on the causes of crime, while on the other they have been criticised for being inflexible and for providing little consideration for the context and supports needed by families to prevent their young people from offending (Goldson & Jamieson 2002; Arthur 2005). A noteworthy gap in the literature relates to the absence of the parents’ perspectives on the supports that they require to become more effective in assisting their children not to offend.
Aims and Objectives of this Study
The aim of this study is to provide a narrative from parents of young offenders in an effort to gain a rich, qualitative insight into what their life is like and what supports they identify as being necessary in order for youth offending to be reduced in their family and community.
Through a series of semi-structured interviews and qualitative analysis of the results it is envisaged that this research will provide a rich and nuanced account from the central actors involved in the issue of tackling anti-social and delinquent behaviour.
Contact details
Tel: 01 4024268
Email: lahiff.maria@gmail.com
Address:
DIT, Room 323, 40-45 Mountjoy Square, Dublin 1.
Cathrina Murphy, MPhil Candidate
"Transferring knowledge and life experience between generations: The potential of community based intergenerational projects."
Supervisor: Dr. Carmel Gallagher
Advisory Supervisor: Dr. Ricca Edmondson
This research project is funded by an Age and Opportunity / DIT scholarship.
Description
The project will investigate the potential of intergenerational projects to transfer knowledge, life experiences and wisdom between older people and younger people in non-family communal settings.
Aim
The aim of the study is to develop an understanding of collective learning that occurs through intergenerational projects. The study will seek to develop policy and practice in social pedagogical models of reciprocal learning between older and younger people in social and institutional settings. Working in partnership with Age & Opportunity and youth organisations the research will help to explore how the potential of intergenerational learning can be developed further to enrich the lives of both young and old people.
Sample
A sample of intergenerational projects will be selected and a study undertaken of the experiences of participants, both young and old.
Methodology
A multi-method research design will be used involving survey, interviews, focus groups and ethnography, at different stages of the study.
Outcomes
A key outcome will be the establishment of criteria and guidelines for implementing, evaluating and sustaining intergenerational projects.
Contact Details
cathrina.murphy@student.dit.ie
Darach Murphy, PhD candidate
Why do some men talk and others do not?
Supervisor: Dr Rosaleen McElvaney
Background
At least in English speaking societies, a common perception prevails that when it comes to health, and psychological health in particular, men don’t talk’. This ‘not talking’ behaviour is thought to result in poor health care practices which impacts negatively on the health of individual males, their families as well as the communities and societies in which they reside.
Objectives
This study aims to explore the perception that men ‘don’t talk’. A systematic review of the literature will be conducted in order to examine the evidence surrounding men and their ability or non-ability to discuss, reveal and disclose their thoughts and feelings concerning their health. Both Qualitative and Quantitative research will be included in this Literature Review with particular emphasis directed at illuminating underlying assumptions in research. Subsequently individual men and Men’s Groups will be invited to take part in this research in the hope of contributing to our understanding of men and communication practices they employ regarding their health.
Methodology
An Inclusive Research paradigm, consistent with Dublin Institute of Technology’s ‘Students Learning With Communities’ initiative will be used. This overarching approach will endeavour to include participating men in all aspects of the research project. Thus a Grounded Theory methodology will be employed which will allow research design and implementation to emerge following consultation and collaboration with participants. Participants will be partners in this project and will be stakeholders in the resulting thesis and any enterprises that flow from it. Thus this endeavour must be accessible to them. To do so, a website featuring text, video, and audio components will accompany this project.
Contact
darach.murphy@mydit.ie
Tel.: 01-4024265
Siobhan Harkin
Title: Strategic Alliances in Irish Higher Education – A Policy Analysis
This research analyses strategic inter-institutional cooperation amongst Irish higher education institutes (HEIs), in the context of government policies and programmes.
Collaboration has been a feature of funded activity amongst HEIs since the inception particularly of the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions and the Strategic Innovation Fund, whereby collaborative initiatives were incentivised. More recently, strategic alliances have developed between HEIs, including proposed mergers and clustering of institutes in response to the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 (Hunt Report).
The thesis has two objectives: firstly to provide a detailed analysis of HEI alliance formation over the duration of the project and secondly to examine and contribute to public policy development on structuring Irish Higher Education.
To achieve the first objective, a comprehensive map of inter-institutional cooperation amongst Irish HEIs will be carried out to establish a baseline. In order to do so, an overview and understanding of terminology is required. An array of terms is currently in use in Ireland to describe HEI cooperation, such as “strategic alliance”, “alliance”, “cluster”, “consortium”, “network”, and “partnership”. Since the publication of the Hunt Report, we can add “amalgamation” and “merger” to this list. The basis for the use of a particular term to describe an inter-institutional cooperation is not clear and terms appear to be used interchangeably. One aim therefore, of this research, is to develop a clear map of the different types of arrangements that exist in an Irish context and define inter-institutional arrangements, drawing from international experience.
To achieve the second objective, the relationships between institutional decisions towards alliances, clusters and mergers and public policy development will be conceptualised in light of public policy theories. Policy development will be tracked in real-time, using multiple methods of data collection including observation of the policy development process, the use of institutional documentation, in-depth interviews and.
By analysing specific policy development and implementation in relation to mergers and clustering in Irish HE, focus will be on the roles of various actors in the HE system (government, agencies, individual institutions, and their representative bodies), and their interactions. The formation of strategic alliances amongst Irish HEIs will be analysed within the frames of regional development, the knowledge economy and the rationalisation of the public service. The in-depth analysis of policy development will help answer the question "how did Irish Government policies and programmes towards mergers, clusters and alliances develop and what was the response of the Higher Education system?”
Contact
sharkin@wit.ie
Martin Quigley, PhD Candidate
Policy-Making and Criminal Justice in Ireland: Exploring the drivers of change in the area of prisoner reintegration.
Supervisor: Dr. Mary Rogan
Advisory Supervisor: Dr. Kevin Lalor
Background:
In Ireland, little is known about criminal justice policy formation. This research will examine the policy process and the factors impacting upon the creation of policy in the area of prisoner reintegration.
Specifically, the project will examine the process behind the enactment of section 26 of the Criminal Justice Act (2007) and section 26A of the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act (2009). This will be done in order to discover the reasons and rationale behind their introduction and to appraise the policy process by which they came to be made. This analysis will act as a case study by which contemporary Irish criminal justice policy formation will be assessed, providing insights on the process and the influences of particular individuals, groups or ideas. Further, by studying two separate ministerial epochs the study shall have the opportunity to compare how differing political styles, as well as differing social contexts can influence the policy making process.
Research Aims:
This project aims to uncover, analyze and describe the drivers of change behind prisoner re-integration policy and indeed, criminal justice legislation more generally. This shall be done through answering the following research questions;
1. What were the processes leading to the enactment of section 26 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007, and S.26A of the
Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009, which introduced new forms of monitoring and restraints on those released from
imprisonment?
2. What and who were the main influences on these processes?
3. Did the policy process involve consideration of empirical evidence/research on the effectiveness of the new legislation?
4. Were the policy actors influenced by international experience, legislation or policies from abroad?
e-mail: martin.quigley1@mydit.ie
