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This study analysis the provision of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) in Wolaita Zone, southern Ethiopia. To achieve this objective, the researchers used a mixed methods research design followed by Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory as a conceptual framework. Parents, preschool teachers, and education experts were chosen using systematic and purposeful sampling. Data were collected through interviews, focus group discussion, a standardised observational checklist, and secondary documents. The study demonstrates that the educational backgrounds and qualifications of ECCE teachers and leaders, physical settings, curricular initiatives, and teaching materials are far below national standards. The findings further suggest that ECCE in Wolaita Zone is neither child-friendly nor child-centred and ECCE fails to satisfy minimum health, safety, and educational standards. The paper recommends that, if true educational equity is to be foregrounded, then official Ethiopian ECCE guidelines and frameworks for ECCE should be cascaded to ECCE schools across the nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to reveal the lived experience of toxic leadership for a cohort of 11 individuals who work, or have worked, in the field of higher education in Ireland. Drawing on national and international literature, as well as the testimonies of a cohort of academic and administrative staff, the study considers the impact of this negative management style on these individuals as well as upon the organisation itself. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 11 self-selected individuals (four males and seven females) were interviewed for this pilot study. Data from the semi-structured interviews were organised thematically and analysed with the support of the computer software package MAXQDA®. Findings: The results show that the experience of toxic leadership was profound for the interviewees across a number of contexts. They reported adverse physical and psychological impacts as well as detailing the repercussions for their respective career trajectories as they endeavoured to safely navigate their often-hostile work environment. Human resources departments within their respective institutions were the focus of considerable criticism by the interviewees who highlighted, what they saw as, the inherent contradiction/tension between the perceived roles and responsibilities of such departments in addressing or resolving interpersonal work-related disputes. Originality/value: The findings expand on the extant scholarly literature on toxic leadership in higher education and, for the first time, offer a revealing insight on this phenomenon within the Irish context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of a European study investigating the extent to which the Dynamic Approach to School Improvement (DASI) can help schools situated in socially disadvantaged areas to improve their effectiveness. At the beginning of the school year 2015-2016, a sample of 72 primary schools in four European countries (Cyprus, England, Greece and Ireland) was randomly allocated into the experimental and control groups. A questionnaire measuring the functioning of school factors related with the school learning environment, school policy for teaching and school evaluation was administered to all teachers of the school sample (n = 762). A battery of mathematics tests and a questionnaire measuring students' socioeconomic status (SES) were administered to all students of grades 4-6 of the school sample (n = 5560). The experimental group made use of DASI to develop improvement strategies and action plans. Feedback was provided to the control group regarding their students' achievement and the functioning of school factors in their school. Ιn each country, DASI had an effect on promoting student learning outcomes. For the control group of each country, the total effect of SES on student achievement at the end of the intervention was bigger than the effect of SES at the beginning of the intervention. No increase in the effect of SES was identified in the schools of the experimental group. Implications of findings for establishing a theory-driven and evidence-based approach to improve the quality and the equity dimensions of school effectiveness are discussed and suggestions for future studies are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to a variety of complex historical and socio-cultural factors, the Irish education system remains heavily influenced by denominational mores and values [Ferriter, D. 2012.Occasions of Sin: Sex & Society in Modern Ireland. London: Profile Books], particularly those of the Roman Catholic Church [O’Toole, B. 2015. “1831–2014: An Opportunity to Get it Right This Time? Some Thoughts on the Current Debate on Patronage and Religious Education in Irish Primary in Primary Schools: Reflections from the Republic of Ireland.”Irish Educational Studies34 (1): 89–102. doi:10.1080/03323315.2015.1010704; Faas, D., M. Darmody, and B. Sokolowska. 2016. “Religious Diversity in Primary Schools: Reflections from the Republic of Ireland.”British Journal of Religious Education38 (1): 83–98]. Unsurprisingly, with the declaration by the Church that homosexuality was ‘intrinsically disordered’ [Libreria Edittrice Vaticana. 2003. “Roman Catholic Catechism.” Accessed January 18 2013.http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a6.htm], the professional identity and practice of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) teachers working in denominational schools is often (in)formed by fear, as well as perceived, or actual, harassment and discrimination [Gowran, S. 2004. “The Experiences of Gay and Lesbian Teachers in Irish Schools.” InPrimary Voices, edited by J. Deegan, D. Devine, and A. Lodge, 37–56. Dublin: IPA; Fahie, D. 2016. “‘Spectacularly Exposed and Vulnerable’ – How Irish Equality Legislation Subverted the Personal and Professional Security of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Teachers.”Sexualities]. This paper examines the lived-experience of 23 self-identified LGB teachers who work(ed) in Irish Roman Catholic primary schools. Their unique experiences and perspectives of faith-based schooling are examined against a backdrop of the complex processes of rationalisation and reflexivity these teachers undertake as they endeavour to reconcile their sense of personal integrity – as members of the LGB community – with their professional responsibilities. The study draws particular attention to those LGB teachers who hold deeply felt, and sincere, beliefs in the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church but who, nonetheless, express a level of discomfort at the language and tone of church dogma in respect of minority sexualities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

International studies have consistently highlighted the challenges experienced by lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) teachers from around the world as they negotiate their personal and professional identities within the context of an often hostile work environment, In Ireland, the education system remains heavily influenced by denominational mores, particularly those of the Roman Catholic Church. Unsurprisingly, with the declaration by the Roman Catholic Church that homosexuality was ‘intrinsically disordered’ (Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church, Libreria Edittrice Vaticana, 2003), LGB teachers’ professional identity is often (in)formed by fear as well as perceived, or actual, harassment, bullying and overt discrimination. This study represents the first in-depth examination of the apparent contradiction between EU law (Employment Equality Directive 2000/78/EC – European Union, 2000) and the derogation afforded organizations with denominational ethos in Irish equality legislation which explicitly permitted discrimination in order to protect that ethos from being ‘undermined’ (Section 37(1), Employment Equality Acts, 1998–2011). Drawing on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 23, LGB Irish primary school teachers, the research reveals the tensions which exist between the competing (and legitimate) rights of faith organizations to protect their values against those of LGB workers ‘to working conditions which respect his or her health, safety and dignity’ (Article 31, EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, 2000). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a comprehensive examination of the ‘lived experience’ of workplace bullying in primary schools in Ireland. Underpinned by the qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with a class teacher, a chairperson of a Board of Management and a school principal – all of whom who believe themselves to have been targets of workplace bullying in their schools – the paper presents their personal narratives as representative inductive exemplars. Each of these case studies highlight the far-reaching impact of negative workplace interaction for both individuals and the wider school community and, in so doing, provide a voice for a hithertofore silent minority. Through a Foucauldian analysis of the complex exercise of power which is at the heart of all bullying relationships, this study reveals the key role of management and organisational cultures to both the experience and incidence of adult bullying in primary schools, as well as the critical importance of leadership in framing the nature of professional relationships in school organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

While previous research has consistently cited education as a high risk profession for negative workplace relationships, there has been little consideration of the impact of workplace bullying for those involved. This paper seeks to address this lacuna through the analysis of 24, in-depth interviews with self-identified victims of workplace bullying who work, or have worked, in primary schools. The study reveals the profound physical, psychological, social, and economic effects of these toxic behaviors upon the interviewees, along with the resistance strategies they employed to help them cope with their experiences. Through a lens of Foucauldian conceptualisation of power, this study explores the broader implications for school organizational culture, as well as for individual teachers and the pupils they teach. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Complex ethical and methodological issues can sometimes arise when conducting research into sensitive topics. By employing an autobiographic approach to explore the personal dilemmas that arose for the author while undertaking doctoral research on workplace bullying in Irish education, this article highlights potential difficulties and tensions which may arise for researchers (particularly those at the beginning of their careers) when conducting sensitive research. Specific attention is paid to the importance of protecting the researcher from harm, the exiting of the research relationship in an appropriate manner, and the necessity of anticipating potential problems before they become manifest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been increasing attention on teacher ‘quality’ and effectiveness internationally. There is, however, little research documenting experienced teachers' classroom practices and their beliefs on why they teach the way they do. Drawing on a mixed methodological study of practices and beliefs across 12 primary and secondary schools, this paper documents the importance of passion, reflection, planning, love for children and the social and moral dimension to Irish teachers' constructs of good teaching. Contradictions are evident, however, between teacher beliefs and observation of their practice, the latter mediated by the sociocultural context of the school (gender, social class and migrant children), teacher expectations for different types of students and leadership practices within the school. Debates over ‘quality’ teaching need to take account of these broader contextual and sociocultural factors which influence how teachers construct and do teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is increasing awareness of the value of interdisciplinary collaboration within academia. Scholars argue that by drawing upon the conceptual, methodological, and interrogative paradigms of at least two disparate disciplines, researchers are challenged to re-evaluate and reconsider their own discipline-centric assumptions. A consequence of such purposeful boundary-blurring is an increased rigour and richness in the analysis of raw data, as well as the development of revealing insights through the novel application of discrete conceptual perspectives and theories. In such a way, dominant, taken-for-granted methodological and analytical assumptions are destabilised, as researchers are obliged to embrace contrasting perspectives while reassessing the epistemological foundations of their work. This paper focuses on the phenomenon of bystander responses to workplace bullying dynamics. While traditional scholarship into workplace bullying emanates from disciplines such as business, psychology, law, medicine and sociology, for example, this paper argues that philosophy, as a subject/field, may provide the researcher with a fresh interrogative lens through which to (re)view the phenomenon of workplace bullying, along with the consequential response of bystanders to such noxious behaviours. It suggests that, by drawing upon the philosophical concept of virtue ethics—which posits the question "What would a good or virtuous person do?"—we are afforded a robust theoretical framework to support a thoughtful and reasoned destabilization of contemporary perspectives on bystander behaviours and motivations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]