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The International Conference on the History of Records and Archives (ICHORA) has been held since 2003, with the most recent conference, ICHORA10, taking place online in July 2022. The conference aimed to reflect on the centenary of two significant events in recordkeeping history in the UK and Ireland. The conference featured various forms of participation, including short postcards from the past and longer academic presentations. The papers presented at the conference explored the nature of archives and records, highlighting the diversity of perspectives and the importance of historical context. The special issue of the journal includes articles on topics such as recordkeeping pioneers in Malta, recordkeepers in Latin America, and the history of archives in different countries. The conference also raised questions about the unique methods and perspectives involved in studying the history of archives and records. [Extracted from the article]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including human services; virtual community; and information technology.

It is widely recognised that high-stakes assessment can significantly influence what is taught in the classroom. Many argue that high-stakes assessment results in a narrowed curriculum where students learn by rote rather than developing higher cognitive skills. This paper describes a study investigating the various cognitive objectives present from Bloom’s Taxonomy Educational Objectives on the Leaving Certificate biology examination. The study analysed examination papers from the past and current biology syllabuses. Analysis was also carried out to determine the marks being awarded to the different cognitive objectives. The findings show that the examination predominately includes questions that do not promote higher levels of thinking. The majority of the marks on the paper were allocated to the lower objectives of the taxonomy, suggesting students can rely on rote learning to succeed when undertaking the biology examination. This study strongly highlights how high-stake examinations have a narrow scope in terms of student achievement and shows how current biology examination procedures promote low-level learning. This low level of thinking promotes rote learning and regurgitation of facts, requiring little to no understanding of the topics. To prepare students for the working world, there needs to be a shift from only terminal exams to a mixed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Situating its analysis in the late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century Anglophone Atlantic world of print, this essay explores literature associated with experiments with paper currency in Massachusetts, Barbados, South Carolina, and Ireland. These currencies not only helped form imagined local publics for these provinces, but also produced imaginary notions of sovereignty for provincial legislative assemblies and their subjects. It comments on Jurgen Habermas's argument that a free and rational “bourgeois public sphere” emerged in Britain in this period by showing how writers like Swift, in both his British and Irish pamphleteering, persuaded readers into believing that they were part of an inclusive sovereign public. The work of Swift in defeating monetary experiments of all kinds in Ireland, written on behalf of an Anglo-Irish ruling elite that was the only demographic for whom the term “the public” truly applied, mobilized more common Irish readers with patriotic rhetoric. Swift's Drapier's Letters, in particular, thereby created an Irish counter-public to the more strictly elite “political public”—a counter-public that nonetheless became constituted as a popular market for the satire of Swift and others. This reading of the Drapier's Letters, following observations put forward by Clifford Siskin and Christian Thorne-Miano about the “invention” of British literature in this period, argues that the first modern Anglo-Irish discipline of literature is “forged” through such Swiftian publicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eric Dunning influenced the development of curricula and research agendas in sociology, history, social science and sports studies, internationally, in the UK and in Ireland. Dunning was also doctoral supervisor to, and academic colleague/mentor and friend of, both authors (at Leicester, Dublin and Chester). Inspired by him, this paper reflects on the craft of sociological research. The case study is the struggle for recognition of 'Ireland' in international athletics and the associated painstaking ongoing archival and mixed methods research work in multiple venues, involving sporting, state and personal papers, interviews and oral history sources. Such a history of the social dynamics of charisma and shame between the so-called 'mother country' (Great Britain) and a restless dominion (Ireland) was by no means structureless or patternless, but ontologically interdependent with life today. Accordingly, we consider several themes: the interplay between theory and evidence, the involvement-detachment balance and exploring knowledge figurations. In line with Dunning (and Elias), the paper adopts an anticipatory motif, that is to say, the work of understanding social relations between the 'British' and 'Irish' 'then' and 'now' is not finished. This work is one step in carrying forth the baton – the stock of intergenerational knowledge – about doing sociology, handed to us in trust by Dunning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how special educational needs (SEN) and social class can become intertwined in post-primary school choice in Ireland. The paper draws on data generated during a three-year ethnographic study of a DEIS school. Data are analysed using Holland et al.'s (1998. Identity and Agency in Cultural Worlds. Boston, MA: Harvard University Press) positional identities, authored selves and figured worlds in order to examine how learner identities and school choice processes can become informed by emergent school cultures being formed and re-formed by neoliberal marketisation of education and how these actions are taken up in the identity work of young people and their families. Soft barriers and their contribution to aspects of school stratification by social class and SEN in this setting are explored. Finally, the paper calls for recognition of the responsibilities of every school to own diversity in their own settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Ireland and the UK it is accepted practice that agencies with formal responsibility for delivering school examinations allow examination candidates, and in many cases their teachers, to see their examination papers once they have been marked. Returned papers can carry various pieces of information; as well as the total score given for a performance, additional information is included in the form of the annotations left on the examination paper by the marking examiner. As far as we know there has been no research into how this information affects those who come into contact with it. The study uses teacher interview and survey data to explore whether a sociocultural approach to analysis can illuminate the factors that might influence their interpretation of those annotations. These analyses suggest that a key influence on the valid interpretation of an examiner's annotations is a teachers' involvement in examining activity. The analyses support further conceptualisation that these teacher-examiners' interpretative capacity is related to their positioning in a boundary zone between two different activity systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. A qualitative research approach was applied comprising of purposive and snowball sampling for 28 face-to-face, in-depth, semi-structured interviews. 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. The research highlights the importance of understanding motivation for engaging in agricultural education, and subsequent impacts on education programmes and educators. 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. This paper supports an understanding of the motivational regulations which mobilise young people to engage with agricultural education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has risen rapidly to public and professional prominence in the UK in recent years. In this paper, we explore some issues that emerge from an analysis of newspaper articles on ADHD and look at the discourses that are constructed – discourses which contribute to defining what ADHD is, through argument and counter-argument. We contextualize these arguments in a developing consumerism and the changing relationships between the public and ‘experts’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the use of Lotus NOTES in the civil service section in Ireland with reference to the concurrent use of electronic and paper document. Disagreements in the claims of Irish citizens for particular government benefits; Factors influencing the reliance of the sector on paper files; Perceived threats posed by the information system.

This paper focuses on the diaspora Chinese community in Limerick – an Irish county town in the southwest of the Republic of Ireland – and examines how Chinese parents have responded to the education policy shift resulting from the 2017 Irish foreign language strategy, which added Chinese to the official educational curriculum. A semi-structured group interview was conducted with four Chinese-speaking parents. Analysis of the data revealed that identity preservation and maintaining bonds with extended family are the predominant expressed reasons for parents to cultivate their children's Chinese proficiency. English and Irish are prioritized over Chinese. Though the parents hold positive attitudes towards the inclusion of Chinese as a school subject in Ireland, they are disempowered from taking advantage of participating in the implementation of this national language shift due to a lack of access to social, cultural, and economic capital. Analysed through a Bourdieuian lens, the findings further expose the limitations or constraints placed on family language policy and the discrepancy between macro- and micro-level language policies. The paper is intended to shed light on education, social justice, and equality, bridging the gap between micro-level family language practices and macro-level language policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper makes three important contributions: to research on media and gender equality, specifically through the lens of gender equal sports coverage; to understanding the lived experiences of women in public service sports broadcasting, and to gender-sensitive public discourse and policy debates concerning the relationship between media and sport. In it, we examine industry attempts to achieve gender equal coverage in public service broadcasting (PSB) in Ireland and Sweden. The paper draws on a three-way dialogic exchange between the authors who, together, have sizeable professional and personal experiences of public service sports broadcasting, sports participation (from amateur to elite levels), and of voluntary sports coaching and administration. This novel exchange also responds to calls for greater insights into women's engagements with media. The paper concludes by considering current issues for PSBs in relation to gender equal coverage and suggesting potential future lines of enquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper will challenge readers to consider their approach to supporting academics who are writing a teaching portfolio. What comes first? The literature, collecting evidence or something else? In this reflection on practice, I offer an approach that centralises practice as the core focus for starting this process. Grounded in theoretical principles that espouse the inseparability of practice and knowledge, the paper offers simple, practical steps for prioritising a practice-based approach to support writing a teaching portfolio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the relevance of the knowledge base conceptualization and the relationship between the symbolic knowledge base and the spatiality of knowledge flow in the context of the animation industry in Ireland. The paper draws on findings from a study of four innovation case studies. In broad terms, the findings provide further support for the applicability of the knowledge base approach and the association of the animation industry with the symbolic knowledge base. However, in relation to the spatiality of knowledge flows, the findings contradict the theoretically deduced postulations. Nearly all of the knowledge sources are located overseas. In addition, the study finds little support for the role of local buzz in knowledge flow. The local animation community “buzzes globally” at international events. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Ireland's economy is currently characterized by two phenomena: a highly globalized growth regime predicated on multinational corporate profit-shifting, and a domestic economy (concentrated in the capital, Dublin) experiencing severe housing crisis. This paper links these two phenomena together, and argues that they be considered as evidence of the emergence of a new accumulation regime, in which a specific mode of integration within the global economy both favours the emergence of, and embeds, particular patterns of domestic rent exploitation. To demonstrate this the paper combines a new synthesis of French régulation theory, as modified to account for transnational dynamics, with an updated reading of Gramsci's analysis of (pre-Fordist) rent exploitation, applying this framework to redefine Ireland's growth model as an emerging transnational accumulation regime of rentier character. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ireland is beginning to emerge from an extended period of austerity following the global economic collapse of 2008. In this time, private sector investment in historic urban cores all but halted, and state funding for heritage was dramatically cut. However, both the state and civil society have placed a new emphasis on the potential of built heritage to act as a driver of economic recovery, reflected in both local and national policies and strategies relating to the conservation and regeneration of historic urban cores. Through a discourse analysis of local documentary material, and of semi-structured interviews with a range of key factors involved in the management of two historic urban cores in Ireland (Limerick and Waterford), the paper explores how conservation policy has been fashioned to suit its deployment as an instrument of local and national economic recovery within the context of entrenched entrepreneurial urbanism, and how local stakeholders have responded. The paper concludes on the implications for both conservation policy—specifically tensions between traditional conservation approaches and more flexible instruments utilised in heritage-led regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ireland's schooling population has significantly diversified in the last 15 years. Despite the growing body of research on migrant and minority ethnic students' experiences, we still know relatively little about their relationships with peers and teachers. This paper draws on data collected as part of a wider study, informed by critical race theory (CRT), about the higher education (HE) experiences of minoritised ethnic students, involving interviews with 25 students across seven HE institutions in Ireland. 11 had attended school in Ireland, and this paper examines their schooling experiences including their 1) identity battles in not being recognised as Irish, 2) experiences of racist bullying and inadequate responses of teachers, and 3) construction as 'deficient' learners, including regarding HE progression. From a CRT perspective, the findings are examined in the context of exclusionary constructions of Irishness, and the urgent need for anti-racist education in Ireland for students and teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To advance the understanding of the nature and dynamics of creative entrepreneurship in specific contexts, this paper explores how creative entrepreneurship both shapes and is shaped by its peripheral context. This paper adds to the growing work that is helping us understand that when looking at the periphery through the lens of cultural and creative practice we find a much more nuanced set of relations between place and practice. We focus on geographically separate regions facing the same obstacles of geographic peripherality. Underpinning the findings are semi-structured interviews reflecting the experience of creative entrepreneurs in North East Iceland, Västernorrland in Mid Sweden and the western region of Ireland. While we recognise that problems still exist in the creative industries policy domain, we argue that policy supports would be best designed in line with the characteristics of the sector in particular places. This work also helps to develop knowledge of the multifaceted role of the creative entrepreneur in peripheral societies and economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over a decade has passed since the publication and enactment of the first National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy (NLNS; Department of Education and Skills. 2011. Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life: The National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People 2011–2020. Dublin: Department of Education and Skills). This paper provides insights into the reality of its enactment across a range of primary and post-primary settings. Drawing on qualitative data from interviews (n = 30) and quantitative data from a survey (n = 455) of primary and post-primary teachers, the paper charts commonalities and differences across these two sectors. Qualitative data indicated that the NLNS was successful in putting literacy on the agenda, with a range of consequent policy and practices reported by teachers. The teaching of literacy tended to be grounded in largely traditional conceptualisations of print-based reading and writing, with limited reference to digital or multimodal practices. Quantitative data highlighted the divergence of opinions between teachers from both sectors, particularly in relation to students’ literacy skills on entry to post-primary school and in DEIS settings. As policymakers prepare for the enactment of a successor strategy (Government of Ireland. 2024a. Ireland’s Literacy, Numeracy and Digital Literacy Strategy 2024–2033: Every Learner from Birth to Young Adulthood. Dublin: Government of Ireland), the paper concludes by addressing implications for the next decade of literacy-focussed policy in Irish schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing emphasis on inclusive education over the last decade has placed renewed focus on curriculum and the extent to which standard or different curricula should be enacted for learners with special educational needs. This paper explores the enactment process for a state-mandated, standard curriculum in Irish special schools. A two-phase, explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach to data-gathering was adopted. Phase 1 incorporated a questionnaire distributed to the principal of every special school in the Republic of Ireland (n = 133). Phase 2 consisted of a multi-site embedded case study with three special schools for children with varying levels of general learning disability. The findings illustrate how special education teachers modify the curriculum to make it more accessible for all learners and showcase the pertinence of curriculum design frameworks for framing those illustrations. The paper concludes by demonstrating the potential of a modified curriculum design framework for ensuring that learners with the most complex needs have better opportunities to access a curriculum with degrees of commonality to their peers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature review has clearly indicated that the scale and characteristics of demand for Geography Earth and Environmental Sciences experts across different countries is unknown. Therefore, there is an urgent need to investigate this issue. This paper presents the results of research on the real demand for GEES specialists. In the paper, real demand is expressed by job vacancies (N = 17 378) published in six European countries over a period of 18 months. To analyse such an extensive body of text data, we used data mining techniques such as: SVD, inter-factor correlation analysis, word frequency analysis and word significance indicators, which allowed us to recognise similarities and differences in the size and structure of demand for these specialists in specific groups of countries. Employers from the UK and Ireland offered the most comprehensive range of positions whereas the expectations of Polish employers were the least diverse. Word frequency analyses for each occupation group demonstrated which components of GEES experts' knowledge and skills are considered universal on the labour market and which are subject to substantial regional variations. Moreover, word significance analyses allowed us to identify the occupations where a wider range of general skill areas was required and the positions for which primarily geographic skills were in demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis paper contributes towards the beginnings of asexual geographies, an area that has been largely overlooked within sexualities and queer geographies. Indeed, despite gradually increasing awareness of asexuality as a concept and identity, asexuality remains an underdeveloped area of academic research and is still widely misunderstood and invisible across society. Scholarship in the burgeoning field of asexuality studies has sought to redress this invisibility by exploring asexual people’s lives, identities, and experiences. Through these explorations, asexuality scholars have developed the concept of ‘compulsory sexuality’ to describe the ways in which social norms and practices assume that all people are sexual. However, within this growing field, the spatialities of asexuality and compulsory sexuality have yet to be fully developed. In this paper, I therefore aim to bring together work in geography and asexuality studies to introduce the concept of the allosexualisation of space. Drawing from qualitative interview data collected from seven asexual people living across Ireland, I examine the ways in which participants described feeling excluded, invisible, and/or out of place in a variety of spatial contexts – illustrating how spaces can come to reflect and co-produce the logic and assumptions of compulsory sexuality. In doing so, I argue that space matters to our understandings of asexuality and asexual people’s lived experiences, as well to the ways in which compulsory sexuality is manifest throughout our everyday lives. This paper thus contributes to beginning geographical discussions of asexualities, and extends emerging research on asexuality by introducing a geographical lens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fourth International Conference on Nanochannels, Microchannels and Minichannels (ICNMM) was held at the University of Limerick in Ireland during June 19-21, 2006, under the sponsorship of American Society of Mechanical Engineers. A total of 189 papers were presented and over 250 participants attended the conference. The participants came from 25 countries and presented papers in 22 different areas, including microfluidics, biomedical, heat transfer, single- and two-phase flows, electronics cooling, boiling and condensation, mixing, heat exchangers, and a number of related areas. The participants cited the intense interactions among researchers from various discipline as a major benefit of attending this conference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from Ireland's national longitudinal study of children, this paper employs a capabilities approach to disability to understand how individual characteristics as well as home and school environmental factors at age 9 relate to academic and socio-emotional outcomes of students with special educational needs (SEN) at age 17. Results suggest that young people with SEN register both lower average scores and make less academic progress between the age of 9 and their national lower secondary examination, with the exception of young people with a physical SEN. Both home and school environmental factors at 9 years have long-term associations with the academic outcomes of young people with SEN, after controlling for individual characteristics and prior academic achievement. Home and school environmental factors had less consistent associations with the socio-emotional outcomes of young people with SEN. By using rigorous nationally representative longitudinal data, this paper offers a more holistic understanding of the development of young people with SEN. The paper also provides important evidence that a more inclusive approach for supporting students with additional needs, their parents, and their schools is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School self-evaluation is a low-stakes policy recently mandated in Ireland and while schools are becoming more consistent in engaging in this internal mode of evaluation, their engagement has not been uniform. This paper provides new ways of thinking about, understanding, and explaining how school self-evaluation plays out in Irish schools. Subscribing to the view that policies are not simply implemented but enacted through the creative processes of interpretation and translation, this paper shows how school self-evaluation is performed in Irish schools in various ways by various people. We identify numerous policy actors in our qualitative data: narrators, entrepreneurs, outsiders, transactors, enthusiasts, translators, critics, and receivers. This assortment of actors helps to bring school self-evaluation to life but as it comprises heterogeneous entities with varying characteristics, levels of experience, and motivations it is simply not possible for this policy to be implemented in schools as policymakers envisage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adult-centric concept of 'age-appropriateness' is an arbitrary signifier and yet it commands a powerful common-sense appeal in governing the shape of sexuality education. The visibility of LGBTQ+ lives in primary schools is deeply impacted by the cis-heteronormative ways in which age-appropriateness is commonly understood and mobilised; very often resulting in silence and delay. The concept of age-appropriateness also becomes entangled with moral panics about 'promoting' LGBTQ+ lives, or children being somehow 'recruited' to identify as LGBTQ+. This paper draws on findings from a study with the parents of eleven trans and gender diverse children (then aged between 5 and 13) conducted in 2017, as well as a follow-up study conducted with seven participants from the same group of parents and children in 2022. The paper explores how the politics of age and agency intersect and become intensified as trans and gender diverse children and their parents navigate and make decisions about their bodies, lives and everyday worlds in primary schools. These stories of trans and gender diverse children provide an arresting invitation to adults to attend closely to the rich stories of children themselves in (re)considering the potential of sexuality education across contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historically, unmarried mothers have suffered greatly in Irish society. Advocacy for unmarried mothers began in the 1970s with the emergence of the women's movement in Ireland. 'Cherish' became one of the first organisation in Ireland to push for rights for unmarried mothers. This article is the first comprehensive study into the organisation exploring its establishment and development throughout the late twentieth century. Against the backdrop of the larger women's movement, this article focuses on the early years of the campaign incorporating the push for unmarried mothers allowance; accommodation assistance offered; advice on legal issues including maintenance; as well as lobbying politicians on legislative change. It incorporates the organisation's connection with the Catholic Church whilst simultaneously and unapologetically challenging Archbishop Dermot Ryan on prejudices against unmarried mothers. In the 1980s, the group faced new challenges as more women with unplanned pregnancies sought information on abortion. The organisations link with the Catholic Church diminished throughout the 1980s as Cherish began to direct women to abortion information helplines and openly supported the Defend the Clinics Campaign, despite their receipt of state funding. The establishment of Cherish and its commitment to advocacy for women in crisis pregnancy has been somewhat overlooked in the historical analysis of the Irish women's movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the intersection of gender identity and sexual orientation in the narrative experiences of trans identified young people. Data were collected in collaboration with trans youth community centres in the USA, Canada and Ireland. Axial and selective coding procedures were used to examine the interplay between developing sexual orientation and gender identity. The relational language used by participants when explaining the process of negotiating and renegotiating sexual orientation prompted us to ground theory building in a framework of intersectionality, feminist concepts of 'doing gender' and peer mediated approaches to identity development. Two overarching themes were developed and are deconstructed in this paper: labelling and peer mediated self-consciousness. With respect to labelling, through the feminist concept of 'doing gender' we explain how trans youth navigated accountability to self, others and society as they negotiated and renegotiated sexual orientation labels in conjunction with gender labels. In relation to peer meditated consciousness, we examined how through relationship with peers, participants explored and internalised concepts important for sexual orientation formation. The paper begins to explore some of the ways in which gender identity and sexual orientation are interwoven, challenging the notion that they are fully autonomous constructs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As newsrooms build new audiences and revenue streams, there are considerations around the impact of digitalization on journalistic labour. This paper explores journalists' perceptions of how digital technologies influence their work, and the role of technology in furthering managerial control and extracting labour power. Building on an earlier study of freelance workers in the Republic of Ireland this exploratory paper examines if the concept of digital labour, can be expanded to include the work of salaried journalists. Specifically, the article considers how digital technologies are shifting the boundaries and the nature of work in journalism. The research is informed by a theoretical framework, drawn from labour process theory. Using this theory, the linkages between digital labour and work processes are considered to explore the perceived effects of digitalization on how journalists work. The main findings suggest organizations are increasingly extracting more labour power, requiring journalists to produce more over longer hours. Salaried journalists also report an implicit rather than a contractual obligation to participate in additional and unpaid digital labour to meet employer expectations. These developments, it is argued, have not only shifted the boundaries of news work but also further tilted the balance of power in favour of news organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generation of reliable data underpins the effectiveness of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) surveillance systems. Despite the importance of understanding OHS data systems, there are few papers that provide overviews of their structure and/or content. This paper introduces a basic framework for assessing OHS data systems that will be of use to researchers internationally. We applied this approach to assess the Irish OHS data system by undertaking a data mapping exercise. We developed a checklist based on recommendations of monitoring and measurement of OHS proposed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (USA). An assessment of published reports that present systematic OHS surveillance data was undertaken to identify the institutions or organisations responsible for collecting and curating the data, their remit, and, associated with this, their respective case definitions. We then provide an overview of the variables collected and these are then mapped against the checklist. The assessment highlights that whilst the farm fatalities dataset provides complete coverage of all fatalities, regardless of age or employment status, the same is not true of the three non-fatal injuries datasets reviewed. There are important differences in the data collection methods and, associated with this, which populations are covered. The assessment approach provides valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of a critical element of OHS surveillance systems, namely the production of datasets. This knowledge is important for researchers as understanding the data that informs their research is fundamental to good science. It is critical for policy-makers and other stakeholders to understand the strengths and weaknesses on which OHS policy, strategies, or education and training interventions are developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the literature on geographies of masculinities by examining how young men's (aged 12–18) performances of masculinity through humour was mutually constitutive of and constituted by the spaces of the Fusion and Retro youth cafés in the city and suburbs of Cork in the south of Ireland. Research on open access youth provision such as youth clubs, centres and youth cafés have found that they can afford young people the opportunity to 'be themselves', reflecting the ideals of safety and inclusivity that are meant to be sustained in these spaces. Using ethnographic observations, this paper shows that such ideals are never a given as the inequality embedded in gendered performances mean the spaces must be continually (re)produced as inclusive. It contributes to an understanding of youth cafés as micropolitical spaces of becoming that shape and are shaped by negotiations over meanings of gender and masculinity in particular. Furthermore, it advances two new concepts - 'humorous improprieties' and 'humour bombing' - to the performative geographies literature, highlighting two nuanced ways in which young men construct themselves as men in relation to space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows how the commitment of senior leadership teams to student voice is not necessarily shared by teachers. As part of a wider study, this paper presents qualitative data generated through interviews with school staff in one Irish post-primary school with a strong culture of student voice to illustrate the discrepancy that can exist between senior leaders and teachers in terms of how they embrace, enact, and experience student voice. Student voice customs can be rhetorical, perhaps even exaggerated by some, and peripheral to others, and positions on student voice are often determined by positions in the school hierarchy. As student voice remains considerably underdeveloped in Irish post-primary schools despite Irish education and most Irish schools becoming replete with student-centred discourses, this paper provides one possible way of making sense of the current state of play. More broadly, it points to how different actors work on and with student voice in different ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A call for paper for the 2nd Biennial Dublin Gastronomy Symposium (DGS) which will be held at the School of Culinary Arts & Food Technology in Dublin, Ireland is presented.

Professional placements are integral to social work education and provide formative but variable learning opportunities for students. As social work programs expand and requirements for placements increase, settings where a social worker may not be employed are increasingly utilized, risking further variability of student experience. This paper reports on qualitative responses to two open-ended questions in a cross-sectional survey conducted with social work students from four universities on the island of Ireland. Questions included (1) what students found most helpful in assisting their learning, and (2) what would have improved their learning during placement. A six-step approach to thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data from 427 responses to question one, and 355 responses to question two. Four key pillars of practice learning were identified: enabling relationship(s); 'real world' practice opportunities; structured teaching and learning; and academic-practice alignment. Drawing on these findings, the paper presents a framework for integrated learning which promotes students' capacity for active inquiry in practice. Linked processes of relational knowing and structured teaching and learning emerged as integral to knowledge acquisition and professional development on placement. Findings re-established the significance of the supervisory relationship and relationship-based learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the increasing recognition of the importance of mental health promotion, its implementation in practice remains underdeveloped in most countries. Having a standalone strategy ensures commitment to delivering on mental health promotion within the political and policy system. This paper outlines the process of developing the first Mental Health Promotion Plan for the health service in Ireland. The process of developing the Plan, together with key reflections and learnings from the experience are outlined. The framework for the development of the Mental Health Promotion Plan, and the processes involved are outlined. The development process constituted three distinct phases over a two and a half year period: (i) planning; (ii) identifying core actions; (iii) stakeholder engagement. The steps involved in each of these phases are described. The Mental Health Promotion Plan takes a lifecourse and settings-based approach, including 27 actions for enhancing protective factors for mental health and minimising risk factors. A wide range of stakeholders from across sectors contributed to the development process. The development of this Plan marks a watershed in placing mental health promotion on the policy agenda at a national level, building on the existing health promotion policy and practice infrastructure in Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper heeds the broader societal calls for decolonisation in Britain and Ireland, and seeks to apply various strands of decolonial practice within the context of Mesolithic archaeology; a subfield which has seen little postcolonial reflection to date. We question the historic interactions between Mesolithic archaeology and colonial hegemony, and argue that Mesolithic research continues to reinforce these hegemonies today. This occurs simultaneously within Europe, and on the inter-continental scale. With this in mind, we explore areas of Mesolithic research practice that hold potential to shift this dynamic, and contribute to the deconstruction of colonially rooted power imbalances. In doing so, our focus falls upon the ethics of ethnographic analogy, and the ontological turn within Mesolithic Studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eurozone's export-oriented policy regime and pursuit of trade surpluses remains thoroughly puzzling. Rooted in overly strict fiscal policies, inequality and underinvestment; undermining growth and contributing to trade tensions– it defies economic self-interest. This paper develops an analytical framework to confront this puzzle. It argues that these policies are self-harming, but are nonetheless pursued, because of three fallacies that obscure the cost-benefit calculus attached to them. These fallacies are rooted in the empirical problem of observational equivalence: the same observed surplus can be driven by different underlying processes, and its net benefit will depend on our assumptions about these drivers. The first fallacy is mistaking external enablers for domestic competitiveness—interpreting export success to be linked to domestic reform, when it was largely explained by better links to faster growing trading partners. The second fallacy is mistaking weak imports for strong exports—interpreting surpluses as 'winning', even when they are not driven by superior exports but sluggish imports. The third fallacy is mismeasuring multinational firms' contributions to national exports—interpreting profit shifting and assets stashed in low tax jurisdictions as export performance. Germany and Ireland, as paradigmatic 'success cases of austerity', are used to expand the argument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the pedagogic lens this article presents theoretical exposition of feminist egalitarian discourse for social work education. The Masters in Social Work is a professional qualification, which has as its primary goal the promotion of human rights and social justice. In theory, feminist egalitarian discourse aligns succinctly with this overall goal. However, in reality feminist egalitarian discourse is often overlooked and is rarely considered mainstream in many social work programmes. The paper is divided into three sections (1) An Irish context, which provides a brief overview of social work in Ireland, while linking it to the way social work programmes have developed within such a context; (2) The status of feminist egalitarian discourse in social work education, whereby critical theorisation in this paper interrogates the literature on feminist egalitarian discourse in social work education (particularly Masters in Social Work curricula), and in doing so, and; (3) Embraces feminist egalitarian discourse in social work education, which highlights the significance of critical perspectives in contemporary social work education and practice. Theorisation through uptake of feminist egalitarian discourse argues that through such discourse in social work masters programmes, coherence with universal humanistic ideology is heightened, challenging both neoliberal ideologies and statutory led practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on how stigma is constructed and deconstructed through linguistic and aesthetic dimensions of "Rapid Build" housing in Dublin, Ireland. Through analyses of in-depth interviews and focus groups with residents and stakeholders, we explore how the nomenclature and brick-clad modular construction of the builds influenced residents' experiences of stigma. Emphasizing the importance of the symbolic dimensions of housing materialities in mediating stigma, we argue resident experiences reflect the importance of understanding relationships between social housing construction and stigma power in three interrelated ways. First, the nomenclature and materiality of housing has a profound effect on social imaginaries of residents and their self-perceptions. Second, stigmatized groups are not devoid of agency within constructions of stigma, and are both actors in the embedding of, and resistance to, its production. Third, engaging with residents' experiences is integral to better understanding, and resisting, the role of architecture in the "stigma machine". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on ethics in community-based participatory research (CBPR) from inception to post-publication. Central to CBPR is a collaborative, partnership approach that recognises the strengths of partners and engages their distinctive voice and knowledge in the research process. While the ethical complexities that arise in the course of research practice in CBPR can transcend individual projects, they are also grounded in the particularity of the project, community, and research partners. This paper reflects on the experiences of two participatory social policy research projects on housing in Ireland, conducted over the past three years. These projects involved collaborating with older people living in rural areas nationwide and with residents of small communities on offshore islands. The paper explores the ethics of engagement (regarding methods of involvement and access), and the ethics of representation (incorporating the depiction and sharing of research findings) and argues that researchers must pay attention to the specificity of each project and be alive to generating an organic research ethics in how research is set up, conducted, represented, and disseminated. In so doing, we can better foster agency and authenticity in the relationships developed throughout research processes and reflect on and meet shared values and responsibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores parents' experiences of breaking news and communicating to the child with cancer and their siblings, and identifies the supports parents request to help them in this role. This paper represents one component of a wider action research study which employed mixed methods to explore supports needed by parents of children with a cancer diagnosis in the Republic of Ireland. This paper reports on the survey phase of the study, which involved the distribution of a postal survey to 550 families of children in cancer treatment and remission. This survey included four open-ended questions exploring parents' experiences of breaking news and communicating about the illness to the ill child and his/her siblings. Descriptive statistics on the profile of the parents were generated with computer software package SPSS and qualitative responses were analyzed using the survey questions as the initial framework. Parents identified four interventions that helped ease the distress of these difficult conversations: coaching, resources, team engagement, and play therapy. Parents expressed concern for siblings, describing them as "suffering" and "forgotten". Parents requested four sibling-specific interventions: the creation of resources for siblings, therapeutic support, coaching for parent-sibling conversations, standardize a family meeting with the multi-disciplinary team that includes siblings. This paper demonstrates how the practical supports requested by parents which are consistent with the principles embedded within the internationally defined psychosocial standards of care could be translated into practice when supporting parents to communicate with children in the context of pediatric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a recent study in Ireland with young male migrants, this paper discusses how narratives of home in migration and sense of belonging in domestic spaces for male migrants are linked. Using photovoice method, the paper focuses on the temporal aspects of the relationship between home and belonging: the present 'real' home which constitutes the lived spaces of migrants and the 'aspired' home that is postponed to a future time when families of one's own are formed. The main argument of this paper is that migrant masculinities are reproduced in relation to current structural inequalities and the absence of significant others that prohibit a meaningful home in present time in these young migrant men's lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Set against a backdrop of diminished interest in drug education outside of school settings in Ireland, this paper draws from 10 years of professional practice in the field of drug education and prevention, to reflect on illicit drug use in Ireland and on the lay understandings of illicit drug use encountered by this practitioner. This paper sets out to achieve four things; paint a picture of the Irish illicit drug landscape and of lay understandings of drugs and drug issues; highlight the emergent issue of people obtaining fake drug information on the Internet; explore drug education as a field of scholarship in Ireland; and reflect on 10 years of practitioner experience within the field. Given the complexity of the drug landscape and the proliferation of questionable drug information available online, this paper argues that drug education is an appropriate and worthwhile response to precarious understandings of illicit drugs and drug issues. The paper suggests drug education warrants revival within the Irish context, particularly given the pace of change in both the drugs and online landscapes. To conclude, this practitioner urges other practitioners and scholars with an interest in drug education within the Irish context to revive and advance the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the 15th International Conference on Production Research to be held from August 9-13, 1999 in Limerick, Republic of Ireland. Call for papers; Conference organizing committee.

Reports on the 15th International Conference on Production Research to be held from August 9-13, 1999 in Limerick, Republic of Ireland. Call for papers; Conference organizing committee.

Announces the holding of the 15th International Conference on Production Research from August 9 to 13, 1999 by the International Foundation for Production Research at the University of Limerick in Ireland. Theme and host of the event; Call for research papers in the fields of Industrial and Production Engineering; Conference organizing committee.

Little is known about the relationship between treatment organization characteristics and client outcomes or drug-related harms in community opiate substitution therapy. In the absence of sufficient scientific evidence, the organizational configuration of addiction treatment services is often decided on an ad hoc and sometimes politically motivated basis as the evaluation of the impact of policies or practices on clients at the organizational level is limited. The objective of this multi-site cross-sectional study was to identify and understand how client characteristics and staff perceptions of organizational functioning related to client engagement in community-based opiate substitution therapy services in Ireland. This paper reports on a cross-sectional survey of clients (n = 262) and staff (n = 132) questionnaires across 12 discrete community-based prescribing service providers (organizations) in Ireland. Measures of client engagement in treatment were shown to be higher in organizations with more positive staff ratings of organizational functioning. In particular, in organizations where staff reported having greater job autonomy, clients reported better overall engagement. Specifically, greater staff autonomy in organizations related to greater levels of treatment participation (p = 0.034), treatment satisfaction (p < 0.001), and better rapport with staff (p < 0.001). Clients who were the longest in treatment expressed significantly poorer rapport with staff (p = 0.44) and were less likely to seek out support from peers (p = 0.023), while those in stable accommodation reported greater participation in treatment (p = 0.009). Levels of peer support were not related to organizational characteristics, but clients with lower levels of education (p = 0.002) and those in early treatment (p = 0.017) were more likely to seek support from peers. The findings establish the importance of assessing organizational and client attributes as part of an overall strategy for enhancing the quality of treatment. This paper provides valuable information for policymakers and provides an ample basis for further exploration of how treatment organizations work, and not just that they work. Policymakers and planners need to consider introducing specific interventions for clients or staff in the context of a 'whole systems' approach. From an organizational and planning perspective, this should involve further consideration of measures that relate to increasing staff's sense of autonomy. This paper provides further evidence that the success of policy-making or planning relating to treatment organizations can be successfully measured at the client and organizational levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]