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The Diversity in Science towards Social Inclusion--Non-formal Education in Science for Students' Diversity (DiSSI) project aimed to provide a holistic perspective on diversity, focusing specifically on cultural and ethnic identities, language, socioeconomic background, gender, as well as differing levels of achievement. In particular, the work presented in this paper aims to tackle consciously the issues surrounding teaching and learning in socio-economically deprived areas through non-formal education. This paper presents the results of a pilot study that examined how students participating in non-formal education engage with multi-modal pedagogical approaches designed to address multiple dimensions of diversity via an intersectionality lens. Working with diverse groups requires varied methods; as such, a mixed-method approach was employed in the study to ensure the research team authentically captured and engaged with the lived experiences of the participants. The study aimed to generate best practices that augment the science capital of students, which are applicable across various contexts of diversity. The pedagogical approaches, while not novel in science education literature, were rarely utilised by the teacher and thus were rarely experienced by the students. Participants reported a greater sense of autonomy and ownership of the science through participation in the DiSSI programme. Preliminary results indicate an overall positive experience for students and teachers alike and offer insights into the overall lived experiences of participants, which inform future work.

This paper focuses on two aspects of gender inequality in Irish higher education: inequality in participation by gender and inequality of performance by gender, institution and subject. We use a rich set of data from the Higher Education Authority of Ireland which detail inter alia enrolment in institutions of higher education--Universities and Institutes of Technology--and record the class of degree received by graduating students, by subject and gender. The first aspect was the participation of women. Although more women enrolled as full-time undergraduates in universities than did men, the reverse was the case in the Institutes of Technology. This had much to do with the subject structure of universities vis-à-vis the Institutes of Technology in tandem with the subject preferences of women and men. The second issue was inequality in performance. A major conclusion of this paper is that "after" enrolment there was little difference between the success rates of women and men in receiving first-class degrees in the different subjects but there was considerable difference between the institutions.

This paper unites the history of Computer Science (CS) Education in Ireland by plotting Ireland's roadmap leading to the implementation of formal Computer Science Education in schools. It first outlines the educational system in Ireland. The history roadmap starts in the 1970s with the first notions of introducing computing in post-primary school, and then continues up to the roll-out the CS curriculum in Ireland at the Senior Cycle level in 2018. The story is chiefly available in disparate publications and reports, so piecing together the entire story is often difficult. This paper collates the available literature, together with the authors' local knowledge of the process, into one paper that may be of interest locally and of value to other jurisdictions beginning their planning of national curricula. The paper describes the development and the current situation of the formal curricula in CS at second level. The current landscape of Computing Education at primary level, which at the time of writing is in the planning stages in Ireland, is described. Additionally, an investigation into the introduction of Computing Education in schools in the international jurisdictions that directly influenced the Irish roll-out takes place, to summarize any lessons learned that might provide insights for Ireland going forward.

This is a small-scale qualitative participatory research study conducted in two large primary schools in Ireland with classes for autistic students. The paper reports how a menu of immersive technology learning experiences was thoughtfully designed and employed with autistic children who were communicating through their behavior an aversion to the learning environment and many aspects of conventional learning activities. Through this study, students were enabled to explore and respond to learning through immersive learning environments. The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) infused design of these immersive learning experiences was tailored to remove barriers to learning, thus counteracting the observable disruptive behaviors of the students. The study explores a purposive sample of six participating teachers' perspectives on the affective gains (engagement, motivation, and self-efficacy) achieved through the use of these immersive experiences and their impact on students' use of disruptive behaviors as a means of communication. Semi-structured interviews with teacher participants were analyzed using the theory and a general inductive approach for qualitative data analysis. This paper contributes to the literature on the use of immersive technologies in education and highlights the potential benefits of incorporating these technologies into the classroom.

While the role parents play in supporting young people is well established, support from other caring adults also becomes important during adolescence, particularly when young people are facing problems in their lives. The goal of this paper is to reflect on youth support seeking when facing problems, exploring differences between youth who seek support from parents only and those who seek support from parents and other non-parental adults. This paper outlines the findings of a secondary analysis of data from the third wave of the Growing up in Ireland child cohort at 17/18 years, collected from primary caregivers and youth. From 6126 young people in the national sample, 91.3% answered the selective question about the type of adult support they seek. Of this cohort, 36% of young people seek support from a parent and 48% go to a parent and another adult. Comparing these groups, there are significant differences found in both their individual and contextual characteristics, with better outcomes for youth with additional non-parental adult support, including using active coping strategies, better self-esteem, and identity resolution. While the findings indicate that non-parental adults have a positive influence in different areas of youth well-being, further research is required to better understand the ways in which support from non-parental adults helps young people in their transition to adulthood.

Despite the potential for mutual learning, improvement of service provision, and the advancement of policy, research on first-generation migrant students and research on international students have remained stubbornly separate. This paper makes the case that education research would benefit from leveraging data on international students and that internationalization research and practice should more often include first-generation migrant students. To explore the benefits of this proposition, this article explores differences in the experiences of Irish-born domestic students, first-generation migrant students, and international students at Irish higher education institutions, using Eurostudent VI data collected in 2016. These comparisons show that first-generation migrant students report lower levels of preparation for the domestic labor market than both Irish-born domestic students and international students. International students are faring well on other indicators too, as they report higher levels of academic satisfaction and feeling more prepared for the international labor market than both first-generation migrant students and domestic students. Results also suggest that the academic satisfaction of the three groups of students is shaped by both common as well as divergent factors, indicating that interventions aimed to support each group may require additional tailoring. However, limitations of both quantitative and qualitative approaches to documenting the experiences of international students need to be considered as findings from this study and similar studies are used. By comparing the experiences of the three groups of students, this paper highlights the experience of first-generation migrant students, often overlooked in international higher education studies.

Purpose: Microteaching is a teacher training method based on microclasses (groups of four or five students) and microlessons lasting no more than 5-20 min. Since it was first explored in the late 20th century in experiments at Stanford University, microteaching has evolved at the interdisciplinary level. The purpose of this paper is to examine the networks found via an analytical bibliometric study of the scientific output related with microteaching in teacher training, through a study and examination of the Web of Science database. Design/methodology/approach: This research was conducted with the VOSviewer tool for content analysis through data mining and scientific network structure mapping by means of the normalisation technique. This technique is based on the association strength indicator, which is interpreted as a measurement of the similarity of the units of analysis. Findings: Two hundred and nine articles were thus obtained from the Web of Science database. The networks generated and the connections among the various items, co-authorship and co-citation are presented in the results, which clearly indicates that there are significant authors and institutions in the field of microteaching. The largest cluster is made up of institutions such as Australian Catholic University. The most often-cited document is by Rich and Hannafin. Allen (1968), who defines microteaching as a technique based on microclasses and microlessons, is the author most often cited and has the largest number of connections. Research limitations/implications: This research's limitations concern either aspects that lie beyond the study's possibilities or goals that have proved unattainable. The second perspective, which focuses on skill transfer, contains a lower percentage of documents and therefore has a weaker central documentary structure. Lastly, the authors have also had to bear in mind the fact that the scientific output hinges upon a highly specific realm, the appearance and/or liberalisation of digital technologies and access to those technologies in the late 20th century. Originality/value: This research shows that microteaching is a promising area of research that opens up vast possibilities in higher education teacher training for application in the realm of technologies. This paper could lead to several lines of future research, such as access to and the universal design of learning from the standpoint of different communication and pedagogical models based on microteaching.

This paper explores the Lay Theories of ADHD of stakeholders (teacher, parent and student) in an Irish context. Academic theories of difference have and continue to evolve, moving from medicalisation, through more socially oriented ideas, to more current trend around neurodivergence. However, inclusion as a process is socially negotiated within classrooms and the wider community. An understanding of stakeholders' lay theories or their beliefs about ADHD (e.g., what causes it and how to respond) gives us insights into this process. This paper draws on findings from a multi-case study (N = 15) that explored the lay theories of 17 parents, 15 students (7-18 year; Mean = 12.8; SD = 3.09), and 12 teachers (4 primary and 8 secondary) affected by ADHD in mainstream schools. Participants took part in a semi-structured interview. A data-driven Thematic Analysis identified three themes: what is ADHD, do they have control, and medication. Each stakeholder group held distinctly different views, which created considerable confusion. Findings are discussed in terms the need for the education of key stakeholders, and what those educational initiatives might include, as well as for the role of collaboration within the process of inclusion.

Purpose: To explore young peoples' motivation for engaging in agricultural education. Autonomous and controlled forms of extrinsic and intrinsic regulation are discussed regarding young peoples' decision to pursue an agricultural education. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative research approach was applied comprising of purposive and snowball sampling for 28 face-to-face, in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Findings: An understanding of the motivational regulations which mobilise young people to engage in agricultural education is provided. This paper sheds light on the psychological processes energising individuals to engage with agricultural education. Practical implications: The research highlights the importance of understanding motivation for engaging in agricultural education, and subsequent impacts on education programmes and educators. Theoretical implications: This paper contributes to pragmatic insights which demonstrate the importance of understanding young peoples' motivation for engaging in agricultural education. The paper builds on previous studies by using S.D.T. as a framework for understanding motivational processes within agricultural education. Originality/value: This paper supports an understanding of the motivational regulations which mobilise young people to engage with agricultural education.

Domestic abuse continues to be a growing concern across the globe where the overwhelming majority of victims are women. Women also tend to experience more severe forms of violence, which includes murder. There is growing recognition that children who live in households where domestic abuse exists are directly harmed and often show psychological problems from an early age while other children present with no symptoms and appear unaffected. Domestic abuse is rife and its impact minimised and normalised by society when it occurs in intimate partner relationships. This paper highlights the complexities of domestic abuse noting its many presentations and how siloed responses from various organisations tackled to address it are inadequate. The paper will identify learning for practitioners in an effort to turn the tide and save lives.

Inclusive education in Ireland has made major advances in the past two decades, with an increasing number of students with special educational needs (SEN) attending mainstream schools. This paper is part of a bigger study which examines the Special Education Teacher Allocation Model (SETAM) (Circular 0013/2017 Department of Education and Skills 2017) as the current model to support inclusion in practice in Irish primary schools. Guided by a constructivist paradigm, a mixed-methods approach was adopted to reveal the workings of the SETAM, in the Context of Practice. This paper presents the findings from the first phase of data collection; a national, online survey. Findings show that greater teacher autonomy to identify students' needs and allocate support, under this model, was welcomed by participants. However, limited continuous professional development sees some teachers feeling underprepared to identify such needs. More collaborative and inclusive practice is evident since the introduction of the SETAM, with increased use of in-class support for students with SEN. These findings may inform key stakeholders in inclusive education policy and practice, at a national and international level, by unveiling areas of success and potential for improvement, as recognised by Irish teachers.

Colleges are important providers of vocational education and training and in some countries they are the major provider. Although the international literature on colleges has grown considerably in the past two decades, it still consists primarily of qualitative descriptions of college sectors in different countries. Quantitative studies of differences in the activity mix of colleges in different countries could improve knowledge of international variation in the roles of colleges and provide a stronger foundation for study of the sources and consequences of variation in college roles. After reviewing different methodological frameworks for comparative analysis of college activity, the research reported here employs one of these frameworks to analyse differences in the activity mix of colleges in five countries. In addition to finding some noteworthy differences among the five countries, the paper also identified several problems of comparability of college data from different countries. The paper concludes that the development of internationally comparable data on colleges would require leadership by international organisations and agencies and is an undertaking well worth pursuing both for the benefits that it could bring to those whom colleges serve and for its contribution to the advancement of comparative study of vocational education and training.

This paper presents key findings from a study that aimed to critically examine the practice of outdoor education in the Republic of Ireland. It consisted of 10 months of fieldwork across four public Outdoor Education and Training Centres (OETCs). Data were generated through participant observation, informal conversation, as well as centre websites. Findings from the thematic analysis are presented in the form of a creative non-fiction story - principally to protect the identities and centres involved. The findings were then interpreted through the theoretical lens of McDonaldization. Considering the dearth of outdoor education research in Ireland, McDonaldization provided a lens through which it was possible to more deeply understand how rationalisation has affected Irish public outdoor education practices. The discussion explores practices inconsistent with the stated Irish definitions of public outdoor education and the paper concludes with suggestions as to how the McDonaldization of outdoor education may be countered.

Increasing rates of gender-based and sexual abuse, coupled with a rise in misogynistic influencers online, have become a growing issue in UK and Irish schools. This paper reports on the findings of a post lockdown study in England and Ireland that piloted workshops on gender-based and sexual violence. While most student responses were positive, we found that roughly 10% of girls and 20% of boys were resistant. In this paper, we explore these critical responses, focusing specifically on male resistance. Our findings indicate that new strategies, which avoid the concept of 'toxic masculinity', are needed to help boys move from defensive to empathetic engagements. We also find that the neoliberal, meritocratic ethos of many schools has fostered a problematic framing of gender-based violence as gender neutral. We conclude that it is vital to adopt an intersectional, whole-school approach to educating about sexual violence, which acknowledges male victimhood, while also emphasizing gendered privileges.

Parental support or resistance has been widely recognised as an important factor that enables or constrains the implementation of quality Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE). This paper analyses parental experiences of involvement and engagement with Gender Equality Matters (GEM), an educational programme focused on raising awareness, building confidence and enhancing capacity levels among children to tackle gender inequality and promote LGBTQI inclusion. The paper focuses on qualitative data from participating parents in the Irish primary school context. Pre- and post-questionnaires (n = 162) and semi-structured interviews (n = 3) were utilised to gain insight into the parents' experience of participating in GEM. Using thematic analysis, the analysis explores three themes: 1) positive parental partnerships; 2) naturalistic at-home conversations; and 3) resistance and disengagement. The study highlights the key role of parental partnerships with school curricula, whilst critically reflecting on potential sites for resistance and providing a successful model for future educational programmes to adopt.

Learning that "career" was not a definite sign in Irish Sign Language (ISL) and that "Career Guidance" was poorly understood by the Deaf community prompted a systematic literature review (SLR). An uncomfortable truth relating to Career Guidance emerged -- "Inclusion" is not where we presume it to be at.This paper presents the results of the SLR and shares how the answers from a thematic analysis can -- through a Universal Design (UD), and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) (Rose & Meyer, 2002) lens -- guide developments for inclusive Career Guidance.This paper shares the story of "d/Deaf guidance" in the literature; the tensions between theory and practice in relation to inclusion (Quirke, 2022), and the themes identified from the SLR -- themes the Deaf community believe are a Deaf gain.

The concept of 'pedagogic voice' emphasises the capacity of children to express their views on matters related to teaching, learning and curriculum. 'Pedagogic voice' aligns with children's rights to be listened to and the extent to which their views are fully considered and acted upon. Combined, these rights based approaches positively shape children's learning experiences. This paper draws on quantitative and qualitative data from the longitudinal mixed methods cohort study Children's School Lives to explore children's voice. Grounded in the sociology of pedagogic voice literature and building upon research on children's participatory rights, the paper explores children's experiences of being heard and actively participating in decision-making processes in diverse primary school settings in Ireland. It analyses children's voice by looking at their capacity to influence their own learning, contrasting their experiences and perspectives, to those of their teachers. Findings illustrate the interplay between children's and teachers' narratives regarding children's voice and their pedagogical encounters to explore the impact on teaching and learning processes, highlighting structural challenges to the realisation of children's voice in primary classrooms in Ireland.

This paper draws upon evidence captured from a parent consultation exercise conducted by Helen Dunn (author) and Paula Keenan on behalf of Children in Northern Ireland (CiNI) for the Department of Health as part of the Review of Children's Social Care led by Professor Ray Jones during 2022-23. CiNI is the regional umbrella organisation for the children's sector in Northern Ireland. This paper will be of interest to those who are keen to hear parents and carers views and their experiences of Social Work and Social Care in Northern Ireland. The Review also engaged Voice of Young People in Care (VOYPIC) a charity for children and young people with a lived experience of care in Northern Ireland. They formed an Experts by Experience Reference Group of young people who were currently in or had experience of the care system.

This study explores the relation between risk of job automation and participation in adult education and training (AET) and examines variation in that relation across welfare regimes distinguishing between situational and institutional barriers. Using microdata of PIAAC, we analyze participation in formal or nonformal AET for job-related reasons in relation to the risk of automation of the respondents' occupation after controlling for main sociodemographic characteristics. Logistic regression models are run on respondents from 14 European countries representing different welfare regimes: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (Scandinavian countries); Italy, Greece, and Spain (Southern European); Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland (Central and Eastern Europe), Belgium, France, and Germany (Continental); and United Kingdom and Ireland (Anglo-Saxon countries). Our findings confirm that workers in occupations at high risk of automation were found to be consistently less likely to participate in job-related AET, quite irrespective of welfare regime. [The paper was presented at XIII Conferenza Espanet Italia--Il welfare state di fronte alle sfide globali (Venezia, 17 September 2020).]

This study aims to identify the literacy skills of individuals whose highest level of education was in the field 'teacher training and educational sciences'. The study sample comprised 10,618 individuals in the field of teacher training and educational sciences, selected from 31 countries (participating in the International Adult Skills Assessment Programme during the 2014-2015 survey) using a multi-stage sampling method. The study employed multi-level latent class analysis and three-step analysis in order to determine both the number of multi-level latent classes of educators' literacy scores as well as the selected independent variables' success in predicting those latent classes. The analysis revealed that educators in Germany constituted the group with the highest literacy skills while educators from Singapore comprised the group with the lowest literacy skills. [This study was presented at the 9th International Congress of Educational Research. Ordu University, Ordu, Turkey.]

Over 60 years of technology development, transformation of educational policy and curriculum innovation in Ireland have resulted in the introduction of the Computer Science (CS) subject in Post-Primary (PP) Education. CS has always been conceived digitally and the Digital Learning Experiences (DLE) enacted through its curriculum are strongly interconnected to the opportunities and limitations offered by Digital Spaces (DS). However, key challenges have been identified for the successful implementation of CSE, from teachers' digital competencies and educational strategies in the classroom to learners' varying experiences of CSE. Through a systematic literature review of the educational policies and practices in Ireland's Educational System, this paper documents the digital evolution from the 1960s accounting for the CS curriculum. The literature review identifies key themes in how DS have been conceptualised through CSE, responding to learners' needs and teachers' skills and competencies, informed by emerging societal demands by providing evidence on the disparity between educational policy and practice for DS. Building upon the identified themes, this paper emphasises the importance of the design and implementation of DLE in DS such as the CS subject that considers historical lessons learned to respond to the uncertainties of the digital future.

Internationally, there continues to be a rise in the popularity of home-schooling. Although the growth in the numbers of families choosing this alternative approach was evident prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic school closures, it appears to have impacted on the decision for some to home-school permanently. Using a scoping review of the literature, this paper considers the research evidence around home-schooling in the United Kingdom and Europe. It then focuses on home-schooling in the Republic of Ireland to assess the change and development of home-schooling over time. In line with trends internationally, Irish administrative data show an increase in the numbers of families engaging in home-schooling in recent years, particularly for students with disabilities. The paper situates these findings within the context of ongoing debates on inclusive and special education in Ireland and the capacity of mainstream schools to educate and include every student.

Expectations of teacher leadership for school improvement have gained increasing currency in recent years. While extensive research on teacher leadership and practicing teachers exists, comparatively little research exists at pre-service level and there is little empirical data regarding leadership experiences and practices of novice teachers particularly in the context of leadership for inclusion. This paper draws on empirical data from six primary teachers in the Republic of Ireland who had undertaken a leadership for inclusion and special education module in their pre-service education and evidenced their willingness and readiness to practise leadership in schools. During their first year of teaching the teachers were engaged in a community of practice to help bridge the knowledge practice gap related to leadership for inclusion. A visual ethnographic research approach was used to track the teachers as they transitioned from 'talking the talk to walking the walk'. Analysis of results indicates teachers' ability to exercise leadership in their own classrooms, in collaboration with others within and beyond their schools. This paper extends the knowledge base on how leadership development in pre-service education evolves in the experiences and practices of a group of novice teachers and subsequent implications for teacher educators.

The aim of this study is to identify the most prolific countries in the field of special education and to discuss the widespread impact of their papers by taking into account the country's h-index. Through a bibliometric analysis, the data were collected in the Web of Science Core Collection category "Education, Special" in the Social Science Citation Index during 2011-2020. The 25 most prolific countries in the field of special education were determined in terms of paper productivity, and it was seen that the leading country was undisputedly the USA (54.42%). Meanwhile, a strong positive correlation was found between the h-index and the number of papers published by the countries (r=0.864). On the other hand, when the ranking in terms of the number of papers was reconfigured by the h-index, it was relatively changed. The possible reasons for this change for the countries with the most changing rankings were discussed by considering some definitive criteria such as the journal quartiles, the percentage of international and domestic, and the percentage of open access papers. This study reports a positive correlation between the quality and quantity in the field of special education for the publications of countries. It has been shown that where the positive correlation deviates, then especially, the journal quartiles, the percentage of international collaboration and the percentage of open access papers have a significant effect. The bibliometric findings may be useful to enrich the discussion about the widespread impact of papers and debate whether the use of h-index is acceptable for cross-national comparisons.

Examinable physical education (i.e. physical education as a certificate subject in a high-stakes environment) has distinctive forms of practical and theoretical knowledge, and the concept of 'integration' has been identified as a means to bridge such forms of knowledge. This paper explores how teachers interpret, translate, and enact curriculum policy, particularly the notion of 'integrated learning experiences', and how students respond to 'integrated learning experiences' in the Irish examinable physical education curriculum. Figurational sociology was used to locate the teachers and students in a web of interdependent relationships and conceptualise them as 'policy actors'. Through analysing a year-long data set of teacher and student qualitative data, this paper sheds light on how teachers and students 'do' policy work which we explicitly argue is influenced by the independencies within their figurations in the multi-layered policy enactment context. This paper contributes to our understanding of the policy enactment process and how teachers and students engage (or not) with the enactment of curriculum policy.

Initial teacher education (ITE) programmes in Ireland have seen continued high demand for places, reflecting high regard for the teaching profession. However, there is a dearth of diversity amongst Ireland's student teacher and teaching populations, with the vast majority of entrants to ITE being from majority ethnic groups and a high proportion from higher socio-economic backgrounds. Diversifying the teaching profession has come to be of research and policy significance in recent decades in Ireland. This paper explores issues of retention in ITE in Ireland, with a focus on supporting the engagement and completion of student teachers from under-represented groups. We draw on data collected as part of the "Access to Post-primary Teaching" (APT) project, funded under the Higher Education Authority's Programme for Access to Higher Education (PATH): Strand 1 (Equity of Access to Initial Teacher Education), including interviews with 'working class' student teachers and a focus group interview with teacher educators. While the paper highlights high retention rates in ITE in Ireland, it reports key barriers that particularly negatively impact student teachers from under-represented groups, in relation to identity and belonging, and finance and part-time work. The paper also observes the necessity of a high level of support by programme staff in maintaining high retention rates more generally in ITE programmes. Given the significant barriers student teachers from under-represented groups encounter in ITE, their high levels of retention merits further research, particularly the roles played by their motivation and by the specific additional supports provided by ITE staff and teacher diversity projects.

This paper explores the use and impact of experiential learning initiatives in an entrepreneurial university. Data are taken from two sources: interviews with eight academic managers and six focus groups with learners. A mix of narrative structuring and thematic analysis is used to explore the design, delivery and assessment of experiential learning. The authors apply Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory as their theoretical lens. Experiential learning evokes a mixed reaction from academic managers and students. The paper identifies three key themes (design, delivery and outcomes) which help to capture the complex mix of direct and indirect effects that experiential learning initiatives can have at both individual and institutional levels. The authors conclude that embedding experiential learning is a valuable part of the development of an entrepreneurial university.

In 2010 a mathematics curriculum was introduced in Irish second level schools entitled 'Project Maths' (PM). It aimed to refocus second level mathematics teaching and learning away from an over emphasis on procedural mathematics towards problem solving and real understanding [Department of Education and Skills (DES). (2010). "Report of the Project Maths implementation support group."https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Policy-Reports/Report-of-the-Project-Maths-Implementation-Group.pdf]. This paper aims to examine the performance of 1st year undergraduate students' procedural and problem solving skills after the introduction of PM. A diagnostic test was developed to determine students' skills in each area and findings demonstrated that students perform statistically significantly better in the procedural skills in mathematics when compared to problem solving skills. These findings raise concerns around the lack of anticipated improved problem solving skills of a cohort of students exposed to this style of teaching and learning. The paper raises discussion surrounding the intended and actual teaching and learning taking place in second level classrooms along with consideration for the potential role of learned helplessness and the literacy issues. Recommendations are made for follow up qualitative research with stakeholders in mathematics education to better understand the 'why' of the results presented here.

The objective of this paper is to inform a critical analysis of how the media portray family support in Ireland. Findings of a content analysis carried out on national and regional Irish newspapers between 2014 and 2017 are presented which describe communication about family support services provided by Tusla-Child and Family Agency. Results show that even though child protection was not used as a specific search term, news items on the Child and Family Agency and family support were usually focused on child protection and children in care. Results also show that family support activities are reported more positively in local papers compared to national papers. In the discussion, we argue that these findings are important as the media plays an important role in how the public understand, view, and engage with integrated child protection and welfare systems. We consider the implications of the research and advocate working with the media to inform their interpretation and understanding of family support. We suggest this is important as the manner in which the media communicate and frame family support as part of the overall child protection and welfare system is one of the main influences on public understandings and awareness of preventative family support and child welfare services.